QuickBooks Payroll vs Wave Payroll
Two payroll & HR tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Wave Payroll costs less for a six-person team.
QuickBooks Payroll fits retail shop, restaurant or café, agency or studio, trades or contractor, online store.- QuickBooks Payroll suits teams past ten people.
| Compare | QuickBooks PayrollIntuit | Wave PayrollWave Financial |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Payroll inside QuickBooks Online, sold as a bundle | Payroll add-on for Wave accounting users |
| Starting price | From $88/mo + $7/person | From $40/mo + $6/person |
| Six-person team | $130/mo | $76/mo |
| Plans | Now sold as QuickBooks Workforce: Payroll + Simple Start $88/mo; Payroll + Essentials $135/mo, both + $7/employee; Premium + Plus $228/mo + $13/employee; often 50% off for 3 months | $40/mo + $6 per employee + $6 per contractor paid; tax service in all 50 states; Canada $25 CAD + $6 (not Quebec); does not file 1099s |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free trial |
| Free trial | — | 30 days |
| Users | Per employee | No minimum |
| Both connect to | No shared connections on record. | |
| Also connects to | QuickBooks Online, Homebase Scheduling, Connecteam, Buddy Punch, When I Work, Planday | Wave |
| Team size | 2–10 people · 11–50 people | Just me · 2–10 people |
| Available in | US | US · CA |
| Phone support | Plans not stated (US) | None listed |
| Live chat | Every paid plan | Every plan |
| Support hours | Help center: Mon–Fri 6 AM–6 PM PT, weekends closed (Workforce Payroll), Mon–Fri 5 AM–7 PM PT, Sat–Sun 6 AM–3 PM PT (Workforce Premium and Elite) · Phone: Monday- Friday 6am -6pm PST | Live chat: Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern |
| Incidents posted | 5 incidents posted on Intuit's status page, which covers all Intuit products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 2 marked major or critical by Intuit. Status page | 5 incidents posted on Wave Financial's status page, which covers all Wave Financial products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 1 marked major or critical by Wave Financial. Status page |
| Fit: Retail shop | 85 | 65 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 82 | 60 |
| Fit: Service business | 88 | 80 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 85 | 65 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 88 | 72 |
| Fit: Online store | 78 | 50 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit QuickBooks Payroll | Visit Wave Payroll | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. How we calculate prices
QuickBooks Payroll: partner link. We may earn a commission; it never affects rankings.
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