QuickBooks Workforce vs Square Payroll
We give QuickBooks Workforce and Square Payroll the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. QuickBooks Workforce grades higher on the free plan and features. Square Payroll grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
QuickBooks Workforce
Intuit's payroll and HR service, sold alone or with QuickBooks
Square Payroll
Payroll for Square sellers, with timecards from Square POS
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAQuickBooks WorkforceFair | 2.4GPASquare PayrollFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CWorkforce Payroll is $50 a month plus $7 an employee, so $85 for five, the middle of this category. Half-price base for the first 3 months makes that $60 at first. Time tracking and HR need Premium, which is $153 for five. | BFull-service payroll is $35 a month plus $6 a person, $65 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Paying only contractors is $6 a person, $30 for five, though that plan files no taxes. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 30-day trial, but it only waives the $50 base: the $7 per employee is still charged, so running a real payroll costs money from day one. Taking the trial also means giving up the 3 months at half price. | FNo free plan or trial on record. There is no long-term contract, so you pay month by month, but you pay from the start. |
| Features | BIntuit files and pays payroll taxes, pays salaried staff automatically, e-files unlimited 1099s and pays next day. Premium adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, and Elite adds IRS penalty cover up to $25,000 a year. That covers the whole job. | CPayroll done fully, with tax filing for each state you pay in, tips and hours pulled from Square POS, overtime and scheduling. It's a smaller job, though: no HR tools, and health insurance and 401(k) are paid add-ons. |
| Ease of use | B4.65 from about 197,000 App Store ratings for the QuickBooks Workforce app, where staff clock in. Premium includes an expert review of your setup, and Elite has an expert set it up for you. | A4.7 from about 41,000 App Store ratings for the Square Team app, where owners run payroll and staff onboard themselves. If you're on Square already, the hours are already there. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, sitting alongside QuickBooks Online, with QuickBooks Time, Checkr, Vestwell, NEXT Insurance and Mineral connected. No desktop app in the listing. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Square Point of Sale, Cash App and QuickBooks Online. No desktop app, and it's sold on Square's US site only. |
| Best for | businesses already keeping books in QuickBooks | shops and cafes already selling with Square |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: QuickBooks Workforce and Square Payroll. How we grade
Price against what you get
QuickBooks Workforce starts at $50 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Square Payroll starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
They score the same, and Square Payroll starts $44 a month lower. Of the other payroll services on the chart, 2 score higher than QuickBooks Workforce for less, and none scores higher than Square Payroll for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- QuickBooks Workforce starts at $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly. Square Payroll starts at $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll.
- Square Payroll also covers reports.
At a glance
| QuickBooks Workforce | Square Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly | $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the base price, taken instead of the 3-month discount; per-employee fees still apply | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intuit Inc. | Block, Inc. |
| Price read from | quickbooks.intuit.com | squareup.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
QuickBooks Workforce
- US businesses already keeping their books in QuickBooks Online
- Small teams that want payroll, time tracking and HR from one vendor
- Employers who want an expert to set up payroll for them
Square Payroll
- Restaurants, shops and salons already taking payments with Square
- Businesses with tipped hourly staff
- Owners who pay only contractors and want a per-person price
Worth knowing
QuickBooks Workforce
- The advertised prices are 50% off the base fee for the first 3 months; per-employee fees are charged in full from the start.
- Time tracking, HR tools and same-day deposit need Premium; IRS penalty cover and a personal HR advisor need Elite.
- Bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting start at $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee (Workforce Payroll with Simple Start).
- It is Intuit's US payroll, filing with the IRS and US states; Canada has its own QuickBooks payroll site and prices.
Square Payroll
- Contractor-only payroll leaves out tax filings, auto payroll, off-cycle payments, multistate payroll and garnishments.
- Mailed paper W-2s and 1099s cost $3 per form a year; workers' comp, health insurance and 401(k) are paid add-ons.
- Scheduling, tip import, overtime and labor-cost reports come only with full-service payroll.
- It runs US payroll, filing federal and state taxes, and is sold on Square's US site.
Key features
QuickBooks Workforce
- Full-service payroll taxes
- Intuit calculates, files and pays payroll taxes, sets up garnishments and deductions, and keeps reports on pay history, tax payments and time off.
- Auto payroll and fast deposits
- Salaried staff on direct deposit can be paid automatically. Payroll pays next day; Premium and Elite pay the same day if run by 7 am.
- Payroll AI
- Collects hours from staff by text or app, spots inconsistencies and drafts a payroll for you to approve. The plans list it by name on Premium and Elite.
- Time tracking in the Workforce app
- Premium and Elite include time tracking by phone or an on-site kiosk, with job schedules; Elite adds geofenced reminders and GPS mileage.
- Hiring and HR
- Premium and Elite add offer letters, digital onboarding, automated I-9s, recruiting, time-off policies and a documents center with e-signatures.
- 1099 e-filing
- Every plan e-files unlimited 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms with the IRS and sends copies to contractors.
Square Payroll
- Full-service payroll
- Unlimited pay runs, auto payroll, off-cycle payments and multiple pay rates, with no long-term contract.
- Payroll tax filing
- Calculates, withholds and files federal payroll taxes and state taxes, including state unemployment, for each state or locality you pay in.
- Timecards, tips and overtime
- Imports hours from Square POS or the Team App, tracks direct tips, calculates overtime and schedules staff up to 10 days out.
- Pay by deposit, check or Cash App
- Next-day or two-day direct deposit, paper checks, or Cash App, where team members can get paid instantly.
- Square Team App
- Owners run payroll and manage the team from a phone, and employees onboard themselves and see their pay stubs.
- Reports and QuickBooks
- Custom reports on paychecks, employee and company totals, labor-cost reports, and a QuickBooks Online integration.
Plans
QuickBooks Workforce
Workforce Payroll$50
per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $25 a month for the first 3 months. Full-service payroll and tax filing, auto payroll, 1099 e-filing and next-day direct deposit.
Workforce Premium$88
per month, plus $13 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $44 a month for the first 3 months. Adds same-day direct deposit, time tracking, hiring, recruiting and an expert setup review.
Workforce Elite$134
per month, plus $17 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $67 a month for the first 3 months. Adds expert setup, IRS penalty cover up to $25,000 a year, performance reviews and an HR advisor.
Square Payroll
Contractor-only payroll$6
per person paid / month, contractors only
Pay contractors from the Square Dashboard by direct deposit, check or Cash App, with 1099s delivered digitally. No tax filings or auto payroll.
Full-service payroll$35
per month, plus $6 per person paid
Unlimited and auto payroll, federal and state tax filings, multistate payroll, scheduling, tip import, labor-cost reports and next-day deposit.
Ways to pay less
QuickBooks Workforce
- Other savings
50% off the base fee for 3 months
New customers on a monthly plan pay half the base price for the first 3 months, then the regular price. Per-employee and state filing fees are not discounted.
Square Payroll
No public discounts listed.
