The short answer
QuickBooks Payroll starts at $50 a month plus $7 per employee and rises to $134 plus $17 on Workforce Elite, adding time tracking, hiring and HR tools on its higher plans. Patriot Payroll sells Basic for $17 a month plus $4 per worker and Full Service, with tax filings, for $37 plus $5.
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
QuickBooks Payroll wins 1Patriot Payroll wins 12 ties
| Dimension | QuickBooks Payroll | Patriot Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| PricingPatriot Full Service costs $37 a month plus $5 per worker; QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $50 plus $7. At 10 employees with tax filing that is $87 against $120 a month at list price. | $50/mo + $7/employee/mo | $17/mo + $4/employee/mo |
| IntegrationsPatriot lists QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Vestwell and SimplyInsured. QuickBooks Payroll documents a GraphQL API and webhooks. GraphQL | 4 documented | 7 documented |
| Fit and supportPatriot is built for small US businesses, with phone, email and chat support from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on weekdays. QuickBooks Payroll serves small and mid-market companies, with weekend support on its higher plans. Small businesses, mid-market companies | Small businesses, mid-market companies | Small businesses |
| SecurityIntuit states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Patriot states SOC 2 Type II. Yes | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | SOC 2 |
| Attribute | QuickBooks Payroll | Patriot Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small businesses, mid-market companies | Small businesses |
| Mobile apps | iOS (QuickBooks Workforce), Android (QuickBooks Workforce) | Mobile web (no app to install) |
| Support channels | Phone, chat, online support hub and community | Phone, email, chat |
| Founded | 1984 | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, US | Canton, Ohio, US |
| Ownership | Publicly traded | Private |
| Attribute | QuickBooks Payroll | Patriot Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Base fee + per employee | Base fee + per employee |
| Price transparency | Published | Published |
| Free trial | ||
| Free plan | ||
| Contract term | Monthly | Monthly |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| SOC 2 Type II | ||
| Automatic tax filing | ||
| Contractor payments |
| Employees | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll | Patriot Payroll Basic Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $120/mo | $57/mo (lowest) |
| 50 | $400/mo | $217/mo (lowest) |
| 200 | $1,450/mo | $817/mo (lowest) |
Monthly list price of each product’s entry plan with published per-employee pricing.
Pricing. Patriot Full Service costs $37 a month plus $5 per worker; QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $50 plus $7. At 10 employees with tax filing that is $87 against $120 a month at list price.
Capabilities. QuickBooks Payroll adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, time off and HR workflows on its higher plans. Patriot sells time and HR as add-ons at $6 a month plus $2 per employee each.
Integrations. Patriot lists QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Vestwell and SimplyInsured. QuickBooks Payroll documents a GraphQL API and webhooks.
Fit and support. Patriot is built for small US businesses, with phone, email and chat support from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on weekdays. QuickBooks Payroll serves small and mid-market companies, with weekend support on its higher plans.
Security. Intuit states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Patriot states SOC 2 Type II.
Gusto has the highest LeadChange Score in Payroll Software after excluding these two (8.1/10).
From $49/mo + $6/employee/mo
Yes. Patriot lists QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop among its integrations.
No. Intuit sells QuickBooks Payroll today as three Workforce plans, from $50 a month plus $7 per employee to $134 plus $17.
QuickBooks Payroll pays next day, or same day on Workforce Premium and Elite. Patriot's standard is four days, or two days for qualifying customers.
Yes, both offer a free trial.
For price, yes: Patriot Full Service costs $37 a month plus $5 per worker against $50 plus $7 for QuickBooks Workforce Payroll. QuickBooks pays faster and adds time, hiring and HR tools on its higher plans.
QuickBooks Payroll ranks #2 of 14 in our payroll software ranking. Besides Patriot Payroll, the highest-scored are Gusto, Paychex Flex, and OnPay. Every alternative, matched to the reason you might switch: QuickBooks Payroll alternatives.
Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices. Then, if you like, ask to hear from both.
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What the LeadChange Score means
A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.
Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.
