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Square Payroll vs QuickBooks Payroll

Square Payroll7.7/10

QuickBooks Payroll8.5/10

Scored in Payroll Software

The short answer

Square Payroll costs $35 a month plus $6 per person and imports time cards and tips from Square POS. QuickBooks Payroll, sold as QuickBooks Workforce, costs $50 a month plus $7 per employee on Workforce Payroll and adds same-day direct deposit, time tracking and HR workflows on Premium and Elite.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 13 sources, most recently checked

Square Payroll

Starting price
$35/mo + $6/employee/mo1
Best for
Square POS sellers that import time cards, tips and commissions into payroll

Choose Square Payroll if

  • You sell with Square POS and pay tips: they import into payroll.
  • You want the lower price: $35 a month plus $6 per person.
  • You close seasonally: inactive months are free.
  • Your employees want to be paid in Cash App.

What Square Payroll costsSquare Payroll alternatives

QuickBooks Payroll

Starting price
$50/mo + $7/employee/mo2
Best for
QuickBooks Online users who want payroll in the same Intuit account

Choose QuickBooks Payroll if

  • Your books are in QuickBooks Online: payroll can be added at any time.
  • You want same-day direct deposit (Premium and Elite).
  • You want tax penalty protection up to $25,000 a year (Elite).
  • You want an expert to set up payroll for you (Elite).

QuickBooks Payroll pricingAlternatives to QuickBooks Payroll

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Square Payroll wins 1QuickBooks Payroll wins 21 tie

Square Payroll vs QuickBooks Payroll by dimension
DimensionSquare PayrollQuickBooks Payroll
PricingSquare Payroll costs $35 a month plus $6 per person, $95 for 10 people. QuickBooks Payroll costs $50 plus $7 on Workforce Payroll, $120 for 10, and $88 plus $13 or $134 plus $17 on the higher plans.$35/mo + $6/employee/mo$50/mo + $7/employee/mo
CapabilitiesBoth run payroll with tax filing, time tracking and contractor payments. QuickBooks Payroll adds hiring and onboarding, HR workflows and benefits administration for 20+ employees; Square adds tip import and scheduling. Payroll, Time tracking, Hiring and onboarding, Time-off management, HR workflows, Benefits administration27 of 12 core capabilities10 of 12 core capabilities
Fit and supportQuickBooks Payroll serves small and mid-size businesses and adds weekend phone and chat support on Premium and Elite. Square serves small businesses, with payroll specialists Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. Small businesses, mid-market companies3Small businessesSmall businesses, mid-market companies
SecurityBoth state SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. Yes4SOC 2, ISO 27001SOC 2, ISO 27001

Square Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll: what matters most to you?

We match on verified product facts for this need, never on who pays us.

Key differences

Where Square Payroll and QuickBooks Payroll differ (7)
AttributeSquare PayrollQuickBooks Payroll
Best forSmall businesses5Small businesses, mid-market companies3
Mobile appsSquare Team App1iOS (QuickBooks Workforce), Android (QuickBooks Workforce)6
SOC 2 Type II47
ISO 2700147
Support channelsPhone, chat1Phone, chat, online support hub and community8
Founded20099198410
HeadquartersOakland, California, US11Mountain View, California, US10
Show 6 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (6)
AttributeSquare PayrollQuickBooks Payroll
Pricing modelBase fee + per employee1Base fee + per employee2
Price transparencyPublished5Published2
Contract termMonthly1Monthly2
Automatic tax filing13
Contractor payments123
OwnershipPublicly traded9Publicly traded10

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Square Payroll costs $35 a month plus $6 per person, $95 for 10 people. QuickBooks Payroll costs $50 plus $7 on Workforce Payroll, $120 for 10, and $88 plus $13 or $134 plus $17 on the higher plans.

Capabilities. Both run payroll with tax filing, time tracking and contractor payments. QuickBooks Payroll adds hiring and onboarding, HR workflows and benefits administration for 20+ employees; Square adds tip import and scheduling.

Integrations. Square Payroll syncs with QuickBooks Online and imports from Square POS. QuickBooks Payroll runs inside QuickBooks Online and offers webhooks. Neither publishes an integration count.

Fit and support. QuickBooks Payroll serves small and mid-size businesses and adds weekend phone and chat support on Premium and Elite. Square serves small businesses, with payroll specialists Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.

Security. Both state SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.

Neither one?

Patriot Payroll

Patriot Payroll has the highest LeadChange Score in Payroll Software after excluding these two (8.7/10).

From $37/mo + $5/employee/mo (Full Service Payroll plan)13

Patriot Payroll review

Frequently asked questions

Is QuickBooks phasing out payroll?

No. Intuit sells its payroll as QuickBooks Workforce, in Workforce Payroll, Premium and Elite plans from $50 a month plus $7 per employee, and it can be added to QuickBooks Online at any time. Square Payroll is the alternative for businesses whose time cards and tips start in Square POS.

Do I need QuickBooks if I use Square Payroll?

No. Square Payroll runs on its own and pays and files federal and state payroll taxes. If you keep your books in QuickBooks Online, Square Payroll syncs with it.

Which is cheaper, Square Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll?

Square Payroll: $35 a month plus $6 per person, or $95 for 10. QuickBooks Workforce Payroll: $50 plus $7, or $120 for 10. Square charges $3 per paper W-2 mailed only if you opt in; QuickBooks charges extra for next-day contractor deposits and automated 1099s.

How fast do Square Payroll and QuickBooks Payroll pay employees?

Square pays in four business days as standard, two for approved accounts, and the next business day with Instant Payments from a Square balance. QuickBooks pays the next day on its entry plan and the same day on Premium and Elite if you submit by 7 AM PT.

Who pays if a payroll tax filing is wrong?

Square pays penalties and fines from tax notices caused by its own payroll errors. Intuit’s Payroll Tax Accuracy Guarantee pays penalties and interest from its own calculation or filing mistakes on every plan, and Workforce Elite adds protection up to $25,000 a year.

Do Square Payroll and QuickBooks Payroll offer workers' comp?

Both sell it through NEXT. Square offers a pay-as-you-go NEXT Insurance policy quoted per business, plus health insurance through SimplyInsured. QuickBooks pairs its payroll with NEXT for workers' comp, Allstate for medical, dental and vision, and Vestwell for 401(k).

Is Square Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll more secure?

Both state SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 at company level, not for payroll alone. Each runs a company Trust Center for its security and compliance documents.

Who are Square Payroll’s biggest competitors?

Square Payroll ranks #4 of 15 in our payroll software ranking. Besides QuickBooks Payroll, the highest-scored are Patriot Payroll, Gusto, and OnPay. Every alternative, matched to the reason you might switch: Square Payroll alternatives.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    38 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 13, 2026.

  • Method

    Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology

  • Independent review

    Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review

  • Hands-on testing

    We have not tested either product hands-on: this page uses public information only.

  • Who made it

    The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us

  • Independence and errors

    Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

Square Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll? Your answer in 3 questions

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Square Payroll vs QuickBooks Payroll

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Sources

The 13 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Square squareup.com/us/en/payroll/pricing“For full-service payroll, the cost is $35 per month, plus $6 per person paid per month.” “Manage your team and run payroll anytime, from anywhere, with the Square Team App.”
  2. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle“WORKFORCE PAYROLL Pay your team and get payroll taxes done for you. $50 + $7/employee” “Hiring & onboarding Time off management Automated HR workflows (5)”
  3. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll“QuickBooks Workforce works for small to midsize businesses—from accountants and financial experts to hospitality companies, construction companies, truckers, and more.” “We’ll calculate, file, and pay your federal and state payroll taxes for you—100% accurate tax calculations guaranteed.”
  4. Square trust.squareup.com“SOC 2 Type II” “ISO 27001:2022”
  5. Square squareup.com/us/en/payroll/small-business“Square full-service payroll and team management solutions were designed with small businesses in mind.” “Transparent pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments.”
  6. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/mobile“QuickBooks Workforce is also available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.”
  7. Intuit assurance.intuit.com“Badges ISO 27001:2022 SOC 1 Type I SOC 2 Type II PCI:DSS” “Badges HIPAA ISO 27001:2022 SOC 1 Type I SOC 2 Type II PCI:DSS CCPA SIG”
  8. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/one-employee“Expert product support: Phone and chat support included with QuickBooks Workforce during business hours. Weekend phone and chat support is only available with Workforce Premium and Elite.”
  9. Block, Inc. investors.block.xyz/resources/investor-faqs/default.aspx“Block, Inc. was incorporated in June 2009 in Delaware.” “You’ll find our stock under the symbol XYZ on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)”
  10. U.S. SEC (Intuit Inc. Form 10-K) sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/896878/000089687826000037/intu-20260731.htm“Intuit Inc. was incorporated in California in March 1984. We reincorporated in Delaware and completed our initial public offering in March 1993.” “Our principal executive offices are located at 2700 Coast Avenue, Mountain View, California 94043”
  11. Square squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy“your Square entity is Block, Inc., 1955 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612, United States.”
  12. Square squareup.com/us/en/payroll“Square Payroll for Contractors will generate, prepare, and file Form 1099-NEC online for you.”
  13. Patriot Software patriotsoftware.com/pricing“Basic Payroll is $17/month + $4 per worker paid; Full Service Payroll is $37/month + $5 per worker paid.”

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.