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SurePayroll vs QuickBooks Payroll

SurePayroll4.9/10

QuickBooks Payroll8.5/10

Scored in Payroll Software

The short answer

SurePayroll, a Paychex company, sells full-service payroll for $29 a month plus $7 per worker, with tax filing, unlimited runs and free two-day direct deposit included. QuickBooks Payroll starts at $50 a month plus $7 per employee and rises to $134 plus $17 on Workforce Elite.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 12 sources, most recently checked
Starting price
$29/mo + $7/employee/mo (Full Service plan)1
Best for
Very small businesses that want low-cost payroll with taxes filed

Choose SurePayroll if

  • You want the lower list price: full service with tax filing is $29 a month plus $7 per worker.
  • You file your own payroll taxes: the No Tax Filing plan is $20 a month plus $4 per worker.
  • You employ a nanny or other household staff: SurePayroll sells household payroll.
  • You want month-to-month terms with no setup fee.
Starting price
$50/mo + $7/employee/mo2
Best for
QuickBooks Online users who want payroll in the same Intuit account

Choose QuickBooks Payroll if

  • You need faster pay: next-day direct deposit, or same-day on Workforce Premium and Elite.
  • You want time tracking, hiring, onboarding and time-off tools in the same account (Workforce Premium, $88 plus $13 per employee).
  • You want tax penalty protection up to $25,000 a year, included on Workforce Elite.
  • You want to try before you buy: QuickBooks Payroll offers a free trial.

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

SurePayroll wins 1QuickBooks Payroll wins 21 tie

SurePayroll vs QuickBooks Payroll by dimension
DimensionSurePayrollQuickBooks Payroll
PricingSurePayroll's Full Service plan is $29 a month plus $7 per worker, and its No Tax Filing plan $20 plus $4. QuickBooks Workforce Payroll is $50 plus $7 per employee. At 10 employees with tax filing that is $99 against $120 a month at list price. SurePayroll charges extra for multi-state payroll ($9.99 a month) and year-end forms. Multi-state payroll: $9.99 a month (first state included), Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms: $50 base plus $5 per form, billed annually, Accounting software integration: $4.99 a month, Time clock integration: from $5 a month plus $3 per employee, Employment law support: from $30 a month, 401(k): quoted by plan, Local tax filing: a separate fee where local taxes apply (amount not stated on the pricing page)3$29/mo + $7/employee/mo (Full Service plan)$50/mo + $7/employee/mo
IntegrationsQuickBooks Payroll documents a GraphQL API and webhooks. SurePayroll sells an accounting software integration for $4.99 a month and a time clock integration from $5 a month plus $3 per employee. GraphQL41 documented6 documented
Fit and supportSurePayroll targets small businesses and household employers, with phone and chat support Monday to Friday. QuickBooks Payroll serves small and mid-market companies and adds weekend phone and chat support on Workforce Premium and Elite. Small businesses1Small businessesSmall businesses, mid-market companies
SecurityIntuit states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 for QuickBooks. SurePayroll is less suited to buyers who need a named security certification on the vendor's own pages: none is published. Yes (company-level, product not named)5None verifiedSOC 2, ISO 27001

SurePayroll 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 SurePayroll and QuickBooks Payroll differ (5)
AttributeSurePayrollQuickBooks Payroll
Free trial36
Best forSmall businesses1Small businesses, mid-market companies7
Support channelsPhone, chat3Phone, chat, online support hub and community6
Founded2000819849
OwnershipSubsidiary10Publicly traded9
Show 6 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (6)
AttributeSurePayrollQuickBooks Payroll
Pricing modelBase fee + per employee1Base fee + per employee2
Price transparencyPublished3Published2
Contract termMonthly3Monthly2
Mobile apps3iOS (QuickBooks Workforce), Android (QuickBooks Workforce)11
Automatic tax filing17
Contractor payments17

Price by headcount

  • SurePayroll Full Service$29/mo base1 + $7/employee/mo1
  • QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll$50/mo base2 + $7/employee/mo2
Estimated list price per month by scenario
EmployeesSurePayroll Full ServiceQuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll
10$99/mo (lowest)$120/mo
50$379/mo (lowest)$400/mo
200$1,429/mo (lowest)$1,450/mo

The lowest monthly cost in each row is highlighted.

Monthly list price of each product’s entry plan with published per-employee pricing.

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. SurePayroll's Full Service plan is $29 a month plus $7 per worker, and its No Tax Filing plan $20 plus $4. QuickBooks Workforce Payroll is $50 plus $7 per employee. At 10 employees with tax filing that is $99 against $120 a month at list price. SurePayroll charges extra for multi-state payroll ($9.99 a month) and year-end forms.

Capabilities. Both file payroll taxes and pay 1099 contractors. QuickBooks Payroll adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, time-off management and HR workflows. SurePayroll adds household payroll, 401(k) plans and employment law support.

Integrations. QuickBooks Payroll documents a GraphQL API and webhooks. SurePayroll sells an accounting software integration for $4.99 a month and a time clock integration from $5 a month plus $3 per employee.

Fit and support. SurePayroll targets small businesses and household employers, with phone and chat support Monday to Friday. QuickBooks Payroll serves small and mid-market companies and adds weekend phone and chat support on Workforce Premium and Elite.

Security. Intuit states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 for QuickBooks. SurePayroll is less suited to buyers who need a named security certification on the vendor's own pages: none is published.

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)12

Patriot Payroll review

Frequently asked questions

Is SurePayroll cheaper than QuickBooks Payroll?

Yes, at list price. SurePayroll Full Service costs $29 a month plus $7 per worker, against $50 plus $7 for QuickBooks Workforce Payroll. At 10 employees that is $99 against $120 a month, before add-ons such as SurePayroll's multi-state fee.

Does SurePayroll integrate with QuickBooks?

SurePayroll sells an accounting software integration for $4.99 a month that syncs payroll to your general ledger, but its public pages do not name which accounting products it supports. Ask SurePayroll to confirm your QuickBooks edition before you switch.

Which pays employees faster, SurePayroll or QuickBooks Payroll?

QuickBooks Payroll. It pays by next-day direct deposit, or same-day on Workforce Premium and Elite. SurePayroll's direct deposit is free and takes two days.

Do SurePayroll and QuickBooks Payroll offer a free trial?

QuickBooks Payroll offers a free trial. SurePayroll lists no free trial, but it bills month to month with no setup fee.

Who owns SurePayroll?

SurePayroll is a subsidiary of Paychex and was founded in 2000. QuickBooks Payroll is made by Intuit, a public company.

Is SurePayroll or QuickBooks Payroll more secure?

QuickBooks Payroll states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (unverified for SurePayroll).

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    37 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 14, 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

SurePayroll or QuickBooks Payroll? Your answer in 3 questions

Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices.

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SurePayroll vs QuickBooks Payroll

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Sources

The 12 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. SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/payroll“Pay employees in minutes, easily access reports, and get payroll taxes filed and deposited automatically.” “Built for solopreneurs and small businesses — automated tax filing, unlimited payroll runs, and on-time pay.”
  2. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle“WORKFORCE PAYROLL Pay your team and get payroll taxes done for you. $50 + $7/employee” “Find the right payroll plan for you”
  3. SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/pricing“"Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed annually – not monthly – at a $50 base fee plus $5 per form." "A separate fee applies to areas that require local taxes."” “During your first 12 months with SurePayroll, every alternating month will be free.”
  4. Intuit developer.intuit.com/app/developer/payroll-time/docs/develop/develop-payroll“The Workforce GraphQL API uses the GraphQL API framework.”
  5. 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”
  6. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/one-employee“Free trial applies to the monthly base price for the first thirty (30) days of new subscriptions to QuickBooks Online and/or Workforce.” “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.”
  7. 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.”
  8. Paychex, Inc. (press release, Feb. 2011) investor.paychex.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/524/paychex-completes-acquisition-of-surepayroll“SurePayroll, a privately held company founded in 2000, serves approximately 30,000 small businesses with its easy-to-use, online payroll product.”
  9. 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.” “Nasdaq Global Select Market”
  10. SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/about-us“Tens of thousands of small business owners and families trust SurePayroll by Paychex to pay employees and caregivers right.”
  11. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/mobile“QuickBooks Workforce is also available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.”
  12. 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.