Side-by-side comparison · Legal, Finance & HR
Gusto vs QuickBooks vs Xero
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: US small businesses with up to around 100 staff who want payroll, taxes and benefits handled in one place.
Pick it if: US small businesses, freelancers and their bookkeepers who want the accounting tool most US accountants already use.
Pick it if: Small businesses, sole traders and their accountants, especially in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Overview
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Payroll, benefits and HR for US small businesses, with AI help and a Claude connector. | Popular small-business accounting app, with AI that sorts expenses and chases invoices. | Online accounting for small businesses, with an AI helper, JAX, that does the busywork. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $49/mo + $6/person | $0 | $27/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.1Winner | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | No | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | – |
| Works in many languages | No | No | No |
| Capabilities score | 6/ 17 | 8/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Simple $49/mo + $6/person Small teams in one state. | Free $0 Very small businesses trying out the basics. | Early (US) $27/mo New businesses with only a few invoices a month. |
PlusOur pick $80/mo + $12/person Growing teams across several states. | Simple Start $38/mo A solo owner who needs invoices, expenses and reports. | Growing (US)Our pick $59/mo Most small businesses with regular sales and bills. | |
Premium $180/mo + $22/person Businesses that want HR advice and compliance help. | EssentialsOur pick $85/mo Small teams that want the bookkeeping AI. | Established (US) $97/mo Businesses with projects, staff expenses or overseas customers. | |
Plus $140/mo Businesses with stock or project work. | Australian plans From A$37/mo (Ignite) to A$250/mo (Ultimate 50) Australian businesses, priced by how many people you pay. | ||
Advanced $340/mo Growing businesses with a finance team. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Simple works for a small team in one state. Move to Plus once you need time tracking, next-day pay or staff in more than one state, which is where most growing businesses land. There's no contract, so you can switch any time. | Essentials is where the useful AI starts and suits most small teams. Pick Simple Start if you work alone and only need invoices and expenses, and Plus once you hold stock or price by project. Take the 50% off or the 30-day trial, not both, so pick the one that suits you. | In the US, start on Growing unless you send fewer than 20 invoices a month. In Australia, pick the plan that covers the number of people on your payroll. New customers get a large discount for the first 3 months, so check the current offer before you buy. |
Key features
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Gusto | QuickBooks | Xero |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Gusto, QuickBooks or Xero?
Gusto scores highest overall in our ratings (Gusto 4.1/5, QuickBooks 3.9/5 and Xero 4.0/5). Gusto is best for Running US payroll and payroll taxes and offering health insurance and 401(k)s. QuickBooks is best for bookkeeping for US small businesses and automatically sorting bank and card transactions. Xero is best for keeping your books up to date without a full-time bookkeeper and sending invoices and getting paid faster.
Which is cheaper, Gusto, QuickBooks or Xero?
Gusto: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo + $6/person. QuickBooks: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Xero: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $27/mo.
Which is easier to use, Gusto, QuickBooks or Xero?
Gusto rates highest for ease of use in our scores. US small businesses with up to around 100 staff who want payroll, taxes and benefits handled in one place.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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