Namely vs QuickBooks Payroll

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Our analysts compared Namely vs QuickBooks Payroll based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Payroll Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Namely is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline HR management tasks, making it particularly well-suited for mid-sized companies seeking to manage their workforce efficiently. This platform stands out for its ability to integrate core HR functions, payroll, benefits administration, and talent management into a single, user-friendly interface. One of the key benefits of Namely is its emphasis on improving employee engagement and compliance, offering tools that facilitate a better workplace culture. Its popular features, such as customizable HR workflows and robust reporting capabilities, allow businesses to tailor the software to their specific needs, enhancing operational efficiency. When compared to similar products, users often highlight Namely's intuitive design and responsive customer support as significant advantages. Pricing for Namely typically follows a per-employee-per-month model, which allows for scalability and flexibility in budget planning, making it a cost-effective choice for companies looking to invest in a comprehensive HR management solution.
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Quickbooks is an Intuit payroll and accounting solution designed to meet the needs of both small and medium-sized, growing businesses. There are a variety of plans, starting with small packages built for independent contractors and self-employed individuals. It handles payment, calculating and filing taxes, benefits management, direct deposits and more.

The variety of products and packages enables users to find a solution that fits a company’s unique needs. Quickbooks offers specialized features for organizations in a variety of fields, including manufacturing and retail. Overall, it serves 1.4 million businesses.
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$9/Employee, Monthly
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Product Insights

  • Save Time: Automatically perform common actions, such as approving promotions or pay raises, with workflows. Eliminate the need to assign new users every time an employee leaves or changes positions via role-based approvals assigned to titles rather than individual employees. 
  • Organize Workflows: Create different workflows for different departments, teams and additional groups at company. 
  • Keep Everyone Informed: Stay updated on the latest company news with a central news feed that supports uploading images, GIFs and videos. 
  • Configure Employee Profiles: Choose which fields to include when setting up employee profiles. 
  • Build Org Charts: Set up org charts that show the relationship of every worker. Supports teams of any size, along with multiple leaders. Automatically updates when new hires join, using the relationships stored in the employee database. 
  • Track Events: Stay on top of important dates like holidays, legal deadlines and other events, as the calendar feature has critical dates already included. Download it as an ICS file to sync with an online calendar. Also includes monthly resources and tips on HR topics. 
  • Control Access: Manage access controls for data by assigning user roles and setting permissions so everyone can access the information they need without compromising sensitive data. 
  • Plug In Apps: Integrate with over 50 partner apps from eSignature and international payroll to office management and HR outsourcing. Includes TSheets, Litmos, OneLogin, G Suite, Adobe, Jobvite and Ameriflex. 
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  • Save Time: Connects with bank accounts and syncs with various apps to help streamline payroll processing. Saves users more than 40 hours monthly on average and spares them from tedious manual data entry.
  • Save Money: Saves the average users more than $3,500 annually through its assistance with tax filing and other processes.
  • Easy-to-Use: Provides a simple interface so HR managers and others can store and access relevant accounting information easily. Centralizes and organizes data, making it simple to access.
  • Simplified Administration: Manages benefits, payments, time tracking, workers’ compensation, inventory, compliance and other essential business functions from one location. Simplifies processes and handles all of them through one solution.
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  • Payroll: Includes:
    • Regulatory compliance, employee access, prebuilt reports, and automatic generation and filing of 1094s and 1095s for ACA.
    • Benefits deduction calculations, so payroll numbers are always updated.
    • Automatic syncing with all HR data.
    • End-of-year reporting like W-2s and 1099s, including tax filing.
  • Time and Attendance: Enables:
    • Data transfer to the payroll module for accurate processing, with options for online time tracking. Offers physical clocks equipped with punch-in methods such as PIN, fingerprint and ID card.
    • Data summary views surrounding hourly workers with the admin dashboard, which shows and uses reports to drill into greater detail on different metrics.
    • Scheduling, managing overtime and performing mass editing actions.
  • Talent Management: Provides onboarding capabilities, eSignature, custom performance reviews, task tracking, configurable employee surveys, goal management, customizable automated review cycles and more. 
  • Benefits Administration: Includes health insurance, FSA and HSA options, life and disability insurance, 401(k), wellness programs, and more. Additional insurance coverage for pets and identity theft available as well. Namely Exchange automatically sends employee elections to Cigna. 
  • HR Analytics: Contains:
    • Metrics on diversity using factors like gender and age.
    • Pay gap analyses for gender and ethnicity, sorted by job level, department and other criteria.
    • Dashboard with KPIs such as trends for headcount, time off and attrition.
    • Custom reports to gain deeper insights and compare performance against industry benchmarks.
  • Mobile App: Available for iOS and Android, with geo-fencing for time management. Employees can request time off, while managers can receive notifications and view team PTO. 
  • Open API: Enables Namely to act as a system of record and facilitates single sign-on. Import data from other platforms, such as an applicant tracking system, learning management system or ERP. 
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  • Payroll Processing: Operate 24-hour direct deposit. Pay employees, access integration services for employees, calculate taxes automatically and file taxes directly through the system. Automate payments to save time.
  • Benefits Management: Administrate workers’ compensation, health insurance, retirement plans and more. Covers workers’ compensation through AP Intego. Offers medical, dental and vision insurance through SimplyInsured. Compare different plans to judge the coverage, value and deductibles and make informed decisions. Calculates deductions for health, medical and dental automatically. Deducts and calculates contributions for 401(k)s from each employee paycheck.
  • Mobile Capabilities: Create, track and send invoices via smartphone as well as payment reminders.
  • Workers’ Compensation: Manage workers’ comp, understand state requirements and laws and pick a policy through AP Intego. Provides a free quote and automates premiums.
  • Inventory: Import information from Excel and sync with Amazon, Etsy and other similar websites to track products, cost of goods, create purchase orders and manage vendors.
  • HR Management and Compliance: Provides HR resources and consultation to help with compliance through Mammoth Inc. Creates forms from templates for onboarding checklists, employee handbooks and job descriptions. Aids in creating policies, obeying HR laws, hiring and conflict management.
  • Time Tracking: Track and add billable hours to invoices. Review and put a stamp of approval on employee timesheets. Provides tracking through TSheets. Link hours to specific jobs, save time during payment processing and see real-time insights into employee work hours. Approve and enter employee time cards.
  • Reporting: Run and export a variety of reports. Create customizable reports for balance sheets, expenses and tracking profit and loss. Create, export, print and customize reports to share with accountants or critical stakeholders. Covers deductions, tax liability, contributions, more than one worksite, summary for taxes and wages, vacation, workers’ compensation and sick leave.
  • Taxes: Helps users find tax deductions. Store photos of receipts, share books with accountants and sort business expenses by tax categories to help streamline tax filing.
  • Penalty Payments: Covers payments of up to $25,000 if errors in local, state or federal taxes result in a penalty. Communicates with the IRS. Reviews taxes with experts before sending them to the IRS to cut off issues before they start. Doesn’t cover specific penalties in some situations such as fraud, insufficient funds, healthcare administration, employee classification and several others.
  • Project Tracking: Track project details such as labor costs, expenses and profits.
  • Payroll Plans: Offers three separate plans for payroll needs.
    • Core: Provides core functionality such as payment and calculating payroll taxes.
    • Premium: Covers team management and provides more powerful tools and services for payroll.
    • Elite: Gives access to experts on-demand to answer payroll questions. Gives access to tax penalty protection.
  • Implementation: Aids in transferring current payroll information to the new system. Provides expert support to help users with initial setup and compliance.
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Product Ranking

#18

among all
Payroll Software

#47

among all
Payroll Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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74
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Dashboard and Reporting
Platform Capabilities
Security and Compliance
Payroll and Tax Management
Benefits Management
Mobile Capabilities
Dashboard and Reporting
Payroll and Tax Management
Time and Attendance Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Namely
QuickBooks Payroll
+ Add Product + Add Product
Benefits Management Dashboard And Reporting Expense Management Mobile Capabilities Payroll And Tax Management Platform Capabilities Security And Compliance Time And Attendance Management 94 100 60 67 95 100 100 91 38 92 74 94 91 75 80 91 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

71%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 1299 reviews
Great User Sentiment 626 reviews
81%
of users recommend this product

Namely has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 81% when considering 1299 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

89%
of users recommend this product

QuickBooks Payroll has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 626 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.8 (12)
4.7 (17)
3.9 (247)
4.0 (25)
4.16 (411)
n/a
4.2 (407)
4.5 (550)
4.3 (30)
n/a
3.7 (192)
3.5 (34)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Namely and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Platform Capabilities.

Platform Capabilities Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated QuickBooks Payroll and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Mobile Capabilities.

Mobile Capabilities Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Role-Based Access: Available with a single click, this feature allows users to view, add and update information anytime, according to 100% of reviews mentioning it.
Customization: It’s possible to customize almost all functions and operations, as noted by all reviews of customization.
User-Friendly: As per 80% reviews on this element, a user-friendly interface makes navigation easy.
Regular Updates: All reviews on updates indicated that Namely releases updates regularly to improve its functions and capabilities.
Comprehensive Solutions: All users referring to this aspect appreciated the end-to-end HCM capabilities for HR, payroll and benefits.
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Excellent Functionality: Over 90% of users that discussed functionality were happy with the features, including the tax filing, automation and employee salaries and hours functions.
Simple to Use: Reviewers that talked about the ease of use felt it had a simple and intuitive interface over 80% of the time.
Manage Salary and Hours: More than 80% who discussed the employee time tracking and salary functions felt it worked well.
Affordable: Just under 70% of users who discussed price felt it was an affordable option.
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Time and Attendance: Adding manual data in the timesheets and attendance manager is a tedious task, according to 100% of reviews on this feature.
Customer Support: All reviews on this element indicated that support is slow and unresponsive.
Integration: There’s a lack of integration and communication between the payroll and HRIS modules, according to all reviews on integration.
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Bad for Large Organizations: Over 90% of reviewers that discussed using the system for big organizations felt the system wasn’t complex enough.
Mixed Customer Service: Users were split on customer support quality, with 52% approving and 48% disliking the service.
Issues with Price: While overall, reviewers that discussed price felt it affordable, over 30% were displeased and said they got overcharged or billed after they’d already canceled.
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Navigating the realm of HR software can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Namely consistently emerges as a top contender, especially for mid-sized businesses. Users frequently highlight its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive features as standout qualities. Reviews often mention the intuitive design and ease of navigation, making it accessible even for those without extensive HR experience. The platform's affordability, without compromising on essential features, is another recurring theme in user feedback. Namely's wide range of features, encompassing payroll, benefits administration, talent management, and compliance tools, further solidifies its position as a versatile and valuable solution. When compared to competitors like Deluxe, Namely's broader scope of features becomes evident. While Deluxe primarily focuses on payroll processing, Namely offers a more holistic approach to HR management. This distinction is crucial for businesses seeking a comprehensive solution that extends beyond basic payroll functions. Namely's emphasis on employee engagement and its intuitive self-service portal are also differentiating factors that resonate with users. The platform empowers employees to manage their own information, benefits, and time-off requests, fostering a sense of ownership and streamlining HR processes. Considering its strengths and weaknesses, Namely appears to be an ideal fit for mid-sized businesses with 25 to 1,000 employees. Its scalability, comprehensive features, and focus on employee experience cater specifically to the needs of growing companies. Namely's ability to streamline HR processes, improve efficiency, and enhance employee engagement makes it a valuable asset for businesses looking to optimize their HR operations and cultivate a positive work environment.

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Quickbooks Payroll is part of the Intuit suite of programs. Commenters felt it was easy to use, train and adopt with a simple interface that worked well. They found it affordable and found the integrations of time tracking with employee salaries made running payroll a quick process. Commenters said it was reasonably priced and the features worked well. The most popular functionality included automation, tax calculations and filing, and its ability to centralize and organize data. The largest complaint by far was that this program isn’t complex enough for larger organizations. Reviewers recommended only using it for small organizations. Reactions to customer service were very mixed. Reviewers who were satisfied said the support workers got back to them quickly, were friendly, helpful and called back promptly. Other users had adverse reactions say the staff was incompetent, complaining that there was only chat support and complained of always getting different answers. While most were pleased with the price, some reported getting overcharged and said it was difficult to cancel with charges showing up well after they’d terminated the service. Quickbooks Payroll is a good choice for small and medium-sized businesses. Be sure to understand what functionality comes with which pricing plan before purchasing.

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