Rory Hart – Management Library

April 22, 2022November 23, 2022

What Is a Payroll Card?

A payroll card is much like a prepaid debit card, but an employee doesn’t need a bank account to receive funds. Many people no longer regularly carry cash, so having your paycheck directly deposited onto a card is more convenient. It’s an ideal paycheck alternative for employees who may not qualify for a bank account.

The payroll card is one option for allowing greater flexibility and convenience to people without bank accounts. However, not all employers are able to offer paychecks through payroll cards.

What Is a Payroll Card?

A payroll card is a way of receiving a paycheck from your employer. However, instead of handing you a paper check or depositing money directly into a bank account, a payroll card is similar to a prepaid debit card or gift card. It carries a balance which you can spend down, and which can then be topped up by your employer on payday. Additionally, like a prepaid card, a payroll card isn’t linked to a bank account.

As a result, rather than being issued by a bank or credit card company, payroll cards are issued by a third party. Employers can work with those providers, who may offer payroll cards to employees as an option to receive their paycheck.

The issuer may be a payroll service provider or an employer may work directly with a card issuer like Visa or Mastercard. Some of the best payroll software options are also starting to offer payroll cards.

Prepaid General Use Cards

Payroll cards are one of several types of prepaid cards, specifically belonging to the general use category. Rather than being similar to gift cards or store credit cards, which are limited in use, they can be used anywhere a debit card can be used. In fact, in practice they are very similar to a standard debit card.

Modern payroll cards offer many of the same features as a debit card, including the ability to track your balance online and draw cash from an ATM. On the other hand, payroll cards don’t require you to obtain a bank account or meet the requirements for one. For some people, particularly in lower income brackets, it can be difficult to qualify for a standard checking or savings account. Of course, some people also opt to do without a bank account for a variety of other reasons.

Not having a bank account can present a number of challenges. In particular, without one, only cash transactions or transactions using money orders are possible. Payroll cards allow people who aren’t able to get a bank account, or who would rather do without one, the convenience of using a card rather than depending on cash.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Payroll Cards

Payroll cards offer some advantages to employers, saving the fees for printing checks or direct deposit. However, it remains a relatively uncommon choice among employees, with most preferring direct deposit. A quick comparison of the potential pluses and minuses to employees might reveal why.

Benefits

The benefits of payroll cards include:

Allows online shopping: One of the primary limitations of cash in the modern age is you can’t use it to buy stuff online. A payroll card can be used just like a debit card, including for online shopping.
Flexibility: You can use your card or get cash out at an ATM to use, if that’s your preference.
Convenience: Getting a check and cashing it takes time and potentially a trip out of your way. A paycheck is deposited immediately to a payroll card, without the delay.
No prerequisites: Unlike a bank account, there’s no need to have a minimum balance. Problems with previous accounts also don’t present a barrier.

It’s worth noting that bank accounts share all of the same benefits, with the exception of the last.

Disadvantages

There are only a few disadvantages to payroll cards, though they are significant:

Fees: Payroll cards usually come with a range of fees, including activation fees, inactivity fees, ATM fees, fees for paying bills, and potentially a long list more. In particular, there’s a fee for replacing a lost card.
Fewer Safeguards: Most bank accounts come with protections against fraud and identity theft. Payroll cards don’t have those same safeguards, which may make using them online less attractive.

Who Uses Payroll Cards?

In general, payroll cards are used by relatively few employees, despite being made available by more employers all the time. There are a number of reasons that might be the case, but the higher potential for incurring fees is probably a significant barrier to adoption. Payroll cards are more likely to be offered to lower income employees and any potential fees would end up taking a bigger bite out of their pay.

What Is Flexible Payroll?

Flexible payroll refers to a feature some payroll providers are just beginning to implement. The underlying idea is that, instead of having a fixed payday, employees can bank work and then receive pay when it’s convenient for them.

At the moment, there is still a regular pay schedule and flexible pay is deducted from a future paycheck, more-or-less like an advance. That may be at least partly because of payroll laws. However, it’s easy to imagine a future where the calendar of paydays is abandoned entirely.

Anyone who knows how to do payroll may wonder how that’s possible. However, payroll providers, such as Gusto, that use computers and cloud-based systems for managing time keeping means that they can keep a running tally, instantly transfer money, and still track deductions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Payroll Cards

Looking for the answer to a specific question? Check out our answers to common questions below.

Do Payroll Cards Have Fees?

Payroll cards can come with a number of fees. Common examples include:

1. Inactivity fees
2. ATM fees
3. Replacement card fees
4. Bill pay fees

Can I Use a Payroll Card Anywhere?

A payroll card should be usable wherever you could use a debit card. If they have a card reader for credit and debit cards, you should be able to use your payroll card. Additionally, it will work with online stores like Amazon.

Where Can I Sign Up For Flexible Pay?

Individual employees can’t sign up for flexible pay on their own. Instead, their employer has to work with a payroll provider that offers it as an option. An example is Gusto, a combination of payroll provider and software.

Bottom Line on Payroll Cards

Payroll cards offer a number of advantages. However, they’re unlikely to be widely adopted when fees are liable to cost an employee an appreciable part of their paycheck. While payroll cards may remain uncommon, flexible pay has the potential to become a popular and common feature.

April 7, 2022February 10, 2023

monday.com vs Asana: Versatility, Affordability & Features Comparison

Monday.com vs Asana Versatile & Affordable

Project management has become so much a part of business that comparing tools like monday.com vs Asana require you to see them more as work operating systems. They bring all of project management’s sophisticated tools to bear on your daily schedule. We compare monday.com vs Asana to see which is a better fit for your work life.

monday.com: Best for Small Teams Working Remotely

From $10

★★★★★

3.0

Visit

monday.com is a code-free, cloud-based project management software geared with a spectrum of sleek features for small teams working remotely. It makes it simple for you to design workflow apps for your project. You can use these apps to handle day-to-day operations and responsibilities.

monday.com comes with workflow templates you can easily customize to manage your project. It helps you reduce your manual administrative work by automating key tasks. You can also integrate monday.com with other tools to streamline project management. Read the full monday.com review for greater insight into it.

Modern user interface (UI) is easy to use and navigate
Highly customizable features
Ideal for managing ongoing work for multiple projects

Confusing pricing of plans
Slow customer support
Best features only available with upper tiers of paid plans

Pricing

Basic: $10/user per month
Standard: $12/user per month
Pro: $20/user per month
Enterprise: Inquire for price

Asana: Best for Flexibility and Customization

From $13.49

★★★★★

3.5

Visit

Asana is one of the most popular project management software out there. It’s easy to use and offers some of the most powerful management tools available. It’s a versatile software that suits small teams but can also scale to larger companies. Asana lets you divide tasks into themes and time-related segments so you can manage your workflow with ease.

With a much broader feature set, Asana is a great choice for agile project management. You can use multiple management styles including Gantt charts, task lists, and Kanban boards with this project management software. Read the complete Asana review for greater insight into it.

Offers workload management
Smart project-focused interface
Various management features

No financial management tools
Assigns tasks to one user only
Steeper learning curve

Pricing

Basic: Free
Premium: $13.49/user per month
Business: $30.49/user per month
Enterprise: Inquire for price

Pricing & Features Comparison

Pricing

3/5

Team Management

3/5

4/5

Project Delivery Management

4/5

5/5

Agile Methodology Suitability

3/5

4/5

Waterfall Methodology Suitability

3/5

Risk Management

4/5

3/5

Reporting

4/5

4.5/5

Finance Management

3/5

Collaboration and communication

3/5

4/5

Integration With Other Apps

2/5

4/5

Usability

3/5

5/5

Support

3/5

3.5/5

Privacy

3/5

3.5/5

Pros

More price options
Customized views
Templates help you set up project

Larger teams on free tier
Attractive Status Updates
Easy to use

Cons

Limited integrations and automations

More expensive

Overall Rating

3/5

★★★★★

3.5/5

★★★★★

monday.com vs Asana

Putting monday.com vs Asana means comparing two well-known project management software options. Both have fairly good reputations, while also being somewhat more expensive than competitors.

The similarities don’t end there. Both also focus on task management, using tasks as a starting point to build out your project. There is a standard set of popular project management tools that both provide.

However, the two platforms are far from clones of each other. While the tools may be similar, the presentation and usability can be leagues apart. Follow along to discover which is the best fit for you.

Pricing

monday.com and Asana have similar, straightforward pricing plans that will be familiar to anyone who has used project management software recently. Both offer a free version for a Basic plan best used to manage simple projects, limited in users and functions. Pay tiers offer more with each step up in price.

monday.com

monday.com is slightly less expensive, with four pay tier options:

Basic: $10/user per month
Standard: $12/user per month
Pro: $20/user per month
Enterprise: Inquire for price

monday.com offers unlimited boards even at the free tier, but pay tiers offer more reporting options and more seats. Depending on the tier, you may also be limited in integration actions, automations, or a few other things.

Asana

Asana offers three different levels beyond the free tier, including:

Premium: $13.49/user per month
Business: $30.49/user per month
Enterprise: Inquire for price

Each of the pay tiers offers unlimited projects and many reporting options. Some of the most powerful tools, such as portfolio management, require a Business or better subscription.

Winner: Tie

Although monday.com is less expensive, its limiting API calls and other actions can be a real problem for some users. Asana offers a lot of important tools even on the least expensive pay tier, though the higher cost puts it on par with monday.com.

Read: Best 6 Free Project Management Software

Team Management

In terms of team management, Asana, and monday.com both focus on managing teams through task management. In fact, like most examples of this type of project management software, everything starts when you create tasks and then assign tasks to team members. The details are slightly different between the two options. However, they both allow you to add details, due dates, define task level priority, and more.

With that foundation, you can bring a number of powerful team management features to bear. Both Asana and monday.com focus most resource management tools on the time commitment of each team member, offering a Workload view to track team level, though Asana’s is a bit easier to use. For both platforms, it’s an option that is only available with the more expensive tiers.

Additionally, task progress tracking is straightforward with both platforms and each has an easy-to-find action log.

Winner: Asana

While both platforms allow you to filter tasks by specific team members, as well as track workload, it’s much simpler to do in Asana. monday.com helps you construct a sort of spreadsheet to do the same thing, which is much more involved.

Project Delivery Management

Some of the most important tools in a project manager’s toolbox are designed to keep everything on track and moving in the right direction. When it comes to Asana vs monday.com, they seem to offer some similar tools for tracking project statuses.

Gantt charts are easy to set up, with task dependencies requiring no more than a drag-and-drop, providing a look at project workflow management. Both options also provide a way to monitor several projects simultaneously, balancing resources and workload.

The two options also provide a list view, breaking down steps and making it easy to see both project plans and project schedules. However, monday.com’s list is easier to read and can contain more information.

Winner: Asana

While monday.com’s list view is easier to read, Asana has one big advantage. Information from all your projects is collected in the Portfolios tab, where it can be visualized in a few different ways. monday.com requires you to set up a separate Portfolio Management board.

Methodology Suitability

Comparing Asana vs monday.com, is one more suitable for waterfall methodology or Agile methodology? Both can be used for either method used to manage projects, though it might not be surprising that they offer some tools exclusive to the Agile approach. Read our review on waterfall vs agile methods.

Asana has a Board view that serves very well as a Kanban board. monday.com also provides Kanban boards for all your projects, as well as for your overall portfolio. In both cases, it’s possible to drag and drop tasks into the appropriate column. Asana’s Boards offer some automation options that Monday doesn’t, however.

Additionally, Asana’s Update feature is much more comprehensive, including a painless method of automatically generating graphs, and works great for Sprint reviews.

Winner: Asana

A few features, such as automations in Asana’s Boards, edges it out ahead of its competition.

Risk Management

There are no native features for bug or issue tracking in either option. We’re contrasting Asana vs monday.com, but realistically they do have a lot in common. Unlike a project management tool like, for example, Jira, they aren’t focused tightly on software development. However, both integrate with apps that can perform those functions.

Asana offers a way to mark a project as On Track, Off Track, or At Risk, as part of a status update. monday.com can mark projects automatically as part of its Overview widget, based on the number of tasks team members have completed, versus tasks still outstanding. Note that the Overview widget is only available to Pro and above accounts.

Winner: monday.com

Asana’s project status tool is used for communication, telling people something you already know. monday.com’s feature offers an analysis, offering more information on the health of your project, though it comes with a higher price tag.

Reporting

Managing projects is a complex business, which graphs, charts, and other visualizations can help keep straight. Both options offer a number of ways to visualize projects, from variations on a basic project management tool like Gantt charts, to the status reports we’ve already mentioned.

Reporting options for portfolio management are also available, allowing you track the progress and resource use of multiple projects. monday.com offers a wider range of reporting for your portfolio, allowing you to set up a Gantt chart of project dependencies, rather than task dependencies.

Winner: Asana

For reporting, Asana vs monday.com is close to a tie. monday.com does have a few more options. However, Asana offers a user interface that moves a lot of information for you. Check out your portfolio and all the information you entered in each project is already there. monday.com wants you to enter portfolio information again, separately.

Finance Management

Few things are more important to a successful project than finances. However, it’s an area that most cloud-based project management platforms leave for integrated apps, rather than handling natively.

monday.com doesn’t have any tools for tracking expenses exactly, though it doesn’t rely on integration for those functions. In many ways, monday.com’s platform can be thought of as a specialized spreadsheet, which you can customize to your needs. A Numbers Column can be easily added to track how estimated costs compare to the actual project plan, or how much your team members’ time costs.

Asana has the List view, which is similar to monday.com’s spreadsheet layout and can perform the same functions, allowing you to track, quickly add up, or compare numbers. However, both also offer integrations to add more tools.

Asana has specifically partnered with Power Bi for finance management and reporting, though it integrates with other options as well. Time tracking, on the other hand, has to be handled by integration, with Asana partnering with Harvest for that need.

Winner: Tie

Yet again, Asana vs monday.com is a close comparison. In this case, the tools offered by both options are similar enough that it’s tough to choose between them. Additionally, they both integrate with many of the same third-party apps.

Collaboration and Communication

One key responsibility for project management software in modern business is as a set of collaboration tools, used for workflow management when a team may be physically distant from each other.

The first step in team collaboration is team communication, so both platforms offer lots of different ways to send messages. Communication and task management features have been combined, as both allow you to comment on individual tasks. Comments can also be added to projects and files, including a mark-up tool for the free file storage.

Asana offers a team page that allows each team member to track all the projects they’re working on. A shared team calendar makes it easy to track due dates and progress. Additionally, a Chrome extension allows team members to pull ideas from around the web into the workspace to share.

monday.com can offer a similar calendar, as well as a board designed for project requests. Both platforms also offer iOS and Android apps for free. monday.com also has workdocs, a document shared with and edited by the whole team.

Winner: Asana

monday.com’s workdoc is a nice feature, but nothing you can’t find in Google Docs or many other places. Asana offers the chance to focus comments on specific tasks, while also seeing the big picture.

Integration With Other Apps

Even the most powerful project management tool won’t have every feature you need for your perfect workflow. Integration allows you to reach out and add those missing features to your pool of task management tools.

Both Asana and monday.com have libraries of integrations for anything you might need, from tracking team members’ time to managing customer requests. Some big names include Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Microsoft Teams. Both platforms also offer an API.

Winner: Asana

Both Asana and monday.com have wide libraries of integrations to choose from, including all the most commonly needed apps. However, Monday limits the integration and automations on most tiers.

Usability

There is no such thing as a perfect project management tool and everyone’s experience will vary. However, a user-friendly tool for project management with a gentle learning curve can save your mental health, your company’s money, and hours of aggravation.

Both platforms focus on task management, with a number of features that have become semi-standard for this sort of software. The task manager allows you to assign team members, attach documents, define dependencies, and many other things. The user interface includes drag-and-drop functionality and most basic functions can be understood with a little experimentation.

monday.com’s user interface is practical and straightforward. It may not be attractive, but all task information is visible in the main table. It’s easy to add Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and more. It’s also easy to find automations for repetitive and mundane tasks, as well as integrations.

Asana has a slicker presentation, but is just as easy to use. The team page makes for a good base, which is helpful as it can be easy to get lost among the different views. However, workflow management is greatly aided by only having to enter information in one place.

Winner: Asana

The user-friendliness of Asana vs monday.com is ultimately a personal choice. However, a few of Asana’s features stand out, such as easily formatted Status Updates and a single tab that collects all of a project’s files.

Support

Support for either option, comparing Asana vs monday.com, boils down to a web form. You describe your issue and wait for a service rep to get back with some help. However, both also offer many additional resources to help you figure out solutions for yourself.

monday.com offers real-life content examples from users, which you can peruse to get some ideas for your own project management style. There is also a range of video tutorials, webinars, and support docs. The only upgrade is if you’re an Enterprise customer, which gets you a dedicated support manager.

Asana has a similar set-up, similarly offering project managers video tutorials, webinars, courses, and so forth. They have a wider range of walk-throughs, which can be helpful. Additionally, business tier customers can get priority support, moving their help requests to the front of the line.

Winner: Asana

Asana has a bigger library of tutorials and courses. The option for priority on support for the Business tier of service is also nice.

Privacy

Project management systems can contain a lot of very important, very private information. It’s therefore not surprising that both Asana and monday.com make promises to keep information in your work operating system secure.

Both say that they don’t share information with third parties, the exception being when you elect to use an integration. Additionally, both monday.com and Asana have made commitments to 99% uptime.

Asana has a couple of neat offerings, such as the ability to choose where in the world your data is stored. However, that’s a feature only available to Enterprise clients.

Winner: Asana

It might take an expert to compare some aspects of Asana vs monday.com, and their security. However, Asana also helps you secure your data by offering admins the ability to require 2FA security, limiting access, and a number of other tools.

Alternative Project Management Software Options

Wrike

Visit

Wrike gives you greater flexibility and works for teams of all types and sizes. You get a wide range of project management features. Wrike’s price may be a bit higher than others, but the range of features is worth it. Read the ultimate Wrike review for a more detailed analysis.

Specialized marketing, creative, and services delivery team packages
Offers in-built time tracking
Analytics tool generates charts automatically

Costlier than other PM software
Templates can’t remove all options
Can’t prioritize tasks

Pricing

Free version.
Professional Plan: $9.80/user/month.
Business Plan: $24.80/user/month.
Enterprise Plan: Inquire for price.

ClickUp

Visit

ClickUp is a leading project management platform. It’s scalable for teams of all sizes. ClickUp is excellent for remote work. Creating spaces for different projects and adding teams to them is pretty easy. To learn more about this tool, read our ClickUp review.

Lower cost
Better support options
Free version offers a lot of features

Slows down when you use too many ClickApps
Complicated interface
Lacks workflow management

Pricing

Free
Unlimited: $5/user/month
Business: $12/user/month
Business Plus: $19/user/month
Enterprise: Inquire for price.

Microsoft Project

Visit

Microsoft Project is one of the oldest project management software. It has been the go-to PM tool for many industry-leading companies for many years. But it comes with a steep learning curve and is not ideal for beginners.

Offers projections, baselines, and other features
Review all your projects at once
Advanced project management features

Expensive
Steep learning curve
Slow customer support

Pricing

Plan 1:$10/user/month
Plan 3: $30/user/month
Plan 5: $55/user/month

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for monday.com vs Asana

Don’t have time for the in-depth review? Check out the most commonly asked questions.

Are Asana and monday.com the Same?

They are two different services, though they are similar in many ways. Both are platforms used for project management, starting with task management and building tools up from there. Both also have a similar pricing arrangement, with a free plan with limited functions, and different pay tiers with corresponding levels of features.

Comparing Asana vs monday.com, much of the difference comes down to user interface. monday.com functions more explicitly as a specialized spreadsheet, while Asana balances a few different tools.

Is Asana Cheaper Than monday.com?

On the face of it, Asana seems more expensive than monday.com. It has only two pay tiers beyond its free plan, both more expensive than monday.com. However, when you compare feature availability, you’re actually getting about the same level of service for the same cost.

All the tasks, boards, and other essentials are available on the Basic plan. For monday.com, that is about $3 less than Asana. It may leave you without key tools, however. If you’re looking for a similar service for a lower cost, check out our ClickUp vs monday.com comparison.

Is There Anything Better Than monday.com?

In our comparison, we found that Asana came out ahead of monday.com. While both track tasks, and the comparison of monday.com vs Asana comes pretty close to even in many ways, Asana is easier to use.

Is There Something Better Than Asana?

Asana is a high-quality platform, but for some needs, there may be a better fit. For example, Jira is optimized for software development. Find out more in our Jira vs Asana comparison.

monday.com vs Asana Conclusion

Both monday.com and Asana offer some of the best project management tools available at the moment. However, small differences add up, pointing to a clear winner. Asana comes out on top due to a more attractive and intuitive user interface. It’s also easier to manage tasks when all the task details move from view to view automatically.

Additionally, the difference in price disappears when you compare feature availability. monday.com is high-quality software, but Asana is just a bit better.

Anything can be a project, if you want to look at it that way. With that in mind, it’s possible to use all the methods of project management to keep your own life organized and on track. That might have been an intimidating prospect even a few years ago. Today, quality platforms like Asana and monday.com make it easy.

March 31, 2022November 23, 2022

How To Conduct a Payroll Audit For Small Business in 8 Steps

Young male financial manager in the office

Conducting a payroll audit can help your small business reduce employment costs and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws. Start the process of analyzing your company’s payroll to reveal errors and inefficiencies that reduce your bottom line.

How To Conduct a Payroll Audit in 8 Steps

Your small business payroll audit should have two main goals. First, you want to make sure that you have comprehensive payroll documentation for all your employees, and verify the accuracy of these records. After you fix any errors you uncover, the second step involves finding the issues in your internal processes that led to discrepancies and updating protocols to improve the accuracy of your company’s payroll records.

If you aren’t convinced of the importance of running regular payroll audits, consider these statistics:

Employers paid about $6 billion to the IRS in payroll-related penalties in 2020 alone
A survey from Intuit revealed that 25% of employees have received paychecks that contain errors
18% of employees surveyed by Intuit said they have received a late paycheck, which increases to 32% among those who work for a company with 20 or fewer employees
Kronos reports that nearly half of employees will look for a new job after more than one paycheck error
Up to 30% of U.S. employees are classified incorrectly, according to the National Employment Law Project
45% of small businesses have no accountant or bookkeeper on staff and 25% still have a paper payroll process, as revealed in data collected by Clutch.co

Small businesses are also more likely than larger businesses to experience payroll volatility. This phenomenon is characterized by high levels of turnover and other changes that increase the chances of errors and other issues.

Before You Begin

While the word audit conjures images of endless stacks of paperwork, you can streamline the process with these eight easy steps. Before you get started, you’ll need to gather the necessary reports from your paper accounting records or payroll software system.

Company-wide payroll reports

Also called a payroll register or payroll journal, a comprehensive document that includes all the details of employee compensation, tax withholdings, and deductions

Employee time reports

Details about the number of hours worked per employee per pay period (weekly, bimonthly, monthly)

Individual employee reports

Detailed compensation, withholding information, and deductions for a single employee

Payroll tax reports

Quarterly and annual reports that detail taxable employee compensation and corresponding withholdings and tax liabilities

Cash requirements reports

Information about the amount of money your business needs to process payroll and the allocation of these funds

1. Analyze Your Payroll Roster

Download your payroll roster from your company’s accounting software. Once you have this document in front of you, review your entire payroll to confirm that it doesn’t include “ghost” employees who don’t actually exist, a sure sign of internal fraud. Verify each person’s full legal name, Social Security number, current address, and position at the business.

Take this time to remove anyone who no longer works for the business. This includes workers who are currently out on disability or family and medical leave. If you employ external vendors or contractors, the payroll audit offers an opportunity to check their contracts. Make sure they have been paid only the amount owed under the designated contract period.

2. Check Pay Rates and Hours Worked

Once you verify that your payroll only includes humans who actually work for your company, make sure that they are getting paid the correct amount for the correct number of hours. Unscrupulous employees who have access to the payroll system sometimes increase compensation rates or boost the number of hours someone works so they can embezzle money. The audit should look at every timesheet and paystub for every work for the entire period since you last conducted a payroll audit.

In addition to verifying hours worked and pay rates, make sure that you have accurately distinguished between hourly and salaried employees. You must also ensure the correct classification of exempt and nonexempt employees under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employees who are nonexempt must receive overtime pay for every hour they work over 40 hours a week. If these workers have not been compensated correctly, adjusting this issue and providing back pay accordingly can prevent state or federal sanctions.

3. Look Closely at Variable Payments

Make sure that any employee payments that diverge from the typical amount are supported by proof of authorization. The journal of your payroll system should have a separate section for variable pay apart from standard salaries and wages. Some of the most common types of variable payments include shift differentials, profit-sharing payments, commissions, and bonuses.

4. Review Off-Cycle Payments

You also want to pay special attention to payroll cycles that occur outside the typical amount. For example, if your company should have had 24 semi-monthly payroll cycles in the year since you last conducted an audit, you need to investigate unexplained extra cycles. While some such variances could be an error or occur when the company issues a bonus or other special incentive, they could also be a red flag for fraud.

5. Perform Payroll Reconciliation

In this step, check each payroll record against the company’s general ledger. This reconciliation represents the most important part of the payroll audit, and it typically takes more time than any other step. Double-checking the journal entries in your business accounting software that correspond to your payroll records ensures that the system transmitted this data correctly. It also confirms the correct calculation of taxable wages and payroll deductions.

6. Check Payroll Records Against Tax Forms

Next, you need to make sure that your payroll records match up with the amounts you reported on IRS Forms 940 and 941. Form 940, filed annually, reports tax your company withheld under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. On your quarterly Form 941, you report withholding of federal income tax and Federal Insurance Contribution Act taxes. In addition to reconciling your payroll records against your federal tax forms, you also need to check against the corresponding state forms.

7. Locate and Pay Outstanding Tax Bills

Your payroll system likely creates automatic tax liability reports when you owe outstanding tax payments. This may occur if the system fails to make these payments when you hire someone living in a different state and do not enter a specific tax ID number for that state. In this situation, the payroll audit ensures that you can pay the outstanding amount and avoid costly IRS sanctions.

8. Establish or Improve Payroll Protocols

When done correctly, payroll audits should enhance your company’s processes to reduce the potential for errors and fraudulent activity. End each payroll audit with a wrap-up session where you discuss findings and determine how your business can avoid these issues in the future. If you don’t have a solid payroll protocol in place, consider these best practices:

Direct supervisor approval of each payroll run
A weekly deadline for timesheet submission
Documentation in writing for variable payments such as bonuses
Restricted access to payroll on an as-needed basis
A single pay cycle for all employees
Modern payroll software if you don’t already have this technology in place
A paperless reporting process to automate the audit
A regular review of state and federal labor laws to ensure ongoing compliance
A system of checks and balances that divides payroll responsibilities among team members

In addition, if you don’t already have a pay policy in place, establishing this type of document can prevent issues such as employee misclassification, tax underpayment, and accidental and intentional time theft. Your company’s pay policy should include transparent details about employee classifications and determination of salaries, wages, raises, and promotions. This document also details the protocol for processing payroll, making changes to this process, and addressing errors that arise. This level of transparency not only reduces the likelihood of errors but fosters a trusting relationship with your workers.

Benefits of Conducting a Payroll Audit

While you may be reluctant to dedicate valuable internal resources to an annual audit, most small businesses realize a substantial return on this investment. Some of the advantages of conducting regular payroll audits include:

Finding and correcting data entry and calculation errors
Detecting and discouraging payroll fraud
Identifying changes that need to be made, such as removing a terminated employee or adding a raise for a promoted worker
Confirming accurate tax withholdings and payments
Correcting the accounting for sick, personal, vacation and holiday time
Verifying you are paying workers for the correct number of hours
Remaining compliant with state and federal employment regulations
Reducing your risk of an external audit by correcting problems before they are flagged by the IRS
Evaluating the cost of your payroll software and user licenses relative to features and value

Issues in any of these areas could be costly for your business, and without regular audits, multiple problems with payroll can arise and go on for some time without notice.

As your business grows, a payroll audit could reveal the need for an employee audit. With this process, you review the company’s org chart and hiring plan to determine whether it aligns with your organizational goals.

Best Practices for Easy Payroll Audits

If you keep putting off the payroll audit process because you don’t have the time, money, knowledge, or staff, you’re not alone. Fortunately, you can take measures to make the audit easier and detect underlying issues that can cost even more to correct as they persist over time.

Especially if you do not have education in accounting, consider hiring an accountant or bookkeeper to conduct an internal audit on behalf of your business. Engaging professional services can reduce the risk of expensive payroll mistakes as well as save your time for your core business operations. You don’t necessarily have to bring on a full-time staff member; instead, hire a CPA at an hourly rate to help out when needed or outsource this job to a third-party firm.

If you prefer to keep the audit internal, it doesn’t have to take over your life at work. Instead, consider spreading the items on your audit checklist over the entire year and take on just a few tasks each month. You can also delegate the tasks among team members to reduce the workload associated with the audit.

Remember that putting off a payroll audit just means pushing the work down the road. Eventually, you may have no choice but to audit your payroll records when faced with an IRS audit or a U.S. or state Labor Department claim.

Using Accounting Software for Your Payroll Audit

While manually entering payroll may work fine when you have just one or two workers, it dramatically increases your risk for errors in the process of paying your employees. You can also run into issues if you rely on old, outdated software to run payroll. Fortunately, small businesses can choose from several free payroll software options.

When selecting the right accounting software for your payroll audit, consider these factors:

Whether the system can integrate with your company’s existing hardware and software
The software’s ability to issue direct deposits, paper checks, or both
The learning curve associated with using and mastering the system, including available training resources
Whether it offers a self-service portal where employees can enter and verify their own information as needed
The number of employees you have, since some systems limit the number of payroll records you can create

If free software options for payroll don’t quite meet the needs of your business, expect to pay about $30 per month for a flat-fee service or $4 to $12 per month per individual employee access license.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for How to Conduct a Payroll Audit

These are the most common questions small business owners and administrators ask about the process of conducting a successful payroll audit.

Who should conduct a payroll audit?

In most cases, the chief financial officer or lead accountant in your small business is the most appropriate person to conduct an internal payroll audit. Assuming the company uses payroll and accounting software, this individual has all the necessary information at hand to complete the steps above.

You can also hire an external accounting firm to audit your company’s records. Taking this third-party approach could make sense if you have a very small business and manage most of the operations independently.

What internal controls can prevent payroll errors?

Payroll audits can help your small business establish internal controls to reduce the risk of errors and fraud. You should have protocols that require regular updates to login and password information, manager sign-off on time cards and paychecks, frequent error checks, limited levels of system access, and a password tracking log. Avoid making just one person responsible for the entire payroll system.

How often should your small business conduct a payroll audit?

The recommended frequency of audits depends on the complexity of your company’s payroll. When you only have a few employees and limited special circumstances, you can probably get away auditing payroll just once or twice a year. Larger businesses with complicated payroll systems may need to adopt a quarterly audit system to stay on top of possible errors.

How long should the company retain payroll records?

Federal law dictates how long you need to keep records related to paying employees on file. You have to keep employee information, pay stubs, and I-9 forms for at least three years, payroll register and payroll tax forms for four years, and time sheets (including those for independent contractors) for at least two years. Retirement plan records must remain in your payroll system for six years before they can be safely discarded.

In addition, your state may require longer retention of payroll records, so make sure to check those laws as well. Although you can keep records longer than the required timeframe, you may want to clear out your payroll system and remove old information periodically.

What should you do if a payroll audit reveals a serious error?

Sometimes, business owners detect problems with payroll that have persisted for months. If you can’t untangle these issues internally, consider consulting an external CPA firm for a successful resolution.

Are payroll audits legally required?

Your small business does not have a legal obligation to audit your payroll records. However, most financial experts recommend doing so to make sure you pay your workers accurately, detect fraud and errors quickly, and avoid legal sanctions for failure to comply with applicable state and federal labor laws.

Bottom Line on Payroll Audit

Auditing payroll records for your small business can seem like an arduous, expensive process. Fortunately, each time you successfully conduct an audit that results in improvements to your payroll system, you reduce the likelihood of errors. This in turn will streamline and shorten the next planned payroll audit.

Following these simple steps can take the stress out of analyzing your company’s payroll records. If you don’t already have an organized system in place, regular audits can significantly reduce the chance of problems with your company’s payroll.

March 30, 2022February 10, 2023

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll: Comparison Guide for Business Owners

Business Graphs and Charts Concept with PAYROLL word

Gusto and QuickBooks are payroll platforms designed to make it easy for small business owners to automate several functions of their businesses. If you are comparing Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll, consider pricing, features, and customer service. Both platforms perform various vital duties, including setting and processing payroll, filing payroll taxes, and managing employee benefits.

While both platforms are functional, Gusto is best for medium-sized businesses that plan to expand to more than 50 employees in the future. Its human resource capabilities and features are good for companies with more extensive HR needs. QuickBooks Payroll is best for smaller businesses who want the flexibility to run payroll through the mobile app or the online platform.

Gusto: Best for Medium-Sized Businesses

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Gusto is a payroll management service that offers many HR functions. The application is used by more than 40,000 small business owners nationwide. It has convenient payroll features, a customer interface, and numerous innovation tools. The platform is great for growing businesses that have more than 50 employees because of its ability to automate many functions.

Gusto makes the employee onboarding process simple for business owners. After entering in a few pieces of information, the platform automatically sends an email to the worker to gather the needed information. Gusto also makes things easy for employers who pay taxes in multiple states.

Gusto’s pricing scheme is fairly straightforward and easy to understand. It offers three plans that are designed to perform different functions to meet various needs. The most affordable plan is the Core Plan, which costs $39 a month plus a cost of $6 per employee. It is a basic plan but still comes with all the features you need to run payroll and perform many HR functions. The most expensive plans feature extra administrative tools.

Gusto’s plans come with features that include automation payroll tools, direct deposits, tax filings, independent contractor services, and unlimited payroll runs. Business owners can also offer health insurance to their employees in most states.

Free trial option for small business owners
Simple and quick to run payroll and benefits for numerous employees
Multiple customer service options

Business owners cannot run payroll via the mobile application
Calculating employee deductions is cumbersome
No weekend customer service options

QuickBooks Payroll: Best for Small Businesses

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QuickBooks Payroll is an excellent choice if you want to integrate your payroll software with an existing QuickBooks Online account. This platform is formulated for businesses with less than 50 employees. It integrates with QuickBooks Online and allows owners to offer same-day direct deposit for employees. Similar to Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll has three plans and enables owners to upgrade or add more services at any time.

However, this is not the best payroll option for paying remote teams. If you have employees or independent contractors in multiple states, you’ll end up paying more in the long run. There are extra monthly fees if you have workers in more than one location.

QuickBooks Payroll’s Core Plan is $45 per month plus an extra cost of $4 per employee. This plan provides comprehensive payroll services, including forms and automated taxes. You can integrate your subscription with QuickBooks Online and set up automatic payroll. This plan also comes with the option to offer employee health benefits.

The Premium Plan is $75 per month plus $8 per employee. This level comes with everything in the Core Plan plus extra features, including workers’ compensation administration and same-day direct deposit services. The most expensive option is the Elite Plan, which costs $125 per month plus a monthly fee of $10.

QuickBooks Online integration feature
Same day and next business day direct deposit options
Extended customer service hours

Extra tax filing fees for Premium and Core plans
Limited HR features for numerous employees
QuickBooks Online integrations are somewhat limited

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Pricing & Features Comparison

Millions of small businesses worldwide use Gusto and QuickBooks payroll to perform payroll and HR functions. Both allow owners to establish and run employee payroll, manage employee benefits, submit payroll taxes, and complete other accounting functions. Both offer three plans that provide various features for businesses with different needs.

While QuickBooks Payroll’s plans are more expensive, the platform can be integrated with QuickBooks Online to make a comprehensive payroll and accounting system. Gusto is designed for businesses with more than 50 employees, while QuickBooks is best for small companies with fewer workers.

Price

Core Plan: $39 monthly plus $6 per employee

Complete Plan: $39 monthly plus $12 per employee

Concierge Plan: $149 monthly plus $12 per employee

Core Plan: $45 monthly plus $4 per employee

Premium Plan: $75 monthly plus $8 per employee

Elite Plan: $125 monthly plus $10 per employee

Tax Filing and Payments

Federal, state, and local taxes; no multiple state filing fees

Federal and state tax filings

HR and Benefits Features

Comprehensive features including worker profiles and employee offer letters

Limited HR features

Portal Access for Employees

Mobile application

Online platform

Integrations

Any third-party software

Only QuickBooks Online

Mobile Application

No mobile app to run payroll

You can run payroll on the app

Tax Filings & Payments

The government requires all businesses to pay taxes and file returns at the state and federal levels. Companies need to file additional taxes if they conduct business in more than one state. Each company must follow specific tax regulations informed by its location, structure type, and business activity. Using payroll software makes it easier to satisfy tax filing and payments requirements.

Gusto

Business owners can calculate and file federal, state, and local payroll taxes with Gusto. All three plans come with this service. The software pays dues automatically once taxes are filed and accepted. If you need to file and pay taxes in more than one state, there are no fees.

QuickBooks Payroll

All three QuickBooks Payroll plans calculate, file, and pay federal and state payroll taxes. Only the Elite and Premium plans allow owners to file and pay local taxes. Only the Elite Plan enables business owners to pay taxes in multiple locations.

Winner: Gusto. It’s much easier to use Gusto to file local, state, and federal taxes.

HR & Employee Benefits

Managing HR and employee benefits are essential functions for any small business. Effective HR is an integral part of any company culture, from recruiting talent to onboarding employees to administering health insurance. Gusto and QuickBooks both have automation tools that make it easy to perform essential HR functions and keep track of employee data.

Gusto

Gusto has more HR tools than QuickBooks payroll because it is designed for companies with more employees. Its features include employee directories, personalized worker profiles, automated offer letters, employee surveys, and company organizational charts. Gusto’s most expensive plan comes with tools for business owners who want more tools, including unlimited access to HR experts and a dedicated customer service team.

Gusto also has more employee benefits than QuickBooks Payroll. You can offer your employees a range of benefits, including health insurance, college savings accounts, health savings accounts, and commuter compensation.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll does not have as many HR features, but its Premium Plan includes an HR resource center and other essential elements. Owners who upgrade to the Elite Plan can access a dedicated HR advisor. Other features include employee handbooks, job descriptions, and onboarding checklists.

Winner: Gusto. You get a lot more HR features and tools with a Gusto plan (and for far less money per month) than with QuickBooks Payroll.

Employee Portal Access

Remote work is more important than ever before, and workers need to access essential features on an online portal or platform. Most companies have eliminated on-site customer time tracking and payroll systems in favor of more flexible options. Both Gusto and QuickBooks allow employees to access portals.

Gusto

Employees can download the Gusto Wallet application on their phones to access paycheck information, view W-2 data, and manage working hours.

QuickBooks Payroll

Called the Workforce, QuickBooks Payroll’s employee platform allows workers to view pay stubs, PTO balances, and W2 information.

Winner: Tie. Both Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll give employees access to important paycheck and tax information through easy-to-use portals.

Integrations

Most small business owners want a comprehensive accounting and payroll system. Companies need to integrate Gusto or QuickBooks with an accounting service to achieve this. Viewing payroll and accounting details on one integrated platform streamlines everyday tasks.

Gusto

Gusto is superior to QuickBooks Payroll because it can be integrated with any third-party accounting, point-of-sale, or time tracking software. Gusto can even be combined with QuickBooks Online.

QuickBooks Payroll

You can only integrate QuickBooks Payroll with QuickBooks Online. If you use another third-party software, you will need to enter your accounting transactions manually.

Winner: Gusto. There are more integration options available with Gusto than QuickBooks Payroll, so you can extend Gusto’s functionality.

Mobile Application

Having a mobile application to perform basic payroll transactions is a significant benefit for owners who often travel or do not always have access to a laptop computer. While both Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll are mobile-friendly, QuickBooks offers more features.

Gusto

Gusto’s platform is mobile-friendly, but owners cannot run payroll on the mobile application.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks offers a no-cost mobile application that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices. Owners can view reports, file taxes, and run payroll via the mobile app.

Winner: QuickBooks Payroll. Although Gusto’s site is mobile-friendly, QuickBooks Payroll offers a mobile payroll app.

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Customer Service

Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll let customers talk to live agents via phone and chat. Both platforms also allow customers to send emails to customer service and receive a response within 24 hours.

Gusto

Gusto’s limited customer service hours may be a drawback for business owners. Gusto offers phone, chat, and email support from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday to Friday. Unfortunately, agents are not available on the weekends.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks offers round-the-clock chat support and weekday and weekend customer service options. Live agents are available Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from
6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. QuickBooks is the clear choice for business owners who want more customer support options.

Winner: QuickBooks Payroll. This is a narrow win for QuickBooks Payroll because it offers longer hours of support for customers.

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Customer Reviews

Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll are both established companies with solid customer satisfaction ratings and many good customer reviews.

Gusto Customer Reviews

Most customers are happy with Gusto’s excellent HR features, affordable plans, and convenient-to-use platform. However, Gusto’s limited customer service hours are a common customer complaint.

QuickBooks Payroll Customer Reviews

Most customers love QuickBooks Payroll’s integration features, excellent customer support options, and add-on features. However, some customers prefer cheaper plans and more HR features. Out of almost 700 online votes, QuickBooks Payroll has an average rating of 4.5/5.

Winner: QuickBooks Payroll. Overall, QuickBooks Payroll gets more favorable reviews than Gusto.

Alternative Payroll Software Options

If you are looking for payroll business software alternatives, there are others on the market.

Paychex

From $39

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Paychex offers some great features not available on other payroll platforms. It is a good option if you want access to worker verification services, pay cards, and employee financial wellness programs.

There are three plans with different pricing levels. The basic plan is Paychex Flex Essentials, which costs $39 monthly plus an additional $5 per employee. Two higher-tiered plans are available and are custom-priced. Read the Paychex review to know more about this tool.

Comprehensive HR and payroll features
Employment verification services
Custom-priced plan options

Some plans do not come with same-day or next-day payroll options
No free trial periods
Limited customer support options on weekends

RUN Powered by ADP

From $59

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RUN Powered by ADP is a good option for businesses that want to customize the features they receive. Owners can mix and match features based on company size and other platforms. All plans include employee onboarding services, workers’ compensation resources, and marketing assistance. You can also offer health insurance and retirement plans through this platform.

RUN has customizable plan pricing, starting at $59 monthly plus $4 per employee.

Custom pricing options based on the company’s desired features
Integrates with various third-party platforms
Features include retirement plans and attendance tracking

Many plan prices not available online
Limited HR functions on lowest-tired plans
Less-than-intuitive platform

Patriot

From $30

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Patriot offers significantly more affordable plans than competitors such as QuickBooks Payroll. The platform also provides HR features, including time tracking tools, 1099 filing services, and guaranteed tax filing accuracy. It is an excellent option for small business owners on a budget.

Patriot’s base plan is the Full-Service Payroll plan, which costs $30 per month plus an additional $4 for each employee. Keep in mind that you will be charged $12 a month if you file payroll taxes in multiple states.

Affordable monthly plans
Free setup options with all plans
Many HR options for companies with many employees

No same-day or next-day direct deposit options
Extra fees for filing payroll taxes in multiple states
Limited customer support options on the weekend

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll: Final Thoughts

When comparing Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll, there are several factors to consider. Both payroll software choices offer payroll services that can be integrated with an existing account platform to give you a fully functioning system. While both platforms are functional, we prefer Gusto because of its affordable plans and extensive HR features.

Gusto is meant for businesses with more than 50 employees and comes with several excellent features, including convenient payroll options, a customer interface, and numerous innovation tools. Gusto is also a perfect option because it can be integrated with multiple third-party platforms.

March 29, 2022November 23, 2022

Gusto vs ADP Payroll: Which To Choose

PAYROLL word on blue binder place on weekly time sheet and payroll summary report, human resources concept

Are you looking for easy-to-use payroll software for your business that offers full-service features and customer support to answer your questions? This comparison of Gusto vs ADP Payroll software goes into detail to help you determine which is the best choice for your company and needs.

The right payroll service makes it simple to process each payroll run while tracking data and compiling the reports you need to analyze and manage your business. We looked at pricing, payroll processing, tax filing features, direct deposit, employee portal access, and more to discover how these popular payroll software options measure up.

Gusto: Best for Overall Value

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Gusto is a top choice in payroll software. Originally founded in 2012 under the name ZenPayroll, it has developed into a powerhouse payroll and reporting software for customers.

One of the best things about Gusto is that you get access to many important features even with its core plan. Each of the three tiers includes automated payroll and direct deposit for unlimited payroll runs. Tax filing for all levels of government for both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors is also included. Access even more features, such as time-tracking and HR services, with the higher-priced tiers.

Gusto is great to help you with the setup that comes with the start of a new business. Manage every aspect of your payroll and reporting needs with a self-onboarding system. You can automate your payroll tasks to limit errors and help the process run smoothly and handle all the essentials from one convenient and easy-to-use interface.

One of the biggest downsides to Gusto is the limited customer service hours. It is only available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. Read the Gusto review if this software sounds like the right choice for you.

No hidden fees
No extra cost for tax filing in multiple states
Low-priced option for companies with contractors only and no W-2 employees

Pricier than some other options
Customer support unavailable during the evenings and weekends
No mobile app

Pricing

Gusto gives you a choice of four plan tiers to choose from:

Core at $39 per month plus an additional $6 per employee
Complete at $39 per month plus an additional $12 per employee
Concierge at $149 per month plus an additional $12 per employee
Contractor at no monthly fee and $6 per person

ADP Payroll: Best for Large or Complex Businesses

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ADP Payroll has more than 70 years of experience in the payroll industry, offering you knowledge and expertise you can trust. It has a range of plans to choose from to get what you need from your payroll software.

The area where ADP truly shines is the additional features that make running a large or complex business simple. Higher priced plans assist you with HR support, recruiting, and onboarding. All plans give you access to customer support that is available 24/7, so you can get answers and assistance whenever you need it.

One drawback of ADP Payroll is that you can’t see the cost of all plans upfront to compare them. You must first request a quote after answering some questions about your business to see the prices of plans that may suit your needs. Read the ADP review to learn more about this software.

24/7 customer service availability
Customizable for growing companies
Mobile access

Difficult to access pricing without requesting a quote
Hidden and additional fees
Interface may be overly complex for small businesses

Pricing

ADP Payroll’s prices are hard to find. It has a basic plan that starts at $29 per month plus an additional $5 for each employee. The cost of higher-level tiers is not accessible without requesting a quote.

Pricing & Features Comparison

The price and range of features of your chosen payroll software determine the value you get from the product. You want something that has the capabilities to perform all the functions your business requires, without paying more for services you won’t use.

Go on a deep dive into Gusto and ADP Payroll to learn more about each option. We compare all the major features and considerations that you should take into account when making your selection.

Price

Starting at $39 monthly plus $6 per employee

Quote-based

Ease of Use

Simple interface, lacks a mobile app

Complex for small businesses, excellent for growing companies

Mobile access

Customer Support

Limited to M-F business hours

24/7

Business Size

Ideal for small businesses

Best for large businesses

Employee Portal

Yes, lifetime access

Yes, up to three years of pay history

Direct Deposit

Next-day direct deposit

Available

Reporting and Tax Filing

Federal, state, and local tax filing

Available for multiple states

Federal, state, and local tax filing

Price

The cost of your payroll software is likely one of your primary concerns. You want high value at a reasonable cost. You should also only pay for the payroll services that you need to run your business. Small companies normally don’t require as many bells and whistles as more complex businesses.

Gusto

Transparent pricing and multiple tiers to choose from make Gusto an excellent choice. While its prices are slightly higher than some other competing payroll companies, Gusto is still highly affordable and a great value.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll pricing is difficult to determine or compare. The company uses quote-based pricing. This can be a useful way to find the exact plan that meets your business’s needs without paying more than you need. However, the lack of transparent pricing can be frustrating for business owners who are shopping for the right payroll service.

Winner: Gusto. Although it’s hard to know what you’ll pay for ADP for small business payroll, Gusto’s pricing is transparent and relatively affordable.

Ease of Use

Your payroll software must have an interface that is easy to use so you can navigate to the appropriate tool and carry out tasks promptly.

Gusto

This payroll software is simple for most users, although it does lack mobile access. Step-by-step guides and autoprocessing features make it a snap to use.

ADP Payroll

If you have a complex or growing business, ADP Payroll can simplify your payroll and reporting processes. The interface is accessible from both desktop and mobile, with a host of tools and resources available to explain any process you may be unfamiliar with.

Winner: ADP. Both Gusto and ADP are relatively easy to use, but ADP’s mobile app makes the payroll software more accessible.

Business Size

The size of your company plays a big role in determining the right payroll software. Smaller businesses are normally better off with a simple interface, while larger businesses may require access to additional features that make operating the software more complex.

Gusto

Gusto is easy to use for nearly any company size but is especially great for small business payroll. Take advantage of the helpful setup to get started right, knowing you have all the bases covered.

ADP Payroll

If your business is expanding, then ADP Payroll is likely the better choice for you. It has plans that offer a wide range of services, including more complex options for recruiting and HR processes for large businesses.

Winner: ADP. Larger businesses would do better with ADP because it allows more room for growth.

Employee Portal

High-quality payroll software should offer an employee portal for self-service. Managing your business takes a lot of time. You can reduce the inquiries from employees needing access to lost paystubs and past work history by letting them access this information themselves.

Gusto

All of your employees have lifetime access to Gusto’s employee portal. This makes it simple to view pay stubs, prior W-2s, and more.

ADP Payroll

ADP also provides access to an employee portal to access employee pay history. However, your employees can only view three years of past W-2s or 1099s.

Winner: Gusto. Although the employee portals from Gusto and ADP are similar, Gusto’s lifetime access for employees narrowly beats ADP’s three-year limit.

Direct Deposit

Employers and employees alike love direct deposit. It’s fast, simple, and minimizes the risk of late paychecks due to error.

Gusto

Gusto provides next-day direct deposit for your employees.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll also offers direct deposit. It’s unclear whether this service is the same day, next-day, or varies by plan.

Winner: Gusto. It’s hard to beat next-day direct deposit.

Reporting and Tax Filing

Keeping track of payroll data and filing the required tax forms is essential for your business. With payroll software, it’s a breeze to create reports for specific periods and file your quarterly and end-of-year tax forms.

Gusto

With Gusto, you can calculate, file, and pay your taxes for federal, state, and local agencies. If you do business in more than one state, you can file in multiple locations without any added fees.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll also calculates, files, and pays your federal, state, and local taxes.

Winner: Tie. Both payroll services help you with filing your taxes.

Customer Service

Customer service is a crucial part of any business. The availability and level of service can easily affect the performance of your company and therefore your trust in your payroll software. In a comparison of Gusto vs ADP Payroll customer service, ADP offers better support options.

Gusto

Gusto’s customer support is limited to the hours of 6 a.m. through 5 p.m. PST on Monday through Friday. While this is probably adequate for most businesses that also operate during these hours, the lack of support available on weekends or during the evening falls short. During Gusto’s support hours, you can get assistance by phone, chat, or email.

ADP Payroll

ADP Payroll has superior customer service. Both phone and online chat support are available 24/7. This offers greater flexibility and convenience to run your business whenever you want, without waiting hours or even days to get answers to your pressing questions or concerns.

Winner: ADP. Gusto offers decent support, but ADP gives you more access to its support team through 24/7 phone and chat channels.

Customer Reviews

Both Gusto and ADP Payroll have mainly positive customer reviews. However, the limited availability of Gusto’s Monday through Friday service falls short of the 24/7 options offered by ADP Payroll and has affected some customers’ opinions.

Gusto Customer Reviews

Most customers report a good experience with Gusto payroll software. However, there are some complaints regarding customer service, stating the wait times can be lengthy. Customer favorite features include reliable service, a great web portal, and a direct deposit function. The mobile access is rated as average, while time tracking and integration options are slightly below average. Gusto has received a G2 rating of 4.3 out of 5.

ADP Payroll Customer Reviews

The user-friendly interface that offers step-by-step guidance is a popular customer favorite with ADP Payroll. The straightforward platform makes even complex businesses easy to manage. The mobile app is considered to be excellent, although customer service reviews are mixed. ADP Payroll has a 3.9 out of 5 rating on G2.

Winner: Gusto. Gusto has more favorable reviews than ADP overall, though it’s fair to say both payroll software gets mixed reviews from customers.

Alternative Payroll Software Options

Small business owners can also check out these other payroll software options.

QuickBooks Payroll

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Intuit QuickBooks is a popular accounting software for small businesses. Payroll software from QuickBooks easily integrates with the main platform to offer full-service bookkeeping for small businesses of one to 50 employees.

QuickBooks Payroll is cloud-based and simple to use. You are guided through the various features with step-by-step prompting and explanations. If you have questions, its customer support is excellent, with both phone and chat options available. This is a solid option to handle all your payroll needs, including tax filing and employee portal access.

Integrates easily with your existing QuickBooks accounting software
Fast direct deposit on the same or next day
Automate your tax filing

Additional filing fees applicable with some plans
Must purchase a higher-tier plan to unlock some premium features
Integration is limited unless you have QuickBooks online

Pricing

QuickBooks Payroll offers three plans to select from:

The Core plan costs $45 each month plus an additional $4 for each employee per month; this plan gives you auto payroll and tax features and next-day direct deposit
The Premium plan price is $75 plus $8 per employee for a month’s access, with all the features of QuickBooks Core with same-day direct deposit, HR support, and time tracking
The Elite plan is the highest price at $125 per month plus $10 per employee per month, providing the complete features of QuickBooks Payroll, including expert setup

Paychex Flex

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Paychex Flex offers easy setup and impressive reporting capabilities to file all of your tax forms at the federal, state, and local levels. This scalable payroll software can grow with your business, offering varying tiers to match the size of your company. Another great feature of Paychex is the mobile app, which lets you conduct business from anywhere, at any time. For a more in-depth analysis on this software, check out our Paychex review.

Excellent reporting features
24/7 support available
Mobile app for on-the-go use

Must request a quote to access pricing for higher-tier plans
Some hidden fees associated with setup
Customer support has mixed reviews

Pricing

Get the Essentials plan for $39 per month plus $5 for each employee. All other plans require that you request a customized quote.

OnPay

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OnPay is an affordable payroll service for small and medium-sized businesses. The interface is easy to use and offers unlimited payroll runs. You can pay both W-2 employees and 1099 contract workers. OnPay is a streamlined software that doesn’t have a lot of additional features, but if you are looking for something simple, this is a good choice.

Simplified pricing with one plan that includes everything
Integrates with third-party software
HR support

Best for desktop use
No fast direct deposit
Some customers say that support response times are slow

Pricing

Onpay offers simple pricing. Get access to all payroll features for a base fee of $36 per month with an additional $4 per employee per month.

Bottom Line on Gusto Vs ADP Payroll

After looking more closely at Gusto Vs ADP Payroll software, they both have some excellent features that make them great options for your business. Both are customer favorites with a wide range of services and useful tools. However, Gusto has an advantage over ADP Payroll, making it the overall preferred choice.

Gusto Payroll software gives you access to more features, even with the basic tier package. With both, you can process payroll, offer direct deposit to your employees, and file all required taxes. Gusto’s core package also allows you to administer your company’s health benefits and manage worker’s compensation. You can even complete specialized employee payroll features like wage garnishments for employees. These types of features are only available with ADP Payroll if you enroll in a higher-cost tier.

March 24, 2022November 23, 2022

Microsoft Project vs Hive Project Management Software

Microsoft Project and Hive are two of the most popular project management software services on the market. Each has its strengths and disadvantages relating to project portfolio management tools, complete with file and information sharing, time tracking, resource management, third-party integrations, scheduling features, and more.

Quick Comparison: Microsoft Project vs Hive

Ease-of-use

3/5

4.5/5

Project Mapping

3.5/5

4.5/5

Capacity

5/5

4/5

To-Do Lists

3/5

4/5

Integrations

3/5

5/5

Customer support

3/5

4.5/5

Pricing

2/5

4.5/5

Pros

Excellent for large businesses
Power BI for deep analytical insights
Easy time and task progress tracking

Integrates with 1000+ apps
Easy-to-learn chat and file sharing tools
High number of available views

Cons

Steep learning curve required
Average customer support
Limited integrations with third-party apps

No search function for each project
Mobile apps are not as intuitive as desktop version
File deletion is permanent

Overall Rating

★★★★★

3.5/5

★★★★★

4/5

Microsoft Project vs Hive

Microsoft Project and Hive may be similar services, but they each take a different approach to project management software. We looked at the features and functionality of both to compare them, including:

Ease of use.
Project mapping.
Capacity.
To-do lists.
Integrations.
Customer support.
Cost.

Ease of Use

Popular project management and portfolio management software Microsoft Project allows a user to choose from several popular views, including board, grid, and Gantt views. Grid views are arguably the most basic, converting any project into a simple ordered list of tasks with status and due dates and not much else. Another view, Kanban, offers heavy visuals, converting tasks into boxes that can be dragged and dropped to rearrange the order, drag its duration, and more.

Like Microsoft Project, many user reviews have praised Hive project management software for its intuitive platform. It offers six views, including status, team, calendar, label, Gantt, and table. Of the six, Gantt and table view are the most popular, with each functionality offering its benefits on the way teams view and process work.

Another benefit of Hive technology is the ability to convert workflows to different views. Users can flip projects from Kanban to project views and vice versa. Hive also offers mobile apps to be able to check-in when on the go.

Winner: Hive is simple to use, offers plenty of diversity, and is easy on the eyes and mind.

Project Mapping

Microsoft Project offers excellent project mapping and portfolio management functionalities designed to show every step and all processes from project start to finish using flow charts. For starters, it offers an auto-scheduled feature that automatically maps out a calendar for your project by entering scope and designated time frames for each task. Consider this one of the more useful tools for project managers.

It also allows users to create “Master Project Plans” that combine multiple project details into one centralized workspace for a higher-level overview. Subprojects can be tied to master projects, all of which can be viewed using Gantt charts, grid views, and board views.

Hive also offers outstanding project mapping and portfolio management tools, starting with its six views mentioned above. Two of its core methodologies are Kanban and Agile. Kanban boards are a highly visual representation of workflows using customizable task cards flipped to either a Not Started, In Progress, or Completed status. They can be easily dragged and dropped with every status change.

Winner: Hive has a much more simplified interface, a higher number of available views, and easier toggling between different views.

To-Do Lists

Hive offers a comprehensive to-do list feature with milestones. It starts by entering tasks using your “My Actions” list and selecting due dates. Each to-do item is full of options, including the ability to create sub-actions, link a dependent action, and contribute to each task by uploading attachments, adding comments, using action templates, and generating share links for other members of your organization to view.

If to-do lists are an important functionality for you, Microsoft Project has very robust tools. All users have the option to start a to-do list using a blank project file, easily converting them into projects and shareable files. Once tasks are added, a user can indent and outdent tasks to show hierarchy, link tasks to show relationships, and change views.

Winner: Microsoft Projects offers a slightly more simplified to-do list feature than Hive.

Read:

Want to know what happens when you compare ClickUp vs Microsoft Projects? Read our detailed comparison here.

Integrations

Microsoft Project offers a healthy number of integrations for collaboration, most notable with popular Microsoft Office apps Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, OneNote, and Powerpoint. This allows users to centralize work from multiple apps into one centralized dashboard at the same time.

Hive is very strong with integrations and can connect to third-party applications using the popular Zapier app or native APIs. Some of the more popular apps include Outlook, Salesforce, and Google Drive. Integrations streamline work quickly, for example, a Zoom integration allows users to use video conferencing directly from Hive messaging, eliminating the need to share links to a meeting.

Winner: Hive offers integrations with a lot more apps than Microsoft Project, including the most popular ones (e.g. Google Drive, Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams) and lesser-known ones such as Freshbooks for accounting and Marketo.

Customer Support

Microsoft Project has a wide-reaching project community and support resource page that offers online webinars, documentation, videos, white papers, forums, and tutorials on all things Microsoft Project-related. While chat training is offered, there is a heavy reliance on self-help resources, with customer service numbers or dedicated emails harder to come by.

Hive’s customer support options for all project management software features are more visible than Microsoft Project. Users have the option to connect directly to their sales team using an online form where you can ask about anything from integration features to reports. Hive also offers a dedicated service email (help@hive.com) and an on-site webchat assistant also fields questions from new and repeat visitors.

Users also have the option to sign up for a free trial and request a demo. Hive technology offers personalized demos for all types of businesses. Simply fill out the form on the website with your contact information for a customer service representative to get back to you.

Winner: Hive offers the most generous customer support of the two. In addition to online chats and a dedicated phone line for Teams and Enterprise level users, a sales team is on standby to walk new users through a free demo with separate options to request a free trial.

Pricing

Microsoft Project offers two plans for on-premise solutions that use licenses and three package plans for their cloud services:

Project Plan 1 ($10 per user per month) offers Microsoft Project’s basic features, including management of projects, tasks, and reports that do not need any advanced features.
Project Plan 2 ($30 per user per month) includes all of the features of Project Plan 1, with the ability to assign project tasks to resources and use the desktop app, with one license good for up to five PCs per person.
Project Plan 3 ($55 per user per month) offers all of the features of Project Plan 1 and Project Plan 2 with the addition of enterprise-level analytics and resource management tools.

Both on-premise solutions require a one-time fee and allow access to its desktop app, with one license covering one PC per person. It has a lot more robust features, including the ability to connect with Project Online and Project Service, the offering of advanced analytics to choose project proposals based on strategic goals, and other solutions for larger enterprises.

Hive offers a much more simplified plan and pricing structure than Microsoft Project. It offers three plans paid in monthly or annual installments:

Solo (free) allows access for up to two users with unlimited service and a community support function.
Teams ($12 per user per month) is for unlimited users with unlimited storage and time tracking, with the option to add a-la-carte options such as team resourcing and SSO, enterprise security, and controls for $4 per user per month.
Enterprise (custom quote) is the most robust, offering all of Teams’ features with the addition of contract and legal review and the most flexible add-on options like team resourcing and the ability to add external users as part of the package.

Winner: Hive is the clear winner in this category, thanks to its overall cheaper cost and ability to add a-la-carte options for a small nominal user fee per month. It does not overcomplicate pricing plans by splitting cloud versus on-premises (desktop licenses) plans like Microsoft Project, making it less overwhelming for new users or smaller companies.

Overall Winner

In the battle of Hive vs Microsoft Project for small to medium size businesses, our nod goes to Hive. Microsoft Project has a gargantuan infrastructure, yet has many limitations, most notably with collaboration and the ability to share files.

Another key consideration is cost. Hive is considerably cheaper on a per-user per month basis.

All in all, Hive is better served for a small to a medium-sized organization that does not want a steep learning curve in learning a new project workflow tool.

Frequently Asked Questions for Microsoft Project vs Hive

What Is the Best Alternative to MS Project?

The best alternative to Microsoft Project depends on the feature set you are looking for. For simplified feature sets best suited for groups with 10 or fewer members, GanttPro and Hive may be more suitable choices. For real-time collaboration features such as real-time chat and social media integration, ClickUp excels more than Hive and Microsoft Project. Learn more from our Microsoft Project vs GanttPro review.

Is Microsoft Project Outdated?

Microsoft Project is one of the oldest project management tools out there. Today, its calling is with larger businesses, whereas project management tools from ClickUp, Hive, monday.com, and others have fulfilled an important role in managing smaller businesses and teams. In this case, “outdated” is not the correct term to use.

What Is Equivalent to Microsoft Project?

In terms of a sheer number of features, there are many project management tools equivalent to or greater than Microsoft Project. Portfolio management software such as monday.com, Hive, and ClickUp offer equal or more intuitive user interface options, known for their simplicity and accessible design.

Is Microsoft Project Still Relevant?

Yes, Microsoft Project is highly relevant but less so than in years past with the proliferation of new project management tools that have come out on the market. Some of the more notable project management software include monday.com, ClickUp, and Hive.

Final Thoughts on Microsoft Project vs Hive

Microsoft Project and Hive are two of the most powerful project management tools on the market. Each offers its own advantages and disadvantages when we compare ease of use, project mapping, to-do lists, integrations, customer support, and cost.

Consider Hive the superior option when it comes to the learning curve, real-time collaboration tools, and overall simplicity with a heavier reliance on cloud-based apps and third-party integrations to bring the workforce closer together.

March 22, 2022November 23, 2022

What Are Applicant Tracking Systems and How Do They Work?

Businessman studying a resume on his laptop

To screen a job applicant, an HR manager has to look carefully through a resume to confirm whether the experiences and skills listed meet the job requirements. When businesses receive hundreds of resumes, dozens of hours can be wasted going through them.

To fight this problem, many businesses are now using applicant tracking systems to automate hiring and significantly reduce cost-per-hire.

This article will detail what an applicant tracking system is, how it works, and how to get your resume past one as a job applicant.

What Are Applicant Tracking Systems?

An applicant tracking system streamlines the hiring process for a vacancy. This software screens job applications and ranks candidates based on experience and skill.

ATS software eases recruiting efforts for companies, especially for those with multiple vacancies that receive thousands of applications. From job postings to ranking applicants and scheduling interviews, applicant tracking systems are used at every hiring stage to minimize time spent on each resume.

These days, when someone submits an application online, there’s a high chance that it’s going to pass through an ATS before getting to a hiring manager. Over 90% of businesses use tracking systems to automate hiring.

For businesses, the best applicant tracking systems save money and time, and present only the best candidates to HR managers. For individuals, an ATS is another hurdle to jump before they can get a serious consideration from a company.

Why Do Businesses Use Applicant Tracking Systems?

Businesses implement tracking software in their hiring process for many reasons, including to:

Customize and automate the hiring process
Filter out spam and duplicate applications
Rank candidates in a searchable database
Save time and money

To Customize and Automate the Hiring Process

Businesses have custom hiring flows for different openings. For example, the hiring processes for a marketing manager may be different for a software engineer.

ATS software allows HR teams to create customized recruitment steps for different job openings and automatically track candidates as they move along the recruiting process. For instance, once a software engineer’s resume has been ranked, the HR manager can auto send an email to schedule an interview.

To Filter Out Spam and Duplicate Applications

Many applicants online play the numbers game—send as many applications as possible and hope for one positive response. This means that hiring managers have to deal with lots of irrelevant spam and duplicate applications.

Applicant tracking systems have algorithms that filter out duplicate applications and rank spam applications low.

To Rank Candidates in a Searchable Database

When someone applies online, the ATS automatically creates a candidate profile, parses the applicant’s data, and adds that information to the profile. Hiring personnel can then search the database for resumes containing relevant keywords or for highly ranked applicants.

To Save Time and Money

A tracking software saves hiring managers extra hours of looking through resumes and organizing them. By reducing the amount of time spent on applications, businesses can direct their capital to onboarding the right talents.

How Do Applicant Tracking Systems Work?

The most basic task of an applicant tracking system is to auto-read a resume and score an applicant. When an applicant submits a resume through an ATS like BambooHR, the resume is parsed into plain text, scored, and added to a digital profile.

An ATS software typically searches for keywords indicating that an individual may be qualified for a job. For instance, when hiring for the position of digital marketing manager, the employer is interested in keywords like “marketing strategy,” “digital marketing,” “search engine optimization,” “social media,” etc. An applicant’s resume that doesn’t include relevant keywords is scored low.

Recruiters search for qualified candidates by looking for relevant keywords in the database. When they search for “SEO,” for example, the tracking software pulls up all applicants who included this term in their resumes.

Employers set other parameters for applicant scoring. For instance, an employer may include a yes-no question to filter out inexperienced applicants. They may ask, “Do you have up to 2 years of experience?” or “Are you legally qualified to work in the U.S.?” When an applicant answers “No” to such questions, they’re automatically removed from the hiring process and auto-sent a rejection email.

ATS systems analyze the listed skills of an individual or the work experiences they’ve had. Modern applicant trackers implement artificial intelligence and natural language processing to improve accuracy.

How Accurate Is an Applicant Tracking System?

ATS software focuses on how a candidate’s listed skills and experiences match job descriptions. Over 80% of employers believe ATS inadvertently remove highly-skilled job seekers. This shows that ATSs are not entirely accurate.

Even though tracking software can filter out skilled applicants, employers are still willing to use it instead of manually sorting through resumes. The majority of recruiters find that application tracking systems speed up talent acquisition. Losing a few good talents to gain many others and maximize efficiency seems a fair price to pay.

How To Get Your Resume Past an ATS Software

Many applicants create sleek and visually enticing resumes that are designed to draw in a recruiter. However, hiring managers often never see those resumes unless it meets specific criteria.

The most important factor in getting past a tracking software is to make sure it can correctly parse your resume. Applicant trackers read from left to right, top to bottom. We recommend that you use the chronological or hybrid resume formats. These list your work experiences in a way that an applicant tracking software can easily read.

Many candidates are discouraged when they see the list of requirements and skills in job descriptions. Nevertheless, make sure to include the major relevant keywords in your resume. At this stage, your resume is for the ATS and not for a human recruiter.

Include keywords wherever you can—in your career description, past job titles, and listed skills. Use both the long-form and acronyms of relevant keywords, and common headings. For instance, use “work experience” not “what I have done,” “skills” not “what I can do,” and “recommendations” or “references” not “who to contact.” Inserting tables or images may cause resume parsing errors.

Submit your resume in the best file format. We recommend using DOCX and PDFs. PDFs have the advantage of preserving formatting but older tracking software cannot properly read PDFs.

5 Best ATS Software for Businesses

Here are five of the top applicant tracking systems for businesses.

Pinpoint

From $600

Visit

Pinpoint is a relatively new ATS software ideal for companies that don’t want to outsource hiring needs to a recruitment agency. Pinpoint is designed to be easy for company personnel to advertise openings, source employees, and fill talent acquisition pipelines.

Pinpoint lets you create custom career sites that enforce employer branding. It automatically creates candidate profiles and ranks applicants based on who matches the job description. A talent acquisition team can also collaborate to hire the right employees.

The app has a Chrome extension that lets you source top hires for talent acquisition. You can send templated emails, schedule video interviews, see employee referrals, and pull custom reports with Pinpoint.

A great advantage is the well-designed UI. The dashboard shows you how many total applications there are for jobs and makes it easy for you to review them. Qualified candidates can apply when there is no vacancy, so you store applicant information for when there is an opening. Pinpoint starts from $600 per month.

Fixed monthly fees.
Custom reports and recruiting analytics.
Unlimited active jobs.
Connects with many job boards.

No mobile app.

iCIMS

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iCIMS Talent Cloud is a dominant ATS in the industry. For organizations with over a thousand employees and staffing agencies, iCIMS seems the best software for applicant tracking.

iCIMS is a cloud-based applicant tracking system that streamlines recruitment processes from job postings to making an offer. The tracking software integrates smoothly with a company’s career page and popular platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn Jobs, Monster, and Zip Recruiter. It can even integrate with other ATS software like BambooHR.

The ATS system adds a profile page for each applicant and parses every file they attach. Recruiters easily create custom hiring workflows, search for candidates, create a human resource information system, and pull data reports. The software has add-ons that make the recruiting process engaging for candidates and also a feature for social media posting.

iCIMS has a well-laid-out UI, but it can be a little overwhelming for new users. The number of features available may be too much for HR professionals who want to keep it simple. iCIMS has a mobile app that works for both Android and iOS.

Allows profiles and custom workflows.
Creates customizable recruiting data reports.
Has Text Engagement for a better candidate experience.

Pricey.
Add-ons cost extra.

BambooHR

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BambooHR is not only for applicant tracking but for the entire life cycle of existing employees. From onboarding to offboarding, BambooHR helps you analyze employee engagement and pull talent acquisition reports.

BambooHR integrates with popular job boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn jobs. It provides you with a database of applicants and ranks them on how they match your job descriptions. Hiring managers can then search this database to select which applicants move on to the next stage in the recruitment process.

The software makes it easy for you to send templated emails to applicants and schedule discovery meetings. Employees can track their time with the PM software and create reports of their own. You can even work payroll taxes with BambooHR. The app manages human resources for both full-time and contract employees.

With BambooHR, you can work as a talent acquisition team and use employee referrals. By granting permissions, you give different team members access to candidates’ job applications, allowing them to advise on the hiring process. BambooHR has a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices.

Cheaper than other systems.
Tracks an entire employee lifecycle.
Great for talent management.

Not many applicant-engaging features.

monday.com

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monday.com is known for project management, but it also offers an applicant tracking system software. It helps you post jobs to popular platforms and your website’s career page.

To track applicants with monday.com, you have to create a dedicated board. There is a board template to customize, and you can even develop your own hiring flows.

Users can create an application form with a shareable link. You can then add the link to your website career page or job boards. Once an applicant fills the form, their details get added to the hiring board.

From this board, managers have an overview of the applicants who matched the job description and can decide who moves forward in the recruitment process. Since monday.com integrates with Gmail, you can automatically send acceptance or rejection emails to candidates.

Apart from hiring, monday.com is used for team collaboration and employee management. monday.com charges $8 monthly per user, and has no special pricing for applicant tracking.

Read: The Ultimate monday.com Review – Pricing, Features & More

Removes the need to buy special tracking software.
Easy to view applicants and their documentation.

Does not rank candidates.
Not optimal for a large number of applications.

JazzHR

From $39 to $359

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JazzHR is designed for companies with less than 500 employees. The software offers custom career pages and integrates with several job boards in the market to make talent acquisition easy.

With JazzHR, you can group applicants, rank their skills and experience, and move them along the hiring stages. You can create custom workflows for every job opening and collaborate with a hiring team.

JazzHR integrates with hundreds of apps including Microsoft Outlook and Gsuite for scheduling interviews, Bob and Gusto for doing payroll taxes, and PeopleG2 for running background checks. It also integrates with tracking software like BambooHR.

Publish job openings on several job boards at once with just one click. You can also work with third-party apps to run candidate skills assessments.

JazzHR has different pricing models from $39 to $359 per month.

Affordable for small to medium sized businesses.
Has features of enterprise ATS software vendors like iCIMS.

No applicant tracking for the lowest pricing tier.

Pros and Cons of Using an Applicant Tracking System in HR

Let’s look at the for and against of using the right ATS system for hiring.

ATS Pros

Streamlines the recruitment process
Ranks applicants by comparing their resumes to the job description
Reduces cost-per-hire and increases recruiter productivity
Filters out spam applications
Creates candidate profiles
Makes resumes searchable
Helps in interview scheduling and candidate communications
Automates recruitment marketing and job posting

ATS Cons

May filter out skilled applicants
Cannot parse complexly designed resumes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Applicant Tracking Systems

What Are Common Applicant Tracking Systems?

There are over a hundred applicant tracking systems in the market. However, the most common ones include Pinpoint, iCIMS, BambooHR, Lever, and Jobvite. The best ATS systems are determined based on market share and data management capabilities.

What Is an Application Tracking System in HR?

An application tracking system is an HR software that scores job applicants based on the information that their resumes provide. ATS vendors compare the data from candidates’ resumes to job descriptions. This saves HR professionals extra time.

Which Is the Best ATS Software?

There is no single best recruiting software. Instead, there is the right applicant tracking software for your organization. If you run a small business, Pinpoint may be the best ATS for you because it provides many features with affordable pricing. If you manage HR in an enterprise, then iCIMS is among the best applicant tracking systems for your organization.

Do ATS Systems Read PDF?

There was a time when DOCX was the only recommended format. Now, most ATS software can read PDFs. PDF has the extra advantage of preserving the original format of your resume, just in case a recruiter wants to take a look.

What Is the Purpose of an Application Tracker?

An application tracker is designed to save hiring managers the cost and time of manually sorting through hundreds or thousands of resumes. A recruitment software creates a profile for each applicant, parses their resume, compares the data to the job description, and adds relevant information to their profile.

Bottom Line on Applicant Tracking Systems

Applicant tracking systems are here to stay. Hiring teams minimize cost-per-hire when they set up a tracking system for talent acquisition and create customizable job reqs. Applicants craft more relevant resumes when they write with ATS software in mind. Maximize efficiency in your business by implementing an applicant tracking system—and transform the way you handle recruiting.

March 22, 2022November 23, 2022

ClickUp Review: The Best Project Management Software Out There?

Managing a business or project is no small task. It’s more like one human being against a never-ending mountain of work. Fortunately, there are tools out there that can cut out a lot of the mundane tasks while making the rest that much easier.

We want to look in more detail at some of the best project management tools out there, so we put together this ClickUp review to see what it brings to the table.

Our Verdict

ClickUp at a Glance

From $0

Visit

ClickUp is a versatile project management tool that can satisfy almost any project type and methodology. Use it for agile project management or the waterfall model. You can also change views to see a list, a Kanban-like style board, or a calendar view. ClickUp offers features to make it easy to collaborate in real time with your team, too.

There’s a free version for budget-conscious small businesses, but it’s a relatively affordable project management software option if you’re considering upgrading. ClickUp works best for remote teams that need to work on projects together. However, it’s suitable for almost any size business, thanks to the tiers of paid plans and the multiple apps and integrations ClickUp offers.

15 unique views for sorting out tasks, teams, and data
Fully customizable user interface
Built-in chat for public and private conversations

No video conferencing tools
The large number of features can be overwhelming for some

Pricing

ClickUp has several pricing options, so you can invest in whatever level makes the most sense for your team.

Free Version

ClickUp offers a free plan that allows users to make use of the project management tool, but only so many features are made available.

Although there’s room for unlimited users, the free plan is best suited for solo users or small startups. Even solo users would make short work of the 100 megabytes of storage to work with. It’s possible to create unlimited projects, but there’s limited access to views and other ClickUp features.

Paid Versions

Should you opt to upgrade from the free version to a paid plan, ClickUp offers a 100% money-back guarantee during the first 30 days of use. If you’re not satisfied with ClickUp’s features, just shoot them an email for a full refund.

The project management system has four paid versions beyond its free plan with increasing levels of functionality. It is not cheap project management software, with ClickUp pricing varying whether you pay monthly or annually. An annual subscription is going to provide the most value for money.

Paid Plans at a Glance

Unlimited Plan: $5 per person per month if paid annually, $9 if paid monthly
Business Plan: $9 per person per month if paid annually, $19 if paid monthly
Business Plus Plan: $19 per person per month if paid annually, $29 if paid monthly
Enterprise Plan: Contact Clickup’s sales team for pricing

The Unlimited Plan adds in unlimited storage, users, and the views missing from the free plan. You can level up to the Business Plan, making it even easier to manage projects with advanced features and some customization options. The Business Plus Plan adds priority support, personalized testing, and even more customization to the software.

Finally, the Enterprise Plan has all the features ClickUp can throw your way. Enterprise customers have access to API tools and a dedicated account manager alongside white labeling and managed services. If your business needs this all-in-one solution, contact ClickUp’s sales team for more information.

Team Management

ClickUp features an Activity View that lets you see all the actions taking place in any List, Folder, Space, or your entire Workspace. You can also view team member profiles to see what they’ve been up to.

The Timeline View looks similar to Gantt charts but is sorted by users instead of projects. At a glance, you can see what specific team members are working on with projected task completion dates.

For resource allocation, the Workload View and Box View allow you to see multiple team members at a glance and what each is working on. It shows a day-by-day visualization of each user’s workload and how it compares to their capacity. From there, it’s simple to reallocate tasks to less burdened users through dragging and dropping.

Project Delivery Management

ClickUp is project management software with time tracking built-in, even at the free level. You can track time across single or multiple projects and also view timesheets for each user. Once enabled, time tracking allows users to log hours spent on tasks with the click of a button. You can use ClickUp’s time reporting to filter and view data any way you want to.

It’s possible to build your project timeline by providing estimates for the amount of time a project should take. You can compare this information against actual user progress to ensure goals are met.

Furthermore, you or your team can create subtasks to define more detailed criteria for parent tasks. You can also assign comments to a task that behave like simple subtasks for the sake of accountability. Each subtask or comment can have its own assigned user and due date.

Milestones

ClickUp features milestones to display important events or deadlines. These visual tools are flagged in bold and with a diamond shape, making them stand out among multiple tasks. Changing a task to a milestone does not remove the ClickUp user or duration already assigned to it.

You can see milestones in several ways, including Gantt view, Board view, and even on your dashboard.

Sprints

ClickUp helps your team race to the finish line on old or new projects through the use of sprints.

Sprints are easy to create from the dashboard, where you can break projects into bite-size pieces. You can assign tasks to users alongside deadlines for each. You can prioritize tasks through ClickUp’s unique points system.

There’s a specific list dedicated to sprints that’s easy to navigate and provides to-the-minute updates on the status of each goal. You can also set up the task management software to automatically roll over unfinished work to your next sprint.

Sprint Features

Each sprint provides burnup and burndown charts to see how your team members are pacing against your target. You can create either chart with a few clicks, and they will be accessible from your sprint on the dashboard.

Velocity charts in ClickUp show the amount of work your team has accomplished on sprints in a given week. You can compare this information against the amount of work ClickUp estimates should have been done for the week.

The information appears in bar graph format, and you can choose to view the velocity of your team over one, two, three, six, and 12-month intervals.

Screenshots of ClickUp Burn up and Burn down charts

Dependencies

Another of ClickUp’s best project management tools is dependencies. Dependencies indicate tasks that are either blocking or being blocked by another task to clarify which ones need to be completed first. ClickUp will automatically change the start and end dates of a blocked task if the task it depends on gets adjusted.

Within Gantt View, you can draw lines between tasks to automatically link them as dependent. A drop-down in either List or Board view is another way to add dependencies between two items. These changes appear simultaneously across all boards.

Risk/Issue Management

Risk management in ClickUp is best handled by using Gantt charting and the Timeline View, which help you see if tasks are on track or falling behind. Due dates in the List View will show in red if an assignment is overdue. Similarly, you can check who on your team is overburdened in Workflow.

Reporting

ClickUp is a very visual project management software with several viewing options available. While the Free and Unlimited plans are somewhat limited, ClickUp contains over a dozen ways to peruse data, including Gantt charts, List View, Calendar View, and Mind Maps.

A banner at the top of the screen lists your favorite views, and a click allows you to move between them. ClickUp can even sync with your Google calendar. ClickUp’s dashboard is full of rich customization options, making it a breeze to build a great user interface in no time flat.

ClickUp has recently done away with its reporting page in favor of becoming even more simple project management software. You can now do all your reporting directly from your dashboard.

At a glance, you can see time estimates that will help you deliver projects on time alongside what your established and new users have been working on. ClickUp can tell you who’s ahead on task work and who is falling behind.

Screenshot of different reporting statistics offered by ClickUp

KPIs

Goals are ClickUp’s way of creating trackable KPI metrics. The project management software has a long list of metrics you can track, and these metrics are just one of the things you can watch on your dashboard. You can use this data to generate operational, analytical, or strategic reports to share with your team.

Finance Management

There’s no need to stop at task management. ClickUp has an array of tools you can use to keep tabs on finances as well.

You can track sales records, invoices, income, and even estimate revenue from within. By adding in expenses, the software can perform mind-numbing calculations with a click to see where money is going and to help allocate a budget.

ClickUp also has checklist templates for payments due, so you never miss a single one. It will automatically create future checklists based on those payments so you don’t have to.

Screenshot of Budget Reporting page in ClickUp

Collaboration and Communication

One of ClickUp’s key features is Docs, allowing users to create and share documents. You can leave files as public access or choose who can view them through shareable links or permissions.

Real-time collaboration allows your team to edit documents together in Docs. Documents can be linked to workflows where you can assign tasks a deadline.

Another of ClickUp’s collaboration tools is the chat feature. In addition to chatting in real-time, you can mention team members, create reminders, or embed files for others to look at. Once you create a chat, you can assign whichever users you want to participate and leave unnecessary members out.

Whiteboards are in beta testing and are currently available to all ClickUp plans. The digital space is malleable and easy for teams to develop ideas in real-time. You can save whiteboards for review somewhere down the line.

Roles

It’s possible to assign each user one of four roles within a workspace: Member, Admin, Owner, or Guest. Roles are easy to assign from a drop-down when a user joins the team. Note that Enterprise users can create custom roles for their teams.

Accessibility

ClickUp advertises “one app to rule them all”. They have an app for just about any device, including iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Linux. Functionality is standard across all devices and works well no matter where you go. If an app isn’t your thing, you can run ClickUp straight from a browser.

Integration With Other Apps

ClickUp allows external integrations with over 1,000 other software tools. Some of the most notable apps include:

Slack: Create ClickUp tasks right in Slack and add Slack notifications to channels of your choice.
Github/Gitlab: Create branches, pull requests, and perform bug tracking directly in ClickUp.
Google Drive/OneDrive/Dropbox: Quickly attach external files to tasks in ClickUp.
Google Calendar: Organize calendars and create events from ClickUp’s Calendar View.
Zoom: Host meetings from within ClickUp tasks using Zoom.
Toggl/Harvest/Everhour: Advanced time tracking tools that assimilate with ClickUp tasks.

Artificial Intelligence

You can use a set number of monthly automation based on your ClickUp subscription plan, from 100 to 25,000. These automations remove the monotony of adding in recurring tasks that you’re bound to lose track of over time.

What’s more, you can program triggers to perform an action when a task is complete. With a simple interface, you won’t need software advice to set up your automation conditions.

Usability

To decipher how usable this project management software is, we turned to sites like G2 and Trustradius to look at feedback from thousands of ClickUp reviews.

After poring over ClickUp reviews, the majority of subscribers state that ClickUp’s learning curve is relatively gentle, but can be steep at times. The general consensus is that it’s easy to get started, but the large number of features is overwhelming for some.

To help hit the ground running, ClickUp offers a platform demo and video tutorials. You can use a ClickUp specialist to help with onboarding, or the site has a FAQ and several documents explaining each feature.

Support

ClickUp has 24/7 customer support with even its most basic plan. Business Plus and Enterprise plans receive an enhanced level of support to get issues resolved even more quickly.

All ClickUp’s paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied within the first month, email ClickUp for a complete refund.

Privacy

ClickUp states in its privacy policy that it doesn’t disclose any information to third parties. The task management software uses Amazon Web Services for data security and encryption alongside two-factor authorization to ensure only the right people log in.

Methodology Suitability

There are a few popular approaches to project management, and ClickUp makes use of them all. Whether your method of choice is Scrum, Waterfall, or Agile, you’ll be good to go here. The software lets you customize your dashboards however you choose and has built-in templates to maximize your effectiveness with a preferred method.

ClickUp Alternatives

ClickUp uses a proven method to streamline projects through tasks, collaboration, and views. The platform does a great job of this, but it may not be for everyone. Here are a few viable alternatives:

Each tool has its own pros and cons that you may choose to weigh against ClickUp’s wide range of features. For instance, Asana is known for its ease of use alongside high-powered tools and a pleasant interface. You can read more about it in our Asana review.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ClickUp Review

Here we look at answers to some additional questions you may have about ClickUp.

What Is ClickUp Good For?

ClickUp is suitable for teams of any size to tackle remote work in one intuitive location. The project management software features a ton of features and more views than most other platforms to process it all in. You can even upload and embed videos to plan social media posts.

Is ClickUp.com Safe?

Yes, ClickUp.com is entirely safe to use. The company doesn’t disclose information to third parties and protects your data with two-factor authentication and encryption from Amazon Web Services.

What’s the Catch With ClickUp?

ClickUp has a lot to offer, but the learning curve can be a bit high for some. The sheer number of features can be overwhelming for your team to wrap their heads around. You’ll need to pay to unlock all the service has to offer, but its pricing model is very reasonable compared to some.

Is ClickUp Better Than Notion?

These two project management systems are similar, but ClickUp gets the win in our book. ClickUp’s number of features surpasses what Notion has to offer, but Notion is typically easier to get into.

Final Thoughts on ClickUp Review

The right project management software can make all the difference in running an efficient business. It’s essential to be able to track team members, projects, and finances in a single platform. Just as important is a tool that won’t break the bank.

Considering the features we’ve outlined in this ClickUp review, we believe it gets the job done and then some. The platform also isn’t afraid of rolling out new features to stay ahead of the competition.

March 17, 2022November 23, 2022

ClickUp vs GanttPRO: Flexibility or Ease of Use?

Project management apps are critical tools in modern business, automating or simplifying some of the most difficult aspects of getting things done. That doesn’t mean the apps themselves are simple, unfortunately. We compared ClickUp vs GanttPRO to find out which is best for you.

The flip-side of high-powered, omni-functional apps is often a bewildering array of functions that require an expert to use well. As we compare ClickUp and GanttPRO, we’ll see which has the features needed to manage your projects, and which is more trouble than it’s worth.

Quick Comparison: ClickUp vs GanttPRO

Usability

3.5/5

3/5

Budget Management

4/5

3/5

Portfolio Management

3/5

4/5

Gantt Chart View

4/5

3.5/5

Collaboration

4/5

2/5

Time Tracking

5/5

3/5

Customer Support

3.5/5

2/5

Pricing

3/5

Overall Rating

4/5

3/5

ClickUp vs GanttPRO

Gantt charts are a great tool for managing projects, having been used for over a century. It’s such a useful project management tool that almost every project management software option includes some variation. However, does it offer everything you need to keep yourself organized?

To find out, we’ll compare GanttPRO to the less specialized ClickUp across eight different categories. By doing so, we’ll see how each can work for your business, whether you prefer traditional project planning methods or more collaborative agile project management.

Usability

There are a few different ways to judge usability, but we’re going to focus on basic ease of use.

Both platforms have a learning curve to climb before you’ll get the most out of them. In fact, in user reviews of ClickUp, the learning curve was one of the most mentioned issues. However, that may be unavoidable, as even simple project management is quite complex.

Ease of use comes to play in other areas as well. For example, integration with other popular apps is offered by both, as is an API to create your own integrations. However, ClickUp definitely comes out ahead, with a greater range of options easily accessed.

GanttPRO does integrate with Slack for team communication and Google Drive to access the cloud version of documents. It also allows you to import and export projects in several popular formats including Excel and MS Project.

Budget Management

Every business needs to control its budget to be successful. That’s likely being handled by another piece of software. However, both ClickUp and GanttPRO can track critical budgetary information for companies regarding labor management, resource management, and more. We’ll also discuss another important aspect of budgeting, time management, a bit further down.

ClickUp allows users to define goals and track resources, tying both to associated tasks. You can also see the workload of your team or individual team members. Some of those options are only available at pricier tiers. ClickUp does support some additional integrations to make resource management easier.

GanttPRO has a few tools in this regard, as well. In addition to tracking workload and tasks, you can create and define resources to track and assign to projects. It’s also straightforward to create critical path dependencies, to better avoid costly delays.

Portfolio Management

In this case, your portfolio is all of the projects you have in development. Ideally, a project management software tool will track all of those at once, allowing you to see how using resources for one project may affect others.

The good news is that both ClickUp and GanttPRO can be used to support multiple projects. You can see a whole project in one place, then click over to look at the next. GanttPRO also makes it easy for businesses to monitor multiple projects at once by creating a project portfolio, something that’s a little more complicated with ClickUp.

On the other hand, ClickUp allows unlimited storage, unlimited projects, and unlimited members at a lower price. However, GanttPRO has one price for everything, while you’ll have to pay a bit more to get that with ClickUp.

GanttPRO also gives you a ‘baseline’ feature helpful in project maintenance, allowing you to compare the projected progress to actual progress.

Gantt Chart View

You’d probably guess that when it comes to Gantt charts, GanttPRO has a bit of an edge. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re a popular tool for tracking project progress and identifying critical path dependencies, one which almost every project management app makes available.

With GanttPRO, it’s the default view, so you create a Gantt chart just by setting up your project. You can also share the chart with just a link. In a GanttPRO vs ClickUp comparison, GanttPRO comes out ahead in ease-of-use.

On the other hand, ClickUp offers a lot of tools when using your Gantt chart, while also allowing you to see the same information across multiple views. Though it may be fiddly, it’s one of several tools you can use after entering information once.

While the result might be different if we were comparing another Gantt chart-focused app, say Microsoft Project vs GanttPRO, in some ways ClickUp actually might be the better option.

Collaboration

Gantt charts are generally most useful to project planners, allowing them to monitor how tasks affect each other. As a result, it may not be surprising that GanttPRO doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on being able to collaborate with team members. Basics like commenting, file attachments, and notifications are available, but that’s about it.

If you want to get several employees together at the same time for some cloud-based collaboration, you may need to look at an integration like Slack or Google Drive.

On the other hand, ClickUp’s service comes packed with tools to connect your employees and teams. In addition to email integration and being able to comment on tasks, it’s also possible to have a real-time chat discussion within teams. It’s not just a barebones chat, either. There are tools to keep a topic or interest organized in a discussion. You can also proof documents or designs directly in ClickUp.

Your mileage may vary depending on your company. If you’re looking for something to meet your personal needs, GanttPRO’s basic collaboration tools may be enough. For a larger company, however, good collaboration can be vital.

Time Tracking

GanttPRO is a PM tool with a time tracker that allows users to assign tasks, track working hours for employees, and monitor progress. It does this through a basic time tracker, which allows users to log hours later or use it at the moment as a time clock. All that information, for all of your teams, can then be viewed in a customizable time log report. It’s simple and requires little training.

ClickUp offers a wider range of options. It has a time tracker, but one that is customizable with a number of different fields. Users can also set time estimates for task management, with feedback so estimates get more accurate.

It’s possible for your business to assess efficiency in project development, monitoring which employees are behind or ahead of schedule. Time tracking can also be done through free mobile apps.

The fanciest feature from ClickUp is Pulse. Using advanced machine learning capability, it generates automated reports based on what you’ve been looking at lately. Even better, it’s available even on the free tier.

Customer Support

As we mentioned, there’s a learning curve with both options. Some support or training really is necessary to get the most out of them. The availability of customer support is therefore a key issue.

The customer service that comes with GanttPRO’s single tier of service is mostly limited to their help center, offering docs and videos explaining how to use the app. If those aren’t clear, you can see if a live rep is available for chat help. However, a representative isn’t always standing by. As a result, you may have to leave a message and hope for a timely response.

ClickUp only offers on-demand support for its enterprise-tier customers. However, they do offer a bunch of other ways to get help, including free online webinars, documentation, videos, and demos showing you how to use all of their features.

There is also a service that will connect you with a free coach offering video chat training, though you do have to schedule an appointment. Support coaches are available to everyone, even those on the free tier.

If DIY isn’t for you, you can hire consultants who can help you set up and use ClickUp, though it’s not a cheap option.

Pricing

Cheap project management software isn’t always good project management software, but price sometimes makes the decision for you. In this case, deciding what features you need may be the key to choosing the right option.

GanttPRO has a very simple pricing structure. You can pay $15 a month, billed annually, for personal use. If you’re using it for a few teams or even a whole company, the cost is $8.90 per user per month, still billed annually. If you’re not sure if it’s for you, there’s a free trial available. All features are available for either option.

ClickUp’s pricing is more in line with other, similar products. There is a free tier with unlimited members and basic features. Above that are four pay tiers, charged per user, with different levels of functionality and a free trial to test them out. Even at the lowest pay tier, however, you get unlimited projects and unlimited storage.

Both also offer free Apple and Android mobile apps.

Overall Winner: ClickUp vs GanttPRO

While it’s close, ClickUp comes out on top in our comparison. Both platforms have useful features that can help manage a project to completion. Although for personal projects the better choice may be GanttPRO, ClickUp offers a wider range of useful features.

Those features offer more ways of handling task management, tracking employees’ timekeeping, and integrating with other tools your company may use. Unlimited projects don’t make as much of a difference. However, user reviews make it clear that online webinars, documentation, videos, and live rep support would be nice when using the best PM tools ClickUp has to offer.

Depending on your business needs, ClickUp may even be better for personal use. It offers a lot of useful features, including Gantt charts, on its free tier.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ClickUp vs GanttPRO

Is ClickUp Any Good?

In our comparison vs GanttPRO, ClickUp came out on top, so it can’t be all bad. It has a lot of tools for managing the progress of your project, like time tracking and collaboration tools.

On the other hand, all the features can be complex, creating a steep learning curve. Luckily, ClickUp has lots of resources to help users learn everything they need to get the most out of it.

Is ClickUp Better Than Jira?

Your mileage may vary, depending on your needs. ClickUp has a lot of resources that can help many different types of projects.

Jira software also has many tools and a lower cost per user. However, it was originally developed for bug tracking in software development and is focused on agile methods, so may not be useful for every project or all user types.

Which Is Better, Trello or ClickUp?

ClickUp is a standalone app that can organize projects, connect team members, and help users track their tasks. If you’re choosing one app, ClickUp is the better option.

Trello is part of a suite of apps offered by Atlassian, the makers of Jira. If your business uses Atlassian products or plans to, it might be a better way to go.

Conclusion: ClickUp vs GanttPRO

Many apps love to brag about features like unlimited projects or all the different ways they offer to visualize information. However, when choosing software, a better factor to consider is the ease of use and the degree of support provided. Whatever wonderful features may be offered by the service, they’re only really useful if you can figure out how to use them.

March 16, 2022February 14, 2023

ClickUp vs TeamGantt: Which Project Management Software Should You Choose?

In a comparison of ClickUp vs TeamGantt, you’ll see both project management tools can help you efficiently collaborate with your team. To help you decide which of these two top PM software is best for your business, we highlight the most important features and pricing of each.

We checked out pricing and key features such as team management, project management, methodology suitability, reporting, risk management, finance, collaboration and communication, ease of use, customer support, and security.

ClickUp: Best Overall

From $0

★★★★★

4.0

Visit

ClickUp is the best overall project management software for remote teams that collaborate on projects. Originally created in 2017 as an internal productivity tool, you can now use this all-purpose platform to organize your teams and projects into Workspace and Spaces.

Through ClickUp, you can coordinate with your co-workers via its customizable UI and built-in chats. We recommend ClickUp for small teams that work together remotely on projects, thanks to its hierarchical organization, powerful features, and fairly affordable pricing.

Hierarchical organization via Workspace & Spaces
Feature-packed free version
Multiple customization options via ClickApps
Smooth integration with a variety of apps

Slows down when too many ClickApps are active

Pricing:

Free Forever: Free
Unlimited: $9 per member / month
Business: $19 per user / month
Business Plus: $29 per user / month
Enterprise: Contact ClickUp for quote

*Rates for monthly billing

TeamGantt: Best for Visualization

From $0

★★★★★

3.5

Visit

TeamGantt is a project planning software that is best for teams who use visualization tools like Gantt charts to complete projects. Originally launched in 2010, this Gantt chart creator makes it simple for you to schedule, manage, and track tasks and resources. It organizes all your documents, conversations, and tasks in a central hub.

The drag-and-drop feature enables you to start planning projects in minutes. We recommend TeamGantt for remote teams that plan projects in a graphic way, thanks to its native Gantt view, ease of use, and reasonable pricing.

Built-in Gantt view
Risk assessment templates
Built-in time tracking ability

Limited features

Pricing:

Free: Free for 3 users
Standard plan: $24.95 per month for 1 user + unlimited guests
Advanced plan: $29.95 per month for 1 user + unlimited guests

*Rates for monthly billing

Pricing & Features Comparison

Your selection of project management software will be influenced by the price and functions of each product. Let’s explore the pricing and features of ClickUp and TeamGantt so you can decide which one works best for your team.

Pricing

Free plan + Paid plans start at $9 per member / month

Free version + Paid plans start at $24.95 per month for 1 user & unlimited guests

Team Management

Hierarchical team organization via Workspaces & Spaces w/ recurring task assignments

Visual team organization via Gantt charts w/ basic task assignments

Project Management

Time tracker function via add-on ClickApp

Built-in time tracker & milestones

Methodology Suitability

Supports Agile & Waterfall project management methodologies

Supports Waterfall & Agile project management methodologies

Risk Management

Lacks advanced risk management feature

Risk assessment & bug report templates

Reporting

Few built-in report templates but expandable via ClickApps

Reporting templates like project health, time tracking & workload reports

Finance Management

ClickApp time tracker generates invoices & marks billable hours

No finance management features except built-in time tracker

Collaboration and communication

Task management & document sharing via Workspaces

Visual project creation & task assignments

Integrations

Integrates w/ most major apps

Basic, limited app integrations

Ease of Use

Powerful features but has a learning curve

Simple dashboard with basic features

Customer Support

Multiple support options accessible year-round, except holidays

Multiple support options

Security

Amazon AWS hosting, password encryption, SSL data transfer & SOC 2 compliance

Amazon AWS hosting, password encryption & SSL data transfer

Pricing

You need the best project management tool that provides good value for money. It should be budget-friendly and functional at the same time.

ClickUp

ClickUp offers a free version of software for personal use, which includes 100MB of storage, unlimited members and tasks, and two-factor authentication. The Unlimited plan for small teams costs $9 per user each month. The rate for the Business package for mid-sized teams is $19 per user a month, while the price for the Business Plus plan for various teams is $29 per user every month. Contact the sales department of ClickUp to get a quote for the Enterprise plan for multiple large teams.

TeamGantt

TeamGantt offers a free plan for three users, which includes the portfolio management feature and daily email notifications. However, it is limited to a single project and a maximum of 60 tasks. You have the option to upgrade to a paid plan if the free plan is too restricted for you. The Standard package costs $24.95 per month for one user and unlimited guests. The price of the Advanced plan is $29.95 per month for one user plus unlimited guests.

Winner: ClickUp. ClickUp is one of the best free project management tools, and it includes more services than the free version of TeamGantt. Clickup also offers more affordable paid plans than its competitor.

Team Management

You can benefit from a project management platform that makes it simple for you to supervise your team.

ClickUp

This tool organizes teams based on hierarchy via Workspaces and Spaces. Workspaces are global folders where all team members are added. Spaces are folders inside the Workspace where you can add users to assign tasks, subtasks, and due dates. ClickUp also allows you to set recurring tasks like daily or weekly tasks, which TeamGantt can’t do.

TeamGantt

This software features visual team organization through Gantt charts. It only lets you assign new projects and tasks. You can assign team members and set the due date for basic tasks. TeamGantt lets team managers decide who gets added to a project. Users can have view, edit, or admin access to projects depending on what level of permission was granted to them.

Winner: ClickUp. It creates subtasks and recurring tasks for team members, while TeamGantt only assigns basic tasks.

Project Management

Project management software makes it simpler for you to start, monitor, and complete projects by tracking the progress of your team

ClickUp

It doesn’t include a default time tracker for project tasks so you need to enable ClickApp. ClickApp is a web app that adds extra functionality to a Workspace. The time tracker ClickApp lets you monitor projects, set time estimates, and download time reports. You also need to use ClickApps to set milestones, create sprints, and create Gantt charts. Using several ClickApps at the same time might slow down the tool.

TeamGantt

It has default time tracking and hourly estimate features. You can add estimated hours before or after assigning a task. The software has a tracking feature that records time from the beginning of the task to the end. You can also generate time sheets and reports. You may add milestones and schedule them. TeamGantt allows dependencies to be created in only one direction: from finish to start.

Winner: TeamGantt. It is a PM software with a built-in time tracker and milestones that helps you manage projects, while ClickUp relies on ClickApps for time tracker functionality.

Methodology Suitability

You should pick a platform that supports your preferred project management methodology.

ClickUp

ClickUp supports both Agile and Waterfall methodologies. It is handy for Agile teams who work on dynamic projects that are constantly tested and modified to suit consumers. It allows users to create progress labels and move tasks back and forth in the progress chain. Also, it is useful for Waterfall teams who run sprints by assigning subtasks with due dates. There is a Sprint ClickApp which creates sprints and sprint durations.

TeamGantt

TeamGantt can also be used for Waterfall methodology and Agile methodology. It is ideal for Waterfall teams who already planned the project and need to complete it quickly. The default Gantt project view shows the timeline and how many tasks have been done. It is also appropriate for Agile teams who need flexibility. Its project status feature allows team members to keep track of the evolving project timeline.

Winner: Tie. Both ClickUp and TeamGantt support different project management methodologies.

Risk Management

You must select a project management tool that lets you identify, evaluate, and control potential risks which could have a negative impact on your business.

ClickUp

This platform does not have an advanced risk management feature. It only allows you to mark a task based on priority.

TeamGantt

TeamGantt has a spreadsheet risk assessment template which you can use to calculate risks. You can input a risk to find out the probability of occurrence and severity. It automatically completes templates to determine low, medium, or high impact risks. It also has a bug report template.

Winner: TeamGantt. It has templates for risk assessment and bug reports, while ClickUp lacks an advanced risk management feature.

Reporting

You need a project management app with the ability to generate insightful reports that can help you make future business decisions.

ClickUp

It only has a few built-in report templates. You have to enable reporting ClickApps for added functionality. Even though it has many reporting templates, ClickApps are costly and slow down ClickUp.

TeamGantt

It has three major types of reporting templates: project health, workload reports, and time tracking. The project health report displays the project timeline. The workload report shows you how many tasks each team member is assigned and how many tasks are overdue. Time tracking allows users to measure the time they spend on tasks.

Winner: TeamGantt. It generates sophisticated reports without the extra expenses which ClickUp incurs with ClickApps.

Finance Management

Finance management features in project management platforms can help you monitor your financial resources.

ClickUp

It has no built-in tools for tracking billable hours or auto-generating invoices. However, you can enable several ClickApps to manage a project’s expenses. The ClickApp time tracker lets a user track time, mark them as billable, and generate invoices automatically. It also has invoicing and budgeting templates. However, ClickApps can be pricey for small to medium-sized businesses.

TeamGantt

TeamGantt app can track time. Aside from this, it has no other features that can assist you with finance management.

Winner: ClickUp. Both software aren’t impressive in finance management. However, ClickUp offers a little more expense management features than TeamGantt if your budget allows it.

Collaboration and Communication

A project management tool should make it easy for you to communicate and collaborate with your business team.

ClickUp

You can use it to share relevant documents within Workspaces to your team members, including Google Docs, PDF files, and images. You can assign tasks to one person, while adding another user as a watcher through its hierarchy method. Guests can be invited to work in Spaces, but guest access is very limited.

TeamGantt

You can create projects and assign tasks through its visual interface. You may add users and assign work to them, set due dates, and carry out project scheduling. Users can assign comments and label work as “Done.” It’s also possible to create milestones to measure progress.

Winner: ClickUp. Both web-based platforms have mobile and desktop apps which lets you coordinate with your team, whether you are working in the office or remotely. However, ClickUp has an edge over TeamGantt because it has offline functionality and it allows task level communication.

Integrations

Integrations with apps and programs can increase the functionality of your project management software.

ClickUp

It integrates with most major apps, including Google Docs, Gmail, Asana, Microsoft Teams, Jira, and Zendesk.

TeamGantt

It only integrates directly with a limited number of tools, such as Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, Zapier, Trello, Dropbox, Basecamp, and Slack.

Winner: ClickUp. It integrates with way more tools compared to TeamGantt. Take note that if you integrate either software with Zapier, they will gain the ability to connect with more than 4,000 apps.

Ease of Use

You must select a project management platform that is easy to use and navigate for the convenience of your team.

ClickUp

The UI can be overwhelming for new users. Nevertheless, the dashboard offers more in-depth information that helps you work efficiently, such as notifications, approvals, reports, and pie charts. The menu has links to the different Spaces you were added to, as well as related goals and docs. Plus, team members can share other dashboards with you.

TeamGantt

It doesn’t have a steep learning curve so you can use it right away. Its dashboard is simple to navigate. The menu displays the total number of tasks assigned to you and the total number of tasks on all the projects you’re working on. You can click on the list of active projects to view more details which you need to complete your projects.

Winner: Tie. TeamGantt is easier to use for new users, but ClickUp has more advanced features you can maximize once you get used to it.

Customer Support

ClickUp

Free users get support via email, community support, and online webinars documentation videos. For paid users, ClickUp also offers support through live rep and chat training channels.

TeamGantt

It grants free users access to all support channels except phone support, which is available only for the first 30 days. Plus, it showcases a large library of documentation and video tutorials.

Winner: ClickUp. Both ClickUp and TeamGantt have multiple support options like email contact, phone support, chat training, and live rep. However, ClickUp’s support is more accessible because it is available every day of the year, except major holidays.

Security

ClickUp

It is hosted on Amazon AWS, a top platform for storing and securing user data. It protects your information through password encryption, data transfer over SSL, and offline document storage. Plus, it is SOC 2 compliant, meaning it performs data encryption at rest and supports two-factor authentication.

TeamGantt

Similar to ClickUp, it is also hosted on Amazon AWS. It safeguards your data through SSL data transfer, password encryption, and offline storage. However, it lacks SOC 2 certification.

Winner: ClickUp. It protects your company’s privacy more thoroughly by offering more security features than TeamGantt.

Alternatives to ClickUp vs TeamGantt

You can check out other software alternatives to ClickUp and TeamGantt that can help you manage the projects of your small business.

Trello

Visit

Trello is a widely used project management tool that is employed by more than 1 million teams. Its basic features are simple to use even for newbies. It utilizes the Kanban style to give you an overview of your team’s progress through a big board with cards and lists. Most Trello reviews consider it an ideal choice for people who want to manage their projects in a visual way.

Easy to use
Visual tracking of projects

Lacks advanced features
Suitable for simple projects only

GanttPRO

Visit

GanttPRO is an online project management platform that is based on Gantt charts. It allows you to view projects in different formats, such as Timeline, Board, or List. It assists you in coordinating with your team through task management and collaboration tools. It helps you save time on project planning through ready-made templates. Also, in a comparison of ClickUp vs GanttPRO, this software is typically recommended for teams working on small projects.

Easy to learn to use
Simple, flat rate

Basic integrations only
Limited customer support

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ClickUp vs TeamGantt

Do you want to learn more about ClickUp and TeamGantt? Here are our answers to commonly asked questions about the two popular platforms.

Is ClickUp Any Good?

ClickUp is one of the best project management tools compared to most alternatives. It replicates a virtual office by implementing a hierarchical structure with Workspaces and Spaces.

You can use it to bring teams together, assign tasks, manage permissions, and export reports. It also gives you access to online webinars documentation videos.

What Does Gantt Stand For?

Gantt is a type of project view that shows projects in timeline form. It was named after Henry Laurence Gantt, who invented the Gantt chart. This view presents an easy way of keeping track of the progress of different teams. Aside from TeamGantt, few project software options offer default Gantt views.

What Is the Difference Between ClickUp and TeamGantt?

ClickUp organizes projects in a hierarchical order, while TeamGantt uses the Gantt view for project management.

Both support the Agile and Waterfall project management methodologies, but ClickUp is more geared towards Agile users while TeamGantt is more suitable for Waterfall teams. Both have project management features, but ClickUp has more advanced features than TeamGantt.

Bottom Line on ClickUp vs TeamGantt

Both ClickUp and TeamGantt are popular among remote teams. They offer helpful project management features via cloud-based systems for an affordable price. However, ClickUp is a cut above TeamGantt.

ClickUp is the overall winner because it offers more advanced features and customization options. Its free version is more useful compared to the free plan of TeamGantt. Plus, ClickApps boost its functionality and it integrates smoothly with more apps.

What Is a Payroll Card?

Prepaid General Use Cards

Benefits and Disadvantages of Payroll Cards

Benefits

Disadvantages

Who Uses Payroll Cards?

What Is Flexible Payroll?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Payroll Cards

Bottom Line on Payroll Cards

monday.com: Best for Small Teams Working Remotely

Asana: Best for Flexibility and Customization

Pricing & Features Comparison

Key Features

monday.com vs Asana

Pricing

monday.com

Asana

Team Management

Project Delivery Management

Methodology Suitability

Risk Management

Reporting

Finance Management

Collaboration and Communication

Integration With Other Apps

Usability

Support

Privacy

Alternative Project Management Software Options

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for monday.com vs Asana

monday.com vs Asana Conclusion

How To Conduct a Payroll Audit in 8 Steps

Before You Begin

Type of Payroll Report

Purpose

1. Analyze Your Payroll Roster

2. Check Pay Rates and Hours Worked

3. Look Closely at Variable Payments

4. Review Off-Cycle Payments

5. Perform Payroll Reconciliation

6. Check Payroll Records Against Tax Forms

7. Locate and Pay Outstanding Tax Bills

8. Establish or Improve Payroll Protocols

Benefits of Conducting a Payroll Audit

Best Practices for Easy Payroll Audits

Using Accounting Software for Your Payroll Audit

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for How to Conduct a Payroll Audit

Bottom Line on Payroll Audit

Gusto: Best for Medium-Sized Businesses

QuickBooks Payroll: Best for Small Businesses

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Pricing & Features Comparison

Key Features

Tax Filings & Payments

HR & Employee Benefits

Employee Portal Access

Integrations

Mobile Application

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Customer Service

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Customer Reviews

Alternative Payroll Software Options

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll: Final Thoughts

Gusto: Best for Overall Value

Pricing

ADP Payroll: Best for Large or Complex Businesses

Pricing

Pricing & Features Comparison

Key Features

Price

Gusto

ADP Payroll

Ease of Use

Gusto

ADP Payroll

Business Size

Gusto

ADP Payroll

Employee Portal

Gusto

ADP Payroll

Direct Deposit