QuickStub vs 123PayStubs
Both tools sell the same thing: a paystub PDF you prepare yourself. This page puts them side by side — what each charges, what each gives away free, and where 123PayStubs is the better pick. Every 123PayStubs figure was checked August 2026 and is not independently audited.
What both tools actually produce
QuickStub and 123PayStubs both produce a self-prepared payment record — your own account of income you earned. Neither is an employer-issued paystub, a payroll filing or a tax return, and no generator can promise a lender or landlord will accept one. Pair it with a tax return and bank statements. QuickStub is for documenting income you actually earned; misrepresenting income to obtain credit, housing or a benefit is fraud.
The short answers
Is 123PayStubs cheaper than QuickStub?
Their base stub is $3.99 against QuickStub's $2.99, checked August 2026, so QuickStub is cheaper before add-ons — and 123PayStubs bills $1.00–$2.00 for add-ons that QuickStub includes in its single price.
Does QuickStub charge extra for anything?
No. $2.99 buys the clean PDF with every template, every classification and the logo upload included. There are no per-feature add-ons.
Which one makes W-2 forms?
123PayStubs does; QuickStub does not. QuickStub makes paystubs only, so if you need a W-2 alongside the stub, 123PayStubs covers both in one place.
Side by side
| What you're comparing | QuickStub | 123PayStubs |
|---|---|---|
| One clean PDF | $2.99 | $3.99 |
| Free preview | Unlimited watermarked preview, no account and no email | Yes |
| Templates | 30 designs, every one previewable free at one price | Verify on vendor site |
| W-2 and 1099 forms | No — QuickStub makes paystubs only | Yes |
| Honest-use policy | Attestation at checkout plus a published Acceptable Use Policy | Verify on vendor site |
| Where the numbers are calculated | In your browser until you save or download | Verify on vendor site |
| Interface languages | 8 — English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese | Verify on vendor site |
| Credit expiry | Credits never expire | Verify on vendor site |
QuickStub's column describes shipped behaviour. The 123PayStubs column was checked August 2026 against the vendor's public site and is not independently audited — verify on vendor site before you buy.
What each one costs
QuickStub: the watermarked preview is free, unlimited and needs no account. A clean, watermark-free PDF costs $2.99 once, $4.99 for three, $12.99 for ten, or $39.99 a year for unlimited downloads. Credits never expire.
123PayStubs advertises a free first document. QuickStub does not match that — QuickStub's free tier is an unlimited watermarked preview, and the first clean PDF costs $2.99.
123PayStubs lists a $3.99 base price with paid add-ons at $1.00–$2.00 each and a free first stub, checked August 2026. Read the add-on list before comparing: the base price is not always the price you pay.
Moving from 123PayStubs: what maps to what
- 123PayStubs auto-calculates year-to-date. Open your latest stub and copy the YTD gross, YTD tax and YTD net — QuickStub carries YTD the same way once it is seeded.
- Pick your classification in QuickStub before anything else. The 1099 path shows self-employment tax as a 15.3% estimate with nothing withheld, which is where most migrated stubs go wrong.
- Skip the add-on checklist. Everything 123PayStubs bills as an extra sits inside QuickStub's single price, so there is nothing to re-purchase.
- Preview free, compare net pay line by line, then pay $2.99 only once the numbers match.
Where 123PayStubs is stronger
- W-2 generation alongside paystubs — QuickStub does not produce tax forms at all.
- A free first stub, which QuickStub does not offer; QuickStub's free tier is an unlimited watermarked preview instead.
- Automatic year-to-date calculation with a long track record in the category.
Choose 123PayStubs if…
Choose 123PayStubs if you need a W-2 as well as a paystub, or if the free first stub covers the only document you need this year.
Choose QuickStub if…
Choose QuickStub if you want one all-in price ($2.99, no add-ons), credits that never expire, an unlimited free preview without an account, 30 templates, and per-state pages covering what a pay statement has to itemise where you are.
123PayStubs and QuickStub — questions people ask
Does the $3.99 123PayStubs price include everything?
No — they list paid add-ons at $1.00–$2.00 each, checked August 2026. Add the ones you need before comparing against QuickStub's $2.99 all-in price.
Does QuickStub calculate year-to-date automatically?
Yes. Enter the opening year-to-date once and QuickStub carries it forward on every later stub in the same pay year, including back-dated runs.
Can QuickStub produce a 1099?
No. QuickStub produces paystubs only. It can produce a 1099-contractor paystub — a record of what you were paid — but not the 1099 form itself.
Which classification should a self-employed person pick?
If you are paid gross with nothing withheld, pick 1099. Self-employment tax is an estimate of 15.3% of net earnings and nothing is withheld from 1099 income, so the stub shows an estimate rather than a deduction a payroll system already took.
123PayStubs prices and features on this page were checked August 2026 against the vendor's public site. QuickStub does not independently audit competitors and vendors change pricing without notice; rows that read “verify on vendor site” are ones QuickStub could not confirm. QuickStub's own figures describe live product behaviour.