Heard vs Skuad
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Quick verdict: Pick Heard if you run a US therapy practice and want taxes handled; pick Skuad if you're hiring employees or contractors abroad.
Best for: Solo therapists (LLC or sole prop) who want bookkeeping and taxes off their plate, S corp owners and group practices that need payroll bundled in
Read the full Heard reviewBest for: Companies hiring full-time employees abroad without opening local entities, Teams paying international contractors in multiple currencies
Read the full Skuad reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Heard vs Skuad: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Heard if
- You're a US solo therapist who wants taxes fully handled.
- You want federal and state returns filed for you.
Choose Skuad if
- You hire employees or contractors in multiple countries.
- You want payroll in 70 currencies with one bulk payment.
- You need visas, benefits, and local compliance handled abroad.
Heard vs Skuad: pros and cons
Heard
Heard pairs therapists with bookkeepers and tax pros who work only with private practices, bundling monthly bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, and full tax filing in one dashboard. Support is human and responsive, though annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable. Overall, it's a strong fit for solo US practices that want taxes handled, provided you're comfortable committing a year.
Pros
- Specialist tax knowledge — Heard's team files returns only for mental health and wellness private practices, so therapy-specific deductions are tracked automatically instead of you hunting for them.
- Documented savings — providers using Heard save an average of 60 hours a year and $5,000 in taxes, per company figures.
- True all-in-one — monthly done-for-you bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, federal and state filing, banking, payroll, and S corp support run under a single login with plain-language reports.
Cons
- Narrow eligibility — only US-based, single-owner health and wellness practices (sole props, single-member LLCs, S corps) are supported — no C corps, multi-owner practices, or non-US businesses.
- Annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable; Premium members can't downgrade, and Essential downgrades are only allowed if you haven't filed taxes with Heard yet.
- Extra costs stack up — a one-time catch-up bookkeeping fee of $99 per month in business this year applies at signup, Lite's annual tax filing is a $750 add-on, payroll runs $39/mo plus $6 per person via Gusto, and government and license filing fees are excluded.
Skuad
Skuad (now Payoneer Workforce Management) covers hiring and payroll in 160+ countries with published per-seat pricing from $19, one bulk payment across 70 currencies, and built-in visa support, though it skips self-serve signup and keeps per-country rates and exit terms behind a demo. Overall, it's a recommendable pick for distributed teams that confirm costs before signing.
Pros
- Hire full-time employees in 160+ countries through its employer-of-record service, so you skip setting up a local subsidiary in each market
- Run global payroll in 70 currencies from one dashboard, funded with a single bulk payment instead of per-country bank transfers
- Per-seat pricing is published upfront — contractor management (AOR) starts at $19 per contractor monthly and full-time EOR hiring at $199 per employee, with a $0 onboarding fee
Cons
- No free trial or free plan is available; the only way in is a demo request, and there's no self-serve signup, so you can't test the workflow before committing
- Exact rates vary by country and aren't published, so the $199/$19 starting prices may not apply to your target locations until you get a custom quote
- Contract length, notice periods, and refund or cancellation terms aren't published anywhere on the site, which makes it hard to assess exit costs before signing
Heard and Skuad in detail
Heard
Heard is a financial platform built for therapists and wellness practitioners in private practice. It combines bookkeeping, tax filing, business banking, payroll, and S corp support in one dashboard. A dedicated team reviews your books monthly, and experts answer questions with no per-question fees. It serves solo practices, LLCs, sole proprietors, S corps, and group practices—more than 5,000 therapists use it.
Standout features
- Monthly bookkeeping, done for you
- Taxes without the overwhelm
- S corp and payroll, made simple
- Real humans who know therapists
- One dashboard, plain-language reports
Use cases
- New practice, clean books from day one
- Tax season without the dread
- Group practice payroll, handled
Skuad
Skuad is a global HR platform and employer of record (EOR), now part of Payoneer as Payoneer Workforce Management. It lets companies hire employees and contractors in 160+ countries without opening local entities. The platform handles onboarding, compliant contracts, payroll, benefits, contractor payments, and compliance support. It's built for HR, finance, and legal teams at growing companies that want to hire internationally without the legal heavy lifting.
Standout features
- Hire full-time employees without opening a local entity
- Onboarding that takes minutes, not weeks
- Pay everyone in their local currency
- Shield: built-in compliance and mobility support
- Benefits your team will actually use
Use cases
- Hire full-time employees abroad, no entity needed
- Onboard and pay global contractors
- Consolidate global payroll into one run
- Plan your first hire in a new market
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Heard | Skuad |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $129/mo Lite | $19/mo Contractors (AOR) |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Per-user and flat plans |
| Cost for 1 user | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly | $19/moCheaper Contractors (AOR) plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $995/mo Employees (EOR) plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 10 users | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $1,990/mo Employees (EOR) plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 25 users | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | $4,975/mo Employees (EOR) plan, billed monthly |
| Plans | 3 | 2 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 13, 2026 | Vendor page checked Oct 12, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed monthly), Skuad costs $19/mo vs Heard at $129/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Heard hire or pay workers abroad?
No. Heard serves US-based, single-owner health and wellness practices only. International hiring needs a platform like Skuad.
Can Skuad file my therapy practice's taxes?
No. Skuad handles global employment and payroll compliance, not US bookkeeping or tax filing. That's Heard's specialty.