BrightPay vs Sage 50 P11D
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
BrightPay
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage 50 P11D
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.1. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | BrightPay | Sage 50 P11D |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | On request | On request |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | NoNo |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 235 reviews | 292 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- BrightPay
- Sage 50 P11D
| Dimension | BrightPay | Sage 50 P11D | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to BrightPay |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrightPay | 44% (104 reviews) | 31% (72 reviews) | 14% (34 reviews) | 9% (20 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| Sage 50 P11D | 41% (120 reviews) | 37% (107 reviews) | 12% (35 reviews) | 8% (22 reviews) | 3% (8 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only BrightPay
- 1050%
- Only Sage 50 P11D
- 1050%
20 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
BrightPay
10- Automatic enrolment and assessment
- Automatic legislative updates
- Batch and multi employer processing
- Bureau and practice workflows
+ 6 more in the table below
Sage 50 P11D
10- Assets transferred
- Beneficial loans
- Class 1A National Insurance calculation
- Company car and fuel benefit calculation
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | BrightPay | Sage 50 P11D |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 20 | ||
| Automatic enrolment and assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic legislative updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Batch and multi employer processing | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bureau and practice workflows | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS where relevant | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee payslip and document app | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi user collaboration | YesYes | NoNo |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | YesYes | NoNo |
| Secure cloud hosting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory sick and parental pay | YesYes | NoNo |
| Assets transferred | NoNo | YesYes |
| Beneficial loans | NoNo | YesYes |
| Class 1A National Insurance calculation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Company car and fuel benefit calculation | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee benefit statements | NoNo | YesYes |
| Living accommodation | NoNo | YesYes |
| P11D and P11D(b) online submission | NoNo | YesYes |
| Private medical cover | NoNo | YesYes |
| Roll benefits forward year to year | NoNo | YesYes |
| Van benefit | NoNo | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | BrightPay | Sage 50 P11D |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | Not listedNot listed | NoNo |
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| CIS support | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| UK-based support | UK and Ireland support | Telephone support from Sage UK |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
BrightPay
Sage 50 P11D
BrightPay Cloud
Contact vendor
- Cloud only from the 2026/27 tax year
- HMRC recognised
- Multi employer and bureau workflows
Sage 50 P11D
Contact vendor
- Quoted per business
- Company car and fuel benefit
- Online submission to HMRC
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose BrightPay if
- You can trial it before paying — Sage 50 P11D lists no free trial.
- It lists 10 features Sage 50 P11D does not, including automatic enrolment and assessment.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 1.
Choose Sage 50 P11D if
- It lists 10 features BrightPay does not, including assets transferred.
On verified Assaylist reviews, BrightPay currently rates 4.1 against 4.1 for Sage 50 P11D. That gap is not the whole story: BrightPay starts at a quoted price and Sage 50 P11D at a quoted price, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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