Employment Hero vs Sage 50 Payroll
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Employment Hero
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage 50 Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
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 | Employment Hero | Sage 50 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £3/user/month | £41/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| 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 | 273 reviews | 218 reviews |
Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Employment Hero
- Sage 50 Payroll
| Dimension | Employment Hero | Sage 50 Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage 50 Payroll |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Employment Hero |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage 50 Payroll |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Hero | 42% (114 reviews) | 35% (95 reviews) | 12% (33 reviews) | 10% (26 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| Sage 50 Payroll | 40% (87 reviews) | 38% (82 reviews) | 15% (32 reviews) | 6% (12 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Employment Hero
- 1050%
- Only Sage 50 Payroll
- 1050%
20 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Employment Hero
10- Automatic enrolment
- Employee app
- Employee benefits marketplace
- HR records and leave management
+ 6 more in the table below
Sage 50 Payroll
10- Attachment of earnings orders
- Cloud connectivity
- Detailed payroll reporting
- Employee self service payslips
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | Employment Hero | Sage 50 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 20 | ||
| Automatic enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee app | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee benefits marketplace | YesYes | NoNo |
| HR records and leave management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Integrations | YesYes | NoNo |
| Onboarding and contracts | YesYes | NoNo |
| Performance and engagement | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Right to work record keeping | YesYes | NoNo |
| RTI payroll with a free tier | YesYes | NoNo |
| Attachment of earnings orders | NoNo | YesYes |
| Cloud connectivity | NoNo | YesYes |
| Detailed payroll reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service payslips | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multiple pay frequencies | NoNo | YesYes |
| No limit on employee numbers | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pay run rollback and corrections | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension auto enrolment and assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | NoNo | YesYes |
| Statutory payments | 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 | Employment Hero | Sage 50 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | UK support team | 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.
Employment Hero
Sage 50 Payroll
Free Payroll
FreeLower
- Compliant RTI payroll at no software cost
- Automatic enrolment
- Employee self serve
Up to 15 employees
£41/mo
- RTI submissions
- Pension auto enrolment
- Statutory payments
Core Payroll
£3/user/monthLower
- Minimum £30 a month
- Advanced payroll features
- Integrations
Up to 25 employees
£56.50/mo
- Everything in the 15 employee band
- Higher headcount
HR Essentials
£4/user/monthLower
- Minimum £40 a month
- Onboarding and HR records
- Leave management
Up to 50 employees
£108.50/mo
- Everything in the 25 employee band
- Higher headcount
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 Employment Hero if
- It costs less to get started — £3/user/month against £41/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Sage 50 Payroll does not offer.
- It lists 10 features Sage 50 Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment.
Choose Sage 50 Payroll if
- It lists 10 features Employment Hero does not, including attachment of earnings orders.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Employment Hero currently rates 4.1 against 4.1 for Sage 50 Payroll. That gap is not the whole story: Employment Hero starts at £3/user/month and Sage 50 Payroll at £41/mo, 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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