IRIS Staffology Payroll vs Shape Payroll
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
IRIS Staffology Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Shape Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
Shape Payroll leads on verified reviews by 0.1 of a point — 4.2 against 4.1 for IRIS Staffology Payroll.
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 | IRIS Staffology Payroll | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £43/mo | Free |
| Free version | NoNo | YesYes |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 223 reviews | 250 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.
- IRIS Staffology Payroll
- Shape Payroll
| Dimension | IRIS Staffology Payroll | Shape Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Shape Payroll |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRIS Staffology Payroll | 44% (99 reviews) | 32% (71 reviews) | 13% (30 reviews) | 8% (17 reviews) | 3% (6 reviews) |
| Shape Payroll | 47% (118 reviews) | 33% (83 reviews) | 11% (27 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 321%
- Only IRIS Staffology Payroll
- 643%
- Only Shape Payroll
- 536%
14 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
IRIS Staffology Payroll
6- Automatic enrolment and assessment
- Employee self serve payslips
- Multi payroll support
- Open API
+ 2 more in the table below
Shape Payroll
5- Cloud based
- Employee records
- Free Basic tier
- Payslips
+ 1 more in the table below
Showing 14 of 14 features
| Detail | IRIS Staffology Payroll | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 11 | ||
| Automatic enrolment and assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee self serve payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi payroll support | YesYes | NoNo |
| Open API | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payslip based pricing | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension provider connections | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cloud based | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee records | NoNo | YesYes |
| Free Basic tier | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payslips | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension auto enrolment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 3 | ||
| Automatic legislative updates | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | YesYes | YesYes |
| Statutory payments | YesYes | 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 | IRIS Staffology Payroll | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | UK support team | UK support team |
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.
IRIS Staffology Payroll
Shape Payroll
From 1 to 19 payslips
£43/mo
- Up to 19 payslips a month
- RTI submissions
- Automatic enrolment
Basic
FreeLower
- Free payroll
- RTI submissions
- Auto enrolment
20 to 50 payslips
Contact vendor
- Additional payslips around £2.15 each
- Quoted on volume
- Everything in the base tier
Pro
£5/mo
- Up to 5 employees paid
- £1 per additional employee
- Priority support
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 IRIS Staffology Payroll if
- It lists 6 features Shape Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment and assessment.
Choose Shape Payroll if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £43/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which IRIS Staffology Payroll does not offer.
- It lists 5 features IRIS Staffology Payroll does not, including cloud based.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Shape Payroll currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for IRIS Staffology Payroll. That gap is not the whole story: IRIS Staffology Payroll starts at £43/mo and Shape Payroll at Free, 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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