Sage Payroll vs PayFit
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
PayFit
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Germany
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
PayFit leads on verified reviews by 0.2 of a point — 4.2 against 4.0 for Sage 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 | Sage Payroll | PayFit |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £12/mo | £29/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 266 reviews | 245 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.
- Sage Payroll
- PayFit
| Dimension | Sage Payroll | PayFit | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to PayFit |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to PayFit |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to PayFit |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Payroll | 41% (110 reviews) | 33% (88 reviews) | 15% (41 reviews) | 7% (19 reviews) | 3% (8 reviews) |
| PayFit | 44% (109 reviews) | 37% (91 reviews) | 12% (29 reviews) | 5% (12 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 211%
- Only Sage Payroll
- 844%
- Only PayFit
- 844%
18 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Payroll
8- Automated HMRC notices
- Employee records
- Four step pay run
- Holiday and sick leave tracking
+ 4 more in the table below
PayFit
8- Automated payroll
- Employee self service
- Leave management
- Light HR records
+ 4 more in the table below
Showing 18 of 18 features
| Detail | Sage Payroll | PayFit |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 16 | ||
| Automated HMRC notices | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee records | YesYes | NoNo |
| Four step pay run | YesYes | NoNo |
| Holiday and sick leave tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payroll anomaly detection | YesYes | NoNo |
| Sage Copilot | YesYes | NoNo |
| Scales to 150 employees | YesYes | NoNo |
| Self serve payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated payroll | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service | NoNo | YesYes |
| Leave management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Light HR records | NoNo | YesYes |
| Modern interface | NoNo | YesYes |
| Onboarding | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payslips | NoNo | YesYes |
| Reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 2 | ||
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | 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 | Sage Payroll | PayFit |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | 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.
Sage Payroll
PayFit
Payroll Essentials
£12/moLower
- 5 employees included
- 4 step pay run
- HMRC compliance and notices
Light
£29/mo
- Base fee plus £5 per employee
- Automated payroll
- RTI and auto enrolment
Payroll Standard
£23/moLower
- 5 employees included
- Core HR capabilities
- Enhanced pay run
Standard
£59/mo
- Base fee plus £6 per employee
- More HR features
- Everything in Light
Payroll Premium
£34/moLower
- 5 employees included
- Comprehensive payroll and HR
- For more complex requirements
Premium
£119/mo
- Base fee plus £7 per employee
- Advanced features
- Everything in Standard
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 Sage Payroll if
- It costs less to get started — £12/mo against £29/mo.
- It lists 8 features PayFit does not, including automated hmrc notices.
Choose PayFit if
- It lists 8 features Sage Payroll does not, including automated payroll.
On verified Assaylist reviews, PayFit currently rates 4.2 against 4.0 for Sage Payroll. That gap is not the whole story: Sage Payroll starts at £12/mo and PayFit at £29/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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