Sage Payroll vs QuickBooks Payroll
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
QuickBooks Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 against 4.0. 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 | Sage Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £12/mo | On request |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 266 reviews | 218 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about. The widest gap is customer support, at 0.2 of a point.
- Sage Payroll
- QuickBooks Payroll
| Dimension | Sage Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Sage Payroll |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 3.8 | 0.2 to Sage Payroll |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 3.9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Payroll | 41% (110 reviews) | 33% (88 reviews) | 15% (41 reviews) | 7% (19 reviews) | 3% (8 reviews) |
| QuickBooks Payroll | 39% (86 reviews) | 35% (76 reviews) | 14% (31 reviews) | 8% (18 reviews) | 3% (7 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 16%
- Only Sage Payroll
- 953%
- Only QuickBooks Payroll
- 741%
17 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Payroll
9- Automated HMRC notices
- Employee records
- Four step pay run
- Holiday and sick leave tracking
+ 5 more in the table below
QuickBooks Payroll
7- Annual legislative updates
- Automatic payroll journal posting
- Employee self service portal
- Payslips and P60s
+ 3 more in the table below
Showing 17 of 17 features
| Detail | Sage Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Sage Copilot | YesYes | NoNo |
| Scales to 150 employees | YesYes | NoNo |
| Self serve payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Annual legislative updates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Automatic payroll journal posting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payslips and P60s | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension auto enrolment and assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension provider connections | NoNo | YesYes |
| Statutory sick and parental pay | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| 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 | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | Telephone and chat support |
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
QuickBooks Payroll
Payroll Essentials
£12/mo
- 5 employees included
- 4 step pay run
- HMRC compliance and notices
QuickBooks Payroll
Contact vendor
- Paid add on to any QuickBooks Online plan
- Priced by employee count
- RTI submissions
Payroll Standard
£23/mo
- 5 employees included
- Core HR capabilities
- Enhanced pay run
No comparable tier listed
Payroll Premium
£34/mo
- 5 employees included
- Comprehensive payroll and HR
- For more complex requirements
No comparable tier listed
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
- Reviewers score it higher on support — 4.0 against 3.8.
- It lists 9 features QuickBooks Payroll does not, including automated hmrc notices.
Choose QuickBooks Payroll if
- It lists 7 features Sage Payroll does not, including annual legislative updates.
Both are cloud payroll add ons that integrate with their own accounting products. Sage Payroll is bundled into Sage Accounting and offers anomaly detection, while QuickBooks Payroll attaches to QuickBooks Online. The right choice almost always follows the accounting software you already run.
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