Shape Payroll vs BrightPay
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Shape Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
BrightPay
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Shape Payroll leads on verified reviews by 0.1 of a point — 4.2 against 4.1 for BrightPay.
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 | Shape Payroll | BrightPay |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | Free | On request |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.2 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 250 reviews | 235 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.
- Shape Payroll
- BrightPay
| Dimension | Shape Payroll | BrightPay | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
| Value for money | 4.1 | 3.9 | 0.2 to Shape Payroll |
| Customer support | 4.1 | 4.0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape Payroll | 47% (118 reviews) | 33% (83 reviews) | 11% (27 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| BrightPay | 44% (104 reviews) | 31% (72 reviews) | 14% (34 reviews) | 9% (20 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 213%
- Only Shape Payroll
- 638%
- Only BrightPay
- 850%
16 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Shape Payroll
6- Cloud based
- Employee records
- Free Basic tier
- Payslips
+ 2 more in the table below
BrightPay
8- Automatic enrolment and assessment
- Batch and multi employer processing
- Bureau and practice workflows
- CIS where relevant
+ 4 more in the table below
Showing 16 of 16 features
| Detail | Shape Payroll | BrightPay |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 14 | ||
| Cloud based | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee records | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free Basic tier | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory payments | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic enrolment and assessment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Batch and multi employer processing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Bureau and practice workflows | NoNo | YesYes |
| CIS where relevant | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee payslip and document app | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multi user collaboration | NoNo | YesYes |
| Secure cloud hosting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Statutory sick and parental pay | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 2 | ||
| Automatic legislative updates | 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 | Shape Payroll | BrightPay |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| CIS support | Not listedNot listed | YesYes |
| UK-based support | UK support team | UK and Ireland 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.
Shape Payroll
BrightPay
Basic
Free
- Free payroll
- RTI submissions
- Auto enrolment
BrightPay Cloud
Contact vendor
- Cloud only from the 2026/27 tax year
- HMRC recognised
- Multi employer and bureau workflows
Pro
£5/mo
- Up to 5 employees paid
- £1 per additional employee
- Priority support
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 Shape Payroll if
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which BrightPay does not offer.
- It lists 6 features BrightPay does not, including cloud based.
Choose BrightPay if
- It lists 8 features Shape Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment and assessment.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Shape Payroll currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for BrightPay. That gap is not the whole story: Shape Payroll starts at Free and BrightPay 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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