Shape Payroll vs Employment Hero
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
Employment Hero
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Shape Payroll leads on verified reviews by 0.1 of a point — 4.2 against 4.1 for Employment Hero.
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 | Employment Hero |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | Free | £3/user/month |
| Free version | YesYes | YesYes |
| 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 | 273 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
- Employment Hero
| Dimension | Shape Payroll | Employment Hero | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.1 | 3.9 | 0.2 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 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Shape 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape Payroll | 47% (118 reviews) | 33% (83 reviews) | 11% (27 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| Employment Hero | 42% (114 reviews) | 35% (95 reviews) | 12% (33 reviews) | 10% (26 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Shape Payroll
- 844%
- Only Employment Hero
- 1056%
18 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Shape Payroll
8- Automatic legislative updates
- Cloud based
- Employee records
- Free Basic tier
+ 4 more in the table below
Employment Hero
10- Automatic enrolment
- Employee app
- Employee benefits marketplace
- HR records and leave management
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | Shape Payroll | Employment Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 18 | ||
| Automatic legislative updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cloud based | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee records | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free Basic tier | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory payments | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic enrolment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee app | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee benefits marketplace | NoNo | YesYes |
| HR records and leave management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Integrations | NoNo | YesYes |
| Onboarding and contracts | NoNo | YesYes |
| Performance and engagement | NoNo | YesYes |
| Reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Right to work record keeping | NoNo | YesYes |
| RTI payroll with a free tier | 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 | Shape Payroll | Employment Hero |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Shape Payroll
Employment Hero
Basic
Free
- Free payroll
- RTI submissions
- Auto enrolment
Free Payroll
Free
- Compliant RTI payroll at no software cost
- Automatic enrolment
- Employee self serve
Pro
£5/mo
- Up to 5 employees paid
- £1 per additional employee
- Priority support
Core Payroll
£3/user/monthLower
- Minimum £30 a month
- Advanced payroll features
- Integrations
No comparable tier listed
HR Essentials
£4/user/month
- Minimum £40 a month
- Onboarding and HR records
- Leave management
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
- It costs less to get started — Free against £3/user/month.
- It lists 8 features Employment Hero does not, including automatic legislative updates.
Choose Employment Hero if
- It lists 10 features Shape Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Shape Payroll currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for Employment Hero. That gap is not the whole story: Shape Payroll starts at Free and Employment Hero at £3/user/month, 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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