Xero Payroll vs Shape Payroll
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Xero Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Live Chat
- 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 Xero 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 | Xero Payroll | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £1.50/user/month | 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 | 225 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.
- Xero Payroll
- Shape Payroll
| Dimension | Xero Payroll | Shape Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero Payroll | 44% (100 reviews) | 32% (72 reviews) | 16% (35 reviews) | 6% (14 reviews) | 2% (4 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
- 16%
- Only Xero Payroll
- 850%
- Only Shape Payroll
- 744%
16 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Xero Payroll
8- Annual legislative updates
- Automatic payroll journal posting
- Employee self service app
- Holiday tracking
+ 4 more in the table below
Shape Payroll
7- Automatic legislative updates
- Cloud based
- Employee records
- Free Basic tier
+ 3 more in the table below
Showing 16 of 16 features
| Detail | Xero Payroll | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 15 | ||
| Annual legislative updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic payroll journal posting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee self service app | YesYes | NoNo |
| Holiday tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payslips and P60s | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment and assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension provider connections | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory sick and parental pay | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic legislative updates | NoNo | YesYes |
| Cloud based | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee records | NoNo | YesYes |
| Free Basic tier | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payslips | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension auto enrolment | NoNo | YesYes |
| Statutory payments | 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 | Xero 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.
Xero Payroll
Shape Payroll
On the Ignite plan
£1.50/user/month
- Priced per person
- RTI submissions
- Pension auto enrolment
Basic
FreeLower
- Free payroll
- RTI submissions
- Auto enrolment
Included with Grow
FreeLower
- Payroll for 1 person included
- Additional people charged per person
Pro
£5/mo
- Up to 5 employees paid
- £1 per additional employee
- Priority support
Included with Comprehensive
Free
- Payroll for 5 people included
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 Xero Payroll if
- It lists 8 features Shape Payroll does not, including annual legislative updates.
Choose Shape Payroll if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £1.50/user/month.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Xero Payroll does not offer.
- It lists 7 features Xero Payroll does not, including automatic legislative updates.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Shape Payroll currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for Xero Payroll. That gap is not the whole story: Xero Payroll starts at £1.50/user/month 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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