- Dwg
- VTA-BM
- Title
- Industry benchmark
- Market
- London, GB
- Run
- 2026-09-14
Dwg VTA-BMIndustry benchmark · London, GB · 2026-09-14
Which vendors do AI assistants recommend for payroll software for UK small businesses?
Employment Hero is named in 63% of answers — the assistants have a settled reply for payroll software for UK small businesses.
Share of answers
Who the assistants named
8 buyer questions, put to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity with web search on, from London, GB, on 2026-09-14. 32 answers were read; every vendor claim below carries a quote from the answer it came from.
Named in answers, out of 32
Full bar = every answer- 1Employment Hero2062.5%
- 2Moneysoft Payroll Manager1856.3%
- 3BrightPay1753.1%
- 4Xero Payroll1753.1%
- 5QuickBooks Payroll1237.5%
- 6PayFit1237.5%
- 7HMRC Basic PAYE Tools1134.4%
- 8Moorepay928.1%
- 9Sage Payroll825%
- 10ADP721.9%
- 11FreeAgent618.8%
- 12Zellis618.8%
One vendor is named in more than half the answers: the assistants have a settled reply.
- Market
- London, GB
- Run
- 2026-09-14
- Answers
- 8 prompts × 4 engines = 32
- Engines
- claude-sonnet-5 · gemini-3.6-flash · gpt-5 · sonar
| # | Vendor | Named in | Credited with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Employment Hero | 20 of 32 (63%) | HMRC-recognised; free; cloud-based |
| 2 | Moneysoft Payroll Manager | 18 of 32 (56%) | HMRC-recognised; annual licence model, not per employee; good for fluctuating headcount |
| 3 | BrightPay | 17 of 32 (53%) | Long-time tool of choice for UK accounting practices running payroll across multiple clients; moving to cloud-first model for 2026/27; dedicated payroll system loved by accountants |
| 4 | Xero Payroll | 17 of 32 (53%) | HMRC-recognised; sends data to NEST or The People's Pension; integrates with Xero bookkeeping |
| 5 | QuickBooks Payroll | 12 of 32 (38%) | Simplest starting point if already using QuickBooks; low-cost add-ons; popular paid option |
| 6 | PayFit | 12 of 32 (38%) | All-in-one payroll, time-off, expenses, onboarding; clean UI, automates complex calculations; HMRC submissions |
| 7 | HMRC Basic PAYE Tools | 11 of 32 (34%) | Free; HMRC-recognised; for businesses with fewer than 10 employees |
| 8 | Moorepay | 9 of 32 (28%) | Outsourced fully managed payroll service; preferred choice for UK SMEs needing compliance, accuracy and support; software or managed service |
| 9 | Sage Payroll | 8 of 32 (25%) | Top recommendation for most 10-employee businesses; value-for-money; easy-to-use dashboard |
| 10 | ADP | 7 of 32 (22%) | Designed for larger enterprises; high security; full UK tax compliance |
| 11 | FreeAgent | 6 of 32 (19%) | Free with NatWest/RBS/Ulster Bank/Mettle accounts; native HMRC-recognised payroll; RTI submission |
| 12 | Zellis | 6 of 32 (19%) | Popular paid option; leading outsourced payroll provider in UK and Ireland; comprehensive outsourced managed payroll operation |
The questions
What we asked
- What is the best payroll software for a UK small business with 10 employees?
- Which UK payroll software is HMRC-recognised and handles RTI submissions?
- What payroll software handles auto-enrolment pensions for a UK employer?
- Which payroll tools integrate with Xero or QuickBooks in the UK?
- What is the cheapest payroll software for a UK company with one director?
- Which UK payroll software produces P60s and P11Ds automatically?
- What payroll platforms are suitable for UK businesses with hourly-paid staff and rotas?
- Which UK payroll providers offer a fully managed service rather than software?
Quoted
In the assistants' words
“Employment Hero Free Payroll: HMRC‑recognised “100% free” payroll that auto‑submits RTI and handles PAYE/NI; good if you want zero software cost and basic HR tools.”
“The annual licence model is a key differentiator — you pay once per year, not per employee, which for businesses with fluctuating headcount gives genuine budget value.”
“Best budget option: Moneysoft — cheaper for some small teams, with one guide citing about £95 per year for 10 employees.”
“This has long been the tool of choice for UK accounting practices running payroll across multiple clients, though note for the 2026/27 tax year it's moving away from its desktop product to a cloud-first model.”
“Best if you already use accounting software: Xero Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll — these make most sense if you already run your accounts on those platforms.”
“If you use QuickBooks, QuickBooks Payroll is the simplest starting point.”