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Head to head

BrightPay vs PayFit

Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.

BrightPay logo

BrightPay

Payroll Software

4.1235 reviews
Starting price
On request
Vendor
Thesaurus Software Ltd (Bright)
Founded
1992
Available in
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
Languages
English
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Knowledge Base
  • Forum
PayFit logo

PayFit

Payroll Software

4.2245 reviews
Starting price
£29/mo
Vendor
PayFit
Founded
2015
Available in
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • Spain
  • Germany
Languages
English
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Live Chat
  • Knowledge Base

PayFit leads on verified reviews by 0.1 of a point — 4.2 against 4.1 for BrightPay.

01At a glance

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.

Key facts for BrightPay and PayFit
DetailBrightPay logoBrightPayPayFit logoPayFit
What it costs
Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VATOn request£29/mo
Free versionNoNo
Free trialYesYes
How it rates
Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews4.14.2
Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest235 reviews245 reviews

Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.

02Ratings

How reviewers score them

Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.

  • BrightPay
  • PayFit
Reviewer scores out of 5 for BrightPay and PayFit, with the gap between them
DimensionBrightPayPayFitGap
Ease of use4.04.10.1 to PayFit
Value for money3.94.10.2 to PayFit
Customer support4.04.0Level
Functionality4.04.0Level

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.

Share of reviews at each star rating
Product5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star
BrightPay44% (104 reviews)31% (72 reviews)14% (34 reviews)9% (20 reviews)2% (5 reviews)
PayFit44% (109 reviews)37% (91 reviews)12% (29 reviews)5% (12 reviews)2% (4 reviews)
03Features

Feature by feature

Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.

5%feature overlap
Both products
15%
Only BrightPay
947%
Only PayFit
947%

19 features listed across both products.

What only one of them does

BrightPay

9
  • Automatic enrolment and assessment
  • Automatic legislative updates
  • Batch and multi employer processing
  • Bureau and practice workflows

+ 5 more in the table below

PayFit

9
  • Automated payroll
  • Employee self service
  • Leave management
  • Light HR records

+ 5 more in the table below

Showing 19 of 19 features

Feature by feature comparison of BrightPay and PayFit
DetailBrightPay logoBrightPayPayFit logoPayFit
Where they differ · 18
Automatic enrolment and assessmentYesNo
Automatic legislative updatesYesNo
Batch and multi employer processingYesNo
Bureau and practice workflowsYesNo
CIS where relevantYesNo
Employee payslip and document appYesNo
Multi user collaborationYesNo
Secure cloud hostingYesNo
Statutory sick and parental payYesNo
Automated payrollNoYes
Employee self serviceNoYes
Leave managementNoYes
Light HR recordsNoYes
Modern interfaceNoYes
OnboardingNoYes
PayslipsNoYes
Pension auto enrolmentNoYes
ReportingNoYes
Where they match · 1
RTI submissions to HMRCYesYes

A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.

04UK compliance

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.

UK compliance comparison of BrightPay and PayFit
DetailBrightPay logoBrightPayPayFit logoPayFit
Verified against vendor documentation
RTI-compliant payrollYesYes
Pension auto-enrolmentYesYes
CIS supportYesNot listed
UK-based supportUK and Ireland supportUK support team
05Pricing

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.

BrightPay logo

BrightPay

PayFit logo

PayFit

Entry

BrightPay Cloud

Contact vendor

  • Cloud only from the 2026/27 tax year
  • HMRC recognised
  • Multi employer and bureau workflows

Light

£29/mo

  • Base fee plus £5 per employee
  • Automated payroll
  • RTI and auto enrolment
Mid

No comparable tier listed

Standard

£59/mo

  • Base fee plus £6 per employee
  • More HR features
  • Everything in Light
Top

No comparable tier listed

Premium

£119/mo

  • Base fee plus £7 per employee
  • Advanced features
  • Everything in Standard

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.

06Verdict

Which should you choose?

Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.

BrightPay logo

Choose BrightPay if

  • It lists 9 features PayFit does not, including automatic enrolment and assessment.
  • It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
PayFit logo

Choose PayFit if

  • It lists 9 features BrightPay does not, including automated payroll.

On verified Assaylist reviews, PayFit currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for BrightPay. That gap is not the whole story: BrightPay starts at a quoted price and PayFit at £29/mo, 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.

We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never affects our ratings or what we recommend. How this works.

BrightPay logo

BrightPay

4.1 out of 5

PayFit logo

PayFit

4.2 out of 5

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