BrightPay vs Sage 50 Payroll
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
BrightPay
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage 50 Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.1. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
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 | BrightPay | Sage 50 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | On request | £41/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 235 reviews | 218 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- BrightPay
- Sage 50 Payroll
| Dimension | BrightPay | Sage 50 Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to BrightPay |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrightPay | 44% (104 reviews) | 31% (72 reviews) | 14% (34 reviews) | 9% (20 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| Sage 50 Payroll | 40% (87 reviews) | 38% (82 reviews) | 15% (32 reviews) | 6% (12 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 15%
- Only BrightPay
- 947%
- Only Sage 50 Payroll
- 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
Sage 50 Payroll
9- Attachment of earnings orders
- Cloud connectivity
- Detailed payroll reporting
- Employee self service payslips
+ 5 more in the table below
Showing 19 of 19 features
| Detail | BrightPay | Sage 50 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 18 | ||
| Automatic enrolment and assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic legislative updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Batch and multi employer processing | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bureau and practice workflows | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS where relevant | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee payslip and document app | YesYes | NoNo |
| Multi user collaboration | YesYes | NoNo |
| Secure cloud hosting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory sick and parental pay | YesYes | NoNo |
| Attachment of earnings orders | NoNo | YesYes |
| Cloud connectivity | NoNo | YesYes |
| Detailed payroll reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service payslips | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multiple pay frequencies | NoNo | YesYes |
| No limit on employee numbers | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pay run rollback and corrections | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension auto enrolment and assessment | 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 | BrightPay | Sage 50 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| CIS support | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| UK-based support | UK and Ireland support | Telephone support from Sage UK |
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
Sage 50 Payroll
BrightPay Cloud
Contact vendor
- Cloud only from the 2026/27 tax year
- HMRC recognised
- Multi employer and bureau workflows
Up to 15 employees
£41/mo
- RTI submissions
- Pension auto enrolment
- Statutory payments
No comparable tier listed
Up to 25 employees
£56.50/mo
- Everything in the 15 employee band
- Higher headcount
No comparable tier listed
Up to 50 employees
£108.50/mo
- Everything in the 25 employee band
- Higher headcount
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 BrightPay if
- It lists 9 features Sage 50 Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment and assessment.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
Choose Sage 50 Payroll if
- It lists 9 features BrightPay does not, including attachment of earnings orders.
Both are serious payroll tools for larger or more complex UK payrolls. Sage 50 Payroll is priced in headcount bands and is a long standing bureau choice, while BrightPay is loved for its multi employer workflows and value. Bureaus often prefer BrightPay, established Sage users the familiarity of Sage 50 Payroll.
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