Employment Hero vs Sage Payroll
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Employment Hero
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Sage Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.0. 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 | Employment Hero | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £3/user/month | £12/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 273 reviews | 266 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.
- Employment Hero
- Sage Payroll
| Dimension | Employment Hero | Sage Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Sage Payroll |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.9 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 3.9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Hero | 42% (114 reviews) | 35% (95 reviews) | 12% (33 reviews) | 10% (26 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| Sage Payroll | 41% (110 reviews) | 33% (88 reviews) | 15% (41 reviews) | 7% (19 reviews) | 3% (8 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Employment Hero
- 1050%
- Only Sage Payroll
- 1050%
20 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Employment Hero
10- Automatic enrolment
- Employee app
- Employee benefits marketplace
- HR records and leave management
+ 6 more in the table below
Sage Payroll
10- Automated HMRC notices
- Employee records
- Four step pay run
- Holiday and sick leave tracking
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | Employment Hero | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 20 | ||
| Automatic enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee app | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee benefits marketplace | YesYes | NoNo |
| HR records and leave management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Integrations | YesYes | NoNo |
| Onboarding and contracts | YesYes | NoNo |
| Performance and engagement | YesYes | NoNo |
| Reporting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Right to work record keeping | YesYes | NoNo |
| RTI payroll with a free tier | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated HMRC notices | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee records | NoNo | YesYes |
| Four step pay run | NoNo | YesYes |
| Holiday and sick leave tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payroll anomaly detection | NoNo | YesYes |
| Pension auto enrolment | NoNo | YesYes |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | NoNo | YesYes |
| Sage Copilot | NoNo | YesYes |
| Scales to 150 employees | NoNo | YesYes |
| Self serve payslips | 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 | Employment Hero | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | UK support team | 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.
Employment Hero
Sage Payroll
Free Payroll
FreeLower
- Compliant RTI payroll at no software cost
- Automatic enrolment
- Employee self serve
Payroll Essentials
£12/mo
- 5 employees included
- 4 step pay run
- HMRC compliance and notices
Core Payroll
£3/user/monthLower
- Minimum £30 a month
- Advanced payroll features
- Integrations
Payroll Standard
£23/mo
- 5 employees included
- Core HR capabilities
- Enhanced pay run
HR Essentials
£4/user/monthLower
- Minimum £40 a month
- Onboarding and HR records
- Leave management
Payroll Premium
£34/mo
- 5 employees included
- Comprehensive payroll and HR
- For more complex requirements
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 Employment Hero if
- It costs less to get started — £3/user/month against £12/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Sage Payroll does not offer.
- It lists 10 features Sage Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment.
Choose Sage Payroll if
- It lists 10 features Employment Hero does not, including automated hmrc notices.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Employment Hero currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Sage Payroll. That gap is not the whole story: Employment Hero starts at £3/user/month and Sage Payroll at £12/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.
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