Employment Hero vs Shape 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
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 Employment Hero.
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 | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £3/user/month | Free |
| Free version | YesYes | 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 | 273 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.
- Employment Hero
- Shape Payroll
| Dimension | Employment Hero | Shape Payroll | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Shape Payroll |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2 to Shape Payroll |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
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) |
| 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.
- Only Employment Hero
- 1056%
- Only Shape Payroll
- 844%
18 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
Shape Payroll
8- Automatic legislative updates
- Cloud based
- Employee records
- Free Basic tier
+ 4 more in the table below
| Detail | Employment Hero | Shape Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 18 | ||
| 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 |
| 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 |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | NoNo | YesYes |
| Statutory payments | 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 | 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.
Employment Hero
Shape Payroll
Free Payroll
Free
- Compliant RTI payroll at no software cost
- Automatic enrolment
- Employee self serve
Basic
Free
- Free payroll
- RTI submissions
- Auto enrolment
Core Payroll
£3/user/monthLower
- Minimum £30 a month
- Advanced payroll features
- Integrations
Pro
£5/mo
- Up to 5 employees paid
- £1 per additional employee
- Priority support
HR Essentials
£4/user/month
- Minimum £40 a month
- Onboarding and HR records
- Leave management
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 Employment Hero if
- It lists 10 features Shape Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment.
Choose Shape Payroll if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £3/user/month.
- It lists 8 features Employment Hero does not, including automatic legislative updates.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Shape Payroll currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for Employment Hero. That gap is not the whole story: Employment Hero starts at £3/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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