QuickBooks Payroll vs Sage Payroll
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
QuickBooks Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
Sage Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.0 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 | QuickBooks Payroll | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | On request | £12/mo |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 218 reviews | 266 reviews |
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about. The widest gap is customer support, at 0.2 of a point.
- QuickBooks Payroll
- Sage Payroll
| Dimension | QuickBooks Payroll | 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 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 to Sage Payroll |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Payroll | 39% (86 reviews) | 35% (76 reviews) | 14% (31 reviews) | 8% (18 reviews) | 3% (7 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.
- Both products
- 16%
- Only QuickBooks Payroll
- 741%
- Only Sage Payroll
- 953%
17 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
QuickBooks Payroll
7- Annual legislative updates
- Automatic payroll journal posting
- Employee self service portal
- Payslips and P60s
+ 3 more in the table below
Sage Payroll
9- Automated HMRC notices
- Employee records
- Four step pay run
- Holiday and sick leave tracking
+ 5 more in the table below
Showing 17 of 17 features
| Detail | QuickBooks Payroll | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 16 | ||
| Annual legislative updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic payroll journal posting | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee self service portal | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payslips and P60s | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment and assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension provider connections | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory sick and parental pay | 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 |
| Sage Copilot | NoNo | YesYes |
| Scales to 150 employees | NoNo | YesYes |
| Self serve payslips | 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 | QuickBooks Payroll | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| UK-based support | Telephone and chat 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.
QuickBooks Payroll
Sage Payroll
QuickBooks Payroll
Contact vendor
- Paid add on to any QuickBooks Online plan
- Priced by employee count
- RTI submissions
Payroll Essentials
£12/mo
- 5 employees included
- 4 step pay run
- HMRC compliance and notices
No comparable tier listed
Payroll Standard
£23/mo
- 5 employees included
- Core HR capabilities
- Enhanced pay run
No comparable tier listed
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 QuickBooks Payroll if
- It lists 7 features Sage Payroll does not, including annual legislative updates.
Choose Sage Payroll if
- Reviewers score it higher on support — 4.0 against 3.8.
- It lists 9 features QuickBooks Payroll does not, including automated hmrc notices.
Both are cloud payroll add ons that integrate with their own accounting products. Sage Payroll is bundled into Sage Accounting and offers anomaly detection, while QuickBooks Payroll attaches to QuickBooks Online. The right choice almost always follows the accounting software you already run.
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