Sage Payroll vs Moorepay
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Sage Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Moorepay
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
Sage Payroll leads on verified reviews by 0.1 of a point — 4.0 against 3.9 for Moorepay.
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 | Sage Payroll | Moorepay |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | £12/mo | On request |
| Free version | NoNo | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | NoNo |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 266 reviews | 225 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.
- Sage Payroll
- Moorepay
| Dimension | Sage Payroll | Moorepay | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Sage Payroll |
| Value for money | 3.9 | 3.8 | 0.1 to Sage Payroll |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 to Sage Payroll |
| Functionality | 3.9 | 3.8 | 0.1 to Sage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Payroll | 41% (110 reviews) | 33% (88 reviews) | 15% (41 reviews) | 7% (19 reviews) | 3% (8 reviews) |
| Moorepay | 38% (86 reviews) | 33% (75 reviews) | 15% (34 reviews) | 10% (22 reviews) | 4% (8 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Sage Payroll
- 1056%
- Only Moorepay
- 844%
18 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Sage Payroll
10- Automated HMRC notices
- Employee records
- Four step pay run
- Holiday and sick leave tracking
+ 6 more in the table below
Moorepay
8- Automatic enrolment management
- Dedicated support
- HMRC liaison
- HR and employment law advice
+ 4 more in the table below
| Detail | Sage Payroll | Moorepay |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 18 | ||
| Automated HMRC notices | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee records | YesYes | NoNo |
| Four step pay run | YesYes | NoNo |
| Holiday and sick leave tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payroll anomaly detection | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | YesYes | NoNo |
| Sage Copilot | YesYes | NoNo |
| Scales to 150 employees | YesYes | NoNo |
| Self serve payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automatic enrolment management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Dedicated support | NoNo | YesYes |
| HMRC liaison | NoNo | YesYes |
| HR and employment law advice | NoNo | YesYes |
| Managed and part managed payroll | NoNo | YesYes |
| Payslip distribution | NoNo | YesYes |
| RTI submissions handled for you | 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 | Sage Payroll | Moorepay |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | YesYes |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | YesYes |
| Data residency | Not stated | United Kingdom |
| UK-based support | Telephone support from Sage UK | UK bureau and support |
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.
Sage Payroll
Moorepay
Payroll Essentials
£12/mo
- 5 employees included
- 4 step pay run
- HMRC compliance and notices
Managed payroll
Contact vendor
- Fully managed pay run
- Quoted per headcount and service level
- RTI and auto enrolment handled for you
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
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 Sage Payroll if
- You can trial it before paying — Moorepay lists no free trial.
- It lists 10 features Moorepay does not, including automated hmrc notices.
Choose Moorepay if
- It lists 8 features Sage Payroll does not, including automatic enrolment management.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 3.
Sage Payroll is software you run yourself, while Moorepay is a managed bureau that runs payroll for you. Sage suits a business happy to operate its own pay run, Moorepay one that would rather outsource it entirely and values bundled employment law advice. It is really a choice between doing and delegating.
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