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Head to head

Sage People vs Access PeopleHR

Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.

Sage People logo

Sage People

HR Software

4.1298 reviews
Starting price
On request
Vendor
Sage Group plc
Founded
1981
Available in
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Spain
Languages
English, French, German, Spanish
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Knowledge Base
  • Forum
Access PeopleHR logo

Access PeopleHR

HR Software

4.0236 reviews
Starting price
£3/user/month
Vendor
The Access Group
Founded
1991
Available in
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • Australia
Languages
English
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Knowledge Base
  • Forum

Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.0. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.

01At a glance

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.

Key facts for Sage People and Access PeopleHR
DetailSage People logoSage PeopleAccess PeopleHR logoAccess PeopleHR
What it costs
Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VATOn request£3/user/month
Free versionNoNo
Free trialNoYes
How it rates
Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews4.14.0
Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest298 reviews236 reviews
02Ratings

How reviewers score them

Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.

  • Sage People
  • Access PeopleHR
Reviewer scores out of 5 for Sage People and Access PeopleHR, with the gap between them
DimensionSage PeopleAccess PeopleHRGap
Ease of use4.03.90.1 to Sage People
Value for money4.13.90.2 to Sage People
Customer support4.03.90.1 to Sage People
Functionality4.03.90.1 to Sage People

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.

Share of reviews at each star rating
Product5 star4 star3 star2 star1 star
Sage People46% (138 reviews)32% (96 reviews)12% (36 reviews)7% (21 reviews)2% (7 reviews)
Access PeopleHR42% (99 reviews)32% (76 reviews)14% (32 reviews)9% (22 reviews)3% (7 reviews)
03Features

Feature by feature

Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.

0%feature overlap
Only Sage People
1050%
Only Access PeopleHR
1050%

20 features listed across both products.

What only one of them does

Sage People

10
  • Built on the Salesforce platform
  • Compensation planning
  • Configurable workflows
  • Employee lifecycle management

+ 6 more in the table below

Access PeopleHR

10
  • Access ecosystem integration
  • Applicant tracking
  • Document management
  • Employee database

+ 6 more in the table below

Feature by feature comparison of Sage People and Access PeopleHR
DetailSage People logoSage PeopleAccess PeopleHR logoAccess PeopleHR
Where they differ · 20
Built on the Salesforce platformYesNo
Compensation planningYesNo
Configurable workflowsYesNo
Employee lifecycle managementYesNo
Employee self serviceYesNo
Global reportingYesNo
Multi country HR managementYesNo
Recruitment and onboardingYesNo
Talent and performance managementYesNo
Workforce analyticsYesNo
Access ecosystem integrationNoYes
Applicant trackingNoYes
Document managementNoYes
Employee databaseNoYes
Employee self serveNoYes
Leave and absence managementNoYes
OnboardingNoYes
Org chartNoYes
Performance managementNoYes
Reporting and analyticsNoYes

A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.

04UK compliance

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.

UK compliance comparison of Sage People and Access PeopleHR
DetailSage People logoSage PeopleAccess PeopleHR logoAccess PeopleHR
Verified against vendor documentation
Data residencyNot statedUnited Kingdom
UK-based supportNot statedUK support team
05Pricing

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 People logo

Sage People

Access PeopleHR logo

Access PeopleHR

Entry

Sage People

Contact vendor

  • Quoted per organisation
  • Multi country HR
  • Workforce analytics

Starter

£3/user/month

  • Core HR records
  • Leave management
  • Employee self serve
Mid

No comparable tier listed

Core

£5.50/user/month

  • Performance management
  • More reporting
  • Everything in Starter
Top

No comparable tier listed

Pro

£8/user/month

  • Applicant tracking
  • Advanced reporting
  • Everything in Core

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.

06Verdict

Which should you choose?

Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.

Sage People logo

Choose Sage People if

  • It lists 10 features Access PeopleHR does not, including built on the salesforce platform.
Access PeopleHR logo

Choose Access PeopleHR if

  • You can trial it before paying — Sage People lists no free trial.
  • It lists 10 features Sage People does not, including access ecosystem integration.
  • It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 2 of them against 0.

On verified Assaylist reviews, Sage People currently rates 4.1 against 4.0 for Access PeopleHR. That gap is not the whole story: Sage People starts at a quoted price and Access PeopleHR at £3/user/month, 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.

We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never affects our ratings or what we recommend. How this works.

Sage People logo

Sage People

4.1 out of 5

Access PeopleHR logo

Access PeopleHR

4.0 out of 5

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