Shape Payroll vs Sage People
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Shape Payroll
Payroll Software
- United Kingdom
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
Sage People
HR Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- France
- Germany
- Spain
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
Shape Payroll leads on verified reviews by 0.1 of a point — 4.2 against 4.1 for Sage People.
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 | Shape Payroll | Sage People |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | Free | On request |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | NoNo |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.2 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 250 reviews | 298 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.
- Shape Payroll
- Sage People
| Dimension | Shape Payroll | Sage People | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
| Value for money | 4.1 | 4.1 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Shape Payroll |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape Payroll | 47% (118 reviews) | 33% (83 reviews) | 11% (27 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (5 reviews) |
| Sage People | 46% (138 reviews) | 32% (96 reviews) | 12% (36 reviews) | 7% (21 reviews) | 2% (7 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Only Shape Payroll
- 844%
- Only Sage People
- 1056%
18 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Shape Payroll
8- Automatic legislative updates
- Cloud based
- Employee records
- Free Basic tier
+ 4 more in the table below
Sage People
10- Built on the Salesforce platform
- Compensation planning
- Configurable workflows
- Employee lifecycle management
+ 6 more in the table below
| Detail | Shape Payroll | Sage People |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 18 | ||
| Automatic legislative updates | YesYes | NoNo |
| Cloud based | YesYes | NoNo |
| Employee records | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free Basic tier | YesYes | NoNo |
| Payslips | YesYes | NoNo |
| Pension auto enrolment | YesYes | NoNo |
| RTI submissions to HMRC | YesYes | NoNo |
| Statutory payments | YesYes | NoNo |
| Built on the Salesforce platform | NoNo | YesYes |
| Compensation planning | NoNo | YesYes |
| Configurable workflows | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee lifecycle management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Employee self service | NoNo | YesYes |
| Global reporting | NoNo | YesYes |
| Multi country HR management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Recruitment and onboarding | NoNo | YesYes |
| Talent and performance management | NoNo | YesYes |
| Workforce analytics | 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 | Shape Payroll | Sage People |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| RTI-compliant payroll | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Pension auto-enrolment | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| UK-based support | UK support team | Not stated |
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.
Shape Payroll
Sage People
Basic
Free
- Free payroll
- RTI submissions
- Auto enrolment
Sage People
Contact vendor
- Quoted per organisation
- Multi country HR
- Workforce analytics
Pro
£5/mo
- Up to 5 employees paid
- £1 per additional employee
- Priority support
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 Shape Payroll if
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which Sage People does not offer.
- It lists 8 features Sage People does not, including automatic legislative updates.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 3 of them against 0.
Choose Sage People if
- It lists 10 features Shape Payroll does not, including built on the salesforce platform.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Shape Payroll currently rates 4.2 against 4.1 for Sage People. That gap is not the whole story: Shape Payroll starts at Free and Sage People at a quoted price, 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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