BrightPay, Moneysoft and Staffology are three HMRC-recognised payroll products that small UK employers and their bookkeepers often shortlist. They differ more than the shortlist suggests: one is a Windows program with an annual licence, one is cloud software with a monthly fee per payroll volume, and one has just moved from desktop licences to the cloud. Everything below comes from each company's own website, read on 4 October 2026. We haven't run payroll on any of them, so there are no scores.
Side by side
| BrightPay | Moneysoft Payroll Manager | Staffology Payroll (IRIS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Cloud (BrightPay Cloud) | Windows 11 desktop; not designed for Mac | Cloud |
| Published price | None: "Get a price" | £95 a year + VAT | £43 a month + VAT |
| What the price covers | Quoted | One company, up to 20 employees or subcontractors in a tax year; updates and email support | Up to 19 payslips a month; £2.15 per payslip from 20 to 50 |
| Bigger plans | Quoted | £190 (up to 100 per employer), £285 (up to 250), both + VAT | Quote above 50 payslips a month |
| Billing | Quoted | Annual licence, 12 months from purchase | Monthly, by payroll volume; a minimum fee applies |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes, no details asked before download | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Payslips | Not listed on the page we read | Print and email payslip designs | E-payslip portal for payslips and P60s |
| Pensions | Integrations with NEST, The People's Pension, Smart Pension | Auto-enrolment included | Not detailed on the pricing page |
Checked 4 October 2026. From brightpay.co.uk/pricing and brightsg.com (BrightPay Cloud), moneysoft.co.uk/prices, and iris.co.uk (Staffology Payroll). Prices exclude VAT where stated.
BrightPay pricing in 2026/27
BrightPay's UK pricing page now lists its Windows desktop versions only up to the 2025/26 tax year, with downloads and "Purchase" links, and points to BrightPay Cloud. The BrightPay Cloud page offers a demo, a free trial and a "Get a price" button, with no figure published. So for the 2026/27 tax year you can't compare BrightPay on price without asking for a quote. If you used the desktop version, the page offers no 2026/27 desktop edition, so 2026/27 payrolls mean BrightPay Cloud or another product.
The cloud product describes integrations with pension providers (NEST, The People's Pension and Smart Pension are named) and with payment platforms for paying employees and HMRC from the payroll.
Moneysoft Payroll Manager
Moneysoft sells an annual licence rather than a subscription. The cheapest version, £95 a year plus VAT (£114 with VAT at 20%), covers one company with up to 20 employees or subcontractors, including leavers, in a tax year. Agents and companies with more staff buy the 100-employee (£190) or 250-employee (£285) licence. It is HMRC-recognised, includes auto-enrolment, and prints or emails payslips in several designs. The catch for some buyers is the platform: it runs on Windows 11 and Moneysoft says it isn't designed for Mac.
Staffology Payroll
Staffology Payroll, from IRIS, is cloud software billed monthly by payslip volume. Up to 19 payslips a month is a flat £43 plus VAT; 20 to 50 payslips is £43 plus £2.15 per payslip; above that IRIS quotes. Employees get an e-payslip portal for payslips and P60s. For one or two employees paid monthly, the flat fee is about £516 a year before VAT, which is more than Moneysoft's licence but needs no Windows PC and nothing to install.
Yearly cost for a micro employer
| Option | Before VAT | With VAT at 20% | Makes payslips |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMRC Basic PAYE Tools | £0 | £0 | Yes, saved as a PDF |
| Moneysoft Payroll Manager (20) | £95 | £114 | Yes |
| Staffology Payroll (up to 19 payslips a month) | £516 | £619.20 | Yes, e-payslips |
| BrightPay Cloud | Quote | Quote | Ask during the trial |
If you are VAT-registered you can usually reclaim the VAT, so compare the before-VAT figures.
Check these before you buy
- Pay frequencies: GOV.UK notes that some software can't pay different people weekly and monthly in the same payroll.
- Employer Payment Summary: you need it to claim Employment Allowance or statutory pay recovery, and not every product sends one.
- Pension: whether it calculates contributions and sends files to your provider, or only records deductions.
- Payslips: whether they are printed, emailed or in a portal, and whether employees can see past ones and their P60.
- Leaving: whether you can export your records, and what happens to payroll IDs if you move.
How to choose
- Lowest cost with a Windows PC: Moneysoft's annual licence.
- Cloud, no installs, employees get an online payslip portal: Staffology, at a higher fixed monthly price.
- Already on BrightPay desktop: get a BrightPay Cloud quote first, since moving software mid-year has its own work (GOV.UK warns that changing software can affect employee payroll IDs).
- Fewer than 10 employees and simple payroll: Basic PAYE Tools is free, reports to HMRC and saves each payslip as a PDF, with no pension features.
Where PayDocs fits
PayDocs isn't payroll software and isn't HMRC-recognised for reporting: it doesn't send Full Payment Submissions. It fills one gap. If you report through Basic PAYE Tools, or any software whose payslips you don't like, PayDocs makes the payslip from your figures, in one of six layouts. PayDocs works out PAYE income tax, National Insurance and supported deductions for 2026/27 pay dates. You preview free and pay per payslip, with no annual licence.
GOV.UK says that if your payroll software can't produce payslips, you can use different software for them. Reporting to HMRC still has to go through HMRC-recognised software.
Questions
How much does BrightPay cost in 2026/27?
BrightPay doesn't publish a figure. Its UK pricing page lists desktop versions up to 2025/26 and points to BrightPay Cloud, which offers a free trial and a "Get a price" quote (checked 4 October 2026).
What is the cheapest of BrightPay, Moneysoft and Staffology?
On published prices, Moneysoft Payroll Manager: £95 a year plus VAT for one company with up to 20 employees. Staffology is £43 a month plus VAT for up to 19 payslips. BrightPay quotes.
Does Moneysoft Payroll Manager work on a Mac?
Moneysoft says Payroll Manager is compatible with Windows 11 only and is not designed to work on a Mac.
Sources
- BrightPay UK: Pricing page (checked 4 October 2026)
- Bright: BrightPay Cloud payroll software (checked 4 October 2026)
- Moneysoft: Prices (checked 4 October 2026)
- Moneysoft: Home page, Payroll Manager features (checked 4 October 2026)
- IRIS: Staffology Payroll pricing (checked 4 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Find payroll software
- GOV.UK: How to use Basic PAYE Tools, Create payslips (updated 21 July 2026)
- GOV.UK: Reporting to HMRC with an Employer Payment Summary
Sources checked 8 October 2026. This article explains how pay documents work; it is not tax or legal advice.
