Azets vs BrightPay (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Azets if

• Fits if you want someone else to run payroll for you
• Works for firms already using Azets for accounts

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want self-serve payroll software
• Watch out: no prices are published and you go through a contact form
• Not for you if you are outside the UK, Ireland, the Nordics and the other offices: coverage is eight countries
• Watch out: no mobile app and no free plan are named

Pick BrightPay if

• Fits if you run payroll for a UK small business
• Works for accountants who want links to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you pay staff outside the UK, as it is built around HMRC and UK rules
• Watch out: prices are in pounds plus VAT, and the entry price is for one employer and one employee
• Watch out: per-employee charges start at the fourth employee, falling in bands above 750
• Too light for larger employers, as payroll is capped at 300 employees at standard pricing

Azets

• No prices are published, so pricing is unverified; payroll is quoted through a contact form.
• It is a service delivered by Azets staff, not a self-serve app.
• Offices are in eight countries including the UK, Ireland and the Nordics; check coverage for yours.
• The pages read name no mobile app and no free plan.

BrightPay

• Prices are in pounds and shown plus VAT; the entry price is for one employer and one employee.
• Per-employee charges start at the fourth employee: £2.10 each for employees 4 to 10 on monthly billing, falling in bands to £0.12 above 750.
• Payroll is capped at 300 employees per employer at standard pricing.
• Built for UK payroll (HMRC, RTI, auto-enrolment); the vendor also publishes Ireland versions of its pages.

Azets

Managed payroll bureau

A payroll team runs salary calculations and tax deductions for the client, using what the page calls a BACS approved bureau service.

Pensions and compliance

Auto-enrolment pension set-up and support, pension contributions, statutory deductions and legislative updates are part of the service.

Payslips and reports

Digital payslips and custom payroll reports, with an employee self-service portal for payslips and tax documents.

Multi-country payroll

Payroll across several jurisdictions with local expertise, and a separate Nordic payroll services offer.

Dedicated account manager

Each payroll client gets a named specialist contact.

BrightPay

HMRC submissions

RTI submissions go to HMRC straight from BrightPay on every pay run, and auto-enrolment duties are assessed with alerts for pending actions.

Automatic payroll checks

Flags NI category changes, minimum wage shortfalls for hourly staff and pension contributions below the minimum before a run is finalized.

Employee and manager portals

Employees see payslips and book annual leave, and line managers handle leave requests and team details in their own portal.

AI assistants

Oscar collects new-starter details for approval, BrightAsk answers UK payroll questions, and a payslip comparator explains changes between payslips.

Payments and accounting journals

Pays through a Modulr account and exports payroll journals to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Zoho Books, BrightBooks and other packages.

Azets

Pricing could not be confirmed. See azets.com.

BrightPay

• BrightPay Cloud£7.00

  per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly)

  Entry price shown for one employer and one employee, plus VAT; per-employee charges apply from the fourth employee.

Azets

No public discounts listed.

BrightPay

• Annual discount

  Save 15% with annual billing

  The pricing calculator shows a 15% saving on annual billing against monthly billing, so the entry price is £84 a year plus VAT.