Azets vs IRIS Payroll (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Azets and IRIS Payroll share a 1.6 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
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 IRIS Payroll if
- Fits if you are a UK employer already on IRIS Cascade HR
- Works for organisations that want software or outsourced payroll from the same vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a price, because none is published
- Skip it if you employ outside the UK, since it covers English, Scottish and Welsh tax rates
- Too light for a payroll bureau, schools or GPs, as IRIS sells separate products for those
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAAzetsWeak | 1.6GPAIRIS PayrollWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published; payroll is quoted through a contact form, so it sits in the middle of payroll tools. | CNo price is published on the page, so it sits at C. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the pages read. | FNothing is free: no free plan and no trial are listed, so the way in is paying. |
| Features | CManaged payroll, pensions and compliance, payslips, reports and a dedicated account manager. It is a service rather than software you run yourself, so it is a narrower job than the category. | CHMRC RTI reports, payslips and P60s for staff, HR changes flowing into payroll, and reports including the Gender Pay Gap. It is a module of Cascade HRi, and IRIS sells other payroll products separately. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You hand work over rather than learn a product, but onboarding is needed. | CNo store rating is on record, and an HR system with a payroll module needs setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb portal only on the listing, with no app named and no integrations list. | CWeb only on the listing, with no apps and no integrations named. |
| Best for | managed payroll through an accounting firm | UK payroll for people already on IRIS Cascade HR |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Azets and IRIS Payroll. How we grade
Where they differ
- IRIS Payroll also covers employee records.
In commonWebReportsPayroll
At a glance
| Azets | IRIS Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Azets | IRIS |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
IRIS Payroll
- No prices are published on the page.
- Supports English, Scottish and Welsh tax rates, so it serves UK payroll.
- It is a module of IRIS Cascade HRi; IRIS sells separate payroll products for bureaus, schools and GPs.
Key features
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.
IRIS Payroll
- HMRC reporting
- Sends RTI reports to HMRC and downloads coding and student or postgraduate loan notices.
- Employee self-service
- Employees see payslips and P60s in one place, with access rights controlled by the employer.
- Direct HR integration
- Changes employees make to their details in IRIS Cascade HRi flow into payroll automatically.
- Reports
- Pre-built reports include the Gender Pay Gap, plus real-time payroll data.
- Outsourced option
- Employers can have CIPP-qualified professionals run payroll instead of doing it themselves.
Plans
Azets
Pricing could not be confirmed. See azets.com.
IRIS Payroll
Pricing could not be confirmed. See iris.co.uk.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Azets or IRIS Payroll?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Azets has no price we could confirm, and IRIS Payroll has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Azets or IRIS Payroll?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Azets nor IRIS Payroll has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.