BrightPay vs Moorepay (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BrightPay grades higher than Moorepay: 2.6 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
BrightPay grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BrightPay
UK cloud payroll with HMRC submissions and auto-enrolment
Free trial · from £7.00/mo
Which one is for you
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
Pick Moorepay if
- Fits if you run a UK payroll and want the vendor to handle the switch
- Works for firms that want payroll and HR add-ons from one supplier
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price first: none is published, only a quote
- Not for you if you are outside the UK: it is built around HMRC and UK pay rules
- Not for you if you want to try it first: no free plan or trial is listed
- Watch out: the mobile app is described on the site, but its store listings were not checked
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABrightPayGood | 1.6GPAMoorepayWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGBP 7 a month billed annually for one employer, with per-employee charges from the fourth employee at GBP 2.10. Five employees come to roughly $14, inside the cheapest quarter ($20). | CNo price is published, and the pricing page asks you to request a quote, so there is nothing to set against the $29 category middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free trial with full access, but the page does not state its length or whether a card is needed. There is no free plan. | FNo free plan and no trial on the pages read. |
| Features | BHMRC submissions, automatic payroll checks, employee and manager portals, AI assistants, payments and accounting journals. | CPayroll, statutory pay, self-service, reporting and add-on HR modules. The listing shows no named integrations. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Payroll setup means entering employees, pensions and tax details. | CNo store rating on record. Payroll has to be set up for your pay runs, and the vendor does the switch. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, an employee app and links to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and Zoho Books. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed. The site names no desktop app and the store listings were not checked. |
| Best for | UK payroll for small businesses and their accountants | UK payroll with HR add-ons |
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: BrightPay and Moorepay. How we grade
Where they differ
- Moorepay also covers reports.
In commonWebPayrollEmployee recordsTime off
At a glance
| BrightPay | Moorepay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with full access for your business | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bright | Moorepay |
| Price read from | brightsg.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Moorepay
- No prices are published; the pricing page asks you to request a quote.
- Serves UK payroll only; the site is built around HMRC, CIPP and UK statutory pay.
- The site describes the software as cloud-based and usable on any device but lists no native desktop apps.
- A mobile app for employees is described as free with payroll; the store listings were not checked.
Key features
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.
Moorepay
- Payroll software
- Cloud software that automates tax and statutory deductions, with bulk uploads, batch processing and multiple pay groups.
- Payroll outsourcing
- Your team enters the data and Moorepay's payroll staff run the payroll. The site says it is HMRC-recognised and accredited by the CIPP's Payroll Assurance Scheme.
- Employee self-service
- Employees get a personal dashboard with payslips, P45s and P60s, holiday balances, leave requests, timesheets and expense claims.
- Reporting and analytics
- A real-time dashboard plus custom reports and audit trails covering pay, workforce changes and trends.
- Statutory pay calculations
- The site lists automated calculation of occupational sick pay, SSP and SMP, and automatic generation of auto enrolment documents.
- HR and add-on modules
- Optional modules include HR software, time and attendance, expense management, recruitment, benefits and performance management.
Plans
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.
Moorepay
Pricing could not be confirmed. See moorepay.co.uk.
Ways to pay less
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.
Moorepay
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BrightPay or Moorepay?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BrightPay starts at £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT, and Moorepay has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, BrightPay or Moorepay?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BrightPay nor Moorepay has a free plan. BrightPay has a free trial.
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.