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

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 OnPay if

• Fits if you want to know the price without talking to a salesperson
• Works for paying employees and contractors across several states

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you run an hourly team, as the time and HR bundle is $70 plus $10 a worker
• Not for you if you pay anyone outside the US, which its pages don't mention
• Tight if you want live HR advice, at $65 a month on top
• Watch out: health insurance, workers' comp and 401(k) premiums are paid on top of the subscription
• Watch out: there's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say if the free month needs a card

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.

OnPay

• Add-ons bought alone cost $15 plus $2 per worker (HR), $15 plus $4 per worker (Time Tracking), $10 (Compliance Resources) and $65 a month (Live HR Support).
• Runs payroll in all 50 US states at no extra charge per state; the pages read mention no other countries.
• Health insurance, workers' comp and 401(k) plans are paid at their premiums on top of the OnPay subscription.

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.

OnPay

Full-service payroll

Pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors by direct deposit, check or prepaid debit card, with unlimited pay runs and garnishment deductions.

Taxes in all 50 states

Files and pays federal, state and local taxes and year-end W-2s and 1099s, registers for state taxes, and backs its filings with an error-free guarantee.

Hiring and onboarding

Send offer letters for e-signature, have new hires sign I-9s and W-4s and onboard themselves, and file state new-hire reports automatically.

Accounting sync

Syncs the general ledger to QuickBooks Online or Xero after every pay run, with line items mapped to your chart of accounts.

Benefits administration

Health, dental and vision plans chosen with licensed in-house agents, with open enrollment and payroll deductions; you pay only the premiums.

Time Tracking add-on

Time clocks for each worksite, overtime and break rules, supervisor approval and approved hours sent straight to payroll.

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.

OnPay

• Payroll Essentials$49

  per month, plus $6 per worker paid

  Full-service payroll and tax filing in all 50 states, onboarding with e-signatures, accounting sync, reports and benefits administration.

• Payroll, Time Tracking and HR$70

  per month, plus $10 per worker paid

  Bundle for hourly teams: Payroll Essentials with the Time Tracking and HR add-ons, against $79 plus $12 per worker bought separately.

• Payroll, HR and HR Support$120

  per month, plus $7 per worker paid

  Bundle for salaried teams: Payroll Essentials, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.

• Everything bundle$130

  per month, plus $10 per worker paid

  Payroll Essentials with Time Tracking, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.

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.

OnPay

No public discounts listed.