BrightPay vs Wagepoint (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BrightPay grades higher than Wagepoint: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BrightPay grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
Wagepoint
Canadian payroll with T4s, ROEs and optional time tracking
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 Wagepoint if
- Fits if you have a small Canadian business and want published prices
- Works for bookkeepers who run payroll for several Canadian clients
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you pay anyone outside Canada, as it runs Canadian payroll only
- Tight if you pay more than once a month, because Lite allows one run and one pay group
- Pricey if headcount grows, since every paid employee or contractor adds $4 to $10
- Watch out: next-day deposit is only included in Plus and is an add-on on Lite and Core
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABrightPayGood | 2.2GPAWagepointFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | CLite is $20 plus $4 a person, so one person pays $24 and five pay $40; Core, which allows unlimited runs, is $46 for one and $70 for five. That is inside the usual $20 to $49 range, though Core for a team of five is dearer. |
| 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. | C14-day free trial with all features; the listing does not say a card is needed. No free plan. |
| Features | BHMRC submissions, automatic payroll checks, employee and manager portals, AI assistants, payments and accounting journals. | CHandles provincial tax, CPP, EI, T4s, ROEs, timesheets, clock-in and accounting sync. Lite is capped at one run a month, and it is Canada only. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Payroll setup means entering employees, pensions and tax details. | CNo rating on record. You connect accounting, set up pay groups and add employees before it earns its keep. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, an employee app and links to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and Zoho Books. | BWeb app with a My Wagepoint employee app and two-way sync to QuickBooks Online, Xero and FreshBooks. No desktop program. |
| Best for | UK payroll for small businesses and their accountants | Canadian payroll for a small team |
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 Wagepoint. How we grade
Price against what you get
BrightPay starts at about $9.38 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wagepoint starts at $20 a month and scores 2.3.
BrightPay scores higher and starts $10.62 a month lower. Of the other payroll services on the chart, 1 scores higher than BrightPay for less, and 2 score higher than Wagepoint for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BrightPay also covers employee records.
- Wagepoint also covers reports and time clock.
At a glance
| BrightPay | Wagepoint | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT | $20 per month, plus $4 per employee or contractor |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with full access for your business | 14-day free trial with all features, including running payroll once the company is verified |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bright | Wagepoint |
| Price read from | brightsg.com | wagepoint.com |
| 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.
Wagepoint
- Runs Canadian payroll only; the pricing page asks for a province.
- Lite is limited to one payroll run per month and one pay group.
- Next-day deposit is included only in Plus and is for eligible businesses; it is an add-on for Lite and Core.
- Pricing is by active employee or contractor, so the monthly cost rises with headcount.
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.
Wagepoint
- Canadian payroll calculations
- Federal and provincial income tax, CPP, EI, statutory holiday pay and workers' compensation, with remittance schedules that vary by province.
- Year-end and ROE filing
- Prepares T4s and T4As and submits Records of Employment.
- Time and absence
- Timesheets, clock in/out with geo-fencing and time off management, with hours flowing into payroll through the My Wagepoint app.
- Accounting sync
- Two-way integration with QuickBooks Online, Xero and FreshBooks that updates the books after each pay run.
- Reports
- Earnings, deductions, benefits, payroll register, deposit summary and posting journal reports.
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.
Wagepoint
Lite$20
per month, plus $4 per person paid
For businesses that run one payroll a month in one pay group. Includes direct deposit, T4s and T4As, ROEs, timesheets, time off, clock in/out and geo-fencing.
Core$40
per month, plus $6 per person paid
Unlimited payroll runs and pay groups, with paid time off management and the same time tools as Lite.
Plus$80
per month, plus $10 per person paid
Everything in Core, with next-day deposit for eligible businesses included.
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.
Wagepoint
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BrightPay or Wagepoint?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BrightPay is cheaper to start with: about $9.38 a month, against $20 a month for Wagepoint. BrightPay starts at £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT, and Wagepoint starts at $20 per month, plus $4 per employee or contractor.
Which has a free plan, BrightPay or Wagepoint?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BrightPay nor Wagepoint has a free plan. Both have 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.