The BrightPay Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about BrightPay in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
BrightPay
The Insider’s Guide
UK cloud payroll with HMRC submissions and auto-enrolment
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among payroll services, read from BrightPay’s own pages.
Made by Bright · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from BrightPay’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on BrightPay’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 35 of the 40 other payroll services we grade
BrightPay is UK payroll software, now sold by Bright from brightsg.com, that sends RTI submissions to HMRC and manages auto-enrolment pension duties. It processes payroll for up to 300 employees per employer and has employee and manager portals. Pricing is a published calculator based on team size, with a free trial.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about BrightPay, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Payroll setup means entering employees, pensions and tax details.
- 1
Best for UK payroll for small businesses and their accountants
BrightPay Cloud is UK payroll software at GBP 7 a month plus VAT for one employer and a few employees, with HMRC submissions and an employee app.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $9.38 a month
As its pricing page puts it: £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT.
- 3
You can try it first
Free trial with full access for your business
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
Automatic payroll checks
Flags NI category changes, minimum wage shortfalls for hourly staff and pension contributions below the minimum before a run is finalized.
- 7
Employee and manager portals
Employees see payslips and book annual leave, and line managers handle leave requests and team details in their own portal.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 35 of 40
That is against the other payroll services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace BrightPay you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
BrightPay at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial with full access for your business
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Bright
- Category
- Payroll
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for UK payroll for small businesses and their accountants
BrightPay Cloud is UK payroll software at GBP 7 a month plus VAT for one employer and a few employees, with HMRC submissions and an employee app. It is built for UK payroll, with a cap of 300 employees, and its trial length is not stated.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | GBP 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). |
| Free plan and trial | C | A free trial with full access, but the page does not state its length or whether a card is needed. There is no free plan. |
| Features | B | HMRC submissions, automatic payroll checks, employee and manager portals, AI assistants, payments and accounting journals. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Payroll setup means entering employees, pensions and tax details. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, an employee app and links to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and Zoho Books. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who BrightPay is for
- Fits if you run payroll for a UK small business
- Works for accountants who want links to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- UK small businesses that run their own payroll
- Accountants and bureaus running payroll for several employers
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$9.38
A month to start
BrightPay is a paid product with a free trial, starting at £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly), + VAT.
A free trial with full access, but the page does not state its length or whether a card is needed.
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.
Trying it first
Free trial with full access for your business
Read from brightsg.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on brightsg.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
UK cloud payroll with HMRC submissions and auto-enrolment. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, payroll, employee records, time off.
HMRC submissions, automatic payroll checks, employee and manager portals, AI assistants, payments and accounting journals.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- Zoho Books
- BrightBooks
- Modulr
- TimeKeeper
- BrightCIS
BrightPay is made by Bright.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
35/40
Other payroll services it is graded above
BrightPay's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 40 other payroll services we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 28 of 40) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at about $9.38 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 3 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 41 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. BrightPay’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 28 of 40
- CFree plan and trialAbove 30 of 40
- BFeaturesAbove 17 of 40
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 40
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 11 of 40
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 25 payroll services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. BrightPay is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace BrightPay you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 40 other payroll services we grade. It costs $112.55 a year.
What you could make
- Time off and employee records: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- It plugs into other products, Xero, QuickBooks and Sage among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. BrightPay’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
OnPay, Wagepoint, Eddy, Employment Hero and Payfit
The 5 tools BrightPay is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
OnPay
Free trial · from $49/mo
US payroll with published prices, plus HR and time add-ons.
- Only OnPay lists iOS and Android apps.
- BrightPay also covers employee records and time off.
- OnPay also covers time tracking and reports.
- 2.2GPA
Wagepoint
Free trial · from $20/mo
Canadian payroll with T4s, ROEs and optional time tracking.
- BrightPay also covers employee records.
- Wagepoint also covers reports and time clock.
- 2.0GPA
Eddy
Free trial · from $50/mo
HR records, time tracking and US payroll for small businesses.
- Only Eddy lists iOS and Android apps.
- Eddy also covers time clock and applicant tracking.
- 1.8GPA
Employment Hero
From $10/mo
Payroll, HR and hiring for Australia, NZ, the UK and Asia.
- Only Employment Hero lists iOS and Android apps.
- BrightPay also covers employee records and time off.
- Employment Hero also covers time tracking.
- 2.0GPA
Payfit
Paid
Managed UK payroll and HR with an AI assistant.
- Payfit also covers expense tracking.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is BrightPay free?
No, BrightPay is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free trial with full access for your business.
How much does BrightPay cost?
BrightPay lists one plan. BrightPay Cloud: £7.00 per month, billed annually (£8.25 billed monthly).
What platforms does BrightPay work on?
BrightPay is available on Web.
Does BrightPay offer any discounts?
BrightPay publicly lists the following: Save 15% with annual billing.
Does BrightPay have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. BrightPay is listed for Web.
Does BrightPay have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. BrightPay is listed for Web.
Is BrightPay open source?
BrightPay is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
What does BrightPay integrate with?
BrightPay's listing names Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Zoho Books, BrightBooks, Modulr, TimeKeeper and BrightCIS.
Who makes BrightPay?
BrightPay is made by Bright.
What are the alternatives to BrightPay?
The closest alternatives to BrightPay in our directory are OnPay, Wagepoint, Eddy, Employment Hero and Payfit.
How does BrightPay compare with other payroll services?
BrightPay's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 40 other payroll services we grade, and level with 3.
Is BrightPay good value for money?
ToolGPA grades BrightPay B for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $9.38 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 3 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of BrightPay?
To replace BrightPay you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from BrightPay’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from BrightPay's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Bright. Prices change, so check brightsg.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- BrightPay, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/brightpay
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "BrightPay: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/brightpay
Know someone choosing between payroll services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/brightpay/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded payroll services after BrightPay, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Payroll Insider's GuideEvery one of the 41 payroll services we grade, compared
- Roll by ADP Insider's GuideChat-based payroll app for very small US businesses2.8 GPA
- SimplePay Insider's GuideSouth African online payroll with leave and self-service2.8 GPA
- OnPay Insider's GuideUS payroll with published prices, plus HR and time add-ons2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what BrightPay’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. BrightPay is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Bright. Prices and plans change: check brightsg.com before you buy.