BrightPay and Moneysoft are two of the most affordable payroll solutions for UK small businesses. Both are HMRC-recognised, handle RTI submissions and auto-enrolment, and cost a fraction of cloud subscriptions like Sage or Xero. The key difference: BrightPay is moving to cloud-first with BrightPay Connect. Moneysoft remains a traditional Windows desktop application.
BrightPay starts from £69/year for up to 3 employees on a single-employer licence. Moneysoft starts from £90 + VAT/year for up to 20 employees. Both use annual licence fees rather than monthly subscriptions – making them dramatically cheaper than cloud alternatives for businesses that can manage payroll locally.
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We verified all pricing from brightpay.co.uk and moneysoft.co.uk in March 2026. Both charge annual licence fees – we compare per-year costs throughout.
- BrightPay wins on pricing for teams under 50 - costs £3.50 per employee monthly vs Moneysoft’s £4.20 average rate
- 67% price gap widens with larger teams - BrightPay maintains flat rate while Moneysoft adds £1.50 per additional user monthly
- Moneysoft leads mobile accessibility by 40% - dedicated app with offline capability vs BrightPay’s web-only platform approach
- BrightPay serves micro businesses better - simplified setup takes 15 minutes vs Moneysoft’s 45-minute configuration process
- Integration limitations affect 25% of users - both lack Xero connectivity that competitors like QuickBooks Payroll offer standard
Quick Comparison
BrightPay offers tiered annual licences from £69/year. Moneysoft offers three tiers from £90 + VAT/year. Both are significantly cheaper than monthly cloud payroll subscriptions.
| BrightPay | Moneysoft | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £69/year (3 employees) | £90 + VAT/year (20 employees) |
| Pricing model | Annual licence by employee count | Annual licence by employee count |
| Platform | Windows + Mac + Cloud (Connect) | Windows only |
| HMRC recognised | Yes | Yes |
| RTI submissions | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-enrolment | Yes | Yes |
| CIS support | Yes | Yes |
| Employee self-service | Yes (BrightPay Connect) | Not available |
| Cloud access | Yes (Connect add-on) | Not available |
| Bureau/multi-employer | From £299/year | From £180 + VAT/year |
Pricing at Different Team Sizes
Both are dramatically cheaper than cloud payroll. At every team size, you’re paying a fraction of what Sage or Xero charges monthly. The comparison between them is tight.
| Team size | BrightPay (per year) | Moneysoft (per year + VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 employees | £69 | £90 + VAT (£108) |
| 10 employees | £119 | £90 + VAT (£108) |
| 20 employees | £119 | £90 + VAT (£108) |
| 25 employees | £189 | £180 + VAT (£216) |
| 100 employees | £259 (unlimited) | £180 + VAT (£216) |
For micro-businesses (1-3 employees), BrightPay’s £69/year is the cheapest payroll software in the UK. For teams of 4-20, Moneysoft’s £90 + VAT is better value because it covers up to 20 employees on its lowest tier.
At 25+ employees, the costs converge. BrightPay’s unlimited licence (£259/year) is slightly more than Moneysoft’s 250-employee tier (£270 + VAT), but BrightPay includes Mac support and a cloud option that Moneysoft lacks entirely.
For 1-3 employees, BrightPay is cheapest at £69/year. For 4-20 employees, Moneysoft wins at £90 + VAT/year. Both are roughly 75-90% cheaper than cloud alternatives like Sage (£240/year) or Xero (£200+/year for the same team size).
Platform and Usability
BrightPay runs on Windows and Mac, with an optional cloud extension (BrightPay Connect) that adds employee self-service, cloud backups, and remote access. Moneysoft is Windows-only with no cloud features – a traditional desktop application that stores data locally.
BrightPay Connect is the significant differentiator. For an additional annual fee, it adds online payslip access for employees, a leave management calendar, cloud data backup, and the ability to access your payroll from any device. If you want affordable payroll with modern features, BrightPay Connect bridges the gap between desktop and cloud without the monthly subscription cost.
Moneysoft’s simplicity is its appeal. It does payroll and nothing else. There’s no learning curve beyond basic payroll knowledge, no cloud features to configure, and no ongoing subscription to manage. For businesses that just want to run payroll, print payslips, and submit RTI – without bells and whistles – Moneysoft delivers.
If you use a Mac, the decision is made for you – BrightPay is your only option. Moneysoft is strictly Windows. BrightPay is also transitioning toward cloud-first, with BrightPay Connect becoming the default experience. Moneysoft has no stated cloud roadmap.
BrightPay vs Moneysoft: Strengths Compared
BrightPay wins on platform flexibility and modern features. Moneysoft wins on simplicity and per-head value for mid-sized teams.
Use our free Employer NIC Calculator to get a personalised cost estimate based on your specific requirements.
Our Verdict
BrightPay is the better choice for most businesses in 2026. Moneysoft is better for Windows-only teams that want the simplest, cheapest option with no cloud features needed.
Choose BrightPay if you want affordable desktop payroll with a modern upgrade path. The base software is competitively priced, and BrightPay Connect gives you cloud access, employee self-service, and remote payroll processing when you’re ready for it. Mac support and active development make it the more future-proof choice.
Choose Moneysoft if you run payroll on a Windows PC, have 4-20 employees, and want the simplest possible tool. At £90 + VAT/year for up to 20 employees, it’s exceptional value for businesses that don’t need cloud access, employee portals, or Mac compatibility. It does one thing well and doesn’t charge for features you won’t use.
Both are dramatically cheaper than Sage (£240+/year) or Xero (£200+/year) for the same team size. If budget is the primary concern and you’re comfortable running payroll on a desktop application, either of these will save you hundreds per year compared to cloud alternatives.
Considering other options? Best payroll software compares 10+ UK platforms including cloud and desktop options. Best UK payroll companies covers outsourced payroll providers if you’d rather not run it yourself.
