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 now cloud-only (the desktop product was retired after 2025/26). Moneysoft remains a traditional Windows desktop application.
BrightPay Cloud is priced by headcount through its online calculator: for one employer it costs £84 + VAT a year for 3 employees, £235.20 for 10 and £355.20 for 20 when paid annually. Moneysoft costs £95 + VAT a year for up to 20 employees. Both are far cheaper than most monthly cloud payroll subscriptions.
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We checked BrightPay’s own cloud price calculator and Moneysoft’s product pages in October 2026. Moneysoft charges an annual licence fee; BrightPay bills by headcount, monthly or annually. Prices exclude VAT unless stated.
- BrightPay Cloud costs £84-£355.20 + VAT a year for 3-20 employees - priced by headcount on its calculator and paid annually, after the £199-£499 desktop licences were retired in 2026
- Moneysoft’s £95 + VAT flat licence covers up to 20 employees - far cheaper than BrightPay at 10 or 20 employees, but it is a Windows desktop program
- BrightPay is cheaper for the very smallest payrolls - £84 + VAT a year for 3 employees undercuts Moneysoft’s £95, and it adds an employee portal and browser access
- Moneysoft suits Windows users who want local data - no cloud dependency, a free trial, and a 100-employee tier at £190 + VAT a year
Quick Comparison
BrightPay is now cloud-only and priced by headcount: its calculator quotes £84 + VAT a year for 3 employees and £235.20 for 10 (one employer, paid annually), and the £199-£499 desktop licences were retired after the 2025/26 tax year. Moneysoft offers three tiers from £95 + VAT a year.
| BrightPay | Moneysoft | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £84 + VAT/year (3 employees) | £95 + VAT/year (20 employees) |
| Pricing model | Headcount-based subscription (monthly or annual) | Annual licence by employee count |
| Platform | Cloud (any browser, including Mac) | Windows only |
| HMRC recognised | Yes | Yes |
| RTI submissions | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-enrolment | Yes | Yes |
| CIS support | Yes | Yes |
| Employee self-service | Yes (employee portal) | Not available |
| Cloud access | Yes (cloud-only) | Not available |
| Bureau/multi-employer | Calculator quote | From £190 + 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 Cloud (per year, paid annually) | Moneysoft (per year + VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 employees | £84 + VAT (£100.80) | £95 + VAT (£114) |
| 10 employees | £235.20 + VAT (£282.24) | £95 + VAT (£114) |
| 20 employees | £355.20 + VAT (£426.24) | £95 + VAT (£114) |
| 25 employees | Calculator quote | £190 + VAT (£228) |
| 100 employees | Calculator quote | £190 + VAT (£228) |
For micro-businesses with about three employees, BrightPay Cloud is cheaper at £84 + VAT a year against Moneysoft’s £95 + VAT. By 10 employees the gap reverses: BrightPay costs £235.20 + VAT against Moneysoft’s unchanged £95, and at 20 employees £355.20 against £95, because Moneysoft’s lowest tier covers up to 20 employees.
Between 21 and 100 employees, Moneysoft’s 100-employee licence costs £190 + VAT a year, and its 250-employee tier £285 + VAT. BrightPay’s price rises with every employee, so get a calculator quote. BrightPay still earns the premium for some teams: browser access from any computer, including a Mac, and an employee portal that Moneysoft lacks.
At 10-20 employees, Moneysoft wins on price at £95 + VAT a year (£114 with VAT); BrightPay’s headcount pricing buys the cloud access and employee portal that Moneysoft lacks. Both remain cheaper than Sage Cloud Payroll (£120-£360/year depending on plan) – though Xero now bundles payroll into all accounting plans from £1.40/month.
Platform and Usability
BrightPay is now cloud-only: BrightPay for Windows was discontinued after 5 April 2026, so payroll runs in a browser on any computer, including a Mac, with unlimited users and an employee portal included. Moneysoft is Windows-only with no cloud features – a traditional desktop application that stores data locally.
The cloud platform is the significant differentiator. BrightPay’s calculator price includes the employee portal, unlimited users, access on any device and pension integrations, so there is no separate add-on to buy.
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 runs in a browser, while Moneysoft is strictly Windows. 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 very small teams and for anyone who needs cloud access or uses a Mac. Moneysoft is better for Windows-based teams of roughly 10-20 employees that want the cheapest option and no cloud features.
Choose BrightPay if you want cloud payroll with an employee portal and multi-employer support, or you run a very small payroll: at 3 employees it costs £84 + VAT a year. Browser access on any computer makes it the more future-proof choice.
Choose Moneysoft if you run payroll on a Windows PC, have around 10-20 employees, and want the simplest possible tool. At £95 + 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 cheaper than many monthly cloud payroll subscriptions 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.
