Best Integrated HR and Payroll Software

best integrated HR and payroll software

When it comes to recruiting, onboarding, and retention, there’s no easier way to manage your team than with HR software. But you don’t just want to manage them – you’ll need to pay them, too. How? With fully integrated HR and payroll software

Integrated HR and payroll software is the answer to all your staff-related admin woes. It’s a simple, unified solution that lets you pay your staff from the same system (and with the same data) that you use for HR management. It’ll help you avoid getting bogged down in data entry, and allow you to spend more time growing your business.

But which integrated HR and payroll software is right for you? Read on to find out, or fill out our quick quote-finding form to receive quotes from top suppliers.

The top 5 integrated HR and payroll software providers

We looked at the range of integrated HR and payroll software available to businesses in the UK. Basing our research on ease of use, HR management features, and payroll automation, we found the best suppliers to be Advanced, Cascade, Moorepay, and Roubler.

The best integrated HR and payroll software for UK businesses:

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Advanced

Best all-in-one provider

Advanced (formerly Mitrefinch) offers a complete ‘Workforce Management’ package for small businesses. As well as HR and payroll software, this bundle also ties in a time and attendance solution. You can track your team’s comings, goings, latenesses, and absences with ease – all from the same system as your HR and payroll.

Advanced’s fully integrated cloud-based payroll software takes the hassle out of payroll. It automates key processes, and lets your employees update their own records. The result? Fewer mistakes, less time spent on the boring stuff, and smoother, more seamless staff management.

Pros

  • Fully compatible with Mac computers
  • Sports a colourful, engaging interface

Cons

  • Not recommended for businesses with less than 100 employees

▶ Read more: Best payroll software for Mac computers

Rippling logo
Looking for a streamlined, automated system?

Cascade

Best for reporting features

When it comes to acronyms, Cascade has all your bases covered. It’s HMRC-recognised, GDPR-ready, and will deliver excellent ROI. Cascade’s completely cloud-based payroll and HR software is also simple to use, and comes with a handy mobile app

Cascade offers some of the most advanced HR reporting tools on the market. You can create reports in minutes, and export them to Excel in an instant. Who’s taken the most sick days? Is your business Gender Pay Gap compliant? Cascade’s software lets you pull key employee data to get answers to key questions, and crunch the numbers that matter most.

Pros

  • Affordable, with a simple annual subscription fee
  • Decent customer support available

Cons

  • Some users might find the interface a little basic
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Moorepay

Best for ease of use

With over half a century’s worth of experience and excellent online customer reviews, Moorepay is a safe choice for small businesses. Its interface is easy to use, nice to look at, and highly scalable, too. Better still, its cloud-based software is accessible around the clock, and you won’t have to handle any big downloads. Just tap to log in, and manage your HR and payroll from any of your devices, anywhere in the world.

Moorepay’s integrated software also comes with a plethora of intelligent features for managing absences, expenses, and timesheets. Throw in specialist, UK-based technical support, and you’ve got a moore convenient way to pay.

Pros

  • Great Trustpilot rating (8.8/10)
  • Offers a range of templates for the quick creation of emails, reminders, and reports

Cons

  • Lacks transparency when it comes to pricing structure

QuickBooks Payroll

Best for businesses looking for a full tax service

QuickBooks Payroll integrates easily with QuickBooks Online, so it’s a great option if you’re already using that platform – but the payroll service can still be used as a standalone. If you use these two services together, your bookkeeping records and reporting are updated in real time each pay cycle, making it easy for you to share payroll info with your accountant.

All of QuickBooks Payroll’s pricing plans include full-service payroll, which is rare to find as other payroll providers tend to limit the number of services available depending on how much you’re paying. All of the plans include unlimited payroll runs, automated tax calculations and filing, direct deposit and an employee portal.
Once you’ve set up payroll, you can then set it to run automatically, giving you one less job to do. Your payroll taxes are calculated, filed and paid for you. QuickBooks is designed with small businesses in mind, making it easier for you to concentrate on more important tasks and leaving the mundane ones for your payroll service.

Pros

  • Integrates well with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Time
  • Offers auto payroll and tax filing and payments

Cons

  • Features on mobile apps are limited

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Roubler

Best for shift-based businesses

One of the UK’s leading cloud-based HR and payroll systems, Roubler has the strength and depth to suit any sized business, with clients including WH Smith, KPMG, and Estée Lauder.

Its standout features include its customisable on-boarding system – enabling employees to on-board themselves quickly and easily – and real-time rota reports, providing live data on your company’s total hours, wage costs, and sales – meaning you can optimise your workforce more efficiently.

Pros

  • Free demo available
  • Saves clients on average 26% on overtime costs within the first month
  • Easy-to-use platform

Cons

  • Customer support scores poorly on the review site Capterra

Our Methodology: How Did We Decide on the Best Payroll Software?

Five researchers carried out in-depth research into payroll service providers according to a comparison framework designed by our research team leader. For each provider we’ve asked these questions:

  • How much control does it give you over your payroll process?
  • How secure is it? What security measures does it take to protect your data?
  • How much help and expertise does it offer when it comes to taxes and compliance?
  • How scalable is the product? Can it grow alongside your company?
  • How helpful is its customer support offering?

We’ve factored all these questions into our rating system and come out with a ranking of the best payroll software platforms.


Next steps

If you’ve read this far, then you know how integrated HR and payroll software can benefit your business. Quick, convenient, and easy to use, it’s an essential tool for staying on top of the long list of demands facing your HR department. 

And if you’ve read this far, you might also be ready to look at pricing plans for your business. To get an accurate quote, you’ll need to enquire directly with a provider. Alternatively, you can fill out our free quote-finding form

It takes just under a minute to complete, and you’ll receive quotes from top HR and payroll software suppliers. Click one of the thumbs below to get started.

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FAQs

How much does integrated HR and payroll software cost?

Good question – though it isn’t one with a concrete answer. HR and payroll software is typically priced based on the number of people you employ, and costs vary from supplier to supplier.

Payroll software starts from around £10 per month for a basic package, while some providers charge over £300 per year for businesses with 50+ employees. HR software costs usually come to around £10 to £25 per active user, per month. The cost of an integrated solution will depend on the provider, as well as the level of features you require.

Is there free integrated HR and payroll software available?

The short answer is… yes! Iris offers payroll service packages for businesses with fewer than 10 employees, completely gratis. 

Other companies offer free trials ranging from two weeks to three months, but afterwards, you’ll be expected to upgrade to a paid plan. Free integrated HR and payroll solutions typically come with far fewer features than paid software.

Written by:
Rob Binns
Rob writes mainly about the payments industry, but also brings to the table industry-specific knowledge of CRM software, business loans, fulfilment, and invoice finance. When not exasperating his editor with bad puns, he can be found relaxing in a sunny (socially-distanced) corner, with a beer and a battered copy of Dostoevsky.
Reviewed by:
Heleana Neil, Business Services editor
Heleana Neil specialises in Business Services, managing the strategy and production of content for SMBs, helping businesses with the challenges and opportunities they face today. Covering everything from payroll to payment processing, Heleana uses her expertise to help business owners make better, informed decisions and grow their companies.