Comparison

QuickBooks Payroll vs SimplePay

A data-driven, side-by-side comparison for UK businesses. Provider data is verified by our research team and every review is moderated before publishing.

Updated 5 July 2026

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QuickBooks Payroll logo
QuickBooks Payroll
4.2(110 reviews)

Starting price

US$50/mo

SimplePay logo
SimplePay
4.4(97 reviews)

Starting price

£5/user/month

At a glance

Who wins, category by category

Category-by-category winners based on verified user ratings, each scored out of 5.

QuickBooks Payroll logo
vs
SimplePay logo
4.2
Overall RatingSimplePay
4.4
4.3
Ease of UseSimplePay
4.5
3.9
Value for MoneySimplePay
4.4
3.9
Customer ServiceSimplePay
4.5
4.2
FunctionalityQuickBooks Payroll
3.9

Analytics

Ratings, visualised

The four dimensions every reviewer rates, shown two ways — bars for side-by-side magnitude, gauges for the head-to-head on each.

Rating by category

Head to head by category

QuickBooks PayrollSimplePay
Ease of Use4.3/4.5
Value for Money3.9/4.4
Customer Service3.9/4.5
Functionality4.2/3.9
012345

Sentiment

How reviewers feel

Positive (4 to 5 stars), neutral (3 stars) and negative (1 to 2 stars) sentiment across all verified reviews.

QuickBooks Payroll logoQuickBooks Payroll
110 reviews
79%

Positive sentiment

  • Positive79%
  • Neutral14%
  • Negative7%
SimplePay logoSimplePay
97 reviews
87%

Positive sentiment

  • Positive87%
  • Neutral10%
  • Negative3%

Pricing

Pricing compared

Entry price, free plans and trials at a glance. A lower starting price is not everything, but it is where most UK businesses begin.

QuickBooks Payroll

US$50/month

SimplePay

£5/user/month

Prices are shown in each vendor's billing currency and aren't directly comparable — check the live exchange rate before deciding.

QuickBooks Payroll

Free trial

Cloud payroll from Intuit that runs inside QuickBooks, with automated tax calculation and filing, direct deposit, employee self service and full service tax penalty protection on the higher tiers.

US$50/ month
  • Automatic tax filing and payment
  • QuickBooks accounting integration
  • Direct deposit

SimplePay

Free trial

Straightforward SA payroll with automatic tax calculations, HMRC filing season exports and a clean interface.

£5/ user/month
  • Automatic tax calculations
  • P60 generation
  • Accounting integrations

Features

Full feature comparison

Every data point we track for QuickBooks Payroll and SimplePay, side by side.

SimplePay logoSimplePay
4.4/5
97 reviews
User ratings
Overall rating
4.2
4.4
Ease of Use
4.3
4.5
Value for Money
3.9
4.4
Customer Service
3.9
4.5
Functionality
4.2
3.9
Pricing & plans
Starting price
US$50/mo
£5/user/month
Free trial
Free version
Pricing plans
3
1
Top features
Standout capabilities
  • Automatic tax filing and payment
  • QuickBooks accounting integration
  • Direct deposit
  • Automatic tax calculations
  • P60 generation
  • Accounting integrations
Best for
Ideal customer
Cloud payroll from Intuit that runs inside QuickBooks, with automated tax calculation and filing, direct deposit, employee self service and full service tax penalty protection on the higher tiers.
Straightforward SA payroll with automatic tax calculations, HMRC filing season exports and a clean interface.

Voices

What real users say

The strongest praise and the most common complaint, pulled from verified reviews of each product.

QuickBooks Payroll logoQuickBooks Payroll
D

Danielle Barrington

Bookkeeper, 11-50 employees

The QuickBooks accounting integration means zero double entry.

J

Jessica N.

Bookkeeper, 2-10 employees

HR tools are basic.

SimplePay logoSimplePay
F

Fatima Fourie

Financial Manager, 501-1000 employees

It is genuinely simple to use. I am not a payroll person and I had our staff loaded and paid on day one.

P

Priya D.

Office Manager, 501-1000 employees

The reporting is a bit basic if you want to slice the numbers finely.

Our verdict

SimplePay leads 4/5

Which should you choose?

On the data we track, SimplePay leads in 4 of 5 categories. Weigh that against your budget and the features that matter most to your team.