Best European Payroll Software With Published Prices (2026)

Payroll software with published prices is software that runs or prepares wages and states what it costs on the vendor's own website, so a buyer can estimate the monthly bill without requesting a quote.

How we rank these tools — 4-step process
  1. 1
    European ownership, verified

    The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA, the UK, Switzerland or Israel, and processes customer data in Europe or Israel. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.

  2. 2
    Category fit and hands-on review

    What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.

  3. 3
    Compliance and pricing check

    GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.

  4. 4
    Position on this page

    Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect the order tools appear in. It never buys a listing: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.

Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Vendors can pay for more visibility, higher up on the review pages; it never affects whether a tool is listed. Editorial policy

Editor Sebastiaan Smits

Published Last reviewed How we review

Key takeaways

  • Sage Payroll publishes three tiers from £12, £23 and £34 a month excluding VAT, each with a per-employee add-on, for up to 150 employees.
  • Zenegy states its whole formula, DKK 100 a month plus DKK 27 per payslip, and prices payslips rather than employees.
  • Factorial lists a free tier and paid plans from €4.50 per employee per month on its tool page, but its payroll coverage differs by country.
  • Employes is described as publishing a per-employee price for Dutch payroll, although this site records no amount for it.
  • Papershift states published per-employee plans and a free trial, and it prepares payroll for filing elsewhere instead of filing it itself.

Most European payroll vendors answer the price question with a demo request, which makes five that publish a price a short list by itself. This ranking orders those five by how much of the cost you can calculate from published figures, from complete formulas down to a statement that plans are published. Each is operated by a company established in Europe, and each also has a country limit that matters more than its price.

5 European payroll tools compared

PositionToolEstablishedEntry priceBest for
#1 Sage Payroll United Kingdom Payroll Essentials from £12/month excl. VAT for up to 5 employees (+£2.40/employee), Standard from £23 (+£4.40/employee), Premium from £34 (+£6.40/employee); up to 150 employees; free for the first month UK employers who want a full price formula on the page
#2 Zenegy Denmark DKK 100/month base fee + DKK 27 per payslip; HR module +DKK 15/employee; e-Boks delivery +DKK 3/payslip Danish companies that want to pay per payslip
#3 Factorial Spain Per employee per month, published plans Spanish and southern European teams buying HR plus payroll
#4 Employes Netherlands Per employee per month, published Dutch employers under fifty people running payroll themselves
#5 Papershift Germany Per employee per month, published plans Shift-based businesses whose payroll starts with the rota

The 5 tools reviewed

#1 Sage Payroll

Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Founded 1981 Payroll Essentials from £12/month excl. VAT for up to 5 employees (+£2.40/employee), Standard from £23 (+£4.40/employee), Premium from £34 (+£6.40/employee); up to 150 employees; free for the first month 1-month free trial

Best for: UK employers who want a full price formula on the page

  • Operating company. Sage (UK) Ltd, part of The Sage Group plc (Companies House 01045967)
  • Jurisdiction. United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
  • Source code. Closed source
  • Replaces. ADP, Gusto, Xero Payroll

Sage Payroll has the most complete published price on this list. Sage (UK) Ltd states three tiers: Essentials from £12 a month excluding VAT for up to five employees, plus £2.40 per employee beyond that; Standard from £23 plus £4.40; and Premium from £34 plus £6.40. Because each tier has a base and a per-employee add-on, a UK employer can do the arithmetic for 12 or 40 people without a call.

The product is UK payroll only, and it tops out at 150 employees. Sage (UK) Ltd is a United Kingdom company, which is outside the EEA but covered by an adequacy decision, so a European buyer should record the transfer basis. A one-month free trial is included, which allows a real pay run before the first bill.

What Sage Payroll does well

  • Three tiers with base price and per-employee add-on all stated
  • One-month free trial
  • Handles RTI, P60s, P45s and pension auto-enrolment inside the product

Where Sage Payroll falls short

  • United Kingdom only, with a ceiling of 150 employees
  • Prices are quoted excluding VAT, in pounds

Standout feature. A price you can compute for any headcount up to 150 from three published tiers.

Read the full Sage Payroll review Visit Sage Payroll

#2 Zenegy

Hørsholm, Denmark Founded 2016 DKK 100/month base fee + DKK 27 per payslip; HR module +DKK 15/employee; e-Boks delivery +DKK 3/payslip Free demo on request

Best for: Danish companies that want to pay per payslip

  • Operating company. Zenegy Danmark ApS (CVR 38366041)
  • Jurisdiction. EU (Denmark)
  • Source code. Closed source
  • Replaces. ADP, Gusto, Bluegarden

Zenegy Danmark ApS in Hørsholm publishes a two-part formula: DKK 100 a month as a base fee and DKK 27 for each payslip. There is no employee minimum, and unlimited users are included in the base subscription. A company with three employees and one with thirty follow the same rule, and a month in which nobody is paid costs only the base fee.

Extras are priced separately and also stated: the HR module adds DKK 15 per employee and e-Boks delivery adds DKK 3 per payslip. Everything is in Danish kroner, so a euro-based budget needs a conversion at the time of signing. Zenegy covers Danish payroll only, and the vendor is a small company founded in 2016 compared with the older names in the category.

What Zenegy does well

  • Full formula published, with no employee minimum
  • Unlimited users included in the base subscription
  • Reports to SKAT through eIndkomst automatically

Where Zenegy falls short

  • Denmark only
  • Prices in Danish kroner, with extras for HR and e-Boks

Standout feature. The price follows the number of payslips run, which keeps a quiet month cheap.

Read the full Zenegy review Visit Zenegy

#3 Factorial

Barcelona, Spain Founded 2016 Per employee per month, published plans Free trial

Best for: Spanish and southern European teams buying HR plus payroll

  • Operating company. Everyday Software, S.L. (CIF B-66854530)
  • Jurisdiction. EU (Spain)
  • Where the data sits. European Union
  • Source code. Closed source
  • Replaces. ADP, Gusto, BambooHR

Factorial, from Everyday Software, S.L. in Barcelona, states a free tier and paid plans from €4.50 per employee per month in the fact table on its tool page. The same page's text says modular pricing starts from approximately €5.75 per employee per month, so the two figures differ and the vendor's pricing page should settle which one applies to your modules. A 14-day free trial is listed.

Prices are modular: you select and pay for the modules you use, and payroll is one of several next to absence, time tracking and recruitment. The tool page notes that the free tier is limited enough that most companies will need to pay quickly. Payroll coverage and whether Factorial files or only prepares payroll differ by country, so the published price compares less cleanly than a payroll-only price.

What Factorial does well

  • Free tier and a 14-day free trial
  • Pay only for the modules you select
  • Spanish company serving 10,000+ customers according to its tool page

Where Factorial falls short

  • Two different from-prices appear on its tool page
  • Payroll filing differs by country, and the price covers modules rather than payroll alone

Standout feature. A free tier and a stated entry price, in a suite that goes well beyond payroll.

Read the full Factorial review Visit Factorial

#4 Employes

Amsterdam, Netherlands Per employee per month, published Free trial

Best for: Dutch employers under fifty people running payroll themselves

  • Operating company. Shine Employes B.V. (KvK 64254615)
  • Jurisdiction. EU (Netherlands)
  • Where the data sits. Netherlands
  • Source code. Closed source
  • Replaces. Gusto, ADP, Nmbrs

Employes, from Shine Employes B.V. in Amsterdam, sells straight to employers and publishes a per-employee price rather than asking for a quote. The amount itself is not recorded on this site, so the entry below rests on the statement that the price is published, and the figure should be read on the vendor's own pricing page.

What the tool page does establish is the scope behind the price: the full Dutch cycle of gross to net, payslips, the wage tax return and the payment file, with Dutch hosting. A free trial is listed. The limits are that it covers the Netherlands only and that the vendor is small, which is worth weighing for a system whose filings a regulator checks every month.

What Employes does well

  • Sold directly to employers without a sales call
  • Covers filing as well as calculation for Dutch payroll
  • Dutch company with Dutch hosting

Where Employes falls short

  • Netherlands only
  • No amount recorded here, so the price must be read on the vendor's site

Standout feature. A Dutch payroll price meant to be read before any conversation with the vendor.

Read the full Employes review Visit Employes

#5 Papershift

Karlsruhe, Germany Founded 2014 Per employee per month, published plans Free trial

Best for: Shift-based businesses whose payroll starts with the rota

  • Operating company. Papershift GmbH
  • Jurisdiction. EU (Germany)
  • Where the data sits. Germany
  • Source code. Closed source
  • Replaces. Deputy, When I Work, ADP scheduling

Papershift GmbH in Karlsruhe lists published per-employee plans and a free trial. This site records no amounts for the plans, so what can be said is the structure: you pay per employee per month, and the plan you pick decides which scheduling and time features you get.

Papershift starts from rostering and time tracking, applies surcharge and break rules, and produces the numbers payroll needs. It prepares payroll rather than filing it, so a published price covers the preparation and an accountant or bureau still files. A salaried office team with fixed hours will use little of it, and the vendor focuses on Germany.

What Papershift does well

  • Published per-employee plans and a free trial
  • Rostering, time tracking and surcharge rules in one system
  • German company with German hosting

Where Papershift falls short

  • Prepares payroll instead of filing it
  • No plan amounts recorded here

Standout feature. The published price buys the rota and the hours, which is where shift-work payroll errors start.

Read the full Papershift review Visit Papershift

What does published pricing actually tell you?

A published price lets you do arithmetic before a sales call, but the shapes differ. Sage Payroll uses a tier base plus a per-employee add-on, Zenegy a base fee plus a per-payslip charge, and Factorial a per-employee price by module. Two prices in different shapes only compare once you apply your own headcount and number of pay runs.

Read what the price covers as well as the number. In the Netherlands and Denmark it can cover filing with the tax authority, while Papershift prepares payroll for someone else to file. A low published price for preparation can still leave you paying an accountant for the filing.

How do I compare a price in pounds, kroner and euros?

Do not convert at a rate you have not checked. Sage Payroll is priced in pounds excluding VAT, Zenegy in Danish kroner, and Factorial in euros. Convert at the rate on the day you sign, and add VAT where the vendor quotes without it.

Then model one real month. Take your headcount, the number of payslips, and any add-on you would use, such as Zenegy's HR module at DKK 15 per employee or Sage's higher tiers, and total it for each vendor that fits your country.

What should I check before signing up?

Check the country first, because every tool here has a national limit: Sage Payroll for the United Kingdom, Zenegy for Denmark, Employes for the Netherlands, and Papershift with a German focus. Factorial varies by country. A cheap payroll tool that cannot file in your country is the wrong product at any price.

Then use the free trial the way it is meant to be used. Sage Payroll offers one month and Factorial 14 days, long enough to run one real pay cycle for a small team and check payslips against your own calculation.

When should I not pick on published price?

If you employ people in more than one country, a published national price does not answer your question, and a multi-country vendor that quotes on request may be the better fit. If your accountant files payroll for you, their software often decides the choice more than any list price does.

Large organisations are a further case. Vendors that quote per organisation, such as SD Worx or Zalaris on this site, sell contracts and service levels together, and a per-payslip rate says little about them.

How do I move payroll between vendors?

Start at a clean boundary, normally the start of a tax year or a calendar quarter, so year-to-date totals do not have to be split. Export employee master data and the year-to-date figures from the old system and keep the last payslips and filings for the retention period your country requires.

Run the new system in parallel for one month and compare net pay to the cent. Only close the old account after the first filing from the new vendor has been accepted by the tax authority.

How we selected and ranked these 5 tools

Every tool on this page is in the European Purpose directory, which means the operating company is established in Europe and we have verified that from the company register or the vendor's own legal notice rather than from a marketing page. Tools headquartered outside Europe are not eligible, however good they are.

  1. Feature verification (weight: 40%). We check each capability against the vendor's own documentation and product pages, and record what the tool does rather than what the category is assumed to include.
  2. Ease of adoption (weight: 30%). Integrations, published API access, trial availability and how much configuration stands between signing and a usable result.
  3. Value and transparency (weight: 30%). Published pricing counts in a vendor's favour; quote-only pricing is recorded as quote-only rather than estimated. We weigh what a buyer gets for the entry price, not the headline feature count.
  4. Editorial review. Every page is researched and drafted with AI assistance, and the compliance and pricing claims are checked against the vendor's documentation before it is published under the founder's editorial responsibility. The three weights above decide the order; a position is a ranking against the other European tools in this category, not an absolute score.

Vendor-reported outcomes — ROI figures, margin uplift, time saved — are labelled as vendor claims wherever they appear on this page. We have not audited them, and neither has anyone else who quotes them. Read our full editorial process for how pages are re-verified.

Frequently asked questions

Sage Payroll, according to its tool page: Essentials from £12 a month excluding VAT for up to five employees plus £2.40 each beyond, Standard from £23 plus £4.40, and Premium from £34 plus £6.40, up to 150 employees.

Zenegy charges DKK 100 a month plus DKK 27 per payslip, with HR module and e-Boks delivery as extras. Nmbrs is also priced per payslip, but its pricing is quoted and not published.

Sage Payroll lists a one-month trial, Factorial a 14-day trial and a limited free tier, and Employes and Papershift list a free trial. Zenegy lists a free demo on request.

Not as a rule. Sage Payroll covers the United Kingdom, Zenegy Denmark and Employes the Netherlands. Factorial varies by country, so check coverage for each place you employ people.

Their tool pages state that prices or plans are published but record no amounts, and this guide only quotes figures that appear on the tool pages. The vendor sites hold the current numbers.

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