5 best HR and payroll software platforms for 2025

Streamlining your HR and payroll into a single software product is a smart way to improve efficiency and compliance. With the Employment Rights Bill coming into effect since April 2025, you’ll need a system that can adapt to these changes to UK law. But which system is the right choice for your needs?

During my analysis of the top HR and payroll software – carried out alongside an independent reviewer – MHR iTrent was the standout. It’s a solid option with some truly impressive modules for upskilling employees. But remember, the “best” solution for you depends on your specific needs.

A note on pricing: payroll and HR software brands are notorious for hiding their fees. I struggled to find transparent pricing for all but one (Staffology). I’ve highlighted prices where I can, but you can also get personalised quotes in minutes with our 🔍free cost comparison tool.

Compare the top HR and payroll systems

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FEATURED SPONSOR	BEST ALL ROUND
Provider HiBob	Provider MHR iTrent	Provider Rippling	Provider Staffology by IRIS	Provider Moorepay	Provider ADP
Best for Not yet accessed	Best for Tech and healthcare businesses	Best for Finance businesses	Best for Seasonal businesses	Best for Marketing and sales businesses	Best for Managing and paying freelancers
HMRC Compliant	HMRC Compliant	HMRC Compliant	HMRC Compliant	HMRC Compliant	HMRC Compliant
Visit HiBob	Compare Quotes	Visit Rippling	Compare Quotes	Visit Moorepay	Compare Quotes

1. MHR iTrent: Best for tech and healthcare companies

Employees can make note of any learning modules they are working on in the dashboard of MHR’s self-service portal.

Who is MHR iTrent best suited to?

MHR is a specialist in employee learning, and its HR software iTrent is a great fit for fast-paced sectors like tech and healthcare. Both experience constant change, and upskilling ensures workers can adapt to new technologies, regulations, and best practices.

Its built-in Learning Management Software (LMS) can be used to host, track, distribute, personalise, optimise, and scale up your corporate training programmes.

What I like about MHR iTrent

Salary budgeting: employee wages are rising everyday (the National Living Wage saw a rise in April). iTrent’s unique salary modelling feature helps firms stress test new hires to gauge how a pay change will affect budgets.

Timesheets: iTrent’s mobile workforce management feature lets employees clock-in and out themselves. This data then flows directly to payroll, so consultant staff – or those working to a timesheet – know that their hours are accurately recorded and compensated. 

Employee empowerment: gaining buy-in from employees can be difficult if a system proves confusing to learn. iTrent provides pre-recorded training videos and a knowledge base to guide employees through the onboarding process.

Reasons to avoid MHR iTrent

iTrent is not qualified to give advice on payroll compliance through the iTrent platform. Users will need to hire a third-party expert or auditor to ensure they are up-to-date with tax and legislation changes. However, MHR is ISO/IEC 27001 certified, which means it meets international security standards for protecting employee data.

Another issue for some might be the lack of 24/7 support. If a company has a payroll or HR emergency, they won’t get help from iTrent outside of working hours. You might want to consider the all-hours chatbot provided by Staffology instead.

How much does MHR iTrent cost?

MHR iTrent doesn’t publicly list the cost of its HR and Payroll software, instead it can provide your business with a bespoke quote.

Great for Medical and Tech Firms

MHR’s iTrent HR software is ideal for tech and healthcare workers, offering built-in learning tools to support onboarding, compliance, and continuous upskilling for over 1,000 UK companies.

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2. Rippling: Best for finance companies

Rippling makes HR and payroll processes like onboarding simple to understand with its desktop walkthroughs.

Who is Rippling best suited to?

I’d recommend Rippling to finance and insurance companies. This is because, during our testing, we ended up being particularly impressed by its automatic alert system. If there is a breach in payroll compliance, we discovered that Rippling will instantly notify users – potentially saving thousands in avoided penalty fees.

Financial sectors are specially regulated, meaning compliance is a particularly sticky area that Rippling’s strong security features (including certificates for three international security standards) can help smooth out.

What I like about Rippling

Ease-of-use: adopting a new software for your business can be a tricky process. Rippling’s interface is similar to Slack and, thanks to its helpful walkthrough tour and live training features, the platform is easy for new users to get to grips with. 

Customisation: Rippling has an open API (a code that allows two software programs to communicate directly) so you can link it with your existing third-party apps. For example, Rippling can integrate with a company’s CRM tool to track customer interactions and link them to employee performance.

Reasons to avoid Rippling

Unlike a provider like Moorepay, Rippling’s vendor data is stored in the US, which could be a security concern for companies with sensitive customer data. However, I was impressed by its long list of security features, and I think these should be enough to suit most businesses that don’t require advanced data protections.

How much does Rippling cost?

Rippling doesn’t disclose its costs online, and instead will provide a bespoke prices for users. However, Rippling is generally known to be a low-cost software, and it has previously listed that its fees start at £7 per user, per month. 

My experience using Rippling:

Rippling was great for us when we were just starting out and only had 15 members on our team. It’s really easy to use and tidy, which is great for a new business that doesn’t have an HR staff. You can handle onboarding, payroll, time off, and even benefits all from one dashboard. We did most of the work ourselves without aid.

Berkay Kinaci

Berkay Kinaci is the COO at Speaktor, where he leads operations on an AI-powered platform that helps businesses and content creators make the most out of voice technology.

Ideal for Financial Firms

Rippling offers low-cost, custom-priced payroll software ideal for highly regulated sectors like finance and insurance, offering automated alerts and checks to help meet strict regulatory requirements and avoid costly penalties.

Visit Rippling It only takes a minute.

3. Staffology Payroll by IRIS: Best for seasonal businesses

The Staffology self-service portal helps part-time employees or those working odd hours understand their payslip.

Who is Staffology best suited to?

I’d recommend Staffology as a suitable system for seasonal companies like landscapers or tourist-oriented companies. This is because seasonal businesses like these would benefit from Staffology’s unique pricing structure.

Staffology’s pricing is based on the number of payslips created each month, and the cost per payslip gets cheaper the more employees you add. Staffology’s unique pricing structure is great for seasonal firms with fluctuating team sizes. 

What I like about Staffology

Onboarding: unlike our top-rated brand, MHR, Staffology boasts advanced onboarding and support features. This includes a 24/7 chatbot and a live training course so that you can train staff members to use the platform easily, even if they’re lacking tech experience.

Visibility: like MHR and Moorepay, Staffology also has a mobile app that lets employees access payslips via a self-service portal. This means employees can view pay information, such as how many tips they’ve earned, and other important updates at any time – great if they’re working odd shift patterns.

Reasons to avoid Staffology

Staffology is not ideal for complex data visualisation or analysis. Our researchers were unable to design a report that shows the differences between an upcoming payroll and the previous one (known as a changes report) or build custom reports.

How much does Staffology cost?

Businesses pay:

• £39 per month for up to 19 payslips
• £1.95 per payslip, per month, in addition to the £39 base fee, for 20 to 50 payslips
• If you process more than 50 payslips, you’ll need to contact the Staffology team for a quote

This low per-employee cost is a real benefit if you want to avoid paying for inactive employees during the off-season. That said, due to the fact that Staffology costs £39 per month minimum, it may be cheaper for teams with fewer than five employees to invest in a cheaper choice like Rippling.

My experience with Staffology:

In 2024 a London‑based consultancy with 32 staff asked me to run payroll for four quarters while their internal team learned the process. We chose Staffology Payroll by IRIS for that project because the licence cost sat well under £100 a month and the software promised quick HMRC integration. The main advantage turned out to be the built‑in RTI link. Each submission reached HMRC in under one minute and the confirmation appeared in the dashboard without extra steps.

Dat Ngo

Dat Ngo is a licensed CPA, personal finance expert, and senior contributor at Prop Firm App, a website dedicated to proprietary trading and investment strategies.

Tailored for Seasonality

IRIS’s Staffology Payroll is well-suited for seasonal businesses, offering flexible, pay-per-payslip pricing that adapts to fluctuating team sizes, making it cost-effective for companies like landscapers and tourism firms.

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4. Moorepay: Best for marketing and sales businesses

The Moorepay mobile app lets employees view their payslips, personal data, and other pay information on-the-go.

Who is Moorepay best suited to?

I’d recommend payroll goliath Moorepay as a strong solution for sales and marketing teams. Its exceptional reporting capabilities are ideal for linking staff performance to remuneration.

These types of businesses need reports that can track and analyse the complexities of employees on a salary, hourly wages, and commission. Moorepay’s custom Report Designer Tool lets SMEs report on bonuses, overtime pay, and labour costs associated with specific projects.

What I like about Moorepay

Real-time dashboards: Moorepay gives users access to real-time dashboards so you can get an instant breakdown of your workforce each day, such as how many staff members are absent. Managers can then respond accordingly if absenteeism seems high.

Trust: the Moorepay system is well-known within HR and payroll (we’ve written about it regularly over the past two decades) and has an industry-leading accuracy rate of 99%. It is also CIPP-accredited and ISO 27001 certified. That means all customer data is stored securely and in compliance with GDPR regulations.

Reasons to avoid Moorepay

Moorepay does not offer live training to help new users get to grips with the software. Businesses might find themselves hit with a lengthy implementation process as employees must train themselves using Moorepay’s pre-recorded webinars and tutorials.

What does Moorepay cost?

Moorepay doesn’t have a set pricing structure, but they’ll be able to provide you with a custom quote best suited to your business.

My experience using Moorepay:

I once used Moorepay during a project where I had to help a client set up a basic HR structure from scratch. At the time, the team had no system in place for tracking holidays, processing payroll, or managing contracts. From my perspective, the biggest win was how quickly we got everything up and running. I didn’t need an IT team or endless back-and-forth with support. It was easy to build workflows and generate compliant documents straight from the platform.

Tsvetelina Nasteva

Tsvetelina Nasteva is an HR expert, Manager of Human Resources, and Talent Acquisition Specialist at Casinoreviews.net.

Great for Commercial Teams

Moorepay is a robust payroll system perfect for sales and marketing teams, offering advanced reporting to track diverse pay types, project costs, and employee performance with easy-to-use analytics and customizable reports.

Visit Moorepay It only takes a minute.

5. ADP UK: Best for managing and paying freelancers

We like that the ADP dashboard displays both weekly payroll information and a personal to-do list for time-poor managers.

Who is ADP best suited to?

While ADP is predominantly a tool for big business (including Dell and Amazon), the software does boast some niche features that make it ideal for small companies employing a global network of freelancers.

Companies have to be employing at least 25 team members to access ADP, which is why I’d recommend it most to those with many self-employed workers on the books.

What I like about ADP

Training: you’ll likely be stretched for time if you’re managing a large network of freelancers. ADP’s library of live and pre-recorded training materials help users get a handle on using the software’s advanced features like open AI and custom report building.

Time tracking: ADP Real Time is a time and attendance tracker that’s accessible on any device. Even if team members are digital nomads working poolside in Spain they’ll be able to accurately record their work hours for simplified timesheets and pay calculations.

Reasons to avoid ADP

The only report that ADP cannot generate is a changes report (a way to track spending changes between payroll runs). Businesses can use the ADP custom report builder as a workaround for this issue, however.

ADP also has no email support option, and help is only available via live chat and phone during business hours. In the event of a system error, organisations may struggle to resolve the issue swiftly.

How much does ADP cost?

ADP provides bespoke pricing to its clients, rather than set pricing. It will be able to provide you with a quote that is tailored towards your company’s needs.

My experience using ADP:

I had the opportunity to use ADP UK during a project that required managing both HR and payroll functions across different teams. One of the most helpful features was the centralised dashboard, which made it easy to keep track of employee data, time off, and payment schedules without switching between tools. It saved time and helped reduce manual errors.

Gizem Sultan Kartalcik

Gizem Sultan Kartalcik is an HR specialist at Transkriptor with a Master’s in Human Resources Management from Northeastern University.

Ideal for Overseeing And Compensating Freelancers

ADP offers features such as global payroll, AI-driven task reminders, payroll tax education, and a mobile app, making it well-suited for small companies managing international freelancers.

Compare Quotes It only takes a minute.

What to look for from HR and payroll software

Because of how big the payroll and HR market is, it’s always a good idea to have a list of criteria you can use to evaluate each provider. That way you won’t end up with a product that complicates – rather than simplifies – your HR and payroll processes.

To find our above list, I worked with an independent research team to examine each supplier in detail and judge how well they met the below criteria. I’d recommend using these factors to examine how suitable a software platform may be for you.

• Onboarding: new software can sometimes be tricky to get your head around. You should look for providers that offer learning materials during setup, such as live training and tutorials.
• User support: explore the resources available to help you understand complex payroll processes, like the available support channels (such as phone, email, and live chat).
• Security: your sensitive information needs to be well looked after. Look for software providers with strong security features such as ISO 27001 certification and data encryption, and find out where your data will be stored.
• Customisation: you should look for software that can be tailored to your business’s specific needs, from making payslip amendments to building custom reports.
• Scalability: your business will grow and change over time. Look for software that can accommodate your evolving needs. For example, investigate how easy and expensive it is to add new employees.
• Employee experience: keep an eye out for self-service tools, like mobile apps, that your staff can use to reduce admin time for managers.

What to avoid in HR and payroll software

1. No customisation: I cannot stress enough how difficult last-minute revisions to payroll (such as bonuses, leave, or overtime pay) can make things for finance teams. I always advise SMEs to look for a system with customisation features, such as the option to build bespoke reports. It’s a bit more complicated, but open AI provision will also let you link existing software using custom integrations to ensure data is shared between your arsenal of business tools.

2. Data risk: protecting employee data is hugely important for ensuring the workforce keeps faith with the company. Every payroll software brand should have two of the below at the very least:

• Encrypted data storage
• ISO 27001 certification 
• CIPP accreditation 
• Data stored at a UK-based centre 
• Clean history of data breaches in the last two years

3. Poor scalability: switching to a new software provider is a huge hassle, but it may be necessary if your team is growing quickly. Our research team looks for scalable pricing tiers, or per employee billing, when finding the best payroll systems, as this will let users hire more staff without instantly blowing their budget. 

4. Bad user experience: it’s very frustrating when employees don’t immediately take to a new platform. Businesses can make things easier for staff by investing in a platform with ready-made tutorials and training materials, or live training sessions. Responsive customer support teams, with at least two different contact channels, can also help to address common challenges. 

New and incoming HR and payroll laws

The landscape of HR and payroll is constantly evolving, with new laws and regulations being introduced regularly. Staying informed about the latest developments is crucial for HR professionals to ensure compliance and avoid costly penalties. Below are some of the most important HR and payroll law changes you need to know about:

HR and payroll laws for 2025

The Employment Rights Bill, a package of employment law reforms announced last year, will be taking effect over the next couple of years. It features new legislation that has already started coming into effect since April 2025. Here’s a need-to-know summary of the bill for employers:

1. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increase

The National Living wage has now been increased from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour. The National Minimum Wage for 18- to 21-year-olds is now £10 per hour, and for 16- to 17-year-olds it’s now £7.55 per hour.

2. Employers’ National Insurance Contribution (NICs) increase

The rate for secondary Class 1 NICs have now been increased from from 13.8% to 15%. The Secondary Threshold for employers to pay NICs has been lowered: from £9,100 to £5,000. The employment allowance has also been raised from £5,000 to £10,500.

3. Sick pay reform

Workers on low wages in the UK will now either receive 80% of their average weekly earnings, or the new Statutory Sick Pay rate of £118.75 per week. Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Parental Bereavement Pay, and Statutory Shared Parental Leave Pay has been increased from £184.03 to £187.18.

4. Redundancy pay

Workers who were made redundant on or after April 6 now have their weekly pay capped at £719, and the maximum amount of statutory redundancy pay has been increased to £21,570.

5. Neonatal care leave

Parents of babies that are in neonatal care could now be eligible for a day-one right to an additional 12 weeks of leave and pay, on top of the standard parental leave entitlement.

Law changes that were introduced in 2024

Last year saw a number of major employment law changes that affected how HR and payroll teams operate. Here are four changes that small employers need to know about for this year:

1. Flexible Working Bill: workers can now request flexible work arrangements from day one of employment. If you are using HR and payroll software that integrates with employee benefit software (such as MHR iTrent), you can easily track each request.

2. New Carer’s Leave Regulations mean that all employees with caring responsibilities can now take one week of unpaid leave a year. Rippling’s leave features can help business owners to budget for temporary replacements or overtime costs in this period.

3. The Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024 permits anyone on paternity leave (and pay) to split their two weeks’ entitlement into two separate one-week blocks.

4. Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act: as of last October, 100% of tips will need to be passed on to workers.  MHR, Moorepay, and Staffology all have a mobile app that lets employees view payslips and bonuses via a transparent self-service portal.

In summary

To round things up, the employment landscape in the UK is constantly changing and evolving, so you’ll need HR and payroll software that can keep up with the times.

That’s why our number one solution for small businesses is MHR, with its iTrent payroll and HR software. Using its built-in learning management software, you can upskill your employees with its library of 30,000+ online modules, which is ideal for companies that need to keep up in fast-paced industries. iTrent’s unique salary budgeting feature also stands out as a valuable tool, alongside its mobile workforce management feature.

Related reading

• How to manage payroll
• Best HR software for SMEs
• What is HR?