PayFit alternatives: where to run payroll next, and how to switch without a missed payslip
Five destinations by team size and country, an eight-step cutover plan, and the traps that cost the most.
Short answer: Basic PAYE Tools if you are a UK employer with fewer than 10 people and want free software from HMRC, Xero if you want accounting and payroll in one subscription, OnPay if your team is in the US and you want one simple price per person, Rippling if payroll is one piece of a bigger HR and IT stack, Deel if your people are spread across countries.
One thing to know first: PayFit runs payroll in France, the UK and Spain, so the right destination depends on where your employees are paid. The easiest time to switch is the start of a tax year, when totals reset. Mid-year works too, as long as you carry over year-to-date figures exactly. We compared these five options and checked their public prices in 2026.
Rankings are editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why teams leave PayFit, and why it takes care
PayFit is a solid choice for a standard European SME: more than 22,000 companies use it, onboarding comes with a dedicated expert at no extra cost, and the UK site promises no extra fees for adding a starter or processing a leaver. People leave for other reasons: a team that hires abroad, a need for accounting in the same tool, or a price that only makes sense above a certain headcount.
Your team now spans several countries
PayFit covers France, the UK and Spain. Hire a developer in Portugal or a salesperson in the US and you need a second system or an employer of record. Many teams leave at exactly that point, to put everyone on one global platform.
Pricing you have to ask for
On its UK site, PayFit says the cost depends on your business size and the level of support you need, and you pay per employee. The UK site shows no price list in pounds. If you like to compare costs before a sales call, tools with a price on the page are easier to budget.
A base fee that weighs on tiny teams
In France, PayFit's price grid puts three employees on the Advanced Payroll plan at 130 euros a month before VAT: a 49 euro base subscription plus 27 euros per employee, so more than 43 euros per payslip. For a two or three person company, that fixed part makes each payslip expensive compared with free government tools or bookkeeping software that bundles payroll.
Support on unusual cases
Review sites rate PayFit well overall, but the same criticisms come back: support that struggles when the question is unusual, an AI assistant that stalls on complex cases, and payroll reporting some users find thin. If your payroll is simple you will never notice. If you have shift premiums or several sites, test this first with any replacement.
You want accounting and payroll together
PayFit is a payroll and HR tool. Plenty of small businesses prefer one subscription where payroll journals land straight in the books. That is the main reason UK companies move to accounting suites with payroll built in.
You're leaving because… go to…
The right PayFit alternative depends on what is pushing you out. Usually one line fits. Each card links to the full profile below.
Free payroll software from HMRC.
You want payroll inside your accountingXeroUK plans from £18 a month, payroll at £1.50 per person on Ignite.
US team, one simple priceOnPay$49 a month plus $6 per worker, tax filings included.
Payroll is one part of HR, IT and devicesRipplingFrom $8 per employee a month plus a base fee.
Your people are in several countriesDeelEmployer of record from $599 per employee a month.
PayFit alternatives, one by one
For each tool: why switch to it, who it suits, its limit, how to migrate from PayFit, and what it costs. Prices are those shown in 2026, before tax, in the currency the vendor displays.
Basic PAYE Tools: free payroll from HMRC for small UK employers
FreeWhy switch to it. HMRC publishes Basic PAYE Tools as free payroll software for businesses with fewer than 10 employees. It calculates tax and National Insurance and sends the figures to HMRC, which covers the core legal job.
Who it's for. A UK limited company or sole trader with a handful of salaried staff and simple pay, run by someone comfortable with payroll basics.
Who it's not for. HMRC says it is not designed for agents or bookkeepers. It is also no HR tool: no employee portal, no leave tracking, no expenses.
Its limit. HMRC lists "some limitations" and you are on your own for pensions auto-enrolment and payslip design, so plan a separate solution for both.
How to migrate from PayFit. Switch at the start of the tax year if you can. Mid-year, enter each employee's year-to-date pay and tax from your last PayFit payslip before your first run, and export all PayFit payslips as PDFs first. Our small business payroll ranking compares it with paid tools.
- Price
- free
- Limit
- fewer than 10 employees
- Best for
- UK micro-businesses
- Watch out
- no HR features
Xero: payroll inside your accounting software
Accounting + payrollWhy switch to Xero. In the UK, payroll is part of Xero's accounting plans. Ignite costs £18 a month and adds payroll at £1.50 per person; Grow (£39) includes payroll for one person; Ultimate (£70) includes payroll for 10 people. Payroll journals post straight into your books, which removes a monthly export.
Who it's for. Small UK businesses that already use Xero, or want one subscription for invoicing, bank feeds and payroll.
Who it's not for. A 60 person company with complex HR needs: you will want a dedicated HR system on top.
Its limit. The HR side is light compared with PayFit, and the per-person charge on the entry plan adds up as you hire.
How to migrate from PayFit. Set up employees with their tax codes and year-to-date figures, run a parallel payroll for one period and compare net pay line by line. Our SMB accounting software guide covers Xero against its rivals.
- Price
- Ignite £18/mo + £1.50/person
- Ultimate
- £70/mo, payroll for 10
- Best for
- UK small businesses
- Limit
- light HR
OnPay: one simple price for US payroll
USWhy switch to OnPay. One plan at $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with federal, state and local tax filings, W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings included, unlimited pay runs, and free data migration.
Who it's for. European companies that opened a US entity and US small businesses that want full-service payroll without tier shopping.
Who it's not for. Teams outside the US: OnPay is a US payroll provider.
Its limit. HR features are basic next to an all-in-one HR suite, so a growing team may add a separate HR system later.
How to migrate from PayFit. If you are moving a US entity off another provider, OnPay handles data migration. Gather prior-quarter filings and year-to-date totals per employee before the first run. Our Gusto switch guide covers the other big US option.
- Price
- $49/mo + $6 per worker
- Included
- tax filings, W-2s, 1099s
- Best for
- US entities
- Limit
- US only
Rippling: payroll as part of HR, IT and devices
All in oneWhy switch to Rippling. Rippling sells modules on one employee record: payroll, HR, devices, app access. Plans start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee on top.
Who it's for. Fast-growing companies that want onboarding to create the payroll record, the laptop order and the software accounts in one go.
Who it's not for. A small team that only needs payslips: you would pay for a platform you barely use.
Its limit. The base fee is only given on quote, and the bill grows with every module you add. Get a full quote with all modules before signing.
How to migrate from PayFit. Start with the employee records, then payroll, then the extra modules once the first runs are clean. Read our Rippling switch guide to see why some teams later leave it too.
- Price
- from $8/employee/mo + base fee
- Model
- modules
- Best for
- scaling teams
- Limit
- base fee on quote
Deel: one platform for people in many countries
GlobalWhy switch to Deel. Deel puts employees and contractors worldwide in one place. Without a local entity, it acts as employer of record from $599 per employee per month. Contractor management starts at $49 per contractor per month.
Who it's for. Remote-first companies hiring wherever talent is.
Who it's not for. A team paid in one country through its own entity: a local payroll tool costs far less than an EOR.
Its limit. EOR pricing only makes sense where you have no entity. For your home-country payroll, compare a quote with a local tool.
How to migrate from PayFit. Many teams keep a local tool for their main entity and add Deel for everyone else. If you want one tool, move overseas staff first, then your home payroll at a tax-year start. See our Deel switch guide for its direct rivals.
- EOR
- from $599/employee/mo
- Contractors
- from $49/mo
- Best for
- multi-country teams
- Limit
- costly for one country
PayFit alternatives side by side
Where you pay people decides most of the choice: UK teams look at Basic PAYE Tools or Xero, US entities at OnPay, mixed or global teams at Rippling or Deel. For three people in the US, OnPay works out at $67 a month ($49 plus three times $6).
| Public price | Who it suits and how to migrate | |
|---|---|---|
| PayFitStarting point | Per employee, quoted by size and support level | France, UK, Spain; onboarding included |
| Basic PAYE ToolsFree | Free | UK, fewer than 10 employees; enter year-to-date figures |
| XeroAccounting + payroll | Ignite £18/mo + £1.50 per person; Ultimate £70 with payroll for 10 | UK small businesses; parallel run then cutover |
| OnPayUS | $49/mo + $6 per worker | US entities; free data migration |
| RipplingModular | From $8/employee/mo + base fee | Scaling teams; records first, then payroll |
| DeelGlobal | EOR from $599/employee/mo; contractors from $49 | Multi-country teams; overseas staff first |
Entry prices before tax, subject to change. Always check against your real headcount.
Leave PayFit in eight steps
Order matters. Each step protects something: your team's pay, your filings, your records.
List everything PayFit does for you
FirstWrite down entities, pay schedules, pension schemes, benefits, recurring bonuses, expenses, leave policies and integrations with accounting and banking. Note who approves payroll and when.
Anything missing from the list won't get rebuilt. A two-column sheet is enough: the item, and its equivalent in the new tool.
Pick the cutover date
FirstThe start of the tax year is the cleanest point because totals reset. A quarter end also helps reconciliation. Mid-year is fine if you carry over year-to-date pay, tax and leave exactly.
Avoid the month with annual bonuses or a pay rise: too many moving parts at once.
Read your PayFit contract
Two months beforeFind the end of your contract term and the notice period. Only your own contract settles it. Give notice in writing and keep the proof.
Do not cancel before exporting: archive access is your safety net.
Export everything
The month beforeDownload at least 12 months of payslips, employee records, contracts, leave and hours balances, open absences, tax codes and the latest filings.
Store it outside PayFit, by month. Employers have to produce payroll records for years.
Set up the new tool
The month beforeCreate entities, pay schedules and pension settings, then import employees with their year-to-date figures and leave balances as of the last PayFit run.
Have your pension provider or broker confirm the contribution settings: it is the error people notice last.
Run a parallel payroll
Last monthRerun the last PayFit payroll in the new tool and compare gross, deductions and net pay line by line for each person. Every difference has a cause; find it before the live run.
One employee with overtime and one on leave are your two best test cases.
Keep filings continuous
First monthYour payroll submissions must still go out every period during the switch. In the UK, check that the new software keeps each employee's payroll ID or marks the change correctly, or HMRC may see a leaver and a new starter.
After the first live submission, check the acknowledgements before you call the switch done.
Close cleanly
After cutoverTell employees where their new payslips live and how to get the old ones. Update the accounting export and bank payment file. Keep PayFit access until the contract ends.
Write down what went wrong: that is your checklist for next time.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a PayFit exit go wrong
The same mistakes show up in payroll switch after payroll switch. None is technical; they are oversights, and each costs more than the time it would have taken to avoid it.
Wrong year-to-date figures
A missing or wrong year-to-date tax figure means the wrong tax on the next payslip. Copy totals from the last PayFit payslip and check them against your last filing.
Broken employee IDs in filings
If the new tool issues new payroll IDs without linking them, the tax authority may treat your staff as leavers and new starters, and tax codes go wrong.
Forgotten leave balances
Holiday owed is money owed. Carry over earned, taken and pending leave as of the last PayFit day, and have staff confirm if in doubt.
Cancelling before exporting
Once access is cut, getting old payslips back is slow. Export, check the PDFs open, then cancel.
Underestimating setup time
Three employees move in an evening. Forty people across two entities take days, plus the parallel run.
- Entities, schedules, pensions and variables listed
- Cutover date outside busy months
- PayFit contract read, notice noted
- Payslips, balances, tax codes and filings exported
- Year-to-date figures and leave entered
- Parallel run matched to the cent
- Employee IDs kept continuous in filings
- Staff told, accounting export updated
PayFit alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to PayFit?
In the UK, HMRC's Basic PAYE Tools is free for businesses with fewer than 10 employees. It calculates tax and National Insurance and reports to HMRC, but it has no HR features. Our payroll software ranking lists paid options too.
How much does PayFit cost?
PayFit's UK site says the price depends on business size and support level, charged per employee, with onboarding included. In France, its price grid puts three employees on the Advanced Payroll plan at 130 euros a month before VAT (a 49 euro subscription plus 27 euros per employee).
Can I switch payroll provider mid-year?
Yes. Carry over each employee's year-to-date pay, tax and leave, and keep payroll IDs continuous in your filings. The start of a tax year is simpler because totals reset.
Is Rippling or Deel better than PayFit?
They solve different problems. Rippling ties payroll to HR, IT and devices; Deel pays people in many countries. For a team paid in one European country, PayFit or a local tool is usually simpler. See our HRIS software guide.
What should I export before leaving PayFit?
At least 12 months of payslips, employee records, contracts, leave and hours balances, tax codes and the latest filings. Keep them outside the tool: they don't move to the new one.
What's the best payroll setup for a small HR team?
A tool that does payroll plus the basics: leave, documents, onboarding. Our HR software for small business page compares them.
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