Best payroll for startups (UK 2025)

Looking for a payroll software to help your startup manage employee payments, save time and stay compliant?

In this guide, we will review six of the best payroll software for startups in the UK, including Gusto, Wave, Deel, Plane, QuickBooks Payroll, and Ripping. We will compare their features, fees, and integrations, and share tips to help you choose the best payroll software.

And while you are exploring payroll services for startups, consider solutions like Wise Business. With Wise business, you can send payments to employees and contractors in 140+ countries while saving money on fees.

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Payroll for startups

Payroll software helps startups simplify payments, automate tax filings, and stay compliant with local laws. Many tools also offer extra features like onboarding, offboarding, and even employer of record services for global teams.

In this guide, we will review the best payroll software for startups, including:

• Gusto
• Wave
• Deel
• Plane
• Quickbooks Payroll
• Rippling

Best payroll software for startups: overview

Provider	Trustpilot score	Monthly fee	Best known for
Gusto	2.2¹ (from +2000 reviews)	starting from $49²	Comprehensive payroll and benefits management for startups
Wave	1.2 from 150 reviews³	starting from $40⁴	Free basic accounting features and affordable payroll services
Deel	4.8 from +7k reviews⁵	Starting from $29 per employee⁶	Hiring, management and payment of global teams
Plane	3.2 from 5 reviews (unclaimed profile)⁷	Starting from $19⁸ per US employee	Fast payment processing
Quickbooks payroll	N/A	Starting from $85⁹	Seamless integration with Quickbooks accounting software
Rippling	4.5 from +1.3k reviews¹⁰	Custom quote¹¹	Clean UI, comprehensive HR solutions and flexibility

Comparing payroll software for startups: criteria

We will compare six providers that offer payroll outsourcing for global startups, using the following criteria:

• Features and services
• Pricing/ Fees
• Integrations

Gusto

Gusto is a leading payroll solutions provider for startups. Gusto is known for being affordable, user-friendly, and comprehensive. It handles everything from recruiting and onboarding to payroll, tax filings, and benefits management. It is essentially an all-in-one online HR assistant.

Gusto has a Trustpilot score of 2.2 from +2.2k reviews.¹ Here’s what a customer has to say:

“Gusto has been so user-friendly. I will be happy to recommend gusto to any employer looking for a payroll company” — Courtenay Summers¹

Gusto features and services

• Full-service payroll (includes automated tax filings, direct deposits, and payroll deductions)
• Employee benefits administration
• Hiring and onboarding (offer letters, e-signatures, and new hire checklists)
• Time tracking
• HR tools and talent management
• Federal and state compliance
• Global contractor payments
• Custom reports on payroll, taxes, and workforce costs
• Bill payment.

Gusto fees

Plan	Monthly base fee²	Per person fee²
Simple	$49	$6
Plus	$80	$12
Premium	$180	$22
Contractor only	$0	$6

Gusto integrations

Some of Gusto’s integrations include:

• Asana
• Arvo
• Bench
• Docusign
• Github
• Quickbooks online and desktop
• Xero
• Slack
• Breezy HR
• Home base

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Wave

Wave is a payroll and accounting software that helps small businesses manage finances. It is well known for its free accounting features and affordable payroll services. Wave currently has a Trustpilot score of 1.2 from 150 reviews.³

Wave features and services

• Invoicing
• Online payment acceptance (credit card, bank transfer or apple pay)
• Income and expenses tracking
• Insights and reporting
• Employee and contractor payment
• Tax payment and fillings
• Direct deposits into employee bank accounts
• Automatic payroll journal entries

Wave fees

Wave charges a $40 per month base fee and an additional $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid for its payroll services.⁴

You can also opt in for Wave’s regular plans with payroll as an add-on service.

Starter plan

Fee type	Cost⁴
Monthly subscription	$0
Option to accept online payments	Starting at 2.9% + $0.60
Digitally capture unlimited receipts (add-on)	$8 a month or $72 a year
Run payroll (add-on)	From $40 a month
Hire a bookkeeper (add-on)	From $149 a month

Pro plan

Fee type	Cost⁴
Monthly subscription	$16
Option to accept online payments (credit card transaction)	2.9% + $0
Run payroll	From $40 a month
Hire a bookkeeper	From $149 a month

Wave integrations

Wave integrates with several apps on Zapier including:

• Stripe
• PayPal
• Square
• HubSpot CRM
• Mailchimp
• Shopify
• WooCommerce

Deel

Deel’s payroll services for startups helps businesses save time and money on administration while staying compliant with regulations. Deel is known for its fast payments, easy-to-use user-friendly interface, and responsive customer service. It has a 4.8 score on Trustpilot from +7k reviews.⁵ Here’s what a Deel customer has to say:

“Excellent payroll service. I have been using it to receive payment for years without an issue” – Ahmed Abouzekry⁵

Deel features and services

• Payroll management for employees and contractors in 120+ countries⁷
• Tax and regulatory compliance
• Core HR including onboarding, offboarding and employee engagement
• Automated invoicing
• Access and identity management
• Endpoint protection
• Device lifecycle management
• Global visa support
• Equity consulting
• Background check
• Deel API and Deel AI.

Deel fees

Fee Type	Monthly ost⁶
Deel EOR (Employer of Record)	$599 per employee
Deel Contractor Management	$29 per contractor
Deel Contractor of Record	$325 per contractor
Deel PEO	$95 per employee
Deel global payroll	$29 per employee

Deel integrations

Some of Deel’s integrations include:

• Hubstaff
• QuickBooks
• Slack
• Dropbox
• Microsoft 365
• Scribe
• Global HRIS
• Sage
• Float

Plane

Plane is a global payroll and HR management software designed to help small businesses manage their teams from a single dashboard. It is known for its fast international payment processing and wide global coverage. Plane has an unclaimed Trustpilot profile with a score of 3.2 from 5 reviews.⁷

Plane features and services

• Payroll management and compliance (240+ countries)¹³
• Hiring and team management (including Employer of Record)
• Automated tax compliance
• Automated payments
• Local contracts for contractors and employees
• HR data and custom reports
• Expense management
• Guided onboarding

Plane fees

Fee Type	Monthly cost⁸
HRIS platform	$0
Contractors	$39 per employee
Employees - US	$19 per employee
Employees - EOR	$499 per employee

Plane integrations

• Quickbooks online
• Sapling
• Bamboo HR
• Slack

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll is a payroll management software developed by Intuit QuickBooks and is known for its seamless integration with the QuickBooks accounting software package. QuickBooks Payroll is a go-to choice for small businesses that want to manage payroll and finances in one place.

Quickbooks Payroll features and services

• Payroll management
• Time tracking
• HR support
• Payment acceptance and bill payment
• Insights and analytics
• Live bookkeeping
• Expense tracking
• Invoicing, lending and business banking
• Tax deduction and penalty protection
• Insights and reporting

Quickbooks Payroll fees

Quickbooks offers payroll features as an add-on to each of its tiered plans.

Fee type	Monthly cost¹⁰
Simple start	£16
Essentials	£33
Plus	£47
Advanced	Custom

You can also access payroll features directly through the payroll plans.

Fee type	Monthly cost¹¹
Payroll core + simple start	$85 + $6 per employee
Payroll core + essentials	$115 + $6 per employee
Payroll premium + plus	$184 + $9 per employee

QuickBooks Payroll integrations

Here are some of QuickBooks Payroll integrations:

• Dext
• Paypal
• Liveflow
• Knowify
• Expensify
• Adsum
• Shopify
• WooCommerce

Check out our comprehensive Quickbooks Payroll guide for more information about QuickBools Payroll fees and features.

Rippling

Rippling is a comprehensive workforce management platform for streamlining HR, IT, and Finance operations. Rippling is well known for its ease of use and versatility. The payroll software has a Trustpilot score of 4.5 from +1.3k reviews.¹⁰ Here’s what a Rippling user has to say:

“I use rippling on a daily basis…to communicate with my managers and to receive my pay working for an international company. Rippling makes it so much easier for me” – Karen Carmo¹⁰

Rippling features and services

• Global payroll
• Global contractors
• Employer of record
• HR management including HRIS
• Automated time tracking
• Recruiting
• Performance management
• Learning management
• Surveys
• Benefits administration
• Expense management
• Device management
• Identity and access management
• Invoicing
• Document creation (offer letters, handbooks, I-9s, W-4s, severance)
• Custom reports

Rippling fees

Rippling bills most of its services on a per-month or per-person basis, although some plans may include a monthly base fee. You will need to contact Rippling to get a custom quote.¹¹

Rippling integrations

Rippling integrates with 500+ apps including:¹⁴

• Salesforce
• Github
• Slack
• Checkr
• Microsoft teams
• Google
• Asana
• Human interest
• Nectar
• Carta

How to choose the right payroll software for your startup

Payroll for startups should be flexible, scalable, and cost-effective. A good payroll software will help you stay on track with employee payments and avoid costly tax mistakes. Here’s what to look out for in a payroll software:

• Cost-effectiveness: Choosing budget-friendly payroll software will help you minimise costs and save money to invest in other areas of your business.
• Automation: When choosing payroll software, find one that automates tasks as much as possible, whether it’s automatic tax deductions, payments, invoicing, or contracting. This helps you save time and costs.
• Integrations: Look out for payroll software with a wide range of integrations, including accounting integrations like QuickBooks, Sage, and Bamboohr. This way, you can handle payroll, finance, HR, and employee productivity seamlessly.
• Easy to use and excellent customer support: Choose a payroll software that anyone can use without having to be an expert. Also, a payroll software with great customer support ensures that issues are resolved immediately when they happen. Read the software’s reviews on Trustpilot to get an idea of what the customer service is like before making a decision.
• Tax and compliance: Staying compliant with UK payroll and international regulations helps you avoid costly fines and legal action and builds trust among employees and investors. When choosing payroll software, look for features and services like real-time information filing (RTI), global payroll support, end-of-year reporting, GDPR compliance, and accurate PAYE and NI calculations.
• Scalability: Remember that your business won’t be a startup forever. When choosing payroll, think about the future and choose a payroll software that can accommodate your business as it grows. Look out for apps that support both contractor and employee payments, global hires and offer tiered pricing.

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FAQs - payroll for startups

What are the best payroll services for startups in the UK?

The best payroll services for startups depend on your startup’s needs. QuickBooks payroll offers great accounting integration, Plane or Deel is great for international compliance if you are hiring globally.

How much does payroll for startups cost?

Payroll software costs depend on the features you want. Some payroll platforms, like Wave, offer some basic features for free, while others offer tiered pricing. For payroll software like Rippling, you’ll need to reach out for a custom quote.

Is payroll outsourcing for global startups worth it?

Yes. Payroll outsourcing helps you manage multi-currency payments, reduce the legal risks of global hiring and ensure local tax compliance.

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Choosing the right payroll software for your startup can help you save time on manual tasks, save costs, and avoid harsh penalties by staying compliant. Look for features like budget friendliness, ease of use, integrations, and customer support to help you make the right decision. Additionally, you can consider trying out a free trial or a demo before making a full commitment.

Sources used in this article:

1. Gusto Trustpilot page
2. Gusto Pricing Page
3. Wave Trustpilot page
4. Wave payroll subscription cost
5. Deel Trustpilot page
6. Deel pricing page
7. Plane Trustpilot page
8. Plane pricing page
9. QuickBooks Payroll pricing page
10. Rippling Trustpilot page
11. Rippling pricing page
12. QuickBooks UK pricing page
13. Plane homepage
14. Rippling about page

Sources last checked 29/06/2025