Xero alternatives, ranked by what they actually cost
The cheapest published alternative to Xero in this market is Sage Payroll at £24 a month for 10 employees, against Xero's £31.
Ordering below is by monthly cost at 10 employees and nothing else. No vendor has paid to appear or to be placed higher.
When Xero is still the right answer
Cost is one column of several, and this site only holds that column. If you are already running Xero and it works, the cost of switching payroll mid-year — re-entering year-to-date figures, re-filing, retraining whoever runs it — is real and is not on this page. A cheaper monthly figure has to clear that cost before it is a saving.
The alternatives, by published cost
| Vendor | Cheapest plan | At 10 employees | Who it fits | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Payroll | Payroll Essentials | £24 £2.40/employee | teams wanting the lowest published monthly bill | Figures checked 2026-08-20 |
| Staffology | 1-19 payslips/month | £43 £4.30/employee | £12/month above Xero | Figures checked 2026-08-20 |
| Stay on Xero | — | £31 | switching cost is not counted anywhere on this page | Its figures |
No other adjustment is applied. We do not add estimated tax-filing fees, discounts, or promotional pricing. The full method is at Method.
Related
- Xero pricing in full
- Xero against Sage Payroll
- Xero against Staffology
- Compare all of them at your headcount
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the companies named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Page last updated: 2026-09-06. Sources: vendor pricing pages only. Figures checked between 2026-08-20 and 2026-09-06. I have not used these products. Nothing here is a personal test result.
Ranking method and formulas: Method. Listing position on this site is not for sale.
Corrections: contact form.