--- title: "Payroll software in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the payroll software UK businesses and bureaus use to pay staff and file with HMRC. Share of Search among BrightPay, IRIS Payroll, Sage Payroll, Xero, QuickBooks Online and Moneysoft, the payroll software Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-payroll-software" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Payroll software in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most? Compare the payroll software UK businesses and bureaus use to pay staff and file with HMRC. Share of Search among BrightPay, IRIS Payroll, Sage Payroll, Xero, QuickBooks Online and Moneysoft, the payroll software Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Payroll software - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Brands compared**: 6 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: BrightPay, 66.7% ## Which brand is most popular in search among payroll software in the United Kingdom? - In September 2026, BrightPay was the most searched among payroll software in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 66.7% of all searches for the six we track. - IRIS Payroll is in 2nd place, 52 percentage points behind at 14.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BrightPay’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom increased from 57.2% to 66.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IRIS Payroll’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom decreased from 18.6% to 14.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sage Payroll’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom decreased from 17.1% to 13.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xero’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom decreased from 2.8% to 2.2%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moneysoft’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom decreased from 2.8% to 1.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BrightPay’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom peaked at 71.8% in April 2026 and was lowest at 56.8% in February 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IRIS Payroll’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom peaked at 18.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 10.9% in April 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sage Payroll’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom peaked at 17.8% in November 2025 and was lowest at 11% in July 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xero’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom peaked at 3.3% in February 2026 and was lowest at 1.8% in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moneysoft’s share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom peaked at 3.1% in March 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in August 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xero rose from 5th to 4th among payroll software in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QuickBooks Online rose from 6th to 5th among payroll software in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moneysoft fell from 4th to 6th among payroll software in the United Kingdom. ## Top payroll software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sage Payroll, Xero and QuickBooks Online appeared every time. Sage Payroll was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five answers. Xero was second, and BrightPay was third. IRIS Payroll, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sage Payroll | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Xero | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | BrightPay | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Moneysoft | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | QuickBooks Online | 5th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | IRIS Payroll | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about payroll software - Asked ChatGPT "Which payroll software should my small business use in the UK?": 1. Sage Payroll, 2. BrightPay, 3. Xero, 4. QuickBooks Online - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best payroll software platforms in the UK?": 1. BrightPay, 2. Xero, 3. Sage Payroll, 4. QuickBooks Online, 5. Moneysoft - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best payroll software in the UK for a small business with ten employees?": 1. Sage Payroll, 2. Moneysoft, 3. Xero, 4. BrightPay, 5. QuickBooks Online - Searched Google, AI Overview "payroll software": 1. Sage Payroll, 2. Xero, 3. BrightPay, 4. QuickBooks Online - Searched Google, AI Overview "payroll software uk": 1. Sage Payroll, 2. Xero, 3. Moneysoft, 4. QuickBooks Online Not named in any answer: IRIS Payroll. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [BrightPay vs IRIS Payroll: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/brightpay-vs-iris-payroll): 66.7% against 14.7% Share of Search. - [BrightPay vs Sage Payroll: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/brightpay-vs-sage-payroll): 66.7% against 13.3% Share of Search. - [BrightPay vs Xero: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/brightpay-vs-xero): 66.7% against 2.2% Share of Search. - [IRIS Payroll vs Sage Payroll: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/iris-payroll-vs-sage-payroll): 14.7% against 13.3% Share of Search. - [IRIS Payroll vs Xero: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/iris-payroll-vs-xero): 14.7% against 2.2% Share of Search. - [Sage Payroll vs Xero: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/sage-payroll-vs-xero): 13.3% against 2.2% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom payroll software in September 2026? - In September 2026, QuickBooks Online overtook Moneysoft to rank 5th among payroll software in the United Kingdom, with 1.8% of the searches. - In September 2026, Sage Payroll gained share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom, from 11.3% to 13.3%. - In September 2026, BrightPay lost share of searches among payroll software in the United Kingdom, from 69.3% to 66.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Moneysoft in the United Kingdom fell 37.5% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 1K in September 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | BrightPay | 66.7% | 49.5K | 0.0% | BrightPay | | 2 | IRIS Payroll | 14.7% | 10.9K | +1.1% | IRIS Software Group | | 3 | Sage Payroll | 13.3% | 9.9K | +22.2% | Sage Accounting | | 4 | Xero | 2.2% | 1.6K | +23.1% | Xero | | 5 | QuickBooks Online | 1.8% | 1.3K | +47.7% | Intuit | | 6 | Moneysoft | 1.3% | 1K | +13.6% | Moneysoft | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | BrightPay | 33.1K | 57.2% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | IRIS Payroll | 10.8K | 18.6% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 17.1% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | Moneysoft | 1.6K | 2.8% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Xero | 1.6K | 2.8% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | QuickBooks Online | 880 | 1.5% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | BrightPay | 33.1K | 59.5% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 17.8% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | IRIS Payroll | 9K | 16.2% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Xero | 1.6K | 2.9% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Moneysoft | 1.3K | 2.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | QuickBooks Online | 720 | 1.3% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | BrightPay | 33.1K | 62.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | IRIS Payroll | 8.8K | 16.6% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Sage Payroll | 8.1K | 15.3% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Xero | 1.3K | 2.5% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Moneysoft | 1K | 1.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | QuickBooks Online | 720 | 1.4% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | BrightPay | 40.5K | 62.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 10.8K | 16.5% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 15.2% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Xero | 1.9K | 2.9% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Moneysoft | 1.3K | 2% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 880 | 1.3% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | BrightPay | 33.1K | 56.8% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 10.8K | 18.5% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 17% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Xero | 1.9K | 3.3% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Moneysoft | 1.6K | 2.7% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 1K | 1.7% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | BrightPay | 49.5K | 64.8% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 11.2K | 14.7% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 13% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Moneysoft | 2.4K | 3.1% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Xero | 2.4K | 3.1% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 1K | 1.3% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | BrightPay | 74K | 71.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Sage Payroll | 12.1K | 11.7% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 11.2K | 10.9% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Moneysoft | 2.9K | 2.8% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Xero | 1.9K | 1.8% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 1K | 0.97% | 6 | | May 2026 | BrightPay | 49.5K | 68.2% | 1 | | May 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 10.8K | 14.8% | 2 | | May 2026 | Sage Payroll | 8.1K | 11.2% | 3 | | May 2026 | Moneysoft | 1.9K | 2.6% | 4 | | May 2026 | Xero | 1.6K | 2.2% | 5 | | May 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 720 | 0.99% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | BrightPay | 49.5K | 67.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 10.9K | 14.8% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 13.5% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Moneysoft | 1.3K | 1.8% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Xero | 1.3K | 1.8% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 590 | 0.8% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | BrightPay | 49.5K | 67.4% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 13K | 17.7% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Sage Payroll | 8.1K | 11% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Xero | 1.3K | 1.8% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Moneysoft | 1K | 1.4% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 590 | 0.8% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | BrightPay | 49.5K | 69.3% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 10.8K | 15.1% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Sage Payroll | 8.1K | 11.3% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Xero | 1.3K | 1.8% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Moneysoft | 880 | 1.2% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 880 | 1.2% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | BrightPay | 49.5K | 66.7% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | IRIS Payroll | 10.9K | 14.7% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Sage Payroll | 9.9K | 13.3% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Xero | 1.6K | 2.2% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | QuickBooks Online | 1.3K | 1.8% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Moneysoft | 1K | 1.3% | 6 | ## What is being compared - **BrightPay**: Measured on the search term “brightpay”. - **IRIS Payroll**: Measured on the search terms “iris payroll” and “staffology”, summed into one figure. - **Moneysoft**: Measured on the search term “moneysoft”. - **QuickBooks Online**: Measured on the search term “quickbooks payroll”. - **Sage Payroll**: Measured on the search term “sage payroll”. - **Xero**: Measured on the search term “xero payroll”. - [BrightPay](/demand/uk/brands/brightpay) - [IRIS Payroll](/demand/uk/brands/iris-payroll) - [Moneysoft](/demand/uk/brands/moneysoft) - [QuickBooks Online](/demand/uk/brands/quickbooks-online) - [Sage Payroll](/demand/uk/brands/sage-payroll) - [Xero](/demand/uk/brands/xero) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among payroll software in the United Kingdom? In September 2026, BrightPay was the most searched among payroll software in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 66.7% of all searches for the six we track. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Payroll software in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-payroll-software This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-payroll-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.