Sage vs Xero Payroll: Which Payroll Software Is Better?

Both Sage and Xero Payroll are leading payroll software solutions, but which one is better for you and your business?

Below we compare Sage and Xero Payroll across nearly 50 different data points to help you make find the right one.

Sage vs Xero Payroll Reviews

		Sage	Xero Payroll
Trustpilot Rating		4.4	4.3
Number of Trustpilot Reviews		16822	5747
iPhone App Rating		4.8	4.7
Number of iPhone App Reviews		13	26300
Android App Rating		4.8	4.3
Number of Android App Reviews		21300	7410

Sage vs Xero Payroll Pricing

	Sage	Xero Payroll
Free Trial	Yes	Yes
Free Trial Length	1 month	1 month
Cheapest Plan Name	Payroll	Early
Cheapest Plan Cost Per Month	$n/a	$9.25
Mid Priced Plan Name	n/a	Growing
Mid Priced Plan Cost Per Month	$n/a	$9.25
Top Plan Name	Payroll + HR	Established
Top Plan Cost Per Month	$14	$17.5

Sage vs Xero Payroll Features

Features	Sage	Xero Payroll
Target Business Size	Mid size business	Small business
Unlimited Payrolls	✘	✘
Automated Tax Filing & Payments	✔	✔
E-sign I-9 & W-4	✘	✘
Live Customer Support	✘	✔
Third-Party Integrations	✔	✔
Ability To Manage Employee Benefits	✔	✔
Employee Access To Platform	✔	✔
Direct Deposit	✘	✔
Expense Reimbursement	✔	✔
Time Off Accrual	✔	✔
Pre-Tax Deductions	✘	✔
Wage Garnishment	✔	✔
Background Checks	✘	✘
Check Printing	✘	✔
Check Delivery	✘	✘
API	✔	✔

Sage Payroll Features

• Payroll
• Payroll reporting
• Employee self-serve
• Tax filing and tax payments
• Year end (T4/Relevé – 1)
• Garnishment calculations
• Record of employment
• Statment of remittances
• Timesheets
• Basic HR reporting
• Digital employee records
• Regulatory and custom policies
• Basic document storage for employees
• 3rd party integrations

Xero Payroll Early Features

• Send quotes and 20 invoices†
• Enter 5 bills
• Reconcile bank transactions
• Capture bills and receipts with Hubdoc
• Short-term cash flow and business snapshot
• Payroll with Gusto (Optional)

Sage Payroll + HR Features

• Payroll
• Payroll reporting
• Employee self-serve
• Tax filing and tax payments
• Year end (T4/Relevé – 1)
• Garnishment calculations
• Record of employment
• Statment of remittances
• Timesheets
• Basic HR reporting
• Digital employee records
• Regulatory and custom policies
• Basic document storage for employees
• 3rd party integrations
• Leave management
• Advanced reporting
• HR forms and documents management
• Organization charts
• Custom workflow builder and automation builder
• Learning management
• Asset management
• HR analytics
• Company announcements
• Manager reports
• Onboarding and offboarding flows

Xero Payroll Established Features

• Send invoices and quotes
• Enter bills
• Reconcile bank transactions
• Capture bills and receipts with Hubdoc
• Short-term cash flow and business snapshot
• Bulk reconcile transactions
• Use multiple currencies
• Track projects
• Claim expenses
• Analytics Plus
• Payroll with Gusto (Optional)

Sage vs Xero Payroll Pro & Cons

	Sage	Xero Payroll
Pros	User Friendly Customizable User Interface	User Friendly User Interface Integrations Saves Time Management
Cons	Reporting Issues Expensive Product Limitations User Interface	Expensive Not User Friendly Expense Report Issues Technical Issues Room for Improvement

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• Roll by ADP vs Gloroots
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