Comparison

Ghugi vs Xero Payroll: which is right
for your team?

Xero is a brilliant accounting product with a payroll add-on. If you're all-in on the Xero ecosystem, Xero Payroll is the obvious choice. If you just need to email payslips — and not necessarily from Xero — Ghugi is the lighter, cheaper option.

Pick Xero Payroll if…

You already use Xero for accounting — Xero Payroll is an add-on that shares employees, GL, and reporting with the rest of your books. One login, one supplier.
You want the slickest UI in UK payroll — Xero's interface is years ahead of Sage and BrightPay. If you're choosing payroll fresh, the UX is a real differentiator.
You want HMRC RTI, pensions, and statutory pay in one place — Xero Payroll handles all of it. Comprehensive if you don't already have payroll sorted.
Your team likes mobile self-service — Xero Me, the employee app, lets staff view payslips and book holidays from their phone — useful for younger workforces.

Pick Ghugi if…

You don't use Xero (and don't want to switch) — Migrating to Xero just for payroll is a big commitment. If your accountant or current tool produces payslip PDFs, Ghugi handles the email step without an ecosystem switch.
You're tired of Xero's per-employee pricing creep — Xero Payroll bills you per employee per month on top of the Xero subscription. Ghugi's flat plans cap costs predictably.
You want DOB-encrypted PDFs by default — Xero auto-encrypts UK payslip PDFs, but you choose which employees get an encrypted copy on each pay run. Ghugi encrypts every payslip with the employee's date of birth automatically, every time.
You only need delivery, not a portal — Xero Me is a self-service app — some employees love it, many would rather just get an email. Ghugi sends emails, no app to install.

Plot twist: many of our customers use both. Xero Payroll (or their accountant’s payroll) calculates the pay, Ghugi sends the payslips.

At a glance

Feature-by-feature comparison. We’ve tried to be fair — call us out on hello@ghugi.com if anything’s wrong.

Feature	Ghugi	Xero Payroll
Full UK payroll calculation (PAYE/NI/RTI)	—	✓
Submits RTI to HMRC	—	✓
Employee self-service mobile app (Xero Me)	—	✓
Pension auto-enrolment workflow	—	✓
Bulk email payslips to staff	✓ Built-in	✓ Built-in
DOB-encrypted PDF delivery (AES-256)	✓ Every send, by default	Auto-encrypts; recipients chosen per pay run
Drag-in PDFs from any payroll source	✓	Locked to Xero output
Custom email templates per organisation	✓	Limited
Full audit trail of every send	✓	Partial
Cloud-first	✓	✓
Pricing model	Flat per-org tiers	Per-employee + Xero subscription
Approximate cost at 25 employees	£15/mo	~£55–80/mo + VAT

When Xero Payroll is the right choice

Cloud-first New Zealand accounting + payroll software; payroll is a paid add-on to the core Xero accounting subscription, hugely popular with UK small businesses.

You want accounting and payroll under one roof

Xero Payroll's strongest argument: shared employee data, shared general ledger, shared reports. One login, one bill — particularly attractive if you're starting from scratch with no existing payroll setup.

You want the best UX in UK payroll

Xero's interface is materially nicer than every other UK payroll product. Mobile-friendly, fast, modern. If UX matters to you, Xero deserves a serious look.

Your team wants a self-service app, not emails

Xero Me lets staff log in to see payslips, request holidays, and update bank details from their phone. Some teams strongly prefer this over email. Different shape from Ghugi — both work.

When Ghugi is the right choice

Ghugi isn’t trying to be Xero Payroll. We do one thing: get your payslip PDFs from “produced” to “in the employee’s inbox” without any portal, login, or manual forwarding.

You're not on Xero (and migrating is overkill)

Switching to Xero just for payroll means moving accounting too. Heavy lift. If you have a working setup elsewhere — BrightPay, Sage, Moneysoft, accountant-managed — Ghugi adds encrypted delivery without forcing an ecosystem change.

You want flat pricing instead of per-employee creep

Xero Payroll charges per employee per month on top of the Xero subscription. Hire 10 people, your bill goes up. Ghugi Starter caps at £15/month for up to 25 employees regardless.

You want default encryption

Xero auto-encrypts UK payslip PDFs, but the admin picks which employees get an encrypted copy each pay run. Ghugi locks every payslip with the employee's DOB by default — no per-pay-run selection.

You only need email-out, not a portal

Xero Me is a self-service app. Ghugi sends to email. Many employees prefer the email — no second login to remember, no app to install, opens straight in Gmail / Outlook / Mail.

Pricing, honestly compared

Here’s what the equivalent setup actually costs each way. They’re not apples-to-apples — Xero Payroll calculates the payroll, Ghugi delivers it — but the totals are real.

Xero + Xero Payroll — 25 employees

~£55–80/mo

+ VAT · Xero subscription (Ignite £16 to Ultimate £65/mo) plus payroll at £1.50 per employee per month (£1 on Ultimate)

Full accounting + UK payroll
Employee self-service mobile app
Pension auto-enrolment
Per-employee billing on top of subscription

Ghugi Starter — 25 employees

£15/mo

or £150/yr · 70%+ cheaper if you only need payslip delivery

Bulk email payslips with DOB encryption
Works with Xero payslip PDFs out of the box
Full audit trail of every send
Flat per-org pricing — no per-employee creep

Start free trial — no card required

Common questions

Quick answers to what most Xero Payroll users ask before switching.

Can I use Xero and Ghugi together?

Yes. Run payroll in Xero, then drag the payslip PDFs into Ghugi for encrypted bulk delivery. You get Xero's payroll engine and Ghugi's encryption + audit trail.

Will Ghugi work with Xero payslip PDFs?

Yes. Xero exports payslip PDFs from each pay run. Drag the batch into Ghugi and Ghugi auto-matches each one to the right employee using the name on the PDF.

Why use Ghugi if Xero already emails payslips?

Default encryption — Xero auto-encrypts UK payslips but you select recipients per pay run, whereas Ghugi locks every payslip by default. Plus fully custom email templates and a full audit trail. And if your accountant runs Xero and just sends you the PDFs, you don't have a Xero account to email from yourself; Ghugi is your delivery layer.

Is Xero cheaper than Ghugi?

Not for delivery alone. Xero adds payroll at £1.50 per employee per month (£1 on the Ultimate plan) on top of your Xero subscription (Ignite £16 to Ultimate £65/mo). At 25 employees you're typically paying £55–£80/mo for the full Xero stack. Ghugi Starter is £15/mo flat.

Do I have to give up Xero to use Ghugi?

Not at all. Keep Xero for accounting and payroll calculation; use Ghugi only for the email distribution step. Many of our customers do exactly that.

Stop emailing payslips like it’s 2005.

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Already on Xero? Keep Xero for accounting and payroll. Add Ghugi for encrypted delivery.

Ghugi vs Xero Payroll: which is right for your team?