Deel Payroll vs Sage HR — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Deel Payroll starts at $29/mo. Sage HR starts at $5.5/mo. Sage HR is $23.5/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Deel Payroll.
See price history: Deel Payroll · Sage HR
Deel's own-entity payroll product — run payroll across 130+ countries at $29 per employee per month, with country-specific tax filings, statutory reporting, multi-currency runs and a dedicated payroll manager on the managed option. This is the product for companies that already have legal entities, as opposed to Deel EOR which exists precisely to avoid them. Add-ons: Benefits Management $10, Payroll Connect $5 and Treasury $10 per employee per month. Sibling products: Deel EOR, Deel US PEO, Deel HR, Deel Contractor Management and Deel IT.
Sage HR (formerly CakeHR) is Sage's cloud HR platform for SMBs. Core HR ~$5.50/employee/mo; add-on modules (Leave, Performance, Timesheets, Shift Scheduling, Recruitment, Expenses) priced separately per employee. 30-day free trial. UK-headquartered.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Deel Payroll monthly | Deel Payroll annual | Sage HR monthly | Sage HR annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Payroll Connect add-on / + Expenses | $5 | $5 | $1.5 | $1.5 |
| Mid tier 1 | Benefits Management add-on / + Performance | $10 | $10 | $3 | $3 |
| Mid tier 2 | Treasury add-on / + Shift Scheduling | $10 | $10 | $3 | $3 |
| Mid tier 3 | — / + Timesheets | — | — | $3 | $3 |
| Mid tier 4 | — / Core HR + Leave Management | — | — | $5.5 | $5.5 |
| Mid tier 5 | — / + HR Advice Essentials | — | — | $100 | $100 |
| Pro / power | Global / + Recruitment | $29 | $29 | $200 | $200 |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Deel Payroll is worth it if… Deel Payroll is the cheaper end-state once you own entities in the countries you hire in — $29/employee/mo against $599 for EOR in the same country. The crossover usually lands somewhere around 5-10 employees per country once entity setup and maintenance are priced in.
Sage HR is worth it if… Sage HR is ideal for UK/EU small-to-mid businesses (5-200 employees) that want modular HR without US-heavy pricing tiers.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Deel Payroll over Sage HR if…
Choose Deel Payroll if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $29/mo).
- You match the profile Deel Payroll is built for: the cheaper end-state once you own entities in the countries you hire in — $29/employee/mo against $599 for EOR in the same country.
- You're building for legal.
Choose Sage HR if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $5.5/mo).
- You match the profile Sage HR is built for: ideal for UK/EU small-to-mid businesses (5-200 employees) that want modular HR without US-heavy pricing tiers.
- You need a general-purpose hr & people option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Deel Payroll | Sage HR | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Entry price | $29/mo | $5.5/mo |
| Enterprise available | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Per Seat |
| Verification | Checked September 23, 2026 | Verified August 18, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 27, 2026. Tracked daily.