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A Planday alternative without the per-user minimum

Planday is a capable, Xero-owned scheduler, but it prices per user with a five-user minimum, so a small clocking-in team starts around £30 a month. WagePilot is a flat £29 per site, with no minimum and no per-head charge at all.

The bill, side by side

Here's what a clocking-in team of ten typically pays. WagePilot is flat per site with staff never charged per head. Hiring never moves the bill, so the price only changes if you open another venue.

WagePilot

Flat

£29 /site, per month

Unlimited staff · clock-in and payroll export included.

Hiring never moves it

Planday

~£30/mo

Per user, 5-user minimum · team of 10.

Priced per their model above

Indicative entry-level figures for a clocking-in team of ten, as of June 2026. Tiers change. Always check current pricing. We compare on pricing model, not a "cheapest" claim.

See the full flat pricing

WagePilot vs Planday, line by line

The honest head-to-head: where WagePilot is the better fit, and where it isn't.

Feature WagePilot Planday
Pricing model Flat per site, never per head Per user, 5-user min
Cost for a team of 10 £29 (1 site) ~£30/mo
Geofenced clock-in Included Included
Live labour-cost board Live, ticking total Cost reporting
Live staff earnings gauge Yes No
Runs payroll No, exports to yours No, exports/integrations
Best for Small UK teams, 2–50 Mid-size, Xero-centric ops

Prices and features as of June 2026. Tiers change, so always check current figures. We compare on pricing model, not a "cheapest" claim.

Why teams pick WagePilot

  • No five-user minimum: free for one site up to 3 staff, then a flat £29 however many you hire
  • A live labour-cost board and staff earnings gauge Planday lacks
  • Same-day setup as a PWA, with nothing to install

When Planday might suit you better

If you’re deep in the Xero ecosystem and want Planday’s tighter Xero integration and larger feature set, it’s a solid choice. WagePilot’s edge is flat pricing with no minimum, a live cost board, and the earnings gauge, all built for smaller teams.

Worked cost example: a café that grows

The same business over a year: 10 staff on one site, then 25, then a second site and 40 staff. What WagePilot costs at each step, and how Planday’s bill moves.

Month 1: 10 staff, 1 site
WagePilot £29 a month
Month 6: 25 staff, 1 site
WagePilot £29 a month
Month 12: 40 staff, 2 sites
WagePilot £58 a month
Planday over the same year
Per user with a minimum number of users, so it rises with each hire
Clock-in (GPS, QR, kiosk) on WagePilot
Included on every plan

WagePilot figures are its published October 2026 prices. The rival line describes its pricing model only, not a quote: tiers and add-ons change, so check their current pricing for your team. WagePilot estimates pay for your payroll; it does not run payroll.

The cost as you grow

Per-seat pricing means every hire nudges the bill up. With WagePilot it stays flat. Here's the gap as the team grows.

See full pricing
What you'd pay as your team grows: a typical per-seat tool vs WagePilot's flat price
Your team Typical per-seat tool WagePilot
3 staff ~£12/mo Free · 1 site
25 staff ~£100/mo £29 · 1 site
50 staff ~£200/mo £29 · 1 site
80 staff ~£320/mo £58 · 2 sites
150 staff ~£600/mo £87 · 3 sites
200 staff ~£800/mo £145 · 5 sites

Per-seat figures assume a typical ~£4/user/month all-in rate (many tools sit £3–£6/user). Indicative, for illustration.

Compare with other tools

WagePilot vs Planday: your questions

Does WagePilot have a user minimum like Planday?
No. Planday prices per user with a five-user minimum, so even a team of three pays for five. WagePilot is a flat £29/month per site with no minimum and no per-head charge, and one site with up to 3 staff is free forever.
Is WagePilot a good Planday alternative if I use Xero?
WagePilot exports approved hours as a CSV that drops into Xero Payroll (and Sage, BrightPay, QuickBooks). Planday, being Xero-owned, has a tighter native integration; if you need that depth it’s a fair reason to stay. WagePilot’s edge is flat pricing, a live cost board and the earnings gauge.
How quickly can I get started?
WagePilot is a Progressive Web App with nothing to install: set up your sites, team and rates and publish a rota the same afternoon, no card needed to start.
Can I run WagePilot alongside Planday while I switch?
Yes. Start on the Free plan with no card, add your team and rates, and run a week in parallel with Planday to compare hours. Staff join with a code on their own phone; there is nothing to install. Cancel the old tool once the numbers match.
Does WagePilot run payroll, tax or payslips?
No. WagePilot is pre-payroll: it records hours, holiday and breaks and produces estimated gross pay with minimum wage checks, then exports approved hours as a CSV for Xero, Sage, BrightPay, QuickBooks or your accountant. Tax, NI and payslips stay in your payroll software.
Does WagePilot track staff location all day?
No. Location is checked once at clock-in and once at clock-out against the site geofence, never continuously or in the background. A QR poster or a kiosk tablet works with no location at all.

Switch from Planday in an afternoon

No migration project, no card to start. Add your team and publish a rota today.

Free for one site, up to 3 staff · no card to start · cancel anytime

Free for 1 site, no card

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