We bought it assuming a company called Sage selling HR software would run payroll. There is no US payroll engine, no Form 941, no W-2. We found out during implementation and had to buy a second product. Entirely our fault for not checking, and I still think the positioning invites the mistake.
Pros
Modules added only when you need them
Cons
Performance module is basic
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
22 found this helpful
Elliot Marchetti
Finance Manager, Vertex Machine Works
United States·Accounting·201 to 500 employees
5.0
Aug 25, 2025
Verified userUsed 2 or more years
Killed our time off spreadsheet in an afternoon
I set it up myself in a morning with no implementation call and no consultant. For a forty person company that is the entire value proposition.
Pros
Six fifty per employee per month for the core
Cons
Customization runs out past a few hundred staff
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
22 found this helpful
Lorena Larkin
Studio Director, Hillcrest Family Clinic
United States·Transport and logistics·51 to 200 employees
4.0
Jul 19, 2025
Used 2 or more years
The module structure is honest
Carryover rules were the thing our old spreadsheet always got wrong. It handles them, including the cap, and I have not had to check it manually since month two.
Pros
Set up without a consultant
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
22 found this helpful
Pablo Lin
Bookkeeper, Trailhead Bicycles
United States·Hospitality·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Feb 1, 2025
Used 1 to 2 years
Great at leave, thin everywhere else
It is called Sage HR and it does not do payroll, which is a naming decision I still find hard to defend. Useful product. Confusing position in the lineup.
Pros
Self service that employees actually adopt
Cons
Reporting is thin beyond the standard set
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
22 found this helpful
Heather Vargas
Founder, Granite Peak Roofing
United States·Healthcare·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Apr 21, 2026
Verified userUsed 1 to 2 years
Leave tracking that people use without being told
I set it up myself in a morning with no implementation call and no consultant. For a forty person company that is the entire value proposition.
Pros
Six fifty per employee per month for the core
Cons
No US or Canadian payroll engine at all
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Noor Yates
Studio Director, Bluewater Consulting
Canada·Software·11 to 50 employees
4.0
Apr 15, 2026
Used 1 to 2 years
Set it up myself in a morning
Carryover rules were the thing our old spreadsheet always got wrong. It handles them, including the cap, and I have not had to check it manually since month two.
Pros
Six fifty per employee per month for the core
Cons
Performance module is basic
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Farida Eberhardt
Studio Director, Bluewater Consulting
United States·Nonprofit·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Oct 16, 2025
Used less than 6 months
Set it up myself in a morning
The shared calendar stopped two people on the same small team booking the same week, which used to happen twice a year and caused real problems.
Pros
Six fifty per employee per month for the core
Cons
Customization runs out past a few hundred staff
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Ravi Hammond
Sales Director, Harborline Supply
United States·Marketing·11 to 50 employees
1.0
Oct 11, 2025
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
We assumed Sage meant payroll. It does not.
Support is email only on our plan and the turnaround is a day or two. Nothing has been urgent yet. If it ever is, I do not love my options.
Pros
Leave and absence management is genuinely excellent
Cons
Customization runs out past a few hundred staff
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Grace Reyes
Studio Director, Ironwood Fabrication
United States·Software·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Dec 23, 2024
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Priced so a small team can actually buy it
The shared calendar stopped two people on the same small team booking the same week, which used to happen twice a year and caused real problems.
Pros
Leave and absence management is genuinely excellent
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Amelia Underwood
Office Manager, Maplewood Childcare
United States·Education·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Sep 4, 2024
Verified userUsed less than 6 months
Killed our time off spreadsheet in an afternoon
I set it up myself in a morning with no implementation call and no consultant. For a forty person company that is the entire value proposition.
Pros
Set up without a consultant
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Ibrahim Rasheed
Chief of Staff, Beacon Legal Partners
United States·Real estate·11 to 50 employees
4.0
Aug 25, 2024
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
Approval chains finally match how we work
Employee self service actually gets used. People book their own time off, managers approve on their phone, and I stopped being the middle of every request. Adoption was immediate, which never happens.
Pros
Accrual and carryover rules handled correctly
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
21 found this helpful
Hugo Farouk
Office Manager, Fairview Veterinary
United States·Manufacturing·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Jun 29, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
We assumed Sage meant payroll. It does not.
Support is email only on our plan and the turnaround is a day or two. Nothing has been urgent yet. If it ever is, I do not love my options.
Pros
Leave and absence management is genuinely excellent
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJul 10, 2026
Thank you for the feedback. Sage HR is designed to integrate with payroll providers rather than process payroll directly, and we appreciate that this is not always clear during evaluation. Our team can walk you through the payroll integrations available in your region.
20 found this helpful
Tomas Delacroix
Bookkeeper, Ironwood Fabrication
United States·Legal·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Jun 3, 2026
Verified userUsed 2 or more years
Six fifty a head is the right price for this
Employee self service actually gets used. People book their own time off, managers approve on their phone, and I stopped being the middle of every request. Adoption was immediate, which never happens.
Pros
Leave and absence management is genuinely excellent
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
20 found this helpful
Odette Adeyemi
Finance Manager, Hillcrest Family Clinic
United States·Healthcare·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Jan 14, 2026
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Six fifty a head is the right price for this
Employee self service actually gets used. People book their own time off, managers approve on their phone, and I stopped being the middle of every request. Adoption was immediate, which never happens.
Pros
Accrual and carryover rules handled correctly
Cons
Support is email led
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
20 found this helpful
Renee Nasser
People Operations Lead, Fairview Veterinary
United States·Legal·51 to 200 employees
5.0
Oct 17, 2025
Used 1 to 2 years
Killed our time off spreadsheet in an afternoon
We added timesheets a year in and it slotted straight on. No migration, no renegotiation, just a line on the invoice. The modular thing is real and not a pricing trick.
Pros
Six fifty per employee per month for the core
Cons
Customization runs out past a few hundred staff
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
20 found this helpful
Kendra Mensah
Director of Finance, Vertex Machine Works
United States·Marketing·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Aug 31, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
We assumed Sage meant payroll. It does not.
It integrates with payroll rather than running it, which means you are still paying someone else for the part that actually has to be right. For a small company that is two vendors and two bills to do what should be one job.
Pros
Accrual and carryover rules handled correctly
Cons
Customization runs out past a few hundred staff
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
20 found this helpful
Farida Nowak
Accountant, Meridian Dental Group
United States·Construction·11 to 50 employees
4.0
Jan 18, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Six fifty a head is the right price for this
The shared calendar stopped two people on the same small team booking the same week, which used to happen twice a year and caused real problems.
Pros
Modules added only when you need them
Cons
No US or Canadian payroll engine at all
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
20 found this helpful
Andre Thibault
Operations Manager, Hillcrest Family Clinic
United States·Hospitality·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Aug 15, 2024
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
Killed our time off spreadsheet in an afternoon
Employee self service actually gets used. People book their own time off, managers approve on their phone, and I stopped being the middle of every request. Adoption was immediate, which never happens.
Pros
Six fifty per employee per month for the core
Cons
No US or Canadian payroll engine at all
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
20 found this helpful
Andre Donovan
Operations Manager, Redbrick Property Group
United States·Ecommerce·51 to 200 employees
4.0
Mar 30, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Approval chains finally match how we work
The shared calendar stopped two people on the same small team booking the same week, which used to happen twice a year and caused real problems.
Pros
Modules added only when you need them
Cons
No US or Canadian payroll engine at all
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
19 found this helpful
Percy Salazar
Studio Director, Summit Physio
United States·Transport and logistics·201 to 500 employees
3.0
Feb 8, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Good product, wrong name
It is called Sage HR and it does not do payroll, which is a naming decision I still find hard to defend. Useful product. Confusing position in the lineup.
Pros
Modules added only when you need them
Cons
No US or Canadian payroll engine at all
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorFeb 13, 2026
Thank you for the feedback. Sage HR is designed to integrate with payroll providers rather than process payroll directly, and we appreciate that this is not always clear during evaluation. Our team can walk you through the payroll integrations available in your region.
United States
Canada