activ8 Payroll vs Payroll Engine

activ8 Payroll is a paid, web-based SaaS platform for managing payroll data and processes across countries. It gives organizations oversight of payroll work across employee locations, with validated reports intended to support compliance and people-related decisions. Uploads pass through a four-step check against country-specific requirements. The eFile workflow supports secure upload, review, approval, access control, completion signatures and audit history. Automation, alerts and notifications help reduce repetitive work, while real-time tracking and reporting support processes aligned with international legislation. Integration choices include prebuilt, standard and custom connections for payroll, HRIS, HCM, ERP and HR systems; named partners include Workday, UKG Pro, UKG Ready, HiBob, Sage People and Cornerstone. activpayroll lists ISO 27001, SOC 1 Type 2, Cyber Essentials Plus and BACS approval. The service includes expert guidance, a support centre and Payroll Pulse feedback after payroll cycles. Pricing is on request.

Payroll Engine is an open-source framework for embedding payroll processing into larger software platforms. Released under the MIT License, it provides a backend that processes payroll data through a REST API and configurable regulation layers; country regulations are commercial. It supports time-stamped payroll data, recurring and non-recurring payruns, and reports for payslips, legal filings, or data exchange. Its API covers tenant and employee management, payrun jobs, result queries, report output, and backend event webhooks. A browser application manages tenants, employees, regulations, case data, payruns, reports, tasks, and developer logs. The .NET Client SDK includes typed REST clients, test runners, local script tools, and JSON schemas for regulation validation. A built-in test framework supports case validation, payrun assertions, and regression testing. The backend is designed for local or Docker Compose deployment, and a database must be provided separately. API key and OAuth authentication are supported but disabled by default; audit trails are also disabled by default unless configured. The maker says the backend is a service and should not be used on the public Internet.