Comparison

SmartPayroll vs RunPayroll for Employers

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SmartPayroll

Automate payroll for small to medium New Zealand businesses. This secure system handles employee payments, deductions, and tax filings, saving time and reducing hassle. The mobile app allows for easy pay run approvals and due date tracking.

Highlights
  • Automated payroll processing
  • Direct employee wage payments
  • Deduction management (PAYE, KiwiSaver)
  • Tax filing with Inland Revenue
  • Pay run due date tracking
  • Mobile pay run approval
Features
Read full description

SmartPayroll is an easy to use and cost-effective online payroll / wages system for small-to-medium sized New Zealand businesses. Its highly secure payroll processing saves you time, money and hassle by automating your payroll tasks. SmartPayroll pays your employees’ wages directly to their bank accounts, deducts PAYE, KiwiSaver and all other deductions, and then files the necessary schedules and returns with the Inland Revenue Department for you. Easy. SmartPayroll Mobile will let you: - See when your employees' next pay run is due - Approve a pay run that that has been processed via the SmartPayroll website

About

RunPayroll for Employers

Manage payroll and pay employees or contractors on the go. This app handles payroll taxes automatically and provides alerts for submission and approval status. View detailed reports and employee information securely.

Highlights
  • Pay hourly, salary, and independent contractors
  • Automatic payroll tax handling
  • Payroll submission and approval alerts
  • Preview payroll totals for accuracy
  • View detailed earnings and tax reports
  • Access employee contact information
  • Seamless integration with online account
Features
Read full description

Run payroll on the go and never miss running a payroll again with RunPayroll’s Mobile Payroll app. The app is available for iPhone and iPod Touch, and best of all it’s FREE for existing RunPayroll customers. As a RunPayroll customer, you’ll get easy and secure payroll from anywhere. Pay your employees or independent contractors in minutes and we’ll automatically handle the payroll taxes. It’s easier than ever. FEATURES •Pay hourly, salary and independent contractors •Enter wages and hours for payroll, vacation, sick and personal time •Get payroll submission and approval alert notifications •Preview payroll totals and payment methods to ensure accuracy •Get alerts that notify the Approver and Administrator of payroll approval status •View your payroll deadlines, bank holidays, birthdays and compliance updates •Integrate seamlessly with your existing RunPayroll online payroll account •View detailed reports of employee and company earnings, taxes, deductions and YTD totals •Access employee contact information •Get award-winning customer service SECURITY •All communications are protected by industry-leading encryption •Your login session securely ends from inactivity •Account number information is never transmitted

Screenshots

SmartPayroll2 screens
RunPayroll for Employers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RunPayroll for Employers at every 5 weeks against SmartPayroll's every 3 months. SmartPayroll's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartPayroll ships an update every 3 months, RunPayroll for Employers every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SmartPayroll versus RunPayroll for Employers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartPayrollRunPayroll for Employers
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (38 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—38 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmartPayrollSurePayroll, Inc

Customer experience

SmartPayroll

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%

RunPayroll for Employers

All ratings25 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.0%

In-app purchases

None

SmartPayroll

No in-app purchases

None

RunPayroll for Employers

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SmartPayroll free?
SmartPayroll is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RunPayroll for Employers free?
RunPayroll for Employers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SmartPayroll or RunPayroll for Employers have ads?
Neither SmartPayroll nor RunPayroll for Employers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartPayroll or RunPayroll for Employers?
SmartPayroll ships an update every 3 months, and RunPayroll for Employers every 5 weeks. Most recently, SmartPayroll was updated on October 13, 2026 and RunPayroll for Employers on October 24, 2026.

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