For a UK employer or accountancy practice reassessing BrightPay, the immediate issue may be its move to the cloud. BrightPay desktop ended on April 6, 2026, and no longer receives updates or support. A replacement must still handle the business's UK payroll work.
Borderless AI becomes relevant when the problem extends beyond that pay run: an employee needs a legal employer in another country. Its EOR service supplies that employment arrangement, including contracts, payroll, taxes and benefits. That is a different purchase from a payroll software subscription.
Moving off desktop does not, by itself, create a reason to move UK employees to an EOR. A business can retain BrightPay for UK payroll and use Borderless for an overseas hire where EOR is the appropriate employment route.
The decision at a glance
BrightPay describes its UK payroll scope; Borderless explains the EOR's employer role.
What BrightPay Cloud does well for UK payroll
BrightPay serves two distinct buyers: employers running their own payroll and accountants or bureaus processing payroll for multiple clients. Its cloud payroll platform supports automated calculations, legislative updates and collaboration between users.
For a bureau, multi-client processing matters. BrightPay's UK product page describes batch actions for checking coding notices, sending HMRC submissions and finalising payslips across clients. It also supports payroll journal integration with accounting products including Xero, Sage and QuickBooks. Those are useful reasons to keep a specialist payroll workflow.
The client portal gives authorised users access to payroll reports, HMRC information and employee records. A practice evaluating alternatives should test its client access and reporting needs, alongside payroll processing itself.
There is a clear service boundary. BrightPay's support scope covers using the software; it excludes employment-law advice and questions about employment contracts or legal obligations. Payroll compliance features do not mean the software provider takes over the employer's role.
Is BrightPay desktop still an option?
For current UK payroll, evaluate BrightPay Cloud. The old Windows product and BrightPay Connect should not be treated as two current alternatives to the cloud platform. Bright's transition guidance confirms the UK desktop retirement and the end of Connect availability with bureau desktop licences from 2026/27.
Bright's migration hub lists a Cloud limit of 300 employees, including leavers, and asks customers near that size to discuss their options. Check capacity against each employer's records, not only the current active team.
Construction payroll needs a separate check. Bright now offers BrightCIS for Construction Industry Scheme subcontractor records, calculations, returns and statements. Compare the products required for your actual workload rather than assuming every old desktop feature moved into the same subscription.
Can BrightPay run payroll outside the UK?
BrightPay's UK help centre says adapting its UK product to non-UK jurisdictions is not officially supported or recommended. It separately markets an Irish payroll edition with Revenue and PAYE Modernisation functionality. UK and Irish editions should be assessed in their own jurisdictions.
A US or Canadian headquarters can still be evaluating BrightPay for a UK operation. The location of the buyer does not turn UK payroll software into US or Canadian payroll software.
For an employee working abroad, first establish who will employ them and which country's payroll applies. If your company can employ them directly, assess an appropriate payroll service. If you need a third party to become their employer, assess EOR. Borderless also offers global payroll, a separate scope to discuss when employment infrastructure is already in place.
How should you compare pricing?
Build the BrightPay quote around your employer and employee counts, payment frequency and required products. Its billing guidance distinguishes monthly and annual arrangements and directs customers to discuss headcount changes with its payment services team.
Turnover affects the calculation. Monthly billing includes leavers in the month they leave, then excludes them from later usage charges. For prepaid annual allowances, only active employees count. That billing distinction is separate from the migration hub's employee capacity limit.
For Borderless, request an EOR proposal for the worker's location and employment terms. Separate the service fee from salary, employer contributions and benefits. A software licence price and the total cost of employing someone answer different budget questions.
For an existing BrightPay customer, the useful decision may be two purchases: a supported UK payroll setup for the current team, plus an employment arrangement for the overseas role. Ask who handles each payroll, who approves changes and how the costs reach finance. An overseas hire should solve an employment need without forcing an unnecessary replacement of a working UK payroll process.