PayFit
PayFit is a European cloud-based payroll and HR automation platform serving over 20,000 SMBs across the UK, France, and Spain, processing payroll for 250,000+ employees on a per-employee subscription model with integrated HR modules and an AI-powered Copilot.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What PayFit does
PayFit is a European cloud-based payroll and HR automation platform founded in 2015 and headquartered in Paris, with regional headquarters in London and Barcelona. The company serves small and medium-sized businesses across the UK, France, and Spain, processing payroll for more than 250,000 employees and serving over 20,000 SME customers. Its core product is an automated payroll engine that handles HMRC RTI submissions, pension auto-enrolment, statutory payments, and regulatory compliance updates, alongside integrated HR modules covering people management, leave and absences, expense management, and performance management. The platform is built on AWS infrastructure with OAuth2/JWT authentication, TLS 1.2 with RSA-4096 encryption, and holds ISO 27001 certification alongside jurisdiction-specific credentials (HMRC, RTI, BACS, Faster Payments, GDPR).
PayFit operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining product-led growth (free trial and self-serve onboarding) with sales-assisted motion for mid-market prospects, distributed across localized UK, French, and Spanish websites. Its revenue model is subscription-based, priced per employee per month, with the French Starter plan starting at €26/employee/month and higher tiers for medium businesses. The company launched PayFit Copilot in January 2025 as its first AI agent for payroll and HR support, and has recently added a Health Insurance module to extend its benefits offering.
The firm is venture-backed, having raised approximately €254 million in Series E funding led by General Atlantic in January 2022 at a €1.82 billion valuation, achieving unicorn status. By early 2026, market conditions had compressed its valuation to approximately €625 million — a ~65% decline — though PayFit continues to operate across its three core markets with active product investment. Leadership includes founder Firmin Zocchetto as President of the French parent entity, with country-level CEOs and CFOs across the UK and Spanish subsidiaries.
PayFit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PayFit
- Legal name
- PayFit SAS
- Website
- https://payfit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- PayFit is a European cloud-based payroll and HR automation platform serving over 20,000 SMBs across the UK, France, and Spain, processing payroll for 250,000+ employees on a per-employee subscription model with integrated HR modules and an AI-powered Copilot.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PayFit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payroll and HR Software
- NAICS
- Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ), Expense Management & Reimbursements Administration (BPACAIAH), Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD)
Keywords
Where PayFit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
PayFit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Per Employee Per Month: PayFit generates revenue through recurring subscription fees charged per employee per month. The company offers tiered pricing plans (Starter and other tiers) targeting different business sizes from startups to medium-sized businesses. Pricing varies by market (UK, France, Spain) and plan tier.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | UK pricing - tiered plans for small and medium businesses |
| Subscription | Monthly | Starter plan - €26/month/employee |
| Subscription | Monthly | Spain promotional offer - up to 18% for 6 months |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
PayFit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PayFit provides cloud-based payroll and HR automation software for small and medium-sized businesses across Europe, automating over 90% of manual payroll tasks including salary calculations, HMRC submissions, RTI filings, SSP, auto-enrolment, and pension processing. The unified platform combines payroll, people management, leave and absences, expense management, and performance management on a shared employee data model, complemented by PayFit Copilot, an AI agent providing 24/7 automated payroll and HR support.
Product overview
PayFit is a unified cloud-based HR and payroll platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses across Europe. The platform operates as a modular system comprising a core payroll engine (Payroll) as the foundation, supplemented by integrated HR modules including People Management, Leave and Absences, Expense Management, and Performance Management. The platform also includes PayFit Copilot, an AI-powered agent that provides 24/7 automated support for payroll and HR queries. All modules share a common data architecture and employee records system, enabling seamless workflows between payroll processing and HR activities. PayFit serves over 20,000 SMEs with operations in the UK, France, and Spain, processing payroll for approximately 250,000 employees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Payroll
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of payroll tasks automated
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use PayFit
Customer profileNamed customers22 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PayFit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
PayFit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreAWS is the hosting provider for PayFit, with servers located within the European Union. Used for hosting the application and storing customer data.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PayFit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rippling: Rippling is a US-headquartered HR, payroll, IT, and finance platform expanding into Europe. It targets a similar SMB-to-midmarket segment with a broader product surface, competing directly with PayFit's all-in-one positioning.
- Gusto: Gusto is the closest US-based direct peer: cloud-native payroll, HR, benefits, and time tracking built for SMBs with per-employee pricing. PayFit mirrors Gusto's product strategy and customer segment in the European market.
- Zenefits: Zenefits is a US SMB-focused HR, payroll, and benefits platform with similar per-employee subscription model. It targets an analogous customer segment and product mix, making it a direct functional peer even if geographically separated.
- Personio: Personio is a German-founded direct competitor offering HR and payroll software for SMBs and mid-market companies across Europe. Overlapping customer profile (European SMEs), product suite, and go-to-market make it PayFit's most direct European rival.
Broad incumbents
- Sage Group: Sage is a UK-headquartered incumbent providing Sage Payroll and Sage HR as part of a broader accounting and ERP suite for SMBs. It competes with PayFit across UK and other European markets with deeper legacy customer relationships but less modern UX.
- ADP: ADP is the global payroll and HR services incumbent with RUN Powered by ADP and other SMB-focused offerings. It competes across PayFit's geographies with stronger enterprise brand recognition but less modern cloud-native product experience.
- SD Worx: SD Worx is a European payroll and HR services provider headquartered in Belgium, with strong presence across France, UK, Germany, and Spain. It competes with PayFit on SMB payroll outsourcing, often as a managed-service alternative to PayFit's SaaS model.
- Workday: Workday is a global enterprise HCM and payroll incumbent with Workday Payroll expanding into European markets. It is a broader incumbent competing for the same payroll/HR budget at the upper end of PayFit's mid-market segment.
Emerging players
- Deel: Deel is a global payroll and EOR platform originally focused on remote international teams, now expanding into domestic European payroll. Overlap with PayFit on the SMB payroll and HR automation use case, though Deel's strength is cross-border employment.
- HiBob: HiBob is an Israel-founded modern HRIS targeting mid-market companies in Europe and globally. While HiBob's payroll integration strategy is different (partnering with local payroll providers rather than building native payroll), it competes for the same HR budget at growing SMBs and mid-market firms.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PayFit social profiles
Digital presencePayFit compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
PayFit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PayFit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
PayFit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PayFit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PayFit
What does PayFit do?
PayFit provides cloud-based payroll and HR automation software for small and medium-sized businesses across Europe, automating over 90% of manual payroll tasks including salary calculations, HMRC submissions, RTI filings, SSP, auto-enrolment, and pension processing. The unified platform combines payroll, people management, leave and absences, expense management, and performance management on a shared employee data model, complemented by PayFit Copilot, an AI agent providing 24/7 automated payroll and HR support.
Is PayFit a public or private company?
PayFit is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was PayFit founded?
PayFit was founded in 2015. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is PayFit based?
PayFit is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does PayFit make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription - Per Employee Per Month.
Who are PayFit's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rippling, Gusto, Zenefits and Personio. Broad incumbents are Sage Group, ADP, SD Worx and Workday. Emerging players are Deel and HiBob.
Does PayFit have an API?
Yes. PayFit offers an open API for custom integrations, enabling data synchronisation with preferred solutions via custom APIs. The API allows businesses to connect PayFit with their own preferred tools and systems. Developer documentation is at support.payfit.com/en.
What industry is PayFit in?
PayFit's product category is Payroll and HR Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAIAB, Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS), with a secondary code of HDAEAEAJ, Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541214 and its SIC code is 7372.