Cintra

What Cintra does

Cintra is a UK-headquartered HR and payroll software and services company, founded in 1981 and operating from Newcastle upon Tyne as part of the Payroll Software Services Group. Its core product, Cintra People, is an in-house-built, cloud-based platform running HR and payroll on a single database, hosted in the UK on AWS with ISO 27001, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISAE 3402 Type II certifications and a £500,000 annual cybersecurity investment. Around the platform, Cintra delivers outsourced payroll, international payroll and Employer of Record services covering 100+ countries, Capture Expense, Cintra Groups for manager-level payroll delegation, Cintra Bureau for third-party bureaus, emergency payroll, and HR outsourcing.

Cintra monetises through per-payslip subscriptions for both software and managed services, with no per-user licence fees, complemented by 14-day HR software free trials and quote-based enterprise pricing. It serves more than 1,500 UK organisations spanning enterprise (Hiscox, Belron, Ocado, Gant, Sunderland AFC), mid-market (Farrow & Ball, Kew Green Hotels, Arcus, Brean Leisure, Olleco), education (St Chads Academies Trust, Diocese of Norwich, Long Road Sixth Form College), and SMB (Rigby & Peller). Distribution is predominantly direct and consultative with dedicated account managers and a named payroll contact per client, supplemented by a 14-day HR software self-serve trial and a customer referral programme.

Name

Cintra

Legal name

Cintra HR & Payroll Services Limited

Website

https://cintra.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cintra is a UK-based HR and payroll software and managed services company serving 1,500+ organisations through its in-house Cintra People platform, offering integrated HR, payroll, outsourced payroll, expense management, bureau software, and international payroll across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR and Payroll Software

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounts Payable (Invoice Processing, 2/3-Way Match, Vendor Payments) (BPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• HR and payroll software
• Payroll outsourcing services
• Bureau payroll software
• Expense management software
• International payroll services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gateshead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Payroll Software Licencing/Subscription: In-house payroll software delivered as a cloud-based subscription, with pricing based on a per-payslip model rather than per-user licences, enabling cost-effective scaling for growing organisations.
2. Payroll Outsourcing Services: Fully managed or part-managed outsourced payroll services powered by Cintra People, priced on a price-per-payslip model with no user licence fees. Clients submit data through the cloud portal and Cintra's team handles processing, compliance, and BACS payments.
3. Payroll Bureau Software Subscription: Cloud-based payroll bureau software subscription for third-party payroll bureaus managing multiple client payrolls, priced on a per-payslip basis across all client payrolls.
4. Expense Management Software (Capture Expense): Expense management software with a free 14-day trial available; monetised as part of the integrated Cintra People suite or potentially as a standalone subscription.
5. Emergency Payroll Services: Ad-hoc emergency payroll support services for clients on retainer or as one-off engagements, including emergency BACS and Faster Payments processing.
6. International Payroll and EOR Services: Managed international payroll services covering 100+ countries, with Cintra acting as single point of contact for global payroll, including Employer of Record (EOR) services for hiring without legal entities.
7. HR Outsourcing Services: Fully outsourced HR services covering advice, admin, compliance, and policies — available as an add-on to payroll services or standalone, priced based on organisational size and scope of services.
8. HR Software (Standalone or Integrated): Standalone HR software subscription (Cintra People HR module) available with a 14-day free trial, with pricing based on organisational size and module selection. Integrates with payroll and other Cintra modules.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cintra develops and sells Cintra People, a cloud-based integrated HR and payroll platform built on a single database, and delivers fully managed payroll outsourcing services powered by that platform for UK businesses. The offering spans in-house software subscriptions, fully managed payroll processing by Cintra's 70+ CIPP-qualified payrollers, payroll bureau software for third-party bureaus, international payroll across 100+ countries, expense management, and emergency payroll services.

Product overview

Cintra offers Cintra People, a single unified HR and payroll platform where HR and payroll run from the same platform and database. The core product Cintra People Payroll provides in-house cloud payroll software, while additional service layers include Payroll Outsourcing Services for fully managed payroll, Cintra Bureau for third-party bureau clients, and Cintra Groups for manager-level payroll delegation. The suite extends through International Payroll Services (100+ countries), Capture Expense for expense management, Emergency Payroll Services, and HR Software modules covering Absence Management, Performance Management, Employee Onboarding, Time Tracking, and Employee Engagement. Recruitment capabilities are delivered through partnership with Pinpoint ATS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cintra People: Integrated HR and payroll software platform that brings HR, payroll, and expenses into one system.
• Cintra Bureau
• Cintra Groups
• Capture Expense

Products and services

• Cintra People

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.99% average user accuracy rate in payroll processing
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

AI capability4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PinpointcoreTechnology or IntegrationCintra has formed a strategic partnership with Pinpoint, a world-class applicant tracking system (ATS) provider. Cintra integrates Pinpoint's recruitment software into its own award-winning payroll and HR platform, creating a seamless candidate-to-payroll workflow. New recruits from Pinpoint are automatically pushed through to Cintra's payroll and HR software, eliminating manual data entry across platforms. The partnership positions Cintra as offering 'two best-of-breed solutions in one fully integrated system.' Pinpoint customers reportedly see 80% less time on admin, 40% faster hires, and 83% less spend on recruitment agencies.
• Payroll Software Services Group (PSSG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCintra is part of the Payroll Software Services Group (PSSG), a parent company grouping multiple payroll and HR service brands. PSSG owns Cintra and potentially other payroll-related businesses in the UK market.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• PayFit: European cloud-native payroll and HR platform serving SMBs. An emerging disruptor with a modern architecture that competes with Cintra on UX and automation, particularly for UK and EU SMB customers.
• Employment Hero: Cloud-based HR, payroll and benefits platform with growing UK presence. Comparable integrated HR+payroll positioning targeted at SMBs, with international coverage that overlaps with Cintra Global's offering.
• Personio: European HRIS and payroll platform serving SMB and mid-market. Adjacent competitor with cloud-native architecture; competes for the same UK SMB/mid-market HR+payroll buyers as Cintra People.

Direct peers

• IRIS Software Group: Major UK payroll and HR software provider serving accountancy firms and mid-market businesses. Closest direct competitor to Cintra in UK prepackaged payroll software with overlapping customer segments and integrated HR+payroll positioning.
• Moorepay: UK payroll bureau and HR software provider for SMB and mid-market. Directly comparable service model (managed payroll + HR software) with similar customer segments in education, hospitality, and retail.
• MHR: UK-based HR, payroll and workforce management software provider serving mid-market and enterprise. Competes head-to-head with Cintra in integrated HR+payroll for UK enterprise customers.

Broad incumbents

• Sage Group: UK-headquartered global accounting and payroll giant (Sage Payroll, Sage HR). Significantly larger scale but competes in the same UK SMB/mid-market payroll market; Xero integration shows Cintra already interoperates with adjacent Sage-ecosystem rivals.
• SD Worx: European payroll and HR services giant with growing UK presence. Comparable to Cintra in outsourced payroll and HR services, but with multi-country scale and a broader international delivery network.
• Zellis (formerly NGA Human Resources / RPEC): Large UK payroll and HR software and services provider serving enterprise customers including outsourced payroll. Overlaps with Cintra in HR+payroll software and managed services for enterprise UK accounts.
• ADP (UK operations): Global payroll and HR services leader with substantial UK market share across SMB, mid-market, and enterprise. Competes with Cintra on managed payroll services and is a meaningful threat to mid-market customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cintrapayroll
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cintra-hr-&-payroll-services

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cintra