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Payroll · head to head

Branch App vs PayFit

Branch App logo

Branch App

Payroll

Digital wallet and Mastercard debit card bundled with fee-free earned wage access for US workers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayFit logo

PayFit

Payroll

Native payroll and HR for small and mid-sized companies in a small number of European countries

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Branch App has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Branch App the fee-free promise applies most fully to funds kept in the Branch Wallet; moving money out instantly to an external bank account can carry a fee, which is easy to overlook.; PayFit coverage is limited to a handful of European countries and the company withdrew from Germany in 2023, so any buyer with expansion plans should assume the country they need next will not be supported.
  • They diverge on capability: Branch App covers On-demand pay, PayFit covers Native payroll engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Branch App and PayFit actually diverge.

Attributes where Branch App and PayFit differ
AttributeBranch AppPayFit
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree for employers, fee-free standard access for workersquote
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Branch App

  • On-demand pay
  • Branch Wallet
  • Branch Card
  • Branch Embedded
  • Cashless tips and mileage tracking
  • Automatic savings

Only in PayFit

  • Native payroll engine
  • Statutory filing
  • Payslip generation
  • Time off management
  • Expenses
  • Employee records
  • Automated variable pay
  • Accounting export

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Branch App

  • A healthcare, retail or hospitality employer wanting fee-free earned wage access for shift workersnot PayFit
  • A gig or shift-scheduling platform wanting to embed pay features under its own brand via Branch Embeddednot PayFit
  • An employer wanting cashless tipping and mileage tracking bundled with wage accessnot PayFit
  • A worker who wants a dedicated pay-focused wallet and debit card rather than routing advances to a personal bank accountnot PayFit

PayFit

  • A French company of 50 people leaving a payroll bureau that charges per payslip and returns work slowlynot Branch App
  • A Spanish or Italian employer that needs payroll calculated in-country rather than routed through an intermediarynot Branch App
  • A UK subsidiary of a European group that wants payroll on the same platform as the parent where the country is supportednot Branch App
  • A finance team that wants payroll journals exported directly into the local accounting system without manual mappingnot Branch App

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Branch App

  • The fee-free promise applies most fully to funds kept in the Branch Wallet; moving money out instantly to an external bank account can carry a fee, which is easy to overlook.
  • Because Branch Embedded lets other platforms white-label the same infrastructure, a worker or employer evaluating a differently branded wage access feature may not realise Branch is the underlying processor, complicating vendor due diligence.
  • As with all earned wage access, frequent draws are a symptom of pay not covering living costs between cycles, which the product does not itself remedy.
  • Coverage is US-only, so it does not serve international or multi-country workforces.
  • Adoption value depends on workers actually using the Branch wallet and card day to day; a worker who only wants advances deposited into an existing bank account gets a comparatively thinner experience than one who adopts the full wallet.

PayFit

  • Coverage is limited to a handful of European countries and the company withdrew from Germany in 2023, so any buyer with expansion plans should assume the country they need next will not be supported.
  • There is no employer of record capability, so hiring one person in an unsupported country means adding a separate vendor and a separate employment model.
  • The HR modules cover time off, expenses and records but do not replace an HRIS, and companies with performance, learning or ATS requirements will run PayFit alongside another system.
  • Pricing is quoted per country as a platform fee plus a per employee charge, which makes cross-border cost comparison awkward and means a small subsidiary can carry a disproportionate fixed cost.
  • The product is built for small and mid-sized employers, and companies past a few hundred employees report hitting limits in complex collective agreement handling and in bulk data correction workflows.

Pricing, plan by plan

Branch App

Free
  • BranchFree
    • No employer subscription cost
    • Fee-free earned wage access to the Branch Wallet
    • Instant transfer to external accounts may carry a fee

PayFit

On request
  • PayFit$undefined/year
    • Monthly platform fee plus a charge per paid employee
    • Pricing differs by country of employment
    • Payroll calculation and statutory filing

Which should you pick?

Choose Branch App if

  • You need on-demand pay.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want branch wallet.
Branch App review

Choose PayFit if

  • You need native payroll engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want statutory filing.
PayFit review

Questions people ask

Is Branch App or PayFit better?
Neither clearly leads. Branch App starts at Free and PayFit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Branch App or PayFit?
Branch App has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Branch App and On request for PayFit.
Does Branch App or PayFit run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Branch App for free?
Yes. Branch App has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PayFit starts at On request.
What is Branch App best used for?
Branch App is most often used for a healthcare, retail or hospitality employer wanting fee-free earned wage access for shift workers, a gig or shift-scheduling platform wanting to embed pay features under its own brand via branch embedded, an employer wanting cashless tipping and mileage tracking bundled with wage access, a worker who wants a dedicated pay-focused wallet and debit card rather than routing advances to a personal bank account. Of those, a healthcare, retail or hospitality employer wanting fee-free earned wage access for shift workers and a gig or shift-scheduling platform wanting to embed pay features under its own brand via branch embedded are not what PayFit is typically brought in for.
What can Branch App do that PayFit cannot?
Branch App covers On-demand pay, Branch Wallet, Branch Card, Branch Embedded. PayFit covers Native payroll engine, Statutory filing, Payslip generation, Time off management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Branch App: Is it free for employers?

Yes, the core earned wage access offering is free for employers and standard access is fee-free for workers.

PayFit: Which countries does PayFit actually calculate payroll in?

It runs its own payroll engine for the countries it sells in, currently France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, and it closed its German operation in 2023.

Branch App: What is Branch Embedded?

A white-label version of Branch's wage access and paycard infrastructure that other software platforms can build into their own branded product.

PayFit: Is it native payroll or aggregation through a local partner?

Native. Country rules are written and maintained in the company own domain-specific language, so calculation and filing are PayFit responsibilities rather than a partner obligation.

Branch App: Does it work outside the US?

No, it is a US-only product.

PayFit: Can PayFit employ staff on my behalf?

No. It is payroll software for entities you already have. Employment in a country without your own entity needs an employer of record.

PayFit: Does it handle collective bargaining agreements?

Common French and Spanish agreements are supported, but unusual or heavily negotiated agreements can require manual handling.

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