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Payroll · head to head

Nmbrs vs Openwage

Nmbrs logo

Nmbrs

Payroll

Dutch and Swedish payroll and HR sold largely through accountants, owned by Visma since 2017

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Openwage logo

Openwage

Payroll

UK earned wage access charging a transparent 1 percent transfer fee, free for employers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Nmbrs coverage is the Netherlands and Sweden only, so any international group will run Nmbrs alongside other payroll systems and reconcile them manually.; Openwage it is UK-only, tied to UK payroll cycles and regulation, so it is not usable for international workforces.
  • They diverge on capability: Nmbrs covers Dutch payroll engine, Openwage covers On-demand pay.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nmbrs and Openwage actually diverge.

Attributes where Nmbrs and Openwage differ
AttributeNmbrsOpenwage
Pricing modelquotePer-transfer fee, paid by the employee

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Nmbrs

  • Dutch payroll engine
  • Swedish payroll
  • Collective agreement handling
  • Employee self service
  • HR records
  • Accountant workspace
  • Open API
  • Journal export

Only in Openwage

  • On-demand pay
  • Transparent per-transfer fee
  • Payroll and T&A integration
  • No credit impact
  • Automatic payday reconciliation
  • Employer-free deployment

What people use each for

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

Nmbrs

  • A Dutch company that wants payroll calculated and filed in-country rather than routed through an international aggregatornot Openwage
  • An accountancy firm running payroll for dozens of client companies from one workspacenot Openwage
  • A Dutch subsidiary of an international group that needs correct CAO and pension fund handlingnot Openwage
  • An HR or time tracking vendor that needs a documented API to push hours and changes into Dutch payrollnot Openwage

Openwage

  • A UK employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the businessnot Nmbrs
  • An employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque feenot Nmbrs
  • A company already running standard UK payroll and time and attendance systems wanting straightforward integrationnot Nmbrs
  • An HR team comparing earned wage access providers on published unit economics rather than sales quotesnot Nmbrs

Where each one falls short

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

Nmbrs

  • Coverage is the Netherlands and Sweden only, so any international group will run Nmbrs alongside other payroll systems and reconcile them manually.
  • Most customers buy through an accountancy or payroll bureau, which means the price, the service level and the escalation path are set by an intermediary rather than by Visma.
  • English documentation and support lag behind the Dutch material, which slows down international finance teams trying to understand what a declaration actually contains.
  • The HR modules are basic next to a dedicated HRIS, so companies typically pair Nmbrs with another system and maintain an integration between them.
  • Ownership by Visma places it inside a large portfolio with overlapping payroll products, and buyers should ask where Nmbrs sits in that portfolio before committing to a long contract.

Openwage

  • It is UK-only, tied to UK payroll cycles and regulation, so it is not usable for international workforces.
  • Even a published, low fee still means employees effectively pay to access their own earned money, and frequent use compounds that cost over a year.
  • The 50% cap on gross (not net) earned pay can overstate what an employee can actually draw once tax and deductions are accounted for, creating confusion at the point of request.
  • As with all earned wage access, dependency on the product is a symptom of insufficient pay cadence or amount that the advance itself does not fix, and can mask a deeper compensation problem an employer should address directly.
  • Accuracy is entirely dependent on the employer's payroll and time and attendance data being current, so errors upstream produce incorrect available-balance figures for employees.

Pricing, plan by plan

Nmbrs

On request
  • Nmbrs$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month, commonly resold by accountancy firms
    • Payroll and HR modules licensed separately
    • Direct pricing differs from partner pricing

Openwage

On request
  • Openwage$undefined/month
    • Free for employers to offer
    • 1% fee per transfer, minimum £1, paid by the employee
    • No interest and no credit check

Which should you pick?

Choose Nmbrs if

  • You need dutch payroll engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want swedish payroll.
Nmbrs review

Choose Openwage if

  • You need on-demand pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want transparent per-transfer fee.
Openwage review

Questions people ask

Is Nmbrs or Openwage better?
Neither clearly leads. Nmbrs starts at On request and Openwage at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nmbrs or Openwage?
Nmbrs starts at On request and Openwage at On request.
Does Nmbrs or Openwage run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Nmbrs best used for?
Nmbrs is most often used for a dutch company that wants payroll calculated and filed in-country rather than routed through an international aggregator, an accountancy firm running payroll for dozens of client companies from one workspace, a dutch subsidiary of an international group that needs correct cao and pension fund handling, an hr or time tracking vendor that needs a documented api to push hours and changes into dutch payroll. Of those, a dutch company that wants payroll calculated and filed in-country rather than routed through an international aggregator and an accountancy firm running payroll for dozens of client companies from one workspace are not what Openwage is typically brought in for.
What can Nmbrs do that Openwage cannot?
Nmbrs covers Dutch payroll engine, Swedish payroll, Collective agreement handling, Employee self service. Openwage covers On-demand pay, Transparent per-transfer fee, Payroll and T&A integration, No credit impact.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Nmbrs: Does Nmbrs actually file Dutch payroll taxes?

Yes. It calculates wage tax and submits the loonaangifte to the Belastingdienst, along with pension fund and sector scheme declarations. It is not an aggregator passing data to a bureau.

Openwage: Who pays the fee?

The employee, at 1% of the amount transferred with a minimum of £1; the employer benefit itself is free.

Nmbrs: Which countries does it cover?

The Netherlands and Sweden. Nowhere else.

Openwage: Is it a loan?

No, Openwage states it is not a loan or credit product; there is no interest and no credit score impact.

Nmbrs: Do I buy it direct or through an accountant?

Both are possible, but most Dutch customers come through an accountancy or payroll administration firm, and the price and support come from that firm.

Openwage: How much can an employee access?

Up to 50% of gross wages already earned in the current pay period.

Nmbrs: Who owns Nmbrs?

Visma, the Nordic business software group, acquired it in 2017.

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