Softwr

Payroll · head to head

Payhawk vs Wagestream

Payhawk logo

Payhawk

Payroll

Modular spend management combining corporate cards, accounts payable, procurement and travel

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wagestream logo

Wagestream

Payroll

Financial wellbeing platform with flexible pay, savings and coaching for UK and US employers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Payhawk buying the full stack of Travel, Accounts Payable, Cards and Procurement separately costs more than a single suite price, since each module carries its own flat monthly fee.; Wagestream employees pay a flat fee of around 1.95 pounds per transfer, so frequent users pay a meaningful annual sum to access wages they have already earned.
  • They diverge on capability: Payhawk covers Corporate cards, Wagestream covers Stream pay.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Payhawk and Wagestream actually diverge.

Attributes where Payhawk and Wagestream differ
AttributePayhawkWagestream
Pricing modelPer module per monthquote

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 Payhawk

  • Corporate cards
  • Accounts payable automation
  • Procurement module
  • Travel booking
  • ERP integrations
  • Multi-entity consolidation

Only in Wagestream

  • Stream pay
  • Build savings
  • Track
  • Coaching
  • Employer subsidy
  • Rostering integration

What people use each for

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

Payhawk

  • A multi-entity European business wanting one system for cards, expenses and payables across currenciesnot Wagestream
  • A finance team that wants to price spend management before a sales call rather than negotiating blindnot Wagestream
  • A company wanting only accounts payable automation without paying for card issuing it does not neednot Wagestream
  • A mid-market business standardising ERP-integrated expense reporting ahead of a fundraise or auditnot Wagestream

Wagestream

  • A care provider with thousands of shift workers using flexible pay to fill unpopular shiftsnot Payhawk
  • A retailer under ESG scrutiny that wants to subsidise the transfer fee and evidence a genuine benefitnot Payhawk
  • An employer whose staff use payday lending and who wants a cheaper alternative inside payrollnot Payhawk
  • A logistics operator wanting savings-from-pay alongside early access rather than advances alonenot Payhawk

Where each one falls short

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

Payhawk

  • Buying the full stack of Travel, Accounts Payable, Cards and Procurement separately costs more than a single suite price, since each module carries its own flat monthly fee.
  • The unlimited-seats model is a poor fit for a company issuing cards to only a handful of employees, since the fixed module price does not scale down.
  • Card issuing depends on Payhawk's own banking partners rather than a company's existing bank, so switching away later means reissuing cards and re-training staff on a new tool.
  • Procurement is a separate paid module rather than a built-in feature, so a company evaluating "Payhawk" from marketing material may be looking at capability it has not actually bought.
  • International card acceptance and FX handling vary by market, and companies with material spend outside Europe report gaps compared to global card issuers.

Wagestream

  • Employees pay a flat fee of around 1.95 pounds per transfer, so frequent users pay a meaningful annual sum to access wages they have already earned.
  • Employers who do not subsidise the fee are, in effect, offering a benefit funded by their lowest-paid staff, which is an awkward position when unions or ESG reporting examine it.
  • Transfers are capped at a share of earned wages, commonly around half a month, so it does not resolve a genuine income shortfall and can delay someone seeking real debt help.
  • It needs accurate payroll and rostering feeds; employers with legacy or multiple payroll systems face long integrations before launch.
  • Uptake concentrates in a minority of staff who use it repeatedly, so headline adoption figures overstate how broadly the benefit is felt across a workforce.

Pricing, plan by plan

Payhawk

On request
  • Travel$299/month
    • Integrated travel booking
    • Unlimited employee seats
  • Accounts Payable$349/month
    • Invoice capture and approval routing
    • Unlimited document processing
  • Cards and Expenses$449/month
    • Unlimited card transactions
    • Multi-entity expense management
  • Procurement$499/month
    • Purchase request and approval workflow
    • Vendor management

Wagestream

On request
  • Wagestream$undefined/year
    • Employer platform fee quoted, commonly per employee per month
    • Employee pays roughly 1.95 per wage transfer unless subsidised
    • Employer can part-subsidise or fully fund the transfer fee

Which should you pick?

Choose Payhawk if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want accounts payable automation.
Payhawk review

Choose Wagestream if

  • You need stream pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want build savings.
Wagestream review

Questions people ask

Is Payhawk or Wagestream better?
Neither clearly leads. Payhawk starts at On request and Wagestream at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Payhawk or Wagestream?
Payhawk starts at On request and Wagestream at On request.
Does Payhawk or Wagestream run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Payhawk best used for?
Payhawk is most often used for a multi-entity european business wanting one system for cards, expenses and payables across currencies, a finance team that wants to price spend management before a sales call rather than negotiating blind, a company wanting only accounts payable automation without paying for card issuing it does not need, a mid-market business standardising erp-integrated expense reporting ahead of a fundraise or audit. Of those, a multi-entity european business wanting one system for cards, expenses and payables across currencies and a finance team that wants to price spend management before a sales call rather than negotiating blind are not what Wagestream is typically brought in for.
What can Payhawk do that Wagestream cannot?
Payhawk covers Corporate cards, Accounts payable automation, Procurement module, Travel booking. Wagestream covers Stream pay, Build savings, Track, Coaching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Payhawk: Is Payhawk pricing really public?

Yes, module pricing (Travel, Accounts Payable, Cards and Expenses, Procurement) is published starting at 299 to 499 dollars a month per module, or bundled as Payhawk Complete.

Wagestream: What does an employee pay?

A flat fee of roughly 1.95 pounds per transfer, unless the employer subsidises part or all of it.

Payhawk: Does it charge per seat?

No, each module includes unlimited employee seats; the fixed monthly fee does not increase with headcount.

Wagestream: Is it a loan?

No. It is access to wages already earned, netted off at payroll, so there is no interest and no credit agreement.

Payhawk: Can we buy just one module?

Yes, modules are sold separately, so a company can buy Accounts Payable without Cards or Procurement.

Wagestream: Can employers cover the fee?

Yes. Employer subsidy is a standard option and is the difference between a genuine benefit and a cost passed to staff.

Share

Related pages

More on Payhawk

More on Wagestream

Keep looking

Other head to heads