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UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting - PPC Market Share Analysis May 2026

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the UK Payroll / Accounting category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Payroll / Accounting – UK

Google AI Overview visibility for Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting UK

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

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AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 35.3260941818
64.6739058182
35%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 40
60
40%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 16%
Transactional 6%
Navigational 14%
Seasonal 0%
Local 0%
Problem Solving 10%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

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Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
xero.com 61.38
quickbooks.intuit.com 12.69
sage.com 11.78
invoicehome.com 2.91
adp.com 2.08
money.co.uk 1.03
getapp.com 0.67
anna.money 0.49
tradifyhq.com 0.45
capterra.com 0.39
others 6.13
  • xero.com - 61.38%
  • quickbooks.intuit.com - 12.69%
  • sage.com - 11.78%
  • invoicehome.com - 2.91%
  • adp.com - 2.08%
  • money.co.uk - 1.03%
  • getapp.com - 0.67%
  • anna.money - 0.49%
  • tradifyhq.com - 0.45%
  • capterra.com - 0.39%
  • others - 6.13%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Xero.com dominates with 61.38% click share, overshadowing QuickBooks’ 12.69%. Sage.com follows at 11.78%, while ‘others’ collectively hold 6.13%.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

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Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date xero.com sage.com quickbooks.intuit.com money.co.uk anna.money invoicehome.com adp.com tradifyhq.com brighthr.com iris.co.uk
2026/05/01 33.99% 20.61% 12.14% 3.7% 2.93% 1.26% 1.78% 0.51% 1.63% 2.52%
2026/05/02 40.81% 21.37% 8.9% 4.06% 3.44% 1.11% 1.44% 0.38% 1.5% 2.36%
2026/05/03 37.76% 19.53% 8.68% 4.67% 3.05% 1.42% 2.37% 0.41% 0.57% 2.19%
2026/05/04 35.24% 19.91% 9.7% 3.5% 3.37% 1.42% 1.93% 0.62% 1.32% 1.9%
2026/05/05 36.96% 15.61% 15.35% 4.11% 2.9% 1.36% 0.93% 0.62% 1.57% 1.28%
2026/05/06 37.83% 15.88% 11.25% 2.6% 3.74% 1.99% 1.32% 0.83% 1.92% 1.1%
2026/05/07 38.94% 17.74% 7.43% 3.66% 3.83% 1.29% 0.73% 0.51% 1.91% 1.79%
2026/05/08 35.68% 17.96% 9.51% 2.98% 3.65% 1.74% 1.33% 0.43% 1.89% 1.74%
2026/05/09 36.34% 18.03% 10.78% 3% 3.31% 1.57% 2.03% 0.42% 1.79% 1.84%
2026/05/10 35.87% 17.23% 11.52% 1.36% 3.05% 1.33% 2.71% 0.74% 0.82% 2.41%
2026/05/11 34.22% 16.69% 10.67% 3.6% 3.46% 3.04% 1.93% 0.81% 1.31% 1.5%
2026/05/12 33.29% 16.25% 10.22% 4.83% 3.7% 4.15% 1.71% 0.97% 1.66% 1.23%
2026/05/13 33.36% 17.41% 9.65% 3.15% 4.35% 3.6% 2.73% 1.01% 1.82% 1.49%
2026/05/14 28.4% 18.31% 7.36% 3.38% 4.72% 4.34% 2.24% 1.23% 1.98% 1.66%
2026/05/15 35.54% 17.88% 9.47% 2.97% 3.63% 1.73% 1.33% 0.42% 1.89% 1.73%
2026/05/16 32.9% 19.92% 8.35% 3.89% 3.82% 3.96% 2.12% 0.74% 1.75% 1.41%
2026/05/17 34.05% 17.97% 9.48% 3.52% 3.4% 3.63% 1.94% 1.36% 1.58% 1.02%
2026/05/18 34.36% 18.93% 9.04% 2.93% 3.44% 3.66% 2.01% 0.86% 1.86% 0.97%
2026/05/19 36.71% 17.7% 9.48% 2.76% 3.58% 3.13% 2.28% 0.51% 2.09% 1.03%
2026/05/20 34.41% 18.59% 8.59% 3.8% 2.86% 3.29% 2.23% 0.68% 2.09% 1.14%
2026/05/21 34.05% 17.07% 10.81% 4.4% 2.74% 3.9% 1.75% 0.74% 1.71% 0.78%
2026/05/22 34.43% 16.98% 9.35% 3.38% 2.78% 4.08% 1.87% 0.82% 1.81% 0.86%
2026/05/23 32.49% 19.15% 10.87% 3.55% 3.25% 4.03% 1.94% 0.76% 1.89% 1.04%
2026/05/24 33.97% 20.66% 10.77% 3.34% 2.73% 3.31% 2.1% 0.55% 1.89% 0.91%
2026/05/25 31.02% 18.05% 11.21% 3.45% 2.6% 3.3% 1.93% 1.35% 1.63% 0.83%
2026/05/26 31.7% 17.92% 11.08% 5.31% 2.48% 3.26% 1.71% 2.15% 0.78% 0.71%
2026/05/27 33.02% 18.29% 11.06% 6.05% 2.72% 3.67% 1.5% 1.81% 0.64% 0.84%
2026/05/28 33.13% 18.52% 11.7% 4.88% 2.52% 3.46% 1.71% 2.2% 0.65% 0.92%
2026/05/29 33.04% 19.01% 12.21% 4.27% 2.79% 3.18% 1.87% 2.24% 0.54% 0.92%
2026/05/30 34.38% 18.4% 12.02% 6.15% 2.99% 3.08% 2.03% 1.76% 0.98% 0.88%
2026/05/31 33.93% 14.23% 12.66% 6.51% 3.26% 3.24% 2.12% 1.9% 1.29% 0.91%
  • xero.com
  • sage.com
  • quickbooks.intuit.com
  • money.co.uk
  • anna.money
  • invoicehome.com
  • adp.com
  • tradifyhq.com
  • brighthr.com
  • iris.co.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In May 2026, Xero led with fluctuating spend, peaking early at 40.81%. Sage showed a steady mid-month rise, ending at 14.23%. QuickBooks saw a late surge, closing at 12.66%. Money.co.uk and Anna.money had modest gains, while Invoicehome and ADP maintained stability. Tradifyhq and Brighthr experienced minor fluctuations, with Iris.co.uk trailing.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

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Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/05/01 336
2026/05/02 321
2026/05/03 323
2026/05/04 351
2026/05/05 341
2026/05/06 341
2026/05/07 347
2026/05/08 354
2026/05/09 341
2026/05/10 336
2026/05/11 398
2026/05/12 402
2026/05/13 397
2026/05/14 405
2026/05/15 354
2026/05/16 404
2026/05/17 407
2026/05/18 405
2026/05/19 368
2026/05/20 362
2026/05/21 376
2026/05/22 366
2026/05/23 361
2026/05/24 364
2026/05/25 372
2026/05/26 372
2026/05/27 373
2026/05/28 365
2026/05/29 374
2026/05/30 377
2026/05/31 383

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

May began with 336 advertisers, fluctuating throughout. Mid-month saw a peak at 407 on May 17. The month concluded with 383 advertisers, reflecting dynamic competition.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

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Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
quickbooks.intuit.com 3.11%
invoicehome.com 0.76%
sage.com 0.5%
money.co.uk 0.31%
tradifyhq.com 0.29%
anna.money -0.07%
blackline.com -0.1%
iris.co.uk -0.11%
stripe.com -0.23%
xero.com -5.32%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

QuickBooks surged with a 3.11% increase, while Xero faced a significant drop of 5.32%. InvoiceHome and Sage also saw positive gains.

Campaign Efficiency

UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

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Date xero.com quickbooks.intuit.com sage.com money.co.uk invoicehome.com tradifyhq.com capterra.com adp.com remote.com getapp.com
2026/05/01 46.75% 15.23% 11.78% 2.82% 1.52% 0.37% 0.04% 0.87% 0.3% 0%
2026/05/02 58.95% 5.8% 14.25% 2.62% 1.15% 0.25% 0.06% 0.85% 0.21% 0%
2026/05/03 55.02% 5.78% 12.63% 3.38% 1.37% 0.34% 0.03% 1.49% 0.27% 0%
2026/05/04 50.48% 9.99% 10.62% 2.25% 1.55% 0.44% 0.87% 1.33% 0.18% 0.01%
2026/05/05 51.13% 15.06% 9.32% 3.01% 1.35% 0.42% 0.79% 0.69% 1.41% 0.03%
2026/05/06 51.69% 12.11% 8.93% 1.85% 2.09% 0.66% 0.06% 1.08% 1.21% 0.02%
2026/05/07 53.2% 5.82% 9.37% 3.06% 1.42% 0.87% 1.76% 0.6% 1.39% 0.86%
2026/05/08 52.23% 6.92% 9.47% 2.37% 1.97% 0.35% 0.07% 0.86% 1.86% 0.02%
2026/05/09 50.23% 6.68% 9.11% 2.73% 1.53% 0.38% 0.04% 1.42% 1.33% 0.09%
2026/05/10 49.58% 6.65% 7.97% 1.42% 1.29% 0.54% 2.45% 1.93% 0.41% 1.87%
2026/05/11 47.98% 7.84% 8.65% 3.68% 2.94% 0.71% 2.54% 1.37% 0.9% 1.09%
2026/05/12 43.58% 7.45% 8.41% 5.56% 4.02% 0.9% 2.12% 1.19% 0.31% 2.18%
2026/05/13 48.46% 7.06% 9.71% 2.75% 3.78% 0.95% 1.03% 2.04% 0.71% 1.71%
2026/05/14 42.09% 5.02% 10.7% 3.03% 4.34% 1.18% 0.72% 1.7% 0.85% 6.97%
2026/05/15 52.23% 6.92% 9.47% 2.37% 1.97% 0.35% 0.07% 0.86% 1.86% 0.02%
2026/05/16 44.17% 5.99% 12.55% 3.75% 3.68% 0.69% 0.63% 1.45% 0.22% 5.66%
2026/05/17 46.57% 6.5% 9.18% 3.41% 3.49% 1.14% 3.4% 1.46% 0.36% 6.29%
2026/05/18 47.2% 6.94% 11.36% 2.82% 3.8% 0.78% 0.47% 1.45% 1.06% 3.02%
2026/05/19 51.82% 6.23% 9.58% 2.41% 2.96% 0.52% 1.98% 1.42% 0.3% 5.22%
2026/05/20 47.65% 6.11% 9.83% 4.36% 3.49% 0.64% 1.43% 1.83% 1.07% 2.27%
2026/05/21 47.77% 7.9% 8.77% 4.65% 3.96% 0.71% 1.56% 1.35% 2.06% 3.82%
2026/05/22 43.7% 6.44% 9.2% 3.25% 3.8% 0.79% 2.28% 1.26% 6.44% 1.98%
2026/05/23 43.67% 8.11% 10.99% 4.12% 3.94% 0.68% 1.72% 1.6% 0.33% 4.93%
2026/05/24 46.92% 7.53% 11.43% 3.22% 3.34% 0.53% 1.8% 1.61% 0.41% 2.21%
2026/05/25 38.72% 7.57% 8.65% 3.8% 3.1% 1.69% 0.42% 1.35% 5.09% 1.73%
2026/05/26 41.48% 7.64% 9.81% 5.23% 3.1% 2.09% 1.14% 1.11% 3.89% 2.8%
2026/05/27 44.06% 8.26% 11.05% 6.26% 3.49% 1.78% 2.1% 1.23% 1.68% 1.7%
2026/05/28 44.51% 7.97% 10.23% 4.92% 3.33% 2.19% 1.19% 1.26% 2.47% 1.51%
2026/05/29 44.33% 8.62% 10.82% 4.22% 3.27% 3.16% 0.9% 1.44% 2.41% 0.5%
2026/05/30 44.52% 8.44% 9.14% 6.37% 3.07% 1.8% 1.32% 1.57% 0.79% 0.58%
2026/05/31 43.71% 9.45% 7.73% 6.24% 3.15% 2.49% 1.73% 1.43% 0.72% 0.36%
  • xero.com
  • quickbooks.intuit.com
  • sage.com
  • money.co.uk
  • invoicehome.com
  • tradifyhq.com
  • capterra.com
  • adp.com
  • remote.com
  • getapp.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Xero.com dominated May with a peak impression share of 58.95% on the 2nd, ending at 43.71%. Quickbooks.intuit.com started at 15.23%, dipped, then rose to 9.45%. Sage.com fluctuated, peaking mid-month. Money.co.uk and invoicehome.com showed modest gains. Tradifyhq.com and capterra.com had minor fluctuations. Adp.com and remote.com saw varied trends, while getapp.com remained low.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

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Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Software & Technology Payroll / Accounting - Last month
  1. 1
    Payslip Generator Tools https://www.capterra.com › payslip › free-list

    Best Payslip Tools — The #1 Destination For Finding The Right Payslip Tools.

  2. 2
    Best Accounting Software 2026 - Top 5 Accounting Tools 2026 https://www.money.co.uk › accounting › software

    Stop overpaying for accounting tools. Compare top-rated software and save money today.

  3. 3
    Get 90% Off for 6 Months | QuickBooks™ Official Website https://quickbooks.intuit.com

    Be In Control - Keep Your Books Accurate and Have More Time For What Matters. Trusted By Millions of Businesses Worldwide.

  4. 4
    Payroll Estimator - 3 Months Free Sage Software https://www.sage.com

    3 Months Free Sage Software Payroll Software | Limited-Time Payroll Offer.

  5. 5
    Xero https://www.xero.com

    Accounting for Small Business — Xero accounting software is made for SMBs. Automate admin and work from anywhere, anytime.

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive landscape of Google PPC, Capterra, Money.co.uk, QuickBooks, Sage, and Xero shine with compelling ads. Capterra positions itself as the go-to for payslip tools, while Money.co.uk emphasizes cost savings on accounting software. QuickBooks offers a significant discount, appealing to businesses seeking control and accuracy. Sage tempts with a free trial, and Xero targets small businesses with automation and flexibility.

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