Payroll software · South Africa · Head-to-head

Deel Local Payroll (formerly PaySpace) vs Sage Payroll (SA)

Two South Africa payroll software options, compared side by side for South Africa trades.

Which should you choose?

Sage Payroll (SA) is Tier S: our check found its prices published on its own website. Deel Local Payroll (formerly PaySpace) is Tier A. Compare the typical pricing shown for each below. The tier is not a quality ranking: weigh the pros, cons, pricing and South Africa-specific notes below against your trade and region.

Deel Local Payroll (formerly PaySpace)

Tier A · Listed

South African-built payroll, now sold as Deel Local Payroll after Deel bought PaySpace

PaySpace was founded in South Africa in 2001; Deel announced it was acquiring the company in March 2024 and now sells the product as Deel Local Payroll. The South African edition automates PAYE, UIF, SDL and COIDA and produces IRP5, EMP201, EMP501 and EEA2 and EEA4 employment-equity reports. It comes in Lite (1-50 employees), Premier (51-500) and Master (enterprise) editions plus a fully managed outsourcing service, and Deel says it has more than 20,000 customers.

Pros

+ PAYE, UIF, SDL and COIDA handled in one system
+ Produces IRP5, EMP201, EMP501 and EEA2 and EEA4 reports
+ Editions from 1-50 employees up to enterprise, plus managed payroll
+ EMP501 support: assisted sessions, an eLearning course or a DIY guide

Cons

− No public prices; pricing depends on edition and employee count
− Pricing needs a conversation with Deel's sales team
− The site mixes the PaySpace and Deel Local Payroll names during the rebrand

South Africa note

SARS's interim EMP501 reconciliation for 2026 runs from 21 September to 31 October. Deel Local Payroll offers three ways through it: sessions with its payroll specialists, an eLearning course on PaySpace University, or a do-it-yourself guide.

Typical South Africa pricing: Quote-based; no public prices (charged per employee per month; Deel says pricing varies by country, employee count and edition)

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Sage Payroll (SA)

Tier S · Published prices

Sage's cloud payroll for South African small businesses, priced by employee band from R1,164 a year (R97 a month) including VAT

Sage sells cloud payroll in South Africa alongside its accounting software. Its pricing page sells Sage Payroll in employee bands from 1-2 up to 200+ employees, with every feature in every package and a free trial, and Sage also offers Sage Payroll Advanced, Sage Payroll Professional and Sage 300 People for larger payrolls. Sage sold its South African payroll outsourcing business to ADP in January 2024, according to ITWeb.

Pros

+ Published starting price of R1,164 a year (R97 a month) including VAT (1-2 employees)
+ Same vendor as Sage's South African accounting software
+ Upgrade path within Sage as headcount grows

Cons

− The price rises through employee bands as the payroll grows
− Several overlapping Sage payroll products to choose between
− No managed payroll service from Sage in South Africa since the outsourcing business went to ADP

South Africa note

Sage's South African knowledge base publishes payroll tax pocket guides for each tax year, most recently 2026-2027. Check the current price and VAT basis on Sage's South African pricing page before signing up.

Typical South Africa pricing: Published by Sage: from R1,164 a year (R97 a month) including VAT for 1-2 employees, rising by employee band up to 200+ employees; all features in every package; free trial available.

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More South Africa options

See all South Africa payroll software vendors and the rest of the South Africa directory.

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