Payroll software · South Africa · Head-to-head

Sage Payroll (SA) vs SimplePay

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. SimplePay 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.

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.

Full review → Visit →

SimplePay

Tier A · Listed

South African cloud payroll priced per active employee, with leave and self-service included

SimplePay is South African cloud payroll software; its terms name Orange Thunder Technologies Proprietary Limited, trading as SimplePay, in Roodepoort, Gauteng. It calculates PAYE, UIF and SDL, generates the EMP201 for submission on eFiling, submits UIF declarations to the Department of Labour and exports the bi-annual tax certificate file for eFiling or e@syFile. One plan includes leave management, an employee self-service app and sync with Xero and QuickBooks.

Pros

+ One plan with every feature; SimplePay says there are no extra fees for features
+ Generates the EMP201, UIF declarations and bi-annual tax certificate exports
+ Leave management and employee self-service app included
+ Syncs with Xero and QuickBooks

Cons

− Prices appear only through the calculator on the pricing page
− The EMP201 is generated for you but still submitted on SARS eFiling
− Businesses with more than 500 employees must contact SimplePay
− Terms allow fee increases on one month's written notice

South Africa note

SARS requires PAYE declared on the EMP201 to be paid within seven days after the end of the month, and the interim EMP501 reconciliation runs from 21 September to 31 October. SimplePay generates the EMP201, the bi-annual tax certificate export and the Return of Earnings report for the Compensation Fund (COIDA).

Typical South Africa pricing: Per active employee per month, from the calculator on SimplePay's pricing page (excluding VAT); one plan with all features; billed in advance; free 30-day onboarding period

Full review → Visit →

More South Africa options

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

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