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Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
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Ratings
Verified user ratings across every dimension — BrightPay against Paymaster, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 5
BrightPay vs Paymaster, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,3
Paymaster leads on customer service
Verified reviews
237
201 for BrightPay, 36 for Paymaster
201 verified reviews
36 verified reviews
Overall
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
BrightPay
Custom pricing
Paymaster
R380/mo
Head to head
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| BrightPay | Paymaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Reviews | 201 | 36 |
| Ease of use | 4,0 | 4,2 |
| Value for money | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Customer service | 4,0 | 4,3 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Starting price | Custom pricing | R380/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
Features
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | BrightPay | Paymaster |
|---|---|---|
| UK PAYE against current HMRC rules | ||
| Real Time Information submissions | ||
| Automatic enrolment for workplace pensions | ||
| Statutory sick and parental pay | ||
| Employee self service app | ||
| Client portals for bureaus | ||
| Payslip design and delivery | ||
| CIS for construction clients | ||
| Journal export to accounting software | ||
| Automatic cloud backups | ||
| PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations | ||
| Monthly EMP201 figures | ||
| IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates | ||
| EMP501 reconciliation output | ||
| Emailed payslips | ||
| Employee self service | ||
| Leave and loan management | ||
| Standard payroll reports | ||
| Optional outsourced bureau service | ||
| Local South African support |
Pricing
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Priced per employers and employees under management from the 2026/27 tax year. Bureau options for practices.
Calculator based
no card needed
Straight from the vendor
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Bright for the figure you'll actually pay.
Cloud payroll for smaller employers, scaling with headcount.
R380/mo
per month
Fully outsourced payroll run by the Paymaster team.
Custom
no card needed
Straight from the vendor
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Paymaster People Solutions for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Paymaster edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,3 vs 4,1), but the right choice depends on your workflows: BrightPay remains a strong pick where its strengths — HMRC recognised with direct RTI filing and Auto enrolment with major UK pension providers — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.