Sole Trader
19 pounds plus VAT per month, half price for the first six months.
R450/mo
per month
- Invoicing and expenses
- UK self assessment
- Bank feeds
- Projects and time tracking
FreeAgent vs Sage 50cloud Pastel
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
Sage 50cloud Pastel
The desktop accounting standard South African firms grew up on, now with cloud connected features
4,2(274)
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — FreeAgent against Sage 50cloud Pastel, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 1
FreeAgent vs Sage 50cloud Pastel, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,1
Sage 50cloud Pastel leads on value for money
Verified reviews
460
186 for FreeAgent, 274 for Sage 50cloud Pastel
FreeAgent
4,2
186 verified reviews
Sage 50cloud Pastel
4,2
274 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- FreeAgent
- Sage 50cloud Pastel
Overall
4,2
4,2
Ease of use
4,1
4,1
Value for money
4,1
4,2
Customer service
4,1
4,1
Functionality
4,1
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- FreeAgent (186)
- Sage 50cloud Pastel (274)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
FreeAgent
R450/mo
Sage 50cloud Pastel
R1 375/mo
FreeAgent is the cheaper way in. Lower isn't automatically better — weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| FreeAgent | Sage 50cloud Pastel | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,2 | 4,2 |
| Reviews | 186 | 274 |
| Ease of use | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,1 | 4,2 |
| Customer service | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R450/mo | R1 375/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | FreeAgent | Sage 50cloud Pastel |
|---|---|---|
| Pound invoicing with automatic reminders | ||
| UK VAT returns under Making Tax Digital | ||
| Self assessment and corporation tax tracking | ||
| UK bank feeds | ||
| Expenses and mileage | ||
| Projects and time tracking | ||
| Recurring invoices | ||
| Cash flow view | ||
| Payroll for UK employees | ||
| Accountant access | ||
| General ledger and cash book | ||
| Customer and supplier processing | ||
| VAT reporting at the standard 15% rate | ||
| Inventory control | ||
| Automatic bank reconciliation and bank feeds | ||
| Multiple companies on Core and Plus | ||
| Point of sale module | ||
| Serial number tracking module | ||
| Sage Intelligence reporting module | ||
| Debtors Manager module |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
FreeAgent plans
Try it free
Limited Company
33 pounds plus VAT per month for UK limited companies.
R780/mo
per month
- Everything in Sole Trader
- Corporation tax estimates
- Dividend vouchers
- UK VAT filing to HMRC
Free via bank
Free with a NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank or Mettle business account.
Free
no card needed
- Full product at no cost
- While the account stays open
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with FreeAgent Central for the figure you'll actually pay.
Sage 50cloud Pastel plans
Start
Two users and two companies. R16,500 when billed annually.
R1 375/mo
per month
- General ledger and cash book
- Invoicing and statements
- VAT compliance at 15%
- Automatic bank reconciliation
- Inventory tracking
Core
Four users and four companies. R22,980 when billed annually.
R1 915/mo
per month
- Everything in Start
- Access to additional modules
- Option to add more users
- Separation of duties for finance teams
Plus
Five users and five companies. R32,580 when billed annually.
R2 715/mo
per month
- Everything in Core
- Built for multiple companies and branches
- Full module catalogue access
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Sage for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Sage 50cloud Pastel edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,2 vs 4,2), but the right choice depends on your workflows: FreeAgent remains a strong pick where its strengths — UK VAT filed directly to HMRC and Self assessment built up through the year — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.