Small business
Cloud payroll for smaller employers, scaling with headcount.
R380/mo
per month
- PAYE, UIF and SDL at current rates
- Monthly EMP201 figures
- Emailed payslips
- Leave tracking
Paymaster vs Sage Business Cloud Payroll
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
Sage Business Cloud Payroll
Online payroll from R90 a month with legislation that updates itself
4,1(238)
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Paymaster against Sage Business Cloud Payroll, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
5 – 0
Paymaster vs Sage Business Cloud Payroll, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,3
Paymaster leads on customer service
Verified reviews
274
36 for Paymaster, 238 for Sage Business Cloud Payroll
Paymaster
4,3
36 verified reviews
Sage Business Cloud Payroll
4,1
238 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Paymaster
- Sage Business Cloud Payroll
Overall
4,3
4,1
Ease of use
4,2
4,0
Value for money
4,3
4,1
Customer service
4,3
4,0
Functionality
4,3
4,0
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Paymaster (36)
- Sage Business Cloud Payroll (238)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Paymaster
R380/mo
Sage Business Cloud Payroll
R90/mo
Sage Business Cloud Payroll 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.
| Paymaster | Sage Business Cloud Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,3 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 36 | 238 |
| Ease of use | 4,2 | 4,0 |
| Value for money | 4,3 | 4,1 |
| Customer service | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Starting price | R380/mo | R90/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Paymaster | Sage Business Cloud Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Automatic PAYE, UIF and SDL updates | ||
| Guided pay run process | ||
| Weekly, fortnightly and monthly pay cycles | ||
| Email payslips | ||
| UIF declarations | ||
| Leave management | ||
| ACB bank payment files | ||
| Real time calculations | ||
| Unlimited companies and users | ||
| Predefined legislative and payroll reports |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Paymaster plans
Try it free
Bureau service
Fully outsourced payroll run by the Paymaster team.
Custom
no card needed
- Everything in Small business
- Outsourced processing
- EMP501 reconciliation handled for you
- Dedicated payroll administrator
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
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.
Sage Business Cloud Payroll plans
2 employees
Full product for up to 2 employees. Price includes VAT.
R90/mo
per month
- Automatic legislative updates
- Unlimited companies and users
- Email payslips
- UIF declarations
10 employees
Up to 10 employees. Price includes VAT.
R401/mo
per month
- Weekly, fortnightly and monthly cycles
- Leave management
- Real time calculations
25 employees
Up to 25 employees. Price includes VAT.
R951/mo
per month
- Predefined legislative and payroll reports
- ACB payment files
- Integrates with Sage Accounting
50 employees
Up to 50 employees. Larger tiers run to 200 employees at R4,182 per month.
R1 712/mo
per month
- Everything in smaller tiers
- Scales to 200 employees
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
Paymaster edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,3 vs 4,1), but the right choice depends on your workflows: Sage Business Cloud Payroll remains a strong pick where its strengths — Automatic legislative updates in the cloud and Unlimited companies and users on every tier — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.