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 Payroll Professional
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
Sage Payroll Professional
The payroll most established South African employers still call Sage VIP
4,1(58)
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Paymaster against Sage Payroll Professional, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
4 – 0
Paymaster vs Sage Payroll Professional, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,3
Paymaster leads on value for money
Verified reviews
94
36 for Paymaster, 58 for Sage Payroll Professional
Paymaster
4,3
36 verified reviews
Sage Payroll Professional
4,1
58 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Paymaster
- Sage Payroll Professional
Overall
4,3
4,1
Ease of use
4,2
4,2
Value for money
4,3
4,0
Customer service
4,3
4,0
Functionality
4,3
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Paymaster (36)
- Sage Payroll Professional (58)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Paymaster
R380/mo
Sage Payroll Professional
Custom pricing
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Paymaster | Sage Payroll Professional | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,3 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 36 | 58 |
| Ease of use | 4,2 | 4,2 |
| Value for money | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Customer service | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,3 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R380/mo | Custom pricing |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Paymaster | Sage Payroll Professional |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations at current rates | ||
| EMP201 and EMP501 statutory reporting | ||
| IRP5 and IT3(a) certificate generation | ||
| e@syFile and ACB bank file exports | ||
| Employment Tax Incentive automation | ||
| Multiple pay frequencies and companies | ||
| Retrospective and pro rata calculations | ||
| Custom payslip and report layouts | ||
| General ledger integration with Sage accounting |
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 Payroll Professional plans
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 Payroll Professional remains a strong pick where its strengths — Full SARS statutory compliance maintained automatically and e@syFile exports for EMP501 reconciliation season — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.