Simple Start
Build your financial foundation. One user plus your accountant.
R322/mo
per month
- Income and expenses
- Invoices and quotes
- VAT tracking at 15%
- AI transaction categorisation
QuickBooks Online 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 — QuickBooks Online against Sage 50cloud Pastel, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 5
QuickBooks Online vs Sage 50cloud Pastel, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Sage 50cloud Pastel leads on value for money
Verified reviews
479
205 for QuickBooks Online, 274 for Sage 50cloud Pastel
QuickBooks Online
4,1
205 verified reviews
Sage 50cloud Pastel
4,2
274 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- QuickBooks Online
- Sage 50cloud Pastel
Overall
4,1
4,2
Ease of use
4,0
4,1
Value for money
4,0
4,2
Customer service
3,9
4,1
Functionality
4,0
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- QuickBooks Online (205)
- Sage 50cloud Pastel (274)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
QuickBooks Online
R322/mo
Sage 50cloud Pastel
R1 375/mo
QuickBooks Online 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.
| QuickBooks Online | Sage 50cloud Pastel | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,2 |
| Reviews | 205 | 274 |
| Ease of use | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,0 | 4,2 |
| Customer service | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Functionality | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R322/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 | QuickBooks Online | Sage 50cloud Pastel |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing and quotes | ||
| Bank feeds with automatic categorisation | ||
| VAT tracking at 15% | ||
| Receipt and mileage capture | ||
| Project profitability | ||
| Inventory management | ||
| Budgets and forecasting | ||
| Custom report builder | ||
| Multiple currencies | ||
| Accountant access on every plan | ||
| 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.
QuickBooks Online plans
Try it free
Essentials
Three users, bills and multiple currencies.
R508/mo
per month
- Everything in Simple Start
- Bill management
- Multiple currencies
- Time entry
Plus
The customer favourite. Five users with stock and projects.
R708/mo
per month
- Everything in Essentials
- Inventory tracking
- Project profitability
- Class and location tracking
Advanced
Twenty five users with automation and custom reporting.
R1 144/mo
per month
- Everything in Plus
- Custom report builder
- Workflow automation
- Role based access
- Backup and restore
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Intuit 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
Desktop heritage against cloud momentum. Sage 50cloud Pastel keeps working when the fibre does not, every bookkeeper in the country knows it, and its processing speed on big files is still unmatched. QuickBooks Online wins everywhere else: anywhere access, automatic updates, bank feeds and a modern app. Businesses with stable offices and Pastel trained staff stay put; anyone starting fresh in 2026 starts in the cloud.