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
Sage 50cloud Pastel vs Draftworx
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 — Sage 50cloud Pastel against Draftworx, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 4
Sage 50cloud Pastel vs Draftworx, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Draftworx leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
318
274 for Sage 50cloud Pastel, 44 for Draftworx
Sage 50cloud Pastel
4,2
274 verified reviews
Draftworx
4,3
44 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage 50cloud Pastel
- Draftworx
Overall
4,2
4,3
Ease of use
4,1
4,3
Value for money
4,2
4,2
Customer service
4,1
4,2
Functionality
4,1
4,3
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage 50cloud Pastel (274)
- Draftworx (44)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Sage 50cloud Pastel
R1 375/mo
Draftworx
R625/mo
Draftworx 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.
| Sage 50cloud Pastel | Draftworx | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,2 | 4,3 |
| Reviews | 274 | 44 |
| Ease of use | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Value for money | 4,2 | 4,2 |
| Customer service | 4,1 | 4,2 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Starting price | R1 375/mo | R625/mo |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Sage 50cloud Pastel | Draftworx |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Automated annual financial statements | ||
| IFRS for SMEs disclosure templates | ||
| Linked working papers and trial balance | ||
| Compilation and independent review engagements | ||
| Audit working papers | ||
| Consolidations | ||
| Trial balance import | ||
| Review and sign off notes | ||
| Rand based annual pricing | ||
| Local South African support |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Sage 50cloud Pastel plans
Get started
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.
Draftworx plans
Annual subscription
Billed annually. Compilation, review and audit working papers with automated financial statements.
R625/mo
per month
- Automated IFRS for SMEs financial statements
- Linked working papers and trial balance
- Compilation, review and audit engagements
- Local South African support
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Draftworx for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Draftworx edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,3 vs 4,2), but the right choice depends on your workflows: Sage 50cloud Pastel remains a strong pick where its strengths — Trusted by South African bookkeepers for decades and Strong inventory and job costing — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.