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 QuickBooks Online Accountant
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 QuickBooks Online Accountant, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 5
Sage 50cloud Pastel vs QuickBooks Online Accountant, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
QuickBooks Online Accountant leads on overall
Verified reviews
446
274 for Sage 50cloud Pastel, 172 for QuickBooks Online Accountant
Sage 50cloud Pastel
4,2
274 verified reviews
QuickBooks Online Accountant
4,4
172 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage 50cloud Pastel
- QuickBooks Online Accountant
Overall
4,2
4,4
Ease of use
4,1
4,2
Value for money
4,2
4,3
Customer service
4,1
4,3
Functionality
4,1
4,3
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage 50cloud Pastel (274)
- QuickBooks Online Accountant (172)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Sage 50cloud Pastel
R1 375/mo
QuickBooks Online Accountant
Free plan
QuickBooks Online Accountant 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 | QuickBooks Online Accountant | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,2 | 4,4 |
| Reviews | 274 | 172 |
| Ease of use | 4,1 | 4,2 |
| Value for money | 4,2 | 4,3 |
| Customer service | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Starting price | R1 375/mo | Free plan |
| Free trial | No | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Sage 50cloud Pastel | QuickBooks Online Accountant |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Client list with one login for all books | ||
| Bulk reclassify transactions | ||
| Books review workflows | ||
| Write off invoices in bulk | ||
| Practice management and deadlines | ||
| Team assignments and access control | ||
| ProAdvisor training and certification | ||
| Find an Advisor directory listing | ||
| Client subscription discounts | ||
| QuickBooks Ledger access |
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.
QuickBooks Online Accountant plans
Accountant
Free for accounting and bookkeeping practices. Sign up with your firm details.
Free
no card needed
- All clients under one login
- Accountant only tools
- Practice management and work tracking
- Free ProAdvisor training and certification
- 50% client discounts for the duration
- Access to QuickBooks Ledger for low transaction entities
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.
Verdict
Our verdict
QuickBooks Online Accountant edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,4 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.