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 QuickFile
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 QuickFile, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
3 – 0
Sage 50cloud Pastel vs QuickFile, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Sage 50cloud Pastel leads on value for money
Verified reviews
447
274 for Sage 50cloud Pastel, 173 for QuickFile
Sage 50cloud Pastel
4,2
274 verified reviews
QuickFile
4,1
173 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage 50cloud Pastel
- QuickFile
Overall
4,2
4,1
Ease of use
4,1
4,1
Value for money
4,2
4,0
Customer service
4,1
4,1
Functionality
4,1
4,0
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage 50cloud Pastel (274)
- QuickFile (173)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Sage 50cloud Pastel
R1 375/mo
QuickFile
Free plan
QuickFile 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 | QuickFile | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,2 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 274 | 173 |
| Ease of use | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,2 | 4,0 |
| Customer service | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,0 |
| 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 | QuickFile |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Invoicing with client portal | ||
| Estimates and recurring billing | ||
| Bank feeds and tagging rules | ||
| Purchase and receipt capture | ||
| UK VAT under Making Tax Digital | ||
| Multiple currencies | ||
| Full double entry ledger | ||
| Project tagging | ||
| API access | ||
| Document storage |
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.
QuickFile plans
Free
Full product for accounts under 1,000 nominal entries a year.
Free
no card needed
- Invoicing with client portal
- Bank feeds
- UK VAT filing
- Full double entry ledger
Power User
About 65 pounds a year for larger files, plus extra features.
R1 550/mo
per year
- Unlimited ledger size
- Custom branding
- Additional automation
- API access
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with QuickFile for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Sage 50cloud Pastel edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,2 vs 4,1), but the right choice depends on your workflows: QuickFile remains a strong pick where its strengths — Genuinely free for smaller books and Branded client portal on invoices — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.