10 employees
Annual licence for up to 10 employees.
R4 476/mo
per year
- SARS statutory tables
- EMP201 figures
- IRP5 printing
- Email payslips
- Leave administration
Sage Pastel Payroll vs BrightPay
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
We may earn a commission when you buy via this link — at no extra cost to you. It never affects our ratings. How we make money
Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Sage Pastel Payroll against BrightPay, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
1 – 2
Sage Pastel Payroll vs BrightPay, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,1
Sage Pastel Payroll leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
452
251 for Sage Pastel Payroll, 201 for BrightPay
Sage Pastel Payroll
4,1
251 verified reviews
BrightPay
4,1
201 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage Pastel Payroll
- BrightPay
Overall
4,1
4,1
Ease of use
4,1
4,0
Value for money
4,0
4,1
Customer service
4,0
4,0
Functionality
4,0
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage Pastel Payroll (251)
- BrightPay (201)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month (annual plans divided by 12).
Sage Pastel Payroll
R373/mo
BrightPay
Custom pricing
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Sage Pastel Payroll | BrightPay | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 251 | 201 |
| Ease of use | 4,1 | 4,0 |
| Value for money | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Customer service | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R4 476/yr | Custom pricing |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Sage Pastel Payroll | BrightPay |
|---|---|---|
| PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations | ||
| EMP201 monthly reporting | ||
| EMP501 reconciliation twice a year | ||
| IRP5 and IT3(a) printing | ||
| Exports for e@syFile | ||
| Email payslips | ||
| Leave administration | ||
| Multiple pay frequencies | ||
| ETI handling | ||
| Bank file exports for EFT payments | ||
| UK PAYE against current HMRC rules | ||
| Real Time Information submissions | ||
| Automatic enrolment for workplace pensions | ||
| Statutory sick and parental pay | ||
| Employee self service app | ||
| Client portals for bureaus | ||
| Payslip design and delivery | ||
| CIS for construction clients | ||
| Journal export to accounting software | ||
| Automatic cloud backups |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Sage Pastel Payroll plans
Get started
30 employees
Annual licence for up to 30 employees.
R12 648/mo
per year
- Everything in the smaller tiers
- Multiple pay frequencies
- e@syFile exports
50 employees
Annual licence for up to 50 employees.
R16 560/mo
per year
- GL integration with Sage 50c Partner
- ETI handling
- Bank file exports
100 employees
Annual licence for up to 100 employees. Larger tiers available up to 500 staff.
R23 844/mo
per year
- Scales to 500 employees
- Advanced reporting
- Payroll support included
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.
BrightPay plans
Cloud
Priced per employers and employees under management from the 2026/27 tax year. Bureau options for practices.
Calculator based
no card needed
- HMRC RTI filing
- Auto enrolment pensions
- Employee app and portals
- Unlimited client payrolls on bureau licences
- Automatic cloud backup
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Bright for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Sage Pastel Payroll edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,1 vs 4,1), but the right choice depends on your workflows: BrightPay remains a strong pick where its strengths — HMRC recognised with direct RTI filing and Auto enrolment with major UK pension providers — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.