Small business
Cloud payroll for smaller employers, scaling with headcount.
R380/mo
per month
- PAYE, UIF and SDL at current rates
- Monthly EMP201 figures
- Emailed payslips
- Leave tracking
Sage Payroll Professional vs Paymaster
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
Sage Payroll Professional
The payroll most established South African employers still call Sage VIP
4,1(58)
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 Payroll Professional against Paymaster, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 4
Sage Payroll Professional vs Paymaster, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,3
Paymaster leads on value for money
Verified reviews
94
58 for Sage Payroll Professional, 36 for Paymaster
Sage Payroll Professional
4,1
58 verified reviews
Paymaster
4,3
36 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage Payroll Professional
- Paymaster
Overall
4,1
4,3
Ease of use
4,2
4,2
Value for money
4,0
4,3
Customer service
4,0
4,3
Functionality
4,1
4,3
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage Payroll Professional (58)
- Paymaster (36)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Sage Payroll Professional
Custom pricing
Paymaster
R380/mo
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Sage Payroll Professional | Paymaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Reviews | 58 | 36 |
| Ease of use | 4,2 | 4,2 |
| Value for money | 4,0 | 4,3 |
| Customer service | 4,0 | 4,3 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,3 |
| Starting price | Custom pricing | R380/mo |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Sage Payroll Professional | Paymaster |
|---|---|---|
| PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations at current rates | ||
| EMP201 and EMP501 statutory reporting | ||
| IRP5 and IT3(a) certificate generation | ||
| e@syFile and ACB bank file exports | ||
| Employment Tax Incentive automation | ||
| Multiple pay frequencies and companies | ||
| Retrospective and pro rata calculations | ||
| Leave and loan management | ||
| Custom payslip and report layouts | ||
| General ledger integration with Sage accounting | ||
| PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations | ||
| Monthly EMP201 figures | ||
| IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates | ||
| EMP501 reconciliation output | ||
| Emailed payslips | ||
| Employee self service | ||
| Standard payroll reports | ||
| Optional outsourced bureau service | ||
| Local South African support |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Sage Payroll Professional plans
Paymaster plans
Try it free
Bureau service
Fully outsourced payroll run by the Paymaster team.
Custom
no card needed
- Everything in Small business
- Outsourced processing
- EMP501 reconciliation handled for you
- Dedicated payroll administrator
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Paymaster People Solutions for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Paymaster edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,3 vs 4,1), but the right choice depends on your workflows: Sage Payroll Professional remains a strong pick where its strengths — Full SARS statutory compliance maintained automatically and e@syFile exports for EMP501 reconciliation season — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.