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 Payroll Professional vs Sage Pastel Payroll
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)
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Sage Payroll Professional against Sage Pastel Payroll, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
2 – 0
Sage Payroll Professional vs Sage Pastel Payroll, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,1
Sage Payroll Professional leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
309
58 for Sage Payroll Professional, 251 for Sage Pastel Payroll
Sage Payroll Professional
4,1
58 verified reviews
Sage Pastel Payroll
4,1
251 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage Payroll Professional
- Sage Pastel Payroll
Overall
4,1
4,1
Ease of use
4,2
4,1
Value for money
4,0
4,0
Customer service
4,0
4,0
Functionality
4,1
4,0
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage Payroll Professional (58)
- Sage Pastel Payroll (251)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month (annual plans divided by 12).
Sage Payroll Professional
Custom pricing
Sage Pastel Payroll
R373/mo
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Sage Payroll Professional | Sage Pastel Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 58 | 251 |
| Ease of use | 4,2 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Customer service | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,0 |
| Starting price | Custom pricing | R4 476/yr |
| Free trial | No | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Sage Payroll Professional | Sage Pastel Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| 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 |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Sage Payroll Professional plans
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.
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: 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.