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Showing 1 to 20 of 274 reviews
Jerome Vermeulen
Bookkeeper
23 January 2025
Renewal pricing finally pushed us to look elsewhere, and elsewhere was better. Two support calls, two different answers, zero resolution. Getting our data out at the end was harder than it had any right to be.
Cons
Support quality has dropped noticeably
Hennie Mokgadi
Financial Director
18 November 2025
After 4 years I know every corner of it, including the frustrating ones. Remote access means remote desktop gymnastics or paying for hosting. You can drill from any report straight down to the source document.
Pros
Decades of proven stability; ageing reports are excellent
Cons
Needs proper IT support on a network
Andre Daniels
Senior Bookkeeper
26 August 2025
It is dependable to a fault and dated to a fault. Multi user on a network needs proper IT support or you will have odd errors.
Pros
Ageing reports are excellent; multi company on one licence
Cons
Interface looks and feels dated
Thabo Petersen
Accountant · Gqeberha Pharmacy and Sons
19 September 2025
Bought it when we started the business and it has scaled with us since. Multi company support means our two entities live side by side cleanly. The forms designer let us match our invoices to our letterhead exactly.
Pros
Works through load shedding and internet outages; strong stock module with serial tracking
Cons
Upgrades between versions can be fiddly
Yusuf Johnson
Managing Director · Horizon Print
29 November 2025
We rate the engine highly and the interface far less. Multi user on a network needs proper IT support or you will have odd errors.
Cons
Modules are priced separately and add up
Gerhard Ndlovu
Financial Director
20 March 2025
It is dependable to a fault and dated to a fault. Every useful extra is a separate module with a separate price. Our consultant set up the chart of accounts once and it has served us for a decade.
Pros
Drill down from report to source document
Cons
Learning curve for staff used to cloud tools
Sifiso Jacobs
Credit Controller · Winelands Properties
22 September 2024
After 10 years I know every corner of it, including the frustrating ones. Every useful extra is a separate module with a separate price.
Cons
Occasional data errors need rebuilds
Shireen Barnard
Barnard Hardware Holdings
5 December 2025
Still the right tool for us, though the cloud options get more tempting yearly. Emailing invoices works but feels clunky next to modern systems. Multi company support means our two entities live side by side cleanly.
Pros
Payroll bundle discount is worthwhile
Cons
Modules are priced separately and add up
Precious Joubert
Director · Bloemfontein Distributors and Sons
30 March 2026
It is 2026 and I still cannot work properly from home on it.
Cons
Support quality has dropped noticeably. Windows updates keep breaking workstations
Ilse Johnson
Director
10 January 2025
A strong product carrying some old baggage. Every useful extra is a separate module with a separate price.
Pros
Granular user permissions
Cons
Learning curve for staff used to cloud tools
Bradley Kruger
Office Manager
10 January 2026
Invoicing hundreds of lines a day and it never falls over. User permissions are granular enough that the juniors only see what they should. You buy Pastel for the reliability and it delivers exactly that.
Anele Du Toit
Office Manager · Summit Engineering Group
20 May 2026
Pastel does the accounting properly, it just makes you work for it sometimes. Emailing invoices works but feels clunky next to modern systems. The GL is strict in the best way, it forces clean processing habits.
Pros
Utterly reliable core ledger; data lives on your own server
Marlene Marais
Senior Bookkeeper
19 August 2025
Does everything we need at the office. Away from the office is another story. Remote access means remote desktop gymnastics or paying for hosting. New staff who trained on cloud tools find the learning curve real.
Cons
Needs proper IT support on a network
Precious Bezuidenhout
18 May 2025
We moved from a cloud product back to Pastel for the processing speed alone.
Pros
Colleges still teach it so hiring is easy
Cons
Remote access is clunky without hosting
Marike Botes
Financial Manager · Umhlanga Mining Group
2 October 2025
We moved from a cloud product back to Pastel for the processing speed alone. Inventory with serial numbers has kept our warehouse honest for years.
Andre Vermeulen
Office Manager
21 October 2025
When the fibre goes down in Umhlanga we keep capturing like nothing happened. Not moving. No reason to.
Cons
Backups are entirely your responsibility
Tracey Mabaso
Financial Director · Kalahari Supplies Holdings
13 September 2025
We rate the engine highly and the interface far less. Training a new clerk takes days because half the candidates already know it.
Pros
Granular user permissions
Cons
Remote access is clunky without hosting
Palesa September
Accounts Supervisor · Vanderbijlpark Packaging
13 September 2024
After 2 years I know every corner of it, including the frustrating ones. Every useful extra is a separate module with a separate price.
Pros
Utterly reliable core ledger; fast local processing, no browser lag
Cons
Learning curve for staff used to cloud tools
Andile Chetty
Managing Director
25 September 2024
Happy with the bookkeeping, less happy with the bill. Multi user on a network needs proper IT support or you will have odd errors. The bank manager module reconciles FNB statements quickly once the rules are set.
Pros
Most bookkeepers already know it; vAT reporting aligned with SARS
Cons
Annual renewal increases keep coming
Thabo Botes
Bookkeeper · Knysna Drilling and Sons
9 August 2024
We run stock, debtors, creditors and the ledger for two branches on it. It handles our point of sale till at the front and the ledger at the back.
Pros
Granular user permissions; most bookkeepers already know it
South Africa
Namibia
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