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Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
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Ratings
Verified user ratings across every dimension — BrightPay against Sage Pastel Payroll, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
2 – 1
BrightPay vs Sage Pastel Payroll, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,1
Sage Pastel Payroll leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
452
201 for BrightPay, 251 for Sage Pastel Payroll
201 verified reviews
251 verified reviews
Overall
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month (annual plans divided by 12).
BrightPay
Custom pricing
Sage Pastel Payroll
R373/mo
Head to head
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| BrightPay | Sage Pastel Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 201 | 251 |
| Ease of use | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,1 | 4,0 |
| Customer service | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,0 |
| Starting price | Custom pricing | R4 476/yr |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
Features
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | BrightPay | Sage Pastel Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| 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
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Priced per employers and employees under management from the 2026/27 tax year. Bureau options for practices.
Calculator based
no card needed
Straight from the vendor
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Bright for the figure you'll actually pay.
Annual licence for up to 10 employees.
R4 476/mo
per year
Annual licence for up to 30 employees.
R12 648/mo
per year
Annual licence for up to 50 employees.
R16 560/mo
per year
Annual licence for up to 100 employees. Larger tiers available up to 500 staff.
R23 844/mo
per year
Straight from the vendor
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
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.