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
Paymaster vs Sage Pastel Payroll
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
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — Paymaster against Sage Pastel Payroll, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
5 – 0
Paymaster vs Sage Pastel Payroll, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,3
Paymaster leads on value for money
Verified reviews
287
36 for Paymaster, 251 for Sage Pastel Payroll
Paymaster
4,3
36 verified reviews
Sage Pastel Payroll
4,1
251 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Paymaster
- Sage Pastel Payroll
Overall
4,3
4,1
Ease of use
4,2
4,1
Value for money
4,3
4,0
Customer service
4,3
4,0
Functionality
4,3
4,0
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Paymaster (36)
- Sage Pastel Payroll (251)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month (annual plans divided by 12).
Paymaster
R380/mo
Sage Pastel Payroll
R373/mo
Sage Pastel Payroll is the cheaper way in. Lower isn't automatically better — weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Paymaster | Sage Pastel Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,3 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 36 | 251 |
| Ease of use | 4,2 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Customer service | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,3 | 4,0 |
| Starting price | R380/mo | R4 476/yr |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Paymaster | Sage Pastel Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations | ||
| Monthly EMP201 figures | ||
| IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates | ||
| EMP501 reconciliation output | ||
| Emailed payslips | ||
| Employee self service | ||
| Leave and loan management | ||
| Standard payroll reports | ||
| Optional outsourced bureau service | ||
| Local South African support | ||
| 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.
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.
Sage Pastel Payroll plans
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
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
Paymaster edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,3 vs 4,1), but the right choice depends on your workflows: Sage Pastel Payroll remains a strong pick where its strengths — SARS statutory updates every year and EMP501 reconciliation and IRP5 printing — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.