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Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
The entry plan that gets a one person business onto proper books
The desktop accounting standard South African firms grew up on, now with cloud connected features
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Ratings
Verified user ratings across every dimension — QuickBooks Online Simple Start against Sage 50cloud Pastel, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 5
QuickBooks Online Simple Start vs Sage 50cloud Pastel, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Sage 50cloud Pastel leads on overall
Verified reviews
492
218 for QuickBooks Online Simple Start, 274 for Sage 50cloud Pastel
218 verified reviews
274 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.
QuickBooks Online Simple Start
R322/mo
Sage 50cloud Pastel
R1 375/mo
QuickBooks Online Simple Start is the cheaper way in. Lower isn't automatically better — weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start | Sage 50cloud Pastel | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,0 | 4,2 |
| Reviews | 218 | 274 |
| Ease of use | 4,0 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 4,0 | 4,2 |
| Customer service | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Functionality | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R322/mo | R1 375/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
Features
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | QuickBooks Online Simple Start | Sage 50cloud Pastel |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices and quotes | ||
| Income and expense tracking | ||
| Automated bank feeds | ||
| AI powered transaction categorisation | ||
| VAT tracking at 15% | ||
| Receipt capture on mobile | ||
| Basic reports and dashboards | ||
| Free accountant access | ||
| 30 day free trial | ||
| General ledger and cash book | ||
| Customer and supplier processing | ||
| VAT reporting at the standard 15% rate | ||
| Inventory control | ||
| Automatic bank reconciliation and bank feeds | ||
| Multiple companies on Core and Plus | ||
| Point of sale module | ||
| Serial number tracking module | ||
| Sage Intelligence reporting module | ||
| Debtors Manager module |
Pricing
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
One user plus free access for your accountant. 30 day free trial, no contract.
R322/mo
per month
Straight from the vendor
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Intuit for the figure you'll actually pay.
Two users and two companies. R16,500 when billed annually.
R1 375/mo
per month
Four users and four companies. R22,980 when billed annually.
R1 915/mo
per month
Five users and five companies. R32,580 when billed annually.
R2 715/mo
per month
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 50cloud Pastel edges this comparison on verified user ratings (4,2 vs 4,0), but the right choice depends on your workflows: QuickBooks Online Simple Start remains a strong pick where its strengths — Professional invoices in minutes and Automated bank feeds with smart categorisation — match your priorities. Shortlist both, take the free trials where offered, and test against a real month of your own data.