Deel HR
Free core HR for companies under 200 people.
Free
no card needed
- Employee records
- Time off
- Documents
- Org chart
Sage Payroll Professional vs Deel
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 Deel, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
1 – 0
Sage Payroll Professional vs Deel, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,2
Sage Payroll Professional leads on ease of use
Verified reviews
247
58 for Sage Payroll Professional, 189 for Deel
Sage Payroll Professional
4,1
58 verified reviews
Deel
4,1
189 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Sage Payroll Professional
- Deel
Overall
4,1
4,1
Ease of use
4,2
4,0
Value for money
4,0
4,0
Customer service
4,0
4,0
Functionality
4,1
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- Sage Payroll Professional (58)
- Deel (189)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Sage Payroll Professional
Custom pricing
Deel
R900/mo
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Sage Payroll Professional | Deel | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Reviews | 58 | 189 |
| Ease of use | 4,2 | 4,0 |
| Value for money | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Customer service | 4,0 | 4,0 |
| Functionality | 4,1 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | Custom pricing | R900/mo |
| Free trial | No | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Sage Payroll Professional | Deel |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Employer of record in 100+ countries | ||
| Contractor contracts and payouts | ||
| Global payroll for owned entities | ||
| Free core HR platform | ||
| Digital contract signing | ||
| Local currency payouts | ||
| Compliance document collection | ||
| Time off tracking | ||
| Expense reimbursements | ||
| Integrations with accounting platforms |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
Sage Payroll Professional plans
Deel plans
Get started
Contractors
About 49 dollars per contractor per month.
R900/mo
per month
- Compliant local contracts
- Invoicing and approvals
- Payouts to local banks
- Tax form collection
EOR
From about 599 dollars per employee per month.
R11 000/mo
per month
- Deel employs on your behalf
- SA PAYE, UIF and leave handled
- Statutory benefits
- Local contracts
Global Payroll
Payroll for your own entities, priced per employee.
Custom
no card needed
- Multi country payroll
- Local filings
- One dashboard
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Deel for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Deel 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.