Accounting
Sage Accounting
FromR240per month
Accounting Start, incl. VAT, 1 user
- 30-day free trial
- Demo on request
- AutoEntry receipt capture
Independent research · South Africa
Choose software with a clear head.
Reviews, comparisons and local context for the tools that keep your business moving. Priced in rand and judged on South African support, compliance and payments.
Free to browse. Every price is read off the vendor page and shown in rand.
The software decision happens in a room like this, in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and everywhere between.
5Business categories
29Products reviewed
ZARRand pricing, VAT noted
POPIAPOPIA, SARS, payroll
Editor selection
Software worth a closer look.
Every product we have reviewed, with the current price read off the vendor’s own pricing page.
Prices checked 25 August 2026
View all reviews
Accounting
Xero
FromR450per month
Starter plan; 80% off for the first 3 months
- 30-day free trial
- Just Ask Xero (JAX)
Accounting
QuickBooks Online
FromR322per month
Simple Start; 70% off for the first 6 months
- 30-day free trial
- Intuit Intelligence (beta)
Accounting
Zoho Books
FromR99per organisation, per month
Standard plan, excl. taxes
- Free plan under R1m annual revenue
- 14-day free trial
- Zia assistant
Payroll
SimplePay
FromR235.50per month for 10 employees
One plan, excl. VAT, about R23.55 per employee
- Free trial, length not published
Payroll
PaySpace
On requestpriced per employee, per month
No public rate card; now sold as Deel Local Payroll
- Demo on request
CRM
HubSpot CRM
Freethen about R112 per seat, per month
Starter, billed annually
HubSpot charges US$7 per seat; converted at R16.00 = US$1
- Free CRM, no card required
- Demo on request
- Breeze AI
CRM
Zoho CRM
Freethen about R224 per user, per month
Standard edition
Zoho charges US$14 per user; converted at R16.00 = US$1
- Free forever for 3 users
- Demo on request
- Zia and AI agents
ERP
Odoo
Freethen about R116 per user, per month
One App Free for unlimited users; Standard billed yearly
Odoo charges US$7.25 per user; converted at R16.00 = US$1
- One app free, unlimited users
- Free trial, length not published
- Demo on request
- Odoo AI
ERP
Dynamics 365 Business Central
FromR1 280per user, per month
Essentials, billed yearly, excl. VAT
Microsoft charges US$80 per user; converted at R16.00 = US$1
- 30-day free trial
- Demo on request
- Microsoft Copilot included
Commerce
Shopify
FromR400per month
Basic; about R304 billed yearly, with a R16/month intro for 3 months
Shopify charges US$25 per month; converted at R16.00 = US$1
- 3-day free trial
- Sidekick AI
Commerce
Yoco
FromR0per month on Core
Plus R249, Pro R499; card fees from 1.20% in person
- Core plan, no monthly fee
- 30-day free trial
Accounting
Sage Pastel Partner
On requestquoted by a Sage business partner
Annual licence plus optional modules; no public rate card
- Demo on request
Payroll
Sage Payroll
FromR97per month
1 to 2 employees, incl. VAT; banded up to 200 plus
- 30-day free trial
- Demo on request
Payroll
Sage Pastel Payroll
On requestquoted by a Sage business partner
Annual licence banded by employee count; no public rate card
- Demo on request
Payroll
Sage 300 People
On requestscoped by module and headcount
Licence plus implementation; quoted per project
- Demo on request
Payroll
Sage HR
On requestpriced per employee, per module
Leave, performance and scheduling are licensed separately
- Free trial offered, length not published
- Demo on request
ERP
Sage 200 Evolution
On requestquoted by a Sage business partner
Licence, modules and implementation quoted together
- Demo on request
Accounting
Palladium Accounting
FromR4 049ex VAT per user, per year
Enterprise tier 2 subscription; R7 139 ex VAT per user to buy outright
- Demonstration mode for testing and training
- Demo on request
Accounting
Omni Accounts
On requestquoted by module bundle
Trader through to Premium bundles; no public rate card
- Demo on request
Accounting
CaseWare Working Papers
On requestlicensed per user, per year
Practice licensing quoted by CaseWare Africa
- Demo on request
ERP
SYSPRO
On requestscoped per implementation
Licence plus implementation, quoted after a scoping exercise
- Demo on request
ERP
SAP Business One
On requestquoted by an SAP partner
Licence plus annual maintenance and partner implementation
- Demo on request
CRM
Skynamo
On requestpriced per user, per month
Quoted after a demonstration; no public rate card
- Demo on request
Commerce
iKhokha
FromR0per month, machines from R699
No monthly rental; in person rates from 2.75% excl VAT, falling to 2.5%
- iK Tap on Phone, no card machine needed
- 30 day money back guarantee on hardware
Commerce
SnapScan
FromR0per month
No monthly fee; 2.95% excl VAT per transaction, falling with turnover
- Free to sign up, no monthly fee
CRM
Pipedrive
FromR224per seat, per month
Lite plan, billed annually
Pipedrive charges US$14 per seat; converted at R16.00 = US$1
- 14-day free trial
- AI assistant included on every plan
Accounting
Sage Intacct
On requestquoted by Sage or a partner
Subscription priced by modules, entities and users; no public rate card
- Demo on request
- Finance AI for faster close
ERP
Sage X3
On requestquoted by a Sage business partner
Licence, modules and implementation quoted together; no public rate card
- Demo on request
- Sage X3 with AI
Head to head
Popular comparisons, side by side
The match ups South African buyers research most, judged on the same criteria and priced in rand.
Xero
QuickBooks Online
8.4 / 10
8.0 / 10
R450 per month
R322 per month
- Everyday useDepends
- Adviser workXero
- ReportingDepends
- App connectionsXero
Sage Accounting
Xero
8.3 / 10
8.4 / 10
R240 per month
R450 per month
- Local ecosystemSage
- InterfaceXero
- ReportingDepends
- ConnectionsXero
Sage Payroll
SimplePay
8.6 / 10
9.0 / 10
R97 per month
R235.50 per month for 10 employees
- How you are chargedModel it at your headcount
- The month you hireSimplePay
- Statutory updatesLine ball
- Reconciliation seasonSimplePay
Try before you buy
Software you can trial free.
Every product in our index that lets you run it properly before any card details are taken.
Trial lengths checked 25 August 2026
Accounting
Sage Accounting
30days
Then R240 per month
Start the trialAccounting
Xero
30days
Then R450 per month
Start the trialAccounting
QuickBooks Online
30days
Then R322 per month
Start the trial30days
Then R1 280 per user, per month
Start the trialCommerce
Yoco
30days
Then R0 per month on Core
Start the trialPayroll
Sage Payroll
30days
Then R97 per month
Start the trialAccounting
Zoho Books
14days
Then R99 per organisation, per month
Start the trialCRM
Pipedrive
14days
Then R224 per seat, per month
Start the trialCommerce
Shopify
3days
Then R400 per month
Start the trialPayroll
SimplePay
Freetrial
Length not published · then R235.50 per month for 10 employees
Start the trialERP
Odoo
Freetrial
Length not published · then Free then about R116 per user, per month
Start the trialPayroll
Sage HR
Freetrial
Length not published · then On request priced per employee, per module
Start the trialAccounting
Palladium Accounting
Freetrial
Length not published · then R4 049 ex VAT per user, per year
Start the trialCommerce
iKhokha
Freetrial
Length not published · then R0 per month, machines from R699
Start the trialFind the right category
Start with the work you want to improve.
Choose the business task first, then explore software selected for South African teams.
01
Accounting and Finance
Invoicing, bookkeeping, reporting and cash flow tools for South African teams.
02
Payroll and HR
Payroll, leave, HR records and workforce tools with local requirements in view.
03
CRM and Sales
Manage leads, customer relationships, pipelines and sales activity.
04
ERP and Operations
Connect finance, inventory, procurement and operational workflows.
05
Commerce and Point of Sale
Sell online or in person, accept payments and manage stock.
The local buying decision
What changes when you buy software in South Africa?
Global features matter. So do the ordinary local details that decide whether a product works after it has been purchased.
Read our evaluation method01
Pricing in rand
Billing currency, VAT clarity and exposure to exchange rate changes.
02
Local compliance
Relevant payroll, tax and privacy questions for the work at hand.
03
Support that overlaps
People, partners and useful support hours when a team needs help.
04
Payments and connections
Banks, payment services and the rest of the local business stack.
Guides and analysis
Practical guidance, without the sales pitch.
Careful explanations for the decisions that happen before the demo.
View all guidesFeatured guideAccounting
How to choose accounting software for a South African small business
A practical way to compare daily bookkeeping, adviser access, reporting, bank connections and the cost that appears after the first month.
- Written by
- Lewis Lauren
- Published
- 16 August 2026
- Length
- 8 minute read
Payroll
The questions to ask before switching payroll software
Move beyond the feature list and examine migration, statutory updates, employee records, support and the first live payroll run.
Lewis Lauren7 minute read
CRM
CRM pricing explained in plain language
Seats are only the beginning. We unpack contact limits, onboarding, automation, support and the cost of keeping clean data.
Lewis Lauren6 minute read
Operations
ERP or accounting software? Where growing teams draw the line
A useful framework for deciding when better accounting is enough and when operations need a connected system.
Lewis Lauren9 minute read
Privacy
A practical POPIA checklist for business software buyers
The questions worth asking about personal information, access, providers, retention and what happens when a contract ends.
Lewis Lauren7 minute read