SmartSheets vs PaySpace by Deel
Enterprise-grade, multi-country payroll and HR platform (now Deel’s local payroll engine), covering 49 countries including 43 in Africa.
This is an honest, side-by-side look at SmartSheets and PaySpace by Deel for South African businesses. Both products have real strengths, and the right choice depends on your team size, budget and how much of your SARS admin you want the software to handle. Prices and features below were checked against the sources listed above and may change — always confirm current pricing on each vendor’s site.
Pricing at a Glance
SmartSheets
Free plan: R0 (1 payslip/month, no signup needed for the basic generator). Starter: R49/month or R395/year. Premium: R99/month or R799/year. Lifetime: R1,999 once-off.
PaySpace by Deel
Quote-based: per employee per month with no licence fees, across three editions (Lite for up to ~50 employees, Premier, Master). No public rand pricing — you must request a quote from payspace.com. Acquired by Deel in 2024 and sold as Deel Local Payroll.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SmartSheets | PaySpace by Deel |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — 1 payslip/month, no signup for basics | ✗ |
| Public pricing | Yes — R49/R99 per month, R1,999 lifetime | No — quote only |
| PAYE, UIF & SDL auto-calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| SARS submissions (IRP5, EMP501) | No — EMP201/UI19/COIDA report summaries | ✓ |
| Multi-country payroll | ✗ | Yes — 49 countries, 43 in Africa |
| Employee self-service | Yes — web portal (Premium) | Yes — portal, AI assistant and WhatsApp access |
| HR modules (onboarding, org management) | Employee database & leave only | ✓ |
| Compliance certifications (SOC, ISO 27001) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Instant payslip without onboarding | ✓ | ✗ |
| Invoicing, quotes & online payments | Yes — PayFast, Ozow, Yoco | ✗ |
| 30+ free payroll calculators | ✓ | Some free digital tools |
| Suited for 100+ employees / multi-entity | ✗ | ✓ |
The Honest Take
When PaySpace by Deel is the better choice
PaySpace and SmartSheets are honestly not in the same weight class, and pretending we compete head-on would be misleading. PaySpace is an enterprise payroll and HR platform: it automates statutory updates across 49 countries, submits PAYE/UIF/SDL figures and generates IRP5 certificates and EMP501 returns for South Africa, offers 95+ country-specific reports, and holds SOC 1/2 and ISO 27001 certifications. Employees can even fetch payslips over WhatsApp.
If you run payroll for 50+ employees, operate across multiple African countries, need multi-entity consolidation or expat/multi-currency payroll, or your board requires certified controls, request a PaySpace quote. It is built for exactly that, and since the Deel acquisition it plugs into a global employment stack too.
When SmartSheets is the better choice
For a South African micro or small business, PaySpace is usually overkill — quote-based per-employee pricing, sales conversations and an implementation process, for capability you may never use. SmartSheets is the opposite: open the site, generate a compliant payslip free with PAYE and UIF calculated, and upgrade to R49/month only when you need unlimited payslips.
You also get the small-business extras PaySpace does not aim at: invoicing with SA payment gateways, quotes, expense tracking, a bank statement converter, free calculators and a business directory listing. If your whole payroll is one to twenty people in one country, SmartSheets gets you compliant payslips today at a price you can see upfront.
Verdict
PaySpace by Deel is the right choice for mid-size to enterprise payroll, multi-country operations and automated SARS year-end filing — SmartSheets does not compete there. SmartSheets is the right choice when you want transparent low pricing, an instant free payslip generator, and payroll-plus-invoicing basics for a small South African team.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does PaySpace cost compared to SmartSheets?
PaySpace does not publish rand pricing — it is quoted per employee per month across Lite, Premier and Master editions, so you must contact their sales team. SmartSheets pricing is public: free plan, R49/month Starter, R99/month Premium, or R1,999 lifetime.
Is SmartSheets a real alternative to PaySpace?
Only for small, single-country teams. If you need multi-country payroll, IRP5/EMP501 generation, HR modules or certified enterprise controls, PaySpace is the appropriate tool. If you need SA payslips, leave tracking and compliance report summaries for a small team, SmartSheets does that at a fraction of the cost and setup effort.
Does PaySpace have a free payslip generator?
PaySpace offers some free digital tools and calculators on its site, but the payroll platform itself has no free tier — it is a quoted subscription. SmartSheets includes a free, no-signup payslip generator with automatic PAYE and UIF calculation.
What happened between PaySpace and Deel?
Deel acquired PaySpace in 2024, and PaySpace now powers Deel’s local payroll engine, marketed as Deel Local Payroll. The South African product and its SARS capabilities continue under the Deel umbrella.
When should a growing business move from SmartSheets to PaySpace?
A reasonable trigger is when you pass roughly 50 employees, open a second country, or need automated IRP5/EMP501 year-end filing and formal HR workflows. Until then, a flat R49–R99/month toolkit typically covers a small SA business.
Try SmartSheets Free
Generate a SARS-compliant payslip with PAYE and UIF calculated automatically — no signup needed for the basic generator.