SmartSheets vs Sage Business Cloud Payroll
The best-known payroll brand in South Africa, backed by a large accountant network and decades of SARS compliance history.
This is an honest, side-by-side look at SmartSheets and Sage Business Cloud Payroll 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.
Sage Business Cloud Payroll
Sage Business Cloud Payroll starts from R1,080/year (about R90/month) on the official Sage SA shop, with variants priced by employee count up to 100 employees. Sage Pastel Payroll annual licences start from R4,920/year for up to 500 employees. Verify current bands on sage.com/en-za before buying.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SmartSheets | Sage Business Cloud Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — 1 payslip/month, no signup for basics | ✗ |
| Entry price | R49/month (Starter) | From ~R1,080/year (verify on their site) |
| PAYE, UIF & SDL auto-calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instant payslip without onboarding | ✓ | ✗ |
| SARS e@syFile / EMP501 submission files | No — EMP201, UI19 & COIDA report summaries only | ✓ |
| Phone support | No — email support | ✓ |
| Accountant & bureau network | ✗ | Yes — large certified partner network |
| Leave management (BCEA) | Yes — from Starter | ✓ |
| Employee self-service portal | Yes — Premium | ✓ |
| Invoicing, quotes & online payments | Yes — PayFast, Ozow, Yoco | Separate Sage Accounting product |
| 30+ free payroll calculators | ✓ | ✗ |
| Once-off lifetime licence | Yes — R1,999 | ✗ |
The Honest Take
When Sage Business Cloud Payroll is the better choice
Sage is the safe, established choice, and there is no point pretending otherwise. If your accountant already works in the Sage ecosystem, if you want phone support, or if you need software your auditor will recognise instantly, Sage Business Cloud Payroll is a solid pick. Its SARS compliance track record spans decades, and it produces the e@syFile submission files needed for bi-annual EMP501 reconciliation — something SmartSheets does not do for you.
Sage also makes sense as you scale into more complex payroll: its product ladder (Business Cloud Payroll, Payroll Professional, Sage 300 People) means you will not outgrow the vendor, and its network of certified consultants and training courses is unmatched in South Africa. For a business of 30+ employees with a dedicated payroll administrator, that ecosystem has real value.
When SmartSheets is the better choice
SmartSheets wins on speed and price for small teams. You can generate a compliant payslip with auto-calculated PAYE, UIF and SDL in your browser right now, free, without creating an account — Sage requires you to buy a licence and complete company setup first. Our Starter plan at R49/month is a fraction of Sage’s entry cost, and the Lifetime option (R1,999 once-off) removes subscriptions entirely.
You also get more than payroll for that price: invoicing with online payments, quotes, expense tracking, leave management and 30+ free SA tax calculators in one place. If you are a household employer, a startup with fewer than ~20 employees, or you just need professional payslips each month without an onboarding project, SmartSheets is the simpler, cheaper route.
Verdict
Choose Sage if you want the established brand, phone support, accountant ecosystem and direct e@syFile submission files. Choose SmartSheets if you are a small team that wants instant, affordable payslips (free to start, R49/month) plus invoicing and free calculators, and you are happy filing on SARS eFiling yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SmartSheets cheaper than Sage Business Cloud Payroll?
Yes, at entry level. SmartSheets has a free plan (1 payslip/month) and a Starter plan at R49/month, versus Sage Business Cloud Payroll from about R1,080/year on the official Sage shop. At larger employee counts the gap narrows, and Sage bundles capabilities (like e@syFile submission files) that SmartSheets does not offer.
Does SmartSheets file to SARS like Sage does?
No. SmartSheets generates EMP201, UI19 and COIDA report summaries you can use when filing yourself on SARS eFiling, but it does not produce e@syFile import files or handle EMP501 reconciliation. If you want payroll software that feeds SARS submissions directly, Sage is stronger here.
Can I switch from Sage to SmartSheets?
Yes. You can capture your employees in SmartSheets (unlimited on Premium) and start generating payslips immediately — there is no data migration project because you can begin with a single payslip. SmartSheets Premium can also export data for Sage, Xero and QuickBooks, so your accountant keeps their workflow.
Does Sage have a free payslip generator?
Sage Business Cloud Payroll is a paid product with no free tier. SmartSheets lets you generate a BCEA-compliant payslip with automatic PAYE and UIF calculations for free, with no signup required for the basic generator.
Which is better for a business with more than 50 employees?
Honestly, probably Sage. Beyond roughly 30–50 employees you typically need bureau-grade features, dedicated support and e@syFile integration. SmartSheets is purpose-built for micro and small businesses that want payslips, invoices and compliance reports without enterprise overhead.
Try SmartSheets Free
Generate a SARS-compliant payslip with PAYE and UIF calculated automatically — no signup needed for the basic generator.