SmartSheets vs Swift Payrolls
A newer, low-cost SA payslip and payroll tool aimed at domestic workers, households and very small teams.
This is an honest, side-by-side look at SmartSheets and Swift Payrolls 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.
Swift Payrolls
Free payslip generator, then Essential at R9.99/month (5 payslips/month, unlimited employees, email support) and Pro at R29.99/month (100 payslips/month, advanced UIF & PAYE reporting, priority support) — as listed on swiftpayrolls.com in July 2026.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SmartSheets | Swift Payrolls |
|---|---|---|
| Free payslip generator | Yes — no signup for basics | ✓ |
| Entry paid price | R49/month (Starter) | R9.99/month (Essential, 5 payslips) |
| PAYE & UIF auto-calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| SDL calculation | ✓ | Not advertised — verify on their site |
| Payslip templates | 3 free / 18 on Premium | Not specified on their site |
| Leave management (BCEA) | Yes — from Starter | ✗ |
| Employee self-service portal | Yes — Premium | ✗ |
| Bulk payslip generation & email | Yes — Premium | Higher volume on Pro (100/month) |
| Invoicing, quotes & online payments | Yes — PayFast, Ozow, Yoco | ✗ |
| Compliance reports (EMP201, UI19, COIDA) | ✓ | Advanced UIF & PAYE reporting on Pro |
| E-signatures | Yes — Premium | ✗ |
| 30+ free payroll calculators | ✓ | Demo calculator |
The Honest Take
When Swift Payrolls is the better choice
Swift Payrolls deserves credit for aggressive pricing: at R9.99/month for Essential it undercuts our R49 Starter plan significantly, and if all you need is up to five payslips a month for a domestic worker or gardener with PAYE and UIF handled, that is genuinely hard to beat on price. The Pro tier at R29.99 adds volume (100 payslips) and UIF/PAYE reporting.
It is a focused product for household employers who want simple records and payslip history without any surrounding business software. If your total requirement is “pay the same one or two people every month and keep proof,” Swift Payrolls’ Essential plan is the cheapest paid route we know of in SA.
When SmartSheets is the better choice
SmartSheets starts at the same price Swift Payrolls does — free — and our free generator requires no signup at all for a basic payslip. Where we pull ahead is everything around the payslip: BCEA leave management, an employee self-service portal, bulk generation with emailing, e-signatures, 18 templates with custom branding, and EMP201/UI19/COIDA report summaries for your SARS and Department of Labour admin.
We are also a business toolkit, not just payroll: VAT invoices and quotes with online payment collection, expense tracking, a bank statement converter and 30+ free calculators. A small business that will ever send an invoice or track leave gets more per rand from SmartSheets, and the R1,999 lifetime option ends subscriptions altogether — something Swift Payrolls does not offer.
Verdict
Swift Payrolls is a legitimate budget pick for households needing a few payslips a month — at R9.99 it is cheaper than our Starter plan. SmartSheets offers a permanently free tier with no signup, and far more breadth (leave, employee portal, invoicing, e-signatures, compliance reports, lifetime pricing) for small businesses that need more than payslips alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Swift Payrolls cheaper than SmartSheets?
For paid plans, yes: Swift Payrolls Essential is R9.99/month versus our R49/month Starter. But both products have free payslip generation, and SmartSheets’ free tier plus paid tiers include features Swift Payrolls does not list at any price — leave management, an employee portal, e-signatures and invoicing.
Which is better for domestic worker payslips?
Both handle domestic-worker payslips with PAYE and UIF calculated. If you want the absolute cheapest ongoing plan for a handful of payslips, Swift Payrolls Essential is cheaper. If you want a free payslip now with no account, plus UIF (UI19) documentation and leave tracking as your needs grow, SmartSheets covers more.
Does Swift Payrolls do invoicing or leave management?
Not that its site advertises — it focuses on payslips, PAYE/UIF calculation, employee records and payroll history. SmartSheets includes invoicing with online payments, quotes, expenses, BCEA leave management and an employee portal alongside payroll.
How do the free options compare?
Swift Payrolls offers a free payslip generator and a demo calculator; ongoing use is designed to move you to a R9.99+ plan. SmartSheets’ free plan is permanent (1 payslip/month with 3 templates and 2 saved employees) and the basic generator needs no signup.
Is Swift Payrolls an established company?
It is a newer entrant in the SA market compared with Sage or SimplePay. That is not a criticism — SmartSheets is also an independent SA product — but if vendor longevity matters to you, weigh that for both of us against the incumbents.
Try SmartSheets Free
Generate a SARS-compliant payslip with PAYE and UIF calculated automatically — no signup needed for the basic generator.