What business software costs in rand
14 products publish a price we could read, 11 start free, and 12 give their price on request. Here is the whole table, and how to read it.
- Author
- Software Register editorial
- Topic
- Pricing
- Date
- 11 October 2026
- Reading time
- 4 minutes
Starting price a month, in rand
- R270/mo incl VAT
- R322/mo
- R450/mo incl VAT
- Free
- R1 375/mo excl VAT
The register holds 37 products across 6 sectors. Before you build a shortlist, know how they split. 14 publish a list price that we read on the vendor's own page and recorded with its date. 11 start at zero. 12 give their price on request.
The priced products
| Product | From | Basis | Price read |
|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR | R165 | /employee /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| FreshBooks | R380 | /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Freshsales | R149 | /user /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| PeopleHR | R66 | /employee /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Pipedrive | R231 | /user /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| QuickBooks Online | R322 | /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Sage 50cloud Pastel | R1 375 | /mo excl VAT | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Sage Accounting | R270 | /mo incl VAT | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Sage HR | R28 | /employee /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Sage Intacct | R21 858 | /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Sage Payroll | R97 | /mo incl VAT | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| SimplePay | R23.55 | /employee /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Smartsheet | R170 | /user /mo | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
| Xero | R450 | /mo incl VAT | Checked 11 OCT 2026 |
Read the basis before the number
A price is only comparable when you know what it covers. Sage quotes cloud products including VAT and Pastel products excluding it. At 15 percent VAT that gap is real money, so the register prints the basis next to every number: /mo incl VAT, /mo excl VAT, /employee /mo or /user /mo.
| Basis | What the price is charged on | What it means for your bill |
|---|---|---|
| A month, per organisation | The business, whatever the number of users up to a limit | Steady until you pass a plan limit, then a step up |
| Per user a month | Each person who logs in | Grows with the team, so price it for the team you will have |
| Per employee a month | Each person on the payroll | Grows with headcount, and a payroll of twenty costs twenty times the rate |
| In bands | A range of employees, such as 6 to 10 | Steps at each band, so check where you sit |
Free is not price on request
A zero price is a price. A price given on request is a different thing. The register prints Free for the first and Price on request for the second. A product that gives its price on request may well cost less than one that lists, but you cannot know until you ask. How to ask for a quote shows how to turn a quote into something you can compare.
What the number leaves out
- Extra users, extra companies and add on modules, which many plans sell on top of the headline plan.
- Once off charges such as setup, data migration and training, which appear in a quote and rarely on a pricing page.
- VAT, where the vendor quotes without it.
- The cost of your own time: a cheap product that cannot read your bank costs hours every month.
What a bill looks like in each sector
| Sector | How it is usually priced | What to multiply |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | A plan per organisation, with users and companies included up to a limit | Extra users, extra companies and add on modules |
| Payroll | A rate per employee, or bands of headcount | Your employees, and each company you run |
| HR | A rate per employee for a core plan, with modules added on | Employees times the core plan, plus each module you switch on |
| CRM | A rate per user, rising by tier | The salespeople who log in, at the tier you need |
| Project management | A rate per seat, often with a free plan for a few users | Everyone who edits, at the plan that holds the views you need |
| ERP | A quote, covering licences or a subscription plus implementation | Users, modules and the partner's hours |
Prices in dollars, pounds and euros
Where a vendor lists in dollars, pounds or euros, the register shows the rand figure at the day's rate and says so. Rand amounts written into a review or a post use the rate of the day it was read. Read how prices are read before you rely on any number here.
Why the cheapest is not the answer
A product that costs less each month but cannot read your bank, prepare your VAT201 or produce your IRP5 certificates costs you hours, and your hours have a price. Rank the products you are considering on what they cost you in total: the subscription, the extras, your time and the cost of leaving. The cheapest plan that does everything you need is the right one, and it is often not the cheapest on the page.
The register keeps each price as the vendor stated it, with the date it was read. Vendors change their prices, and some announce increases in advance, so a price on this register is a record of a day and not a promise. Check the vendor's own page on the day you buy.
How to use the table
- Decide the sector first. A payroll price and a project tool price are not the same kind of price.
- Put every price on the same footing, using including and excluding VAT.
- Multiply a per user or per employee price by your real headcount.
- Add the extras you know you need: users, companies, modules.
- Open the review of each product on your shortlist for its plans, add ons and a calculator that does this sum for you.
This guide explains rules in plain words for South African buyers. It is not tax, legal or financial advice, and it has not been reviewed by a registered tax practitioner or an attorney. Check SARS or the regulator named above for the rule that applies to you.
Know when a price moves.
One short email when a price changes or a product is withdrawn.
