Payslip Generator vs SimplePay
A widely recommended SA cloud payroll service with a mature SARS filing workflow, priced per active employee.
This is an honest, side-by-side look at Payslip Generator and SimplePay 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
Payslip Generator
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.
SimplePay
SimplePay uses a single “One Plan” billed per active employee per month, quoted via the calculator on simplepay.co.za/pricing (no public flat price list). Third-party guides report roughly R65/month base plus around R18 per employee, but verify with their calculator. Includes a 30-day free onboarding period with all features.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Payslip Generator | SimplePay |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — 1 payslip/month, no signup for basics | No — 30-day free trial only |
| Pricing model | Flat: R49 or R99/month regardless of headcount | Per active employee (calculator quote) |
| PAYE, UIF & SDL auto-calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| SARS e@syFile import file (IRP5 / IT3(a)) | Yes, paid plans | ✓ |
| EMP201 figures | Yes, report summary to capture on eFiling | Yes, and filed to SARS automatically for practices on Xero Practice Manager |
| Leave management | Yes — from Starter | ✓ |
| Employee self-service | Yes — web portal (Premium) | Yes — portal + iOS/Android apps |
| Accounting integrations | Export files for Sage, Xero, QuickBooks (Premium) | Native Xero & QuickBooks posting |
| Invoicing, quotes & online payments | Yes — PayFast, Ozow, Yoco | ✗ |
| Instant payslip without onboarding | ✓ | ✗ |
| 30+ free payroll calculators | ✓ | ✗ |
| Once-off lifetime licence | Yes — R1,999 | ✗ |
The Honest Take
When SimplePay is the better choice
SimplePay is arguably the best pure cloud payroll product for small SA businesses that file their own SARS returns, and many accountants recommend it for good reason. Its SARS workflow is mature: it generates e@syFile import files for IRP5/IT3(a) certificates, walks you through the EMP501 reconciliation cycle, and for accounting practices on Xero Practice Manager it files the monthly EMP201 to SARS automatically after each payroll run. Payslip Generator now produces the same kind of EMP501 import file, but SimplePay has many more filing seasons behind it, and we do not file the EMP201 for you.
It also has native Xero and QuickBooks integrations that post payroll journals automatically, polished self-service mobile apps, and mature leave workflows. If you run formal monthly payroll for a stable team and want filing to be near-automatic, SimplePay’s per-employee fee is money well spent.
When Payslip Generator is the better choice
Payslip Generator is the faster, cheaper option when what you actually need is professional payslips and your SARS paperwork in order, without a payroll onboarding project. The free plan produces a PAYE/UIF-calculated payslip with no signup, and Starter is a flat R49/month with unlimited payslips. With per-employee pricing like SimplePay’s, costs climb as you hire, while our flat plans do not. Paid plans also build the e@syFile import file for your EMP501 reconciliation, so year-end does not mean switching tools.
We also cover ground SimplePay does not: invoicing and quotes with PayFast/Ozow/Yoco online payments, expense tracking, a bank statement converter, and 30+ free calculators (PAYE, UIF, SDL, leave pay and more). For freelancers paying an assistant, household employers, or SMEs that want payroll and invoicing in one login for under R100/month, Payslip Generator is the better fit.
Verdict
SimplePay is the better pure payroll product if you want a mature SARS filing workflow and native accounting integrations, and its per-employee price is fair. Payslip Generator wins for small teams that want a flat, low price (free to R99/month), instant payslips with zero onboarding, the EMP501 import file at year-end, and invoicing plus free calculators in the same toolkit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SimplePay or Payslip Generator cheaper?
It depends on headcount. Payslip Generator charges a flat R49/month (Starter) or R99/month (Premium) regardless of how many payslips or employees you have on Premium. SimplePay bills per active employee via a quote calculator — third-party guides suggest around R65 base plus roughly R18 per employee, so a 10-person team can cost more than Payslip Generator Premium. Verify with SimplePay’s own calculator.
Does Payslip Generator integrate with SARS e@syFile like SimplePay?
Yes, for the EMP501. On a paid plan, Payslip Generator builds the e@syFile import file with your IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates for the interim and annual reconciliation, and checks every field against SARS’s published file specification before you can download it. You import it into e@syFile and submit with your own eFiling login, the same way you would with SimplePay’s export. SimplePay goes further on the monthly EMP201: practices on Xero Practice Manager can have it filed to SARS automatically, while Payslip Generator gives you the figures to capture on eFiling.
Does SimplePay have a free plan?
No permanent free plan — SimplePay offers a 30-day free onboarding period with full features. Payslip Generator has a genuinely free tier (1 payslip/month with PAYE and UIF auto-calculated) and a no-signup payslip generator.
Can Payslip Generator handle invoicing as well as payroll?
Yes. Payslip Generator includes VAT invoices and quotes with online payment collection via PayFast, Ozow or Yoco, plus expense tracking. SimplePay is payroll-only, so you would pair it with separate accounting software for invoicing.
Which should an accountant or bureau use?
For running client payrolls with SARS filing, SimplePay (which has bureau pricing and automatic EMP201 eFiling through Xero Practice Manager) is the more complete professional tool. Payslip Generator suits accountants who need quick, well-formatted payslips, compliance summaries and EMP501 import files for micro clients at minimal cost.
Try Payslip Generator Free
Generate a SARS-compliant payslip with PAYE and UIF calculated automatically — no signup needed for the basic generator.