Payroll Africa vs PayDay
PayDay is a South African payroll and HR software provider serving local businesses. Payroll Africa includes WhatsApp payslips, WhatsApp geo-clocking, automatic payroll runs and an AI payroll assistant on every plan, supports 54 African countries, offers white-label for accountants and bureaus, and migrates your data free. Pricing is a fixed monthly band from R90/month with payroll and HR bundled.
Payroll Africa Editorial · SARS Payroll Compliance Team
The Payroll Africa editorial team is composed of registered tax practitioners, payroll administrators and BCEA specialists who maintain the SARS PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI engines that power the platform. Every article is reviewed against the current SARS BRS and Basic Conditions of Employment Act before publication.
- SARS registered tax practitioners
- SAPA-affiliated payroll administrators
- BCEA and LRA compliance reviewers
Last updated 30 Oct 2026
PayDay vs Payroll Africa — feature comparison
How the two products compare on the features South African employers actually use monthly.
How to migrate from PayDay to Payroll Africa
Migration is free. Our team handles every step and reconciles YTD balances to the cent.
- Export employees, year-to-date figures and leave balances from PayDay
- Send the files to our migration team (or upload them yourself)
- We reconcile every YTD figure to the cent before go-live
- Run your first Payroll Africa payroll in parallel and compare
- Cancel PayDay after your first successful run
Where PayDay holds up well
PayDay covers the core South African payroll and HR bases and is worth a demo if you are comparing local suppliers.
What Payroll Africa adds
The capabilities businesses most often switch for:
- WhatsApp payslips and employee self-service — no company email needed
- WhatsApp geo-clocking with GPS-verified clock-ins, breaks and clock-outs
- Automatic scheduled payroll runs instead of starting each run by hand
- An AI assistant that explains a run and flags variances
- One system across 54 African countries with country-specific rules
- Free, reconciled migration rather than a self-service import
Compare pricing fairly
Assess PayDay per their published pricing or a current written quote — we do not assert a competitor price. Compare headcount bands, setup fees, support, modules and contract terms on the same basis. Payroll Africa publishes fixed monthly bands from R90/month with migration, support and the AI assistant included.
Is Payroll Africa a good PayDay alternative?
For South African SMBs (1–500 employees), yes. Payroll Africa is built in South Africa for South African tax law, priced per employee with no lock-in, and includes every SARS artefact PayDay produces — plus WhatsApp payslips, auto runs and an AI payroll assistant.
Compare
| Feature | Payroll Africa | PayDay |
|---|---|---|
| SARS PAYE / UIF / SDL tables | ||
| EMP201 and EMP501 export | ||
| IRP5 / IT3(a) generation | ||
| WhatsApp payslip delivery | ||
| WhatsApp geo-clocking (GPS attendance) | ||
| Auto payroll runs (unattended) | ||
| AI payroll assistant included | ||
| 54 African countries in one system | ||
| White-label for accountants & bureaus | ||
| Free migration from other systems |
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Stop looking this up. Let payroll do it.
Payroll Africa applies vs PayDay rules automatically every month — SARS PAYE, UIF and SDL, payslips, EMP201 and IRP5. From R90/month.
- No card required
- 30-day free trial
- Free migration from Sage, SimplePay, PaySpace or Excel
- Cancel anytime
Run Payroll Africa alongside your current system until you're happy to switch.