Stach vs. the accounting & payroll tools you're stacking today
Most businesses pay for an accounting tool, a separate payroll product, and a project tracker on top. Here's how that adds up against one Stach subscription.
| Software | Starting price | Projects & tasks | Client management | Billing & quotes | Bookkeeping | Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stach All-in-one back office | R0 Free plan, or R299/mo for the full Pro platform | |||||
Sage Business Cloud Accounting Accounting | From R240/mo Accounting Start ~R240/mo; Standard ~R435/mo. Payroll sold as a separate Sage product. | |||||
Xero Accounting | From R450/mo Starter R450/mo, Standard R795/mo, Premium R1,095/mo. Project tracking is a paid add-on (+R120.75/mo). | |||||
QuickBooks Online Accounting | Custom pricing Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced tiers. Pricing shown on request in South Africa. | |||||
Zoho Books Accounting | R0 Free plan, then R99–R2,490/mo across Standard through Ultimate tiers. | |||||
SimplePay Payroll only | Custom quote Priced per employee per month; quote required, exclusive of VAT. |
Pricing researched from publicly listed rates on each provider's South African pricing page as of September 2026. Competitor pricing changes frequently — confirm current rates directly with each provider before switching.
Why businesses switch to Stach
Accounting-only tools solve one problem. Stach was built to replace the whole stack.
One bill, not four
Stop paying separately for accounting software, a payroll product, and a project tracker. Stach's Pro plan covers all of it for R299/month.
Data that stays connected
Project time flows into billing. Invoices flow into bookkeeping. Nothing needs to be re-entered across disconnected tools.
Built for South Africa
POPIA-aligned data handling and payroll built around South African statutory requirements from day one.
Already using one of these tools?
You can import clients, projects, and invoices via CSV during onboarding — see our pricing or talk to us about switching.
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