Head to head
PeopleHR vs Sage HR
Both products assessed against the same checklist, with ratings drawn from 380 verified reviews.
- Rating gap
- 0.2
- Reviews behind this
- 380
- Monthly price gap
- £50
- Features they share
- 1
Side by side
How they compare
Ratings computed from published reviews, and the specifications that change what a product costs to run. The washed column is the higher rated of the two.
| Compared on | Access PeopleHR | Higher rated overall |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers say | ||
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.2, higher |
| Ease of use | 3.9 | 4.1, higher |
| Value for money | 3.8 | 4.0, higher |
| Customer service | 3.7 | 4.0, higher |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.2, higher |
| Verified reviews | 134 | 246 |
| What it costs | ||
| Starting price | £5per month, from | R55per month, from |
| VAT basis | Excl VAT | Excl VAT |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Published plans | 2 | 4 |
| Vendor and support | ||
| Vendor | Access PeopleHR | Sage Group plc |
| Founded | 2012 | 2012 |
| Support channels | Email, Live chat, Knowledge base | Email, Live chat, Knowledge base, Onboarding support |
| Integrations listed | 5 | 7 |
| Local bank feeds | 0 | 0 |
The local yardstick
South African compliance
Amber marks a gap rather than a feature. This is usually where the decision is actually made.
PeopleHR
- BCEA leave requires manual policy configuration
- POPIA operator agreement
- Data hosted in the United Kingdom and European Union
- Role based access controls
- No South African payroll integration
Sage HR
- BCEA leave entitlements
- Employment Equity reporting support
- POPIA operator agreement
- Role based access to personal information
- Data hosted outside South Africa
What they cost
Pricing, compared properly
Check the VAT basis on each. Vendors are not consistent, and the difference is 15%.
PeopleHR
Listed excluding VAT
- £5/mo
Professional
Per employee, minimum charge applies
- £8/mo
Professional PlusPopular
Per employee, minimum charge applies
Billed in pounds per employee per month with a monthly minimum. BCEA leave requires configuration and there is no South African payroll integration.
Sage HR
Listed excluding VAT
- R55/mo
Core HR and LeavePopular
Per employee
- R40/mo
Performance
Per employee
- R40/mo
Shift scheduling
Per employee
- R45/mo
Recruitment
Per employee
Priced per employee per month per module, excluding VAT. Price the full module set you expect to need before comparing against bundled competitors.
Capability
The full feature matrix
Every feature either product offers, and whether the other one has it.
| Compared on | Access PeopleHR | Higher rated overall |
|---|---|---|
| 26 features across both products | ||
| 360 degree feedback | Not included | Included |
| API access | Included | Not included |
| Applicant tracking | Included | Not included |
| BCEA compliant leave accrual | Not included | Included |
| Branded careers page | Included | Not included |
| Clock in and clock out | Not included | Included |
| Configurable leave and absence rules | Included | Not included |
| Custom report builder | Included | Not included |
| Document storage and e signature | Included | Not included |
| Employee database and documents | Not included | Included |
| Employee records | Included | Not included |
| Employee self service | Included | Included |
| Expense claims | Not included | Included |
| Interview scorecards | Included | Not included |
| Leave requests and approvals | Not included | Included |
| Mobile app | Included | Not included |
| Onboarding checklists | Not included | Included |
| Org chart | Not included | Included |
| Performance reviews | Included | Not included |
| Performance reviews and goals | Not included | Included |
| Public holiday handling | Not included | Included |
| Recruitment and applicant tracking | Not included | Included |
| Reporting and headcount analytics | Not included | Included |
| Shift scheduling | Not included | Included |
| Timesheets | Not included | Included |
| Workflow automation | Included | Not included |
Our verdict
Which one you should buy
We name a winner. Listing differences and leaving the decision to the reader is not a verdict.
We have not written a full verdict for this pairing yet, so here is the position from the data.
Sage HR holds the higher rating at 4.2 against 4.0, from 246 reviews against 134. Reviewers rate it 4.1 for ease of use and 4.0 for value for money, against 3.9 and 3.8.
Read the compliance comparison below before deciding on the rating alone. A product that scores well overall can still be missing the one statutory output your business cannot do without.
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