Bluubin vs SimplePay: payroll plus your books.
SimplePay is a well-liked, focused South African payroll tool. Bluubin covers the same payroll ground and adds full accounting — so payroll and your books live in one platform.
SimplePay is a well-regarded, easy-to-use payroll product built for South African businesses, with automatic tax calculations and e@syFile submissions. If payroll is genuinely all you need, it does that job well.
Bluubin covers the same South African payroll ground — PAYE, UIF, SDL, e@syFile and EEA4 — but also includes full accounting: invoicing, VAT201, bank reconciliation and management reports. One platform for payroll and your books, instead of two separate systems and subscriptions. If you want a SimplePay alternative that also does accounting, that's the case for Bluubin.
| Feature | Bluubin | SimplePay |
|---|---|---|
| South African payroll (PAYE, UIF, SDL) | ||
| e@syFile & SARS reconciliation exports | ||
| Employee self-service portal | ||
| Built-in accounting (invoicing, VAT201, reports) | ||
| Payroll + accounting on one platform | Payroll only | |
| Free telephone & email support | Support included | |
| Pricing | Payroll + accounting, one platform | Payroll only |
Comparison based on publicly available information and each provider's standard offering at the time of writing. Features and pricing can change — always confirm the latest details with each vendor. SimplePay is a trademark of its respective owner; Bluubin is not affiliated with SimplePay.
Why South African businesses choose Bluubin
Payroll and accounting in one place
Get your books and your payroll on the same platform, instead of running and reconciling a separate accounting tool alongside payroll.
Full South African payroll
PAYE, UIF, SDL, e@syFile and EEA4 employment equity reporting are all built in and kept current with local requirements.
Affordable, with free support
Unlimited transactions and free telephone and email support, so growing your team doesn't mean growing your software bill.
Built for South Africa
Fully aligned with SARS and Department of Labour requirements, from payslips through to submissions.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bluubin a good SimplePay alternative?
Yes — especially if you want accounting alongside your payroll. Bluubin matches the core South African payroll features and adds invoicing, VAT201, bank reconciliation and reporting in the same platform.
Does Bluubin do everything SimplePay does for payroll?
Bluubin includes South African payroll — PAYE, UIF, SDL, e@syFile and EEA4 — plus full accounting, so you can run both from one place.
Can I run payroll and accounting together in Bluubin?
Yes. That's the core of the platform — your payroll and your books share one system, so the numbers stay in sync.
Should I choose Bluubin or SimplePay?
If payroll is genuinely all you need, SimplePay does that well. If you also want accounting — invoicing, VAT201, bank reconciliation and reports — in the same platform, Bluubin covers both.
Does Bluubin match SimplePay's SARS submissions?
Yes. Bluubin handles PAYE, UIF, SDL and e@syFile reconciliations, plus EEA4 employment equity reporting, alongside full accounting.
Does Bluubin have an employee self-service portal like SimplePay?
Yes. Employees can access payslips, IRP5s, leave and claims through Bluubin's self-service portal.
Why run payroll and accounting on one platform?
Because payroll and your books share one system, the payroll journal and figures stay in sync automatically, instead of reconciling a separate accounting tool alongside payroll.
Run payroll and your books in one place.
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