Simple Books

What Simple Books does

Simple Books (Pty) Ltd is a South African financial services firm operating from Claremont, Cape Town, that delivers outsourced bookkeeping, payroll administration, regulatory compliance and cloud-software integration services to small and medium-sized businesses. Its service portfolio spans five integrated product lines: monthly outsourced bookkeeping using Xero, payroll processing with SARS and Department of Labour submissions, ongoing compliance management with SARS, CIPC and the Department of Labour, Xero cloud-integration work connecting point-of-sale, e-commerce, payments, inventory and workflow-automation tools, and customized Xero training delivered in person, via Skype, email or through online programs. The company has held Xero Gold Partner status continuously since 2014, placing it among the first wave of Xero practices in South Africa, and has built documented integration expertise across Dear Systems, WooCommerce, Shopify, Amazon, PayFast, Yoco, Receipt Bank and ApprovalMax.

The underlying technology stack is centred on the Xero cloud accounting platform and its add-on ecosystem; Simple Books does not appear to develop proprietary software but functions as a specialist implementation and managed-services layer on top of Xero and partner platforms. No application, public API, SDK or proprietary model is disclosed, and AI/ML capabilities are not evidenced in the source material.

Commercially, Simple Books runs a sales-led, subscription-based services model with recurring monthly fees for bookkeeping, payroll and compliance, plus project-based professional services revenue for Xero setup, integrations and training. Payroll pricing is publicly disclosed in South African Rand (R625–R750 per month base, plus per-employee increments), while bookkeeping is quote-based and customized. The firm serves a horizontal base of SMB customers primarily in South Africa with a small percentage of cross-border clients, reaches prospects through its website, Calendly booking links and email outreach, and operates with a headcount of 1–10 employees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, no funding rounds or institutional investors are recorded, and ownership appears founder-operated.

Name

Simple Books

Legal name

Simple Books (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://simplebooks.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Simple Books is a Cape Town-based outsourced bookkeeping, payroll and compliance services firm serving South African SMBs, operating as a Xero Gold Partner since 2014 and delivering cloud-integration and training services on the Xero ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outsourced Bookkeeping and Payroll Services

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

Keywords

• Outsourced bookkeeping services
• Payroll administration
• Small business compliance
• Xero cloud accounting
• SARS CIPC filings

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Outsourced Bookkeeping Services: Monthly ongoing bookkeeping services including bank reconciliation, VAT allocations, payroll integration, asset management, and compliance submissions. Clients receive dedicated manager, daily/weekly bookkeeping, and monthly health checks.
2. Payroll Processing Services: Weekly and monthly payroll processing including payslip calculations, SARS submissions (PAYE, UIF, ETI), Department of Labour submissions (UIF, Workman's Compensation). Monthly fee per employee with setup fee.
3. Small Business Compliance Services: Compliance status checking, registrations (UIF, Workman's Compensation, PAYE), and handling monthly, bi-annual and annual submissions to SARS, CIPC, and Dept. of Labour.
4. Xero Cloud Integration Services: Setup and implementation of Xero with add-on integrations including inventory management (Dear Systems), e-commerce (WooCommerce, Shopify, Amazon), Point of Sale, payment services, and CRM solutions.
5. Training and Support Services: In-person training, Skype training, email-based training, and comprehensive online training programs for Xero users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Simple Books provides outsourced monthly bookkeeping, weekly/monthly payroll processing, and South African statutory compliance management (SARS, CIPC, Department of Labour), delivered through the Xero cloud accounting platform and supported by third-party add-on integrations and customized Xero training. Services are sold as recurring subscriptions to small and medium-sized businesses.

Product overview

Simple Books is a specialist bookkeeping and cloud-integration services company that provides a suite of services built around Xero accounting software. The core offering is outsourced monthly bookkeeping, which is complemented by payroll services, South African regulatory compliance management (SARS, CIPC, Department of Labour), Xero cloud integrations connecting various third-party add-ons (e-commerce, inventory, payment processing, CRM), and Xero training and support. These services work together as an integrated practice management solution for small businesses using Xero.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Outsourced Bookkeeping Services Monthly outsourced bookkeeping in which Simple Books manages daily/weekly/monthly bookkeeping, bank reconciliations, VAT allocations, and payroll integration on Xero for small businesses.
• Payroll Services Weekly and monthly payroll handling including payslip calculations and delivery, compliance submissions to SARS (PAYE, UIF, ETI), and Department of Labour (UIF, Workman's Compensation); offered standalone or integrated with Xero.
• Small Business Compliance Compliance management for South African regulations including SARS, CIPC, and the Department of Labour, covering compliance status checking, registration services (UIF, Workman's Compensation, PAYE), and ongoing returns and submissions handling.
• Xero Cloud Integrations Cloud-based system integration services that connect Xero with third-party add-ons for inventory management (Dear Systems), e-commerce (WooCommerce, Shopify, Amazon), point of sale, payment services (PayFast, Yoco), CRM, document management (Receipt Bank), and approval workflows (ApprovalMax).
• Xero Training and Support Customized Xero training delivered in-person, via Skype, via email, or through comprehensive online training programs developed by Simple Books, along with ongoing support.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero Gold Partner since 2014, among the first Xero partners in South Africa. Simple Books specializes in Xero setup, bookkeeping, and cloud integrations, serving as the primary technology platform for their service delivery.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ADP: ADP is a global payroll and HR services provider operating in South Africa through ADP South Africa, competing with Simple Books' payroll processing offering at the enterprise and upper-SMB tier.
• Xero: Xero is the platform Simple Books builds its services on; it is both partner ecosystem and indirect competitor as it expands features that may reduce SMB need for outsourced bookkeeping services.
• Intuit: Intuit, parent of QuickBooks, is a broader SMB financial software platform whose products and services (including QuickBooks Live outsourced bookkeeping) compete with Simple Books across multiple service lines.
• BDO South Africa: BDO South Africa is a large professional services firm offering accounting, tax, payroll, and advisory services — a broader incumbent that competes with Simple Books for growing SMBs that eventually need full-service accounting support.

Direct peers

• PaySpace: PaySpace is a South African cloud payroll provider offering payroll processing, SARS submissions, and employee self-service — directly competing with Simple Books' payroll service line for the same SMB segment.
• CFO Centre: CFO Centre provides fractional CFO, bookkeeping, and financial management services to SMBs in South Africa, overlapping Simple Books' target customer and outsourced finance value proposition.
• Sage South Africa: Sage sells Sage Pastel Accounting and Sage VIP Payroll — direct competitors to Simple Books' outsourced bookkeeping and payroll services for South African SMBs, with a larger installed base and broader brand recognition.
• QuickBooks (Intuit): QuickBooks Online is the primary global cloud-accounting alternative to Xero and competes directly with Simple Books' SMB bookkeeping service offering, including QuickBooks Live for outsourced bookkeeping.
• Sage VIP: Sage VIP is Sage's payroll-specific product widely used by South African SMBs and bureaus, directly comparable to Simple Books' payroll service in functionality and target customer.
• SimplePay: SimplePay is a South African payroll-only SaaS provider focused on SARS-compliant payroll for SMBs, competing head-to-head with Simple Books' payroll offering on price, automation, and ease of self-service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/simplebooks1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simple-books-pty-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Simple Books