How we compare
Everyone else reminds you. We handle it.
The compliance platforms have proven the model, and they are good at what they do. But every one of them still leaves the filing on your desk. That is the gap this business exists to close.
The market
The South African compliance market, honestly
| Provider | Model | Pricing | Watches your deadline | Files for you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BusinessNeedsYou never trigger a filing. It simply happens. | Managed compliance. We track the deadline and submit on your behalf. | R199/mo or R1,800/yr | ||
| Govchain124,000 users. The model works. You still have to act. | Compliance dashboard. You get reminded, then you trigger the filing. | Free plan; Pro R995/mo. Annual return R320, BO R550 a la carte | — | |
| BizPortal (CIPC)Free, but bare. Nobody is watching your deadline. | The government's own free filing portal. Do it yourself. | R0, plus statutory fees | — | — |
| Company Partners / SureBooksThe floor on price. We do not race here. | Budget compliance and tax. | Tax from R299/mo | — | |
| The BeancounterThe high end. We enter leaner and still hold margin. | Full outsourced accounting. | R4,900 / R7,600 / R19,500 per month |
Competitor pricing and features as published by each provider and benchmarked in May 2026. Providers change their pricing, so check theirs directly before making a decision. We have listed them accurately because we would rather you chose well than chose us by accident.
The distinction
A reminder is not the same as a filing
A free dashboard tells you a deadline is coming. You then have to open it, understand what is being asked, file the beneficial ownership declaration first because CIPC will not accept the annual return without it since 1 July 2024, pay the statutory fee, and confirm it went through.
If you reliably do all of that, a free dashboard is genuinely enough, and we would rather you used one than paid us for something you do not need. Most business owners do not do all of that. In November 2024, CIPC referred more than 500,000 companies for deregistration, and very few of them decided to let their company die.
See Compliance Essentials
Being straight about it
When you should not use us
Use BizPortal if you want free
CIPC's own portal costs nothing beyond the statutory fee. If you are happy to track your own anniversary date and file it yourself, that is the cheapest correct answer and we will not pretend otherwise.
Use a dashboard if reminders work for you
Govchain has 124,000 users because the model is sound. If a notification reliably turns into action in your business, you do not need us.
Use us if you want it gone
If you want the filing to simply happen every year without appearing on your to-do list at all, that is the thing we sell, and nobody else in this market is really selling it.
The promise
Always compliant. Always protected.
Three things we are actually selling, underneath the filings.
Protection
The point of a plan is that a deadline nobody told you about stops being your problem. We track it, we act on it, and we tell you it is done.
Effortless
We track the deadlines and deal with them on your behalf. You do not lift a finger, remember a date, or trigger anything. That is the whole point.
Trusted since 2007
30,000+ South African companies registered. Nineteen years. The team that started your company is the team that keeps it alive.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Why are you more expensive than the free plans?
Because a free plan is software and ours includes a person doing the filing. Compliance Essentials is R199 a month or R1,800 a year, and the statutory CIPC fee is passed through at cost on top. What you are buying is that the job leaves your desk permanently.
Why are you cheaper than an accounting firm?
Because compliance filing is a standardised, repeatable process and we have built the engine for it. We only charge accounting-firm rates for accounting work, which starts at Books Lite.
Do you mark up the CIPC fee?
No. Statutory fees are passed through at exactly what CIPC or SARS charges.
Are you affiliated with CIPC?
No, and nobody in this market is. We are an independent business services provider. We are not CIPC, SARS, the dtic, the Compensation Fund or the Master of the High Court. Be careful of anyone who implies otherwise.
What if I already use someone else?
Run the free check anyway. If it comes back green and your filings are current, your current provider is doing their job and you should stay.
See where you actually stand
The check is free, takes about 30 seconds, and tells you the truth either way.
Office 071 687 1601 · support@businessneeds.co.za · Pretoria