Xero is built for the UK. QuickBooks is built for the US. Sage is built for enterprise. Aptiv Books is built for South African SMEs — with double-entry accounting, a non-deletable audit log, and SARS-aligned compliance baked into the foundation. Not bolted on after the fact.
Every transaction is recorded with both a debit and a credit — the accounting standard that SARS auditors expect and that produces accurate, defensible financial statements. No single-entry shortcuts that create reconciliation nightmares.
Every transaction is immutable once posted. Corrections are made through reversals — not deletions. This means your ledger tells the complete truth about your business history, exactly as SARS requires in an audit scenario.
VAT returns, income tax supporting schedules, and management accounts structured to the South African tax framework. Reports that a SARS auditor recognises — not generic financial summaries you need to reformat before submission.
VAT at 15%, PAYE, UIF, and SDL treatment built into the chart of accounts from day one. Not a setting you need to configure. The SA tax structure is the architecture, not an afterthought.
The Kenya module is in development. Aptiv Books is designed to serve African SMEs across multiple regulatory contexts — not just South Africa. The architecture supports multi-currency and multi-jurisdiction from the ground up.
Built for businesses with 1–50 employees. No enterprise configuration overhead. No features you'll never use. A clean interface that lets you understand your financial position without needing an accountant to translate it.
Generic bookkeeping tools create a dangerous gap between your records and what SARS expects. That gap costs you — in accountant fees to reformat, in audit risk when records aren't structured correctly, and in the time spent translating between your system and SA regulatory requirements.
Aptiv Books closes that gap by treating the SA tax framework as the foundation — not a configuration setting you apply at the end.
| Feature | Aptiv Books | Xero | Sage | Manual Methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SARS-aligned from setup | ✓ | Requires config | Partial | ✗ |
| Non-deletable audit log | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Double-entry accounting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| VAT 15% built in | ✓ | Manual setup | Manual setup | ✗ |
| Built for SA SMEs | ✓ | UK-first | Enterprise-first | No structure |
| Price point for SMEs | SME-focused | R300–R900/mo | R500+/mo | Hidden cost |
| Pan-African roadmap | ✓ | ✗ | Limited | ✗ |
Aptiv Books is in active development. Waitlist members get early access, locked pricing, and direct input into the feature roadmap. Slots are limited.
Or contact us directly to discuss early integration with your existing systems.