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A public service from OpenWorks IT

Less admin. More building.

Shap is a properly powerful set of business books, quotes, invoices, payroll and tax, and we're giving it away. Free, for good, to every South African business that needs it. Admin shouldn't be what keeps you busy. Building our beautiful country should be.

Get Shap Pocket on Google Play Meet the two Shaps → Why free? →

Howzit, Thandi 👋

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Shap!

Why we give it away

Every evening, all over South Africa, someone who should be resting is typing up quotes, chasing invoices and wondering what SARS wants from them this month. The sparky in Mthatha, the hairdresser in Mitchells Plain, the designer in Braamfontein. Good people, losing hours to paperwork instead of doing the work they're brilliant at.

Honestly? We built Shap for ourselves. We were gatvol of paying hundreds every month for watered-down, slow software with too many buttons and too little sense.

Then we figured everyone probably feels like that. South Africans are a lekker people, and we help each other. So while OpenWorks IT makes its bucks doing big corporate work, it keeps building Shap for its own accounting. And you get to use it too, because keeping it a secret would be a skelm move.

Shap isn't a cut-down trial that nags you to upgrade. It's the real thing, the same software that runs real businesses, with no adverts, no locked features and no catch. The code is open, so anyone can check exactly what it does, and nobody can ever take it away.

That's our bit. Yours is to get out there and build: the business, the community, the country.

Let's make SA work, together.

The OpenWorks IT team, Gqeberha

shap

/ʃɑːp/ · SA slang · from “sharp”

  1. All good, sorted, no stress. “Quote sent from the bakkie before lunch? Shap.”
  2. Cheers, see you. Usually doubled: “shap shap”. “Invoice paid, books balanced. Shap shap, we're off to the next job.”
  3. Free books software that does the admin, so you can get back to work. “Ja, my bookkeeping? Shap does it.”

Two Shaps, same heart

Pick the one that fits the size of your business. Both are free, both are open source, and both speak South African.

For the one-person business

Shap Pocket

The whole thing on your phone. Download it and go: no sign-up, no password, no server, and it works without signal.

  • No login: lock it with your phone's fingerprint, face or PIN if you like
  • Works offline: your books live on your phone, not in someone's cloud
  • Send quotes and invoices as PDFs on WhatsApp, email, anything on your phone
  • Back up to your own Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud or Proton Drive
  • Add your logo and nudge it till it sits just right
  • Paste in a Yoco payment link and clients can pay by card
  • On Windows or any computer too: install it from your browser

Android: on Google Play now. iPhone: in the App Store soon. On a computer: ready now

Get it on Google Play Shap Pocket on GitHub → On a computer? Use it in your browser →

For teams: on your own PC, or online

Shap

The full workshop. Install it on a PC in the office, or run it online on a small server so it covers the whole company. Everyone works in it, from the office or from site on their phones.

  • Jobs that track labour, materials and profit, from quote to final invoice
  • Casual workers and wages, with who worked where and for how long
  • Monthly invoices that go out on their own, and email straight from Shap
  • Sign-ins for staff, site teams and your accountant, each seeing only what they need
  • Bank statements in, matched against what you've already recorded

Live, and running real businesses

Shap on GitHub →

Shap Pocket on your computer

Rather work at a desk? The same Shap Pocket runs on Windows, a Mac or Linux. Install it from Edge or Chrome and it gets its own icon, opens in its own window and works with no internet, just like the phone app. No download from a store, no sign-up.

Open Shap Pocket →

Install it (Windows, two minutes)

  1. Open the link above in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.

  2. Click the install icon at the right of the address bar (a little screen with a down arrow), or open the ⋯ menu → Apps → Install Shap Pocket (in Chrome: Cast, save and share → Install page as app).

  3. Shap Pocket gets a Start menu and taskbar icon. Open it from there from now on: it starts up in its own window, with or without internet.

  4. Answer the few setup questions and you're off. Updates arrive on their own.

Firefox can use Shap Pocket in a tab but can't install it. On a Mac or Linux, Chrome, Edge or Chromium install it the same way.

Keep your books safe

  • Your books live in the browser's storage on this computer, not on the internet and not with us. That makes backups your job, and Shap makes them easy.
  • Once a week: Backup → Back up now. Save the file in your OneDrive or Google Drive folder (make one called “Shap backups”). Those folders copy themselves to the cloud, and next time the browser remembers the folder.
  • Don't clear the browser's cookies and site data for openworks.co.za, and don't uninstall the browser before you've backed up: either one deletes the books on this computer.
  • New computer, or moving between phone and computer? Install Shap Pocket there, then Backup → Restore a backup. A backup from the phone opens on the computer and the other way round.

Use one place as the main copy: Shap Pocket doesn't sync between devices on its own. Several people in the business? That's what Shap for teams is for.

Shap for your team? Setting it up is a breeze

We've made installing Shap and setting it up super easy. There's a moerse README on GitHub with the install commands, step by step. Any lekker IT oke will have it running for you now-now, sommer.

  1. Pick where it runs

    On a PC of your own (Linux is easiest; Windows works too, with a bit more fiddling), or online on a basic South African server so the whole company can reach it from anywhere. One server can even run Shap for more than one business.

  2. Paste the install commands

    Straight from the README. Shap, its database and the HTTPS certificate all come up on their own.

  3. Sign in and answer a few questions

    Shap asks what you do and sets itself up to fit. Add your team, and they're in on their phones.

Online server, straight from the README (a PC has its own one-liner)
git clone https://github.com/OpenWorksIT/shap /opt/shap
cd /opt/shap/deploy/vps
cp .env.example .env && nano .env
docker compose up -d --build

The moerse README →

Sukkeling? Give us a shout and we'll hook you up when we've got a gap. WhatsApp us or email info@openworks.co.za.

Free doesn't mean flimsy

This is the real deal. Here's what's in the box.

  • Quote, job, invoice

    Quote it, do it, bill it. Turn an accepted quote into a job or straight into the invoice, with deposits, part payments and statements for slow payers.

  • Costs, with the slip

    Log what you spend and keep a photo of the slip with it. Put costs on a job and see what that job really made.

  • VAT without the eish

    Switch VAT on when you register (Shap won't charge VAT without a proper VAT number). Not registered? Shap watches your income over any twelve months in a row, not just the tax year, and warns you before you reach the R2.3 million compulsory line.

  • Tax, worked out

    Sole proprietors get an estimate of their income tax on the current SARS tables, so provisional tax doesn't come as a surprise.

  • Payroll, properly

    Payslips with PAYE, UIF and SDL done for you, a reminder before the EMP201 is due on the 7th, and the EMP501 reconciliation with each employee's IRP5 source codes, ready for e@syFile.

  • Dividends for directors

    Running a Pty or CC? The dividends section is always on: record each dividend, with dividends tax worked out and a nudge when the DTR01 is due.

  • Get paid by card

    Add your Yoco payment link and it's printed on every unpaid invoice, so clients can tap and pay.

  • Speaks your language

    Casual or formal, your choice. Shap greets you with “Howzit” or with “Good morning”, and your invoices stay professional either way.

  • Credit notes, pro-formas, reminders

    Take something back with a proper credit note, ask for payment upfront with a pro-forma, print your PayShap ID for instant payment, and send overdue clients a friendly reminder on WhatsApp in one tap.

  • SARS made plainer

    Your VAT201 laid out box by box, turnover tax for micro businesses, and step-by-step guides to filing VAT, provisional tax, EMP201 and your return. (We're not accountants: only file yourself if you're lekker with some accounting.)

  • Time, trips and bills

    A clock per job with your hourly rate, SARS's travel logbook, and supplier bills with what you owe and when it's due.

  • Moving in? Easy

    Coming from Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho or Invoice Ninja? Bring your clients, invoices, what's been paid and your opening balances. And when your accountant wants the books, export them laid out for their package.

  • Tell us, we fix it

    Something skew? Tap the feedback button on any screen. It comes straight to the people who build Shap.

Books checked by a pro

An accountant registered with SAIPA as a Professional Accountant (SA) signs off on Shap's accounting, and is putting its books through their paces right now. (OpenWorks IT itself isn't connected to SAIPA.)

Shap isn't your accountant

Shap isn't an accountant or a tax specialist, and it doesn't give tax advice. You should probably just make sure you're lekker with one of those. Shap keeps it all in one place nicely, so their job is quicker (and cheaper). The formal version is in the disclaimer and the terms of use, which you accept when you set Shap up.

Built for the people who build SA

Tell Shap what you do when you start and it sets itself up to match.

  • Sparkies
  • Plumbers
  • Builders
  • Painters
  • Hairdressers & barbers
  • Beauty therapists
  • Graphic designers
  • Photographers
  • Tutors & coaches
  • Garden & pool services
  • Cleaners
  • Mechanics
  • Caterers
  • IT fundis
  • Bakkie deliveries
  • Consultants
  • Handymen
  • Wellness practices

Selling stock? Shap doesn't track inventory yet: a stock tracker is in the pipeline. Until then, keep your stock in your own tracker and use Shap for the quotes, invoices and books of what you sell.

Free. Open. No ads. Ever.

  • Free

    No subscription, no trial, no premium tier. Every feature, for everyone.

  • Open

    Open source under the GNU AGPL. Anyone can read the code, and nobody can lock it away.

  • No ads

    No adverts, no tracking, nobody selling your data. Your books are your business.

Keep it free for everyone

Shap is free because OpenWorks IT builds and looks after it, and because people who find it useful chip in. If Shap saves you a few evenings a month, a coffee's worth helps keep it free for the next business.

A donation link is coming now-now. Until then, if you'd like to support Shap, get in touch and we'll sort it out.

WhatsApp us Email us

  • Share it

    Tell another small business about Shap. Word of mouth is how it grows.

  • Report what's skew

    Use the feedback button in the app. Every bug you report makes Shap better for everyone.

  • Star it on GitHub

    A star on GitHub helps other people find it.

💡 What should Shap do next?

Your industry not covered? Something you wish Shap did? Tell us how we can help you and what you need. Shap is built around the people who use it, and the best ideas come from you.

In the app: Settings → Support Shap → “Tell us what you need”

Send an idea on WhatsApp Email info@openworks.co.za

Questions, answered

Is it really free? What's the catch?

No catch. Shap is free to use for as long as you like, with every feature switched on. OpenWorks IT earns its keep elsewhere, building and hosting software for organisations, and donations help cover the rest.

Where are my books kept?

With Shap Pocket, on your phone (or on your computer, in the installed web app). Nothing goes to us or anyone else unless you send it. With Shap, on your own PC or the online server your business runs it on.

What happens if my phone gets stolen or breaks?

Everything in Shap Pocket lives on the phone, so set up a backup. Shap walks you through it when you start and reminds you when a backup is due, and you can keep the backup in your own Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud or Proton Drive. Restore it on a new phone and carry on.

Can I use Shap Pocket on my computer?

Yes. Open openworks.co.za/shap/app in Edge or Chrome and install it: it runs in its own window and works offline. Your books stay in the browser's storage on that computer, so back up weekly to your OneDrive or Google Drive folder. The steps are in “Shap Pocket on your computer” above.

I'm on Sage, Xero or QuickBooks. Can I bring my books?

Yes. Export your clients, invoices, items and the trial balance at your last year end as CSV files, and Shap's Move in screen (Settings) reads them: Sage Accounting, Xero, QuickBooks Online, Zoho and Invoice Ninja. You see what comes in before anything is saved.

Do I need signal?

Not to work: Shap Pocket works fully offline. You need signal (an internet connection) to send a quote or invoice, to back up to the cloud, and to update. Update whenever there's a new version: updates carry security fixes and the latest tax, VAT, payroll and accounting rules.

Who looks after updates and backups?

You do. Shap runs on your phone, computer or server, not ours, so OpenWorks never has a copy of your books and can't restore them. Back up regularly to somewhere other than where Shap runs, and install updates when they come: an out-of-date copy may work out figures on rules that have changed. (Shap reminds you on Home when a backup is due, and Shap for teams backs itself up every night on its server.)

Does Shap track stock?

Not yet: an inventory tracker is in the pipeline. Until then, keep your stock in your own tracker and use Shap for the quotes, invoices and books of what you sell.

What if OpenWorks stops looking after Shap?

Your books keep working: Shap runs on your own device or server and doesn't need us to open. If support ever ends, every copy of Shap will say so in the app, with the date, at least six months ahead, and the code stays open for anyone to carry on. Our plan is in SUNSET.md on GitHub.

Does it replace my accountant?

No. Shap isn't an accountant or a tax specialist, and its tax figures are estimates, not advice. It keeps your books tidy and in one place, which makes your accountant's job quicker (and cheaper). For your tax returns and anything tricky, make sure you're lekker with a registered tax practitioner or accountant. (Shap's accounting is signed off by an accountant registered with SAIPA as a Professional Accountant (SA).)

Can I take my data elsewhere?

Yes. Export your books and documents any time. It's open source, so nothing is locked in.

Your books are your business

Shap Pocket keeps your books on your phone. There's no account, no ads and no tracking. The only things that ever reach us are feedback you choose to send, an anonymous note of what kind of business uses Shap if you said yes at setup, and, unless you switch it off, anonymous prices for your trade's standard items, added into national totals that name no one.

Read the privacy policy → Terms of use → Disclaimer →

Let's make SA work, together.