Zoho, a global technology company, today announced an impressive 35% year-over-year revenue growth in South Africa in 2024. The company witnesses an increasing number of mid-market companies and enterprises choosing its solutions, leading to a 67% increase in its upmarket momentum. Reinforcing its commitment to the region’s dynamic entrepreneurial landscape, the company also launched Zoho Solo, a mobile-first application tailored specifically for South African solopreneurs. The announcements were made on the sidelines of Zoholics South Africa, the company’s annual user conference.
“South Africa is a key market for us in the region, and we are committed to deepening our presence here. As part of our transnational localism strategy—staying globally connected while remaining locally rooted—we are investing in locally-hired, customer-facing teams, expanding our partner ecosystem, and launching localised applications. By bringing our globally proven technology tailored to the unique needs of the South African market, we aim to support the country’s digital empowerment goals and foster long-term growth and innovation,” said Hyther Nizam, President, Zoho Middle East and Africa.
Zoho Solo: Built for the business of one
Zoho Solo is a comprehensive mobile application that addresses the unique challenges faced by solopreneurs. Designed to streamline the core pillars of a solopreneur’s daily operations—Client Management, Task Management, Invoice Management, and Expense Management—the app delivers powerful functionality in a simple, intuitive package. With Zoho Solo, users can manage client communications, track billable hours, and stay on top of their to-do lists, all from their mobile device.
“South Africa has a vibrant, resilient entrepreneurial spirit. As a company committed to empowering businesses of all sizes in South Africa, we understand the unique challenges faced by solopreneurs in the region, and we want to provide them with the tools and resources they need to succeed. With Zoho Solo, we’re offering solopreneurs a dedicated platform that understands and supports their journey—from project to payment. We are excited to see the impact it will have on the local business community and we are committed to continuously improving and expanding our offerings to meet their evolving needs,” said Andrew Bourne, Regional Manager for Zoho Southern Africa. The app enables users to not just create, but also customise invoices, a functionality not available in similar apps. Solo further helps users monitor income and expenses in real time and provides visual profitability dashboards for real-time visibility into their financial health. Solo provides mileage tracking, which allows users to effortlessly log travel by entering odometer readings or trip distances. The app then allows the solopreneur to-calculate the tax deductible amounts. Every entry is time-stamped, categorised, and stored for audit-ready documentation—ideal for solopreneurs like freelance photographers or consultants constantly on the move.
Zoho Solo is fully operational offline as well, making it ideal for on-the-go business owners. With more than 1,000 early adopters already using the app in South Africa, Zoho Solo is proving to be a timely solution for the region’s growing independent
workforce.
Locally tuned, globally backed
Zoho Solo has been localised for the South African market. It is priced in ZAR so as to shield solopreneurs from exchange rate fluctuations. Its design was modified based on direct user feedback from early adopters.
True to Zoho’s longstanding commitment to privacy, Zoho Solo operates without reliance on ad revenue, and customer data is neither sold nor used to train AI models, even in the free edition. Zoho’s independently owned data centres allow the company to maintain full control over security, compliance, and user data protection.
Zoho’s growth in South Africa
Zoho’s 35% revenue growth in South Africa is being driven by the increasing demand for scalable, unified solutions that reduce software fragmentation. In 2024, Zoho increased its partner network by 38%. Additionally, Zoho expanded its local workforce in South
Africa by 30% last year across its offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The most popular products in the country are Zoho Creator (low-code application development platform), Zoho Books (VAT-compliant accounting software), Zoho One (operating system for business), Zoho CRM (customer relationship management), Zoho Forms (form builder), and Zoho Desk (customer support management). In terms of customer growth, Zoho Books and Zoho One are the fastest-growing products. Key sectors contributing to this expansion are IT hardware and services,financial services, non-IT professional services, retail, and construction. This growth is further amplified by Zoho’s strategic push towards automation and AI. The company is integrating advanced AI tools across its platforms to provide users with contextual insights, streamline operations, and enhance productivity without compromising user privacy. Whether it’s customer service, finance, marketing, or project management, Zoho’s AI-powered tools are helping businesses of all sizes make smarter decisions and move faster.
In 2024, Zoho partnered with BabesGotBytes and CodeTelligence to support digital skills development among youth. Building on this collaboration, the company hosted a boot camp in 2025 to engage students who are now being considered for internships.
Pricing & Availability
Zoho Solo is available for immediate use in South Africa and offers a free plan for early-stage users and a pro plan at ZAR 99/month, billed monthly. For more information, please visit: https://www.zoho.com/solo/
