Employment Hero vs Deputy — Australia 2026
Employment Hero vs Deputy for AU businesses. Compare Modern Award compliance, rostering, HR features, payroll, onboarding & pricing.
Quick Verdict
Employment Hero for full HR; Deputy for rostering
Employment Hero is a complete HR + payroll platform with onboarding, leave management, Modern Award interpretation (5/5), STP Phase 2 compliance, and Payday Super readiness — all from $8/employee/mo. Deputy excels specifically at rostering and time tracking with award-compliant scheduling (5/5 Modern Awards) from $6/user/mo, but has no payroll, onboarding, or leave management. Choose Employment Hero if you need HR + payroll in one platform; choose Deputy if rostering and shift management are your only needs.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Employment Hero | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Sydney, NSW | Sydney, NSW |
| Entry Price | $20/mo | $6.75/mo |
| BAS Lodgement | HR/Payroll platform — BAS via accounting integration (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks) | Workforce management — not an accounting tool |
| STP Phase 2 | compliant | n/a |
| Payday Super | ready | n/a |
| Modern Awards | 50+ pre-configured Modern Awards with auto-interpretation of penalty rates, overtime, allowances, and leave loading. Rates auto-update when Fair Work Commission publishes changes. Powered by KeyPay award engine. | Built-in Modern Award auto-interpretation with regularly updated library — covers Hospitality, Retail, Restaurant, Fast Food, Clubs, and more. Pay Rate Builder for custom rules. |
| Data Hosting | AU | AU |
| AU Support Hours | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST | Mon-Fri 9am-6pm AEST (24/7 live chat on Pro plan) |
| Phone Support | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 50+ apps | 50+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
Employment Hero Plans
Lite
$20/mo
per employee
- ✓Employees: unlimited
Most Popular
Plus
$40/mo
per employee
- ✓Employees: unlimited
Unlimited
$60/mo
per employee
- ✓Employees: unlimited
Deputy Plans
Lite
$6.75/mo
per user
- ✓Users: unlimited
Most Popular
Core
$8.75/mo
per user
- ✓Users: unlimited
Pro
$13/mo
per user
- ✓Users: unlimited
AU Compliance Scores
How we scoreScores are out of 5 and reflect depth of compliance support, ease of setup, and ongoing reliability for Australian businesses. Assessed March 2026.
Employment Hero
BAS Lodgement0/5
STP Phase 25/5
Payday Super5/5
Modern Awards5/5
GST Handling0/5
Bank Feeds0/5
Deputy
BAS Lodgement0/5
STP Phase 20/5
Payday Super0/5
Modern Awards5/5
GST Handling0/5
Bank Feeds0/5
Pros & Cons
Employment Hero
Pros
- All-in-one HR + Payroll eliminates multiple subscriptions — onboarding, leave, rostering, payroll, and compliance in one platform
- Best-in-class Modern Award auto-interpretation: 50+ pre-configured awards with automatic Fair Work rate updates (powered by KeyPay engine)
- STP Phase 2 compliant (ATO-recognised since Sept 2022) and Payday Super ready via HeroClear real-time NPP payments
- AU-made (Sydney, 2014), AU-hosted (AWS Sydney), SOC 2 Type II (Oct 2025) and ISO 27001 certified
- Native integrations with Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks Online — payroll journals sync automatically
- Employee self-service app for payslips, leave requests, and personal detail updates — reduces HR admin
- Digital onboarding with paperless contracts, TFN declarations, and super choice forms
- 300,000+ businesses globally — one of Australia's largest HR tech platforms
Cons
- Per-employee pricing with high minimums: Lite $200/month minimum means businesses under 10 employees pay more per head
- Significantly more expensive than standalone payroll: $20/employee vs KeyPay $4/employee or Payroller free for 1 employee
- Prices exclude GST — actual cost is $22-66/employee/month incl. GST
- Phone support locked to Unlimited plan ($60/employee/month) — Lite and Plus get email and chat only
- Rostering described as basic — lacks staff list views, advanced filtering, and live budget forecasting compared to Deputy or RosterElf
- No accounting, invoicing, or BAS lodgement — requires separate accounting software (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)
- HR features (performance management, recruitment) may be overkill for businesses that only need payroll
- Support limited to AEST business hours (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) — no 24/7 support
Deputy
Pros
- Best-in-class Modern Award auto-interpretation with regularly updated library
- AI-powered auto-scheduling with demand forecasting and labour optimisation
- Affordable entry from $6.75/user/month (Lite plan)
- Excellent mobile app for clock-in/clock-out with GPS and photo verification
- Integrates natively with Xero, MYOB, Employment Hero, and KeyPay
- AU-made (Sydney), AU-hosted (AWS Sydney), SOC 2 Type II certified
Cons
- Not a full HR or payroll platform — add-ons and integrations needed for complete workforce solution
- Per-user pricing plus $30/month minimum means costs add up for large casual teams
- Add-on pricing (Payroll $5, HR $3.50, Messaging+ $2.75) can increase total cost significantly
- Prices exclude GST — advertised rates are before tax
- Limited depth for leave management and HR compared to dedicated platforms like Employment Hero
Who Should Choose Employment Hero
Employment Hero is best suited for businesses that need growing business 10 plus, hospitality, retail.
Choose Employment Hero if you are:
- Growing Business 10 Plus
- Hospitality
- Retail
- Healthcare
- Hr And Payroll Combined
- Modern Award Compliance
Who Should Choose Deputy
Deputy is best suited for businesses that need hospitality rostering, retail rostering, shift based business.
Choose Deputy if you are:
- Hospitality Rostering
- Retail Rostering
- Shift Based Business
- Cafe
- Restaurant