Employment Hero vs Deputy — Australia 2026
Employment Hero vs Deputy for AU businesses. Compare Modern Award compliance, rostering, HR features, payroll, onboarding & pricing.
Employment Hero for full HR; Deputy for rostering
Employment Hero current /pricing/ HR Essentials is $10/employee (min 10 users) for records, leave and onboarding — payroll is not included; rostering is a $4 add-on (min $40). Classic Payroll Standard $8 / Premium $10 (min $80/$100) are the published pay SKUs. Deputy live cards are Lite $6.75 / Core $8.75 / Pro $13 per user excl tax (monthly min $30); payroll is a $5 add-on with vendor STP2 copy; HR/onboarding is $3.50. Deputy is AWS AU/UK/US, not AU-only. Choose Employment Hero for published HR+payroll SKUs; choose Deputy Lite when you only need award rostering at a published seat price.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Employment Hero | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Sydney, NSW | Sydney, NSW |
| Entry Price | $10/mo ex GST | $6.75/mo ex GST |
| BAS Lodgement | HR/payroll platform. BAS stays in Xero/MYOB/QuickBooks. | Workforce management — not an accounting tool. |
| STP Phase 2 | compliant | via_add_on |
| Payday Super | ready | unknown |
| Modern Awards | Pre-built Modern Awards listed on Payroll Premium (classic) and on OS plans that include payroll. Not on Payroll Standard. Vendor copy, not Fair Work certification. | Lite includes the Australian award pay-rate library. Core adds advanced award interpretation. Payroll add-on uses regularly updated award templates / Pay Rate Builder. Vendor copy, not Fair Work certification. |
| Data Hosting | AU | AWS Australia, United Kingdom or United States |
| 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
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Users: 10
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Users: 10
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 80
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 100
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 200
- ✓Minimum Users: 10
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 400
- ✓Minimum Users: 10
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 600
- ✓Minimum Users: 10
Deputy Plans
- ✓Users: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 30
- ✓Users: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 30
- ✓Users: unlimited
- ✓Minimum Monthly: 30
AU Compliance Scores
Employment Hero
Deputy
Pros & Cons
Employment Hero
Pros
- Published HR SKUs: Essentials $10 and Engage $14 per employee/month (min 10 users)
- Published payroll SKUs: Standard $8 and Premium $10 per employee/month on the classic price list
- Digital onboarding on Essentials+ (help centre, 30 Aug 2026)
- Pre-built Modern Awards on Payroll Premium (vendor copy)
- HeroClear documented for Payday Super inside payroll
- Trust Centre: SOC 2 and ISO 27001:2022 / 27017 / 27018
Cons
- Three overlapping price lists — easy to compare the wrong SKU
- HR Essentials $10 does not include payroll or in-plan rostering (rostering is $4 extra, min $40)
- Minimums ($80–$600 / 10 users) punish teams under ~10 people
- GST not stated on the dollar cards
- No BAS/GST/invoicing — needs Xero or MYOB
- Super batch fees ($0.20 ex GST HeroClear or $0.30 on the classic page) sit on top of seat price
Deputy
Pros
- Published AU cards Lite $6.75 / Core $8.75 / Pro $13 excl tax
- Award pay-rate library on Lite; auto-scheduling on Core
- Optional AU Payroll add-on $5 with vendor STP2 copy
- Native timesheet export to Xero, MYOB, Employment Hero, KeyPay
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II on the security page
- 30-day trial printed on add-on cards
Cons
- HR/onboarding and payroll are paid add-ons, not Lite
- $30 monthly minimum and per-user billing for every person in People (including admins)
- Prices exclude GST
- AWS AU/UK/US — not AU-only hosted
- Payday Super clearing not documented on the pages opened
- Old Scheduling/Premium SKUs are discontinuing — compare the live Lite/Core/Pro table
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