Employment Hero vs Payroller — Australia 2026

Employment Hero vs Payroller for AU businesses. Compare Modern Awards, STP Phase 2, Payday Super, HR features & pricing.

Last verified 2026-03-16
Quick Verdict

Employment Hero for growing teams; Payroller for solo operators

Employment Hero delivers full Modern Award auto-interpretation (5/5), confirmed Payday Super readiness, HR onboarding, and leave management — features Payroller simply doesn't have. Payroller's free tier suits a sole trader with one employee and basic payroll needs. Once you have 3+ staff, complex awards, or need onboarding workflows, Employment Hero's compliance depth and HR features justify the higher per-employee cost.

Feature Comparison

FeatureEmployment HeroPayroller
HeadquartersSydney, NSWSydney, NSW
Entry Price$20/moFree
BAS LodgementHR/Payroll platform — BAS via accounting integration (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)Payroll only — no BAS features. Use your accounting software (Xero, MYOB) for BAS lodgement.
STP Phase 2compliantcompliant
Payday Superreadypreparing
Modern Awards50+ 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.Basic Modern Award support — major awards covered, complex interpretations (hospitality penalty rates, retail casual loadings) may need manual entry
Data HostingAUAU
AU Support HoursMon-Fri 8am-6pm AESTMon-Fri 9am-5pm AEST
Phone SupportYesNo
Integrations50+ apps5+ 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

Payroller Plans

Free
Free
AUD inc GST
  • ✓Employees: 1
Most Popular
Small Business
$10/mo
AUD inc GST
  • ✓Employees: 4

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 Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
5/5
Payday Super
5/5
Modern Awards
5/5
GST Handling
0/5
Bank Feeds
0/5

Payroller

BAS Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
5/5
Payday Super
3/5
Modern Awards
3/5
GST Handling
0/5
Bank Feeds
0/5

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

Payroller

Pros

  • Free for 1 employee — lowest barrier to entry of any AU payroll software
  • Very simple and easy to use — 85% of users run first payroll in under 15 minutes
  • STP Phase 2 compliant with automatic ATO reporting
  • Purpose-built for AU payroll compliance
  • Cheapest paid plans in the market (~$4/employee/month)
  • AU-made, AU-hosted, AU-supported (Sydney-based team)
  • Employee self-service app for payslips, leave requests, and shift tracking
  • Integrates with Xero and MYOB for accounting sync

Cons

  • No HR features (onboarding, performance management, document storage)
  • Basic Modern Award interpretation only — complex awards need manual entry
  • Very limited integrations (Xero and MYOB only — no POS, rostering, or time tracking integrations)
  • Payday Super readiness not yet officially confirmed
  • Not suitable for businesses with complex payroll needs or 10+ employees
  • No BAS, GST, invoicing, or accounting features — payroll only

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 Payroller

Payroller is best suited for businesses that need micro business, sole trader with one employee, simple payroll.

Choose Payroller if you are:

  • Micro Business
  • Sole Trader With One Employee
  • Simple Payroll
  • Budget Payroll