MYOB vs Employment Hero — Australia 2026
MYOB vs Employment Hero for AU payroll. Compare Modern Awards, STP Phase 2, Payday Super, HR features, super clearing & pricing.
Employment Hero for HR + payroll; MYOB for accounting + payroll
Both score 5/5 on Modern Awards and STP Phase 2, but Employment Hero is confirmed Payday Super ready while MYOB is still in progress. Employment Hero adds HR onboarding, leave management, and employee self-service that MYOB lacks. MYOB wins if you want payroll bundled with accounting, phone support, and don't need HR features. For businesses with 5+ staff needing onboarding workflows, Employment Hero is the stronger choice.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MYOB | Employment Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Melbourne, VIC | Sydney, NSW |
| Entry Price | $35/mo | $20/mo |
| BAS Lodgement | Direct BAS lodgement to the ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR). Prepare, review, and lodge BAS within MYOB. Supports quarterly and monthly BAS reporting. | HR/Payroll platform — BAS via accounting integration (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks) |
| STP Phase 2 | compliant | compliant |
| Payday Super | ready | ready |
| Modern Awards | MYOB updates award libraries when Fair Work changes rates, but changes must be manually re-applied to employee setup. Deep award interpretation (auto-calculation of penalty rates, overtime, and allowances) requires third-party add-on like QuokkaWorks Award Interpreter from the MYOB marketplace. | 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. |
| Bank Feeds | Big 4 + 130+ banks | N/A |
| Data Hosting | AU | AU |
| AU Support Hours | Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST |
| Phone Support | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 350+ apps | 50+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
MYOB Plans
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: basic
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Multi Currency: Yes
- ✓Inventory: Yes
- ✓Time Billing: Yes
Employment Hero Plans
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Employees: unlimited
- ✓Employees: unlimited
AU Compliance Scores
MYOB
Employment Hero
Pros & Cons
MYOB
Pros
- Australian phone support at 1300 555 666 (Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST) — Xero doesn't offer this
- Payroll for unlimited employees included in Pro plan ($70/mo) — no per-employee add-on cost
- 130+ Australian bank feed connections — one of the broadest coverages available
- Direct BAS lodgement to ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR)
- Payday Super already available to switch on ahead of the July 2026 deadline
- Genuinely Australian-owned, Australian-hosted, Australian-supported
- 14-day free trial to test before committing
- Annual billing discount available (e.g., Pro drops from $70 to $52.50/mo)
Cons
- Smaller app marketplace (350+ vs Xero's 1,000+) — fewer third-party integrations
- Modern Award interpretation requires third-party add-on (QuokkaWorks) for full automation
- AccountRight Plus is expensive at $165/mo for multi-currency and inventory features
- UI feels less modern and polished compared to Xero
- Market share declining — now approximately 20-25% vs Xero's dominant position
- Shorter free trial (14 days vs Xero's 30 days)
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
Who Should Choose MYOB
MYOB is best suited for businesses that need employer with payroll, phone support needed, au owned preference.
Choose MYOB if you are:
- Employer With Payroll
- Phone Support Needed
- Au Owned Preference
- Hospitality
- Retail
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