Employment Hero vs PayrollHero (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Employment Hero if

• Fits if you run payroll in Australia and need award interpretation and STP
• Works for teams of 10 or more with staff in Australia, the UK, New Zealand or Singapore

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if your staff are in the US, as there's no US edition
• Tight if you have fewer than 10 people, since every plan bills for at least 10
• Pricey if you want payroll run for you: Managed Payroll is A$20 an employee a month, A$400 at least
• Watch out: rostering with time and attendance is A$4 an employee a month on top
• Watch out: prices are in Australian dollars, and there's no free plan or trial on record

Pick PayrollHero if

• Fits if you need staff to clock in from a phone and manage shifts
• Works for firms in the Philippines or Singapore that want payroll too

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you need payroll elsewhere: it is offered only in the Philippines and Singapore
• Watch out: the pricing page says month to month, but the FAQ states a one-year contract billed ahead
• Pricey if you add payroll and leave: $3.50 plus $3 plus $2, so $8.50 a person
• Watch out: payment is by PayPal or HSBC Singapore wire, per the FAQ

Employment Hero

• Runs payroll in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada, each on its own site; there is no US edition.
• Prices here are the Australian site's, in Australian dollars; the UK site lists HR Essentials at £6 and HR Engage at £9 a user from 1 November 2026.
• Every plan has a 10-user minimum, billed on the higher of the agreed number of users or the active users.
• Managed Payroll costs A$20 per employee a month (A$400 minimum), and rostering with time and attendance A$4 per employee a month.

PayrollHero

• Payroll is offered only in the Philippines and Singapore; elsewhere it is time and attendance only.
• The pricing page says month to month, but the FAQ states a one-year initial contract billed a year ahead.
• Prices are shown in dollars without naming a currency or country; the FAQ takes payment by PayPal or HSBC Singapore wire.
• The home page says the iPhone and iPad apps work only with paid PayrollHero accounts.

Employment Hero

AI Payroll Agent

Hero AI prepares pay runs and flags anomalies for a person to approve, using the timesheet, leave and employee data already in the platform.

Australian payroll compliance

Handles Single Touch Payroll Phase 2, SuperStream, award interpretation and penalty rates, and pays super every pay run through HeroClear.

Payroll in other countries

Regional editions file UK RTI submissions with HMRC, New Zealand payday filing with Inland Revenue, Singapore CPF reports and Malaysian EPF and PCB.

Rostering and time and attendance

An add-on builds rosters, records hours with time clocks and geofencing, allows shift swaps and feeds approved hours into pay.

HR and recruitment

HR plans cover leave, records, onboarding and performance reviews, and job posts reach Employment Hero's own pool of more than 2.3 million candidates.

Employment Hero Work app

Employees view payslips and timesheets, apply for leave and check upcoming shifts from the iPhone and Android app.

PayrollHero

Selfie clock-in

Employees clock in and out with a photo, and facial recognition and geolocation are used to confirm the right person is at the right worksite.

Scheduling and attendance

Build schedules, set thresholds, resolve attendance exceptions and export attendance data.

Payroll add-on

For companies in the Philippines or Singapore, PayrollHero can act as the payroll provider; employees see paystubs on a personal dashboard.

HR information system

Employee records, an organizational chart and a place to request and store documents such as contracts and government ID.

Leave management

A separate add-on for leave requests and tracking.

Analytics

Business intelligence and attendance reports, which companies outside the payroll markets can use with another payroll provider.

Employment Hero

• PayrollA$10

  per user / month, minimum 10 users

  Unlimited pay runs, tax calculations, award interpretation, payroll reports and employee self-service. Australian site price.

• HR EssentialsA$11

  per user / month, minimum 10 users

  HR only, without payroll: leave, employee records, documents, onboarding and offboarding, and policy tools.

• HR EngageA$15

  per user / month, minimum 10 users

  HR Essentials plus recruitment, expenses, performance reviews, learning management and the recruitment agent. No payroll.

• Employment UnlimitedCustom

  Payroll with HR Elite, the Employee Assistance Program, HR advisory, a learning bundle, team chat and priority support. Sold through sales.

PayrollHero

• Full edition$3.50

  per employee / month

  HRIS, timekeeping, attendance and scheduling. Payroll and Leave Management are priced as add-ons.

• Payroll add-on$3.00

  per employee / month

  Adds payroll to the Full edition; the vendor says it provides payroll in the Philippines and Singapore only.

• Leave Management add-on$2.00

  per employee / month

  Adds leave management to the Full edition.