Employment Hero Review: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Employment Hero has grown from an Australian HR startup to a billion-dollar platform serving over 300,000 businesses and 2 million employees across six countries. It promises to be the only tool you need for HR, payroll, recruitment, and employee benefits. For Australian and New Zealand small-to-midsize businesses, that promise largely holds up. For everyone else, the picture is more complicated.

The platform’s strengths are real: solid payroll automation with deep Australian compliance, a genuinely useful recruitment module, and a free payroll tier that few competitors match. But persistent customer support problems, limited customization, and regional pricing opacity keep it from being the clear category winner its marketing suggests. Here is what you need to know before committing.

What Is Employment Hero?

Employment Hero is a cloud-based HR, payroll, and recruitment platform founded in 2014 by CEO Ben Thompson and CTO Dave Tong. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company has expanded into New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, and most recently Canada (through its acquisition of Humi). It achieved unicorn status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion and now brands itself as an “Employment Operating System” (eOS).

The platform is built around four core products: EmploymentOS (the self-managed HR and payroll platform), HeroForce (a managed Employer of Record service covering 180+ countries), Employment Hero Jobs (an AI-powered hiring marketplace featuring SmartMatch technology), and Swag (a mobile-first employee superapp for payslips, leave, benefits, and financial wellness). The company holds SOC 2 Type II certification as of October 2025 and is GDPR compliant.

Employment Hero Key Features

Payroll Automation and Compliance

Employment Hero’s payroll engine handles end-to-end processing with automatic tax calculations, Single Touch Payroll Phase Two (STP2) compliance for Australian businesses, and Fair Work compliant modern award calculations. Superannuation payments are automated, and digital payslips are generated through the self-service portal. The system supports multi-country payroll with multi-currency capabilities.

A free payroll tier exists for basic use cases, which is uncommon in this category. However, the free tier cannot auto-calculate annual leave accrued for part-time staff, and its feature limitations can be frustrating for businesses that outgrow it quickly. Paid payroll plans start at a $100/month minimum with additional per-employee and per-transaction charges ($0.18 per SMS, $0.30 per employee for superannuation payments).

Recruitment and Applicant Tracking

The built-in ATS is one of Employment Hero’s standout features. It supports posting to 24 job boards simultaneously, automatic candidate screening, interview scheduling, evaluation templates, and recruitment email templates. SmartMatch, the platform’s AI-powered hiring feature, connects employers with candidates proactively rather than waiting for applications.

For businesses that previously managed hiring through spreadsheets or separate tools, consolidating recruitment into the same system as onboarding and payroll eliminates significant duplicate data entry. That said, free trial accounts may have restricted access to recruitment features, so you should confirm what is available before evaluating this module.

Onboarding and Offboarding

Digital onboarding allows new hires to complete contracts, tax forms, and policy acknowledgments before their first day. Pre-built templates are available for common onboarding documents and internal communications. The process feeds directly into payroll, so employee data does not need to be re-entered across systems. Offboarding workflows handle the reverse, ensuring compliance and documentation when employees leave.

Time and Attendance

The time tracking module (listed under the “Time” section) offers roster management viewable in weekly, two-weekly, and four-weekly formats. A geo-fence feature captures clock-in and clock-out data along with employee selfies for verification. However, there is no kiosk-style app for shared worksite terminals, and you cannot set different attendance rules per site. These are significant gaps for businesses with multiple physical locations or shift-based workforces.

Performance Management

Performance reviews can be configured with tailored templates, deadlines, rating scales, and automated reminders. The system supports goal alignment with company objectives and bi-directional feedback between managers and employees. A 1:1 meeting module exists, though tracking peer meetings at the admin level is cumbersome. The performance module does not support Excel uploads for bulk data, and question type options are limited compared to dedicated performance management tools.

Employee Benefits and Swag App

The Swag app is a mobile-first employee hub that consolidates payslips, leave requests, financial wellness tools, earned wage access, and a benefits marketplace with exclusive discounts. Benefits include options like discounted health insurance and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). It is a genuine differentiator for employee engagement, giving staff a reason to actually open the app beyond checking their pay.

HeroAI

HeroAI is the platform’s AI layer, designed to handle routine HR questions and assist with drafting policies, job descriptions, and communications. While the concept is sound, it doubles as the primary support interface, which creates friction when you need help from a human. The chatbot is better at answering general HR knowledge questions than at resolving account-specific technical issues.

HeroForce (Employer of Record)

For businesses hiring internationally, HeroForce provides managed employment services including legal infrastructure, contracts, payroll, and compliance in 180+ countries. Employment Hero operates its own EOR subsidiaries in nine countries (Australia, New Zealand, UK, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Netherlands, Canada, and the US). EOR pricing starts at $399 per employee per month, which is competitive but not the cheapest option in the global EOR market.

Employment Hero Pricing and Plans

Employment Hero’s pricing structure is not fully transparent. The vendor publishes plan tiers and minimum monthly charges on its Australian pricing page, but exact per-employee rates for most markets require contacting sales or requesting a demo. This is a common frustration, especially given the platform’s positioning as an SMB-friendly tool.

Based on the official Australian pricing page and third-party sources, here is the current structure:

HR Plans

Payroll

Payroll plans are sold separately and start at a minimum of $100/month (AUD). A free payroll option is available for basic use cases. Additional transaction-level charges apply: $0.18 per SMS notification and $0.30 per employee for superannuation payments.

Bundled Plans (Third-Party Reported)

Third-party sources report bundled pricing tiers that may reflect Australian-market rates:

Businesses with fewer than 10 employees pay the minimum regardless of headcount. Companies with 150+ employees should contact Employment Hero for tailored pricing. An “Employment Unlimited” bundle combining HR and payroll is also available.

Add-ons and EOR

Optional add-ons include EAP Premium and Learning Plus. HeroForce EOR services start at $399 per employee per month, covering payroll, benefits, tax reporting, and legal compliance in 180+ countries. HR add-on packages for EOR clients range from free to $12 per employee per month.

The minimum monthly commitments mean Employment Hero can be disproportionately expensive for very small teams (under 10 employees). A team of 5 on the Lite plan would effectively pay $40 per employee per month rather than $20. Keep this in mind when comparing costs.

Integrations

Employment Hero integrates with the major accounting platforms that matter most to its ANZ customer base: Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks. The integrations page on the vendor’s website categorizes connections into HR-specific and payroll-specific integrations, though the full list of named integrations beyond the big three is not publicly detailed.

An open API is available for custom integrations, which is important for businesses using industry-specific tools that may not have native connectors. However, the Xero integration has been a recurring pain point, with reports of continuous syncing issues that require manual intervention.

There is no mention of a formal integration marketplace or support for middleware platforms like Zapier or Make. If you rely heavily on connecting dozens of SaaS tools through automation, confirm API capabilities with Employment Hero’s sales team before committing. The integration ecosystem is functional but narrower than what you would find with larger global HRIS platforms.

Customer Support

This is Employment Hero’s weakest area, and it is not close. Support is delivered primarily through an in-app chatbot (HeroAI) and a support ticket system. There is no readily available phone support; reaching someone by phone requires a “Support Pin,” and this option is not accessible on all plan tiers. Support hours are limited to AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time), which creates problems for UK, Malaysian, and Singaporean customers operating in different time zones.

The help center exists but contains outdated articles and, in some cases, broken embedded videos. The chatbot, while useful for simple HR knowledge queries, frequently loops through scripted responses rather than escalating to a human agent. Multiple sources describe this experience as frustrating, particularly during time-sensitive situations like payroll errors.

The vendor does offer implementation assistance through “Managed” or “Guided” onboarding journeys, which is a positive. However, ongoing support after implementation is where the experience degrades. Some plans do not include a dedicated account manager, leaving customers reliant on the ticket system for issue resolution. To Employment Hero’s credit, the company actively responds to public reviews and appears to be investing in support improvements, but as of now, this remains a significant weakness.

Pros and Cons

Employment Hero delivers strong value as an all-in-one HR and payroll platform for Australian and New Zealand SMBs. However, support quality and customization limitations temper the overall experience. Here is our assessment of the platform’s key strengths and weaknesses.

Who Should Use Employment Hero?

Employment Hero is best suited for Australian and New Zealand businesses with 10 to 200 employees that need HR, payroll, and recruitment in a single platform. If you are currently managing these functions across spreadsheets, separate tools, or paper-based processes, the consolidation alone will save significant time. Industries with high compliance requirements like healthcare (NDIS providers), childcare, hospitality, and retail benefit particularly from the built-in award interpretation and Fair Work compliance.

Startups and growing businesses that plan to hire internationally will find HeroForce’s EOR capabilities useful for expanding into new markets without establishing local entities. The free payroll tier is genuinely attractive for microbusinesses or those testing the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Employment Hero is not the right fit for larger enterprises (500+ employees) that need deep HR analytics, advanced reporting with custom filtering, or highly customizable workflows. Companies with complex multi-site rostering requirements should look at dedicated workforce management tools. Businesses outside Australia and New Zealand may find that the platform’s compliance depth and integration ecosystem are less developed for their specific market. And if responsive customer support is a dealbreaker for your organization, the current support model will likely frustrate you.

Employment Hero Alternatives

BambooHR

BambooHR offers a more polished interface and stronger reporting capabilities, with better-documented customer support channels. It lacks Employment Hero’s built-in payroll for the Australian market and does not offer an EOR service. Choose BambooHR if you prioritize ease of use and support quality over integrated payroll and compliance automation.

HiBob (Bob)

HiBob provides significantly more customization for HR workflows, org charts, and people analytics. It is designed for mid-market companies (100-1,000 employees) and has a more modern, visually engaging interface. However, it does not include native payroll and is priced higher than Employment Hero. Choose HiBob if customization and analytics matter more than payroll integration.

KeyPay (now Employment Hero Payroll in some markets)

KeyPay (acquired by Employment Hero) remains a standalone option in some markets for businesses that want best-in-class Australian payroll without the full HR suite. It is particularly strong on award interpretation. Choose KeyPay if payroll compliance is your primary concern and you already have an HR system you are happy with.

Rippling

Rippling combines HR, payroll, IT, and device management in a single platform with strong automation capabilities and a large integration ecosystem. It is more expensive but considerably more powerful for US-based or globally distributed teams. Choose Rippling if you need a platform that extends beyond HR into IT management and you have budget flexibility.

Deputy

Deputy is purpose-built for workforce scheduling, time tracking, and shift management. It handles rostering far better than Employment Hero’s time module but lacks HR and payroll depth. Choose Deputy alongside Employment Hero (or another HRIS) if shift scheduling is critical to your operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Employment Hero offer a free plan?

Employment Hero offers a free payroll option for basic use cases, which is unusual in the HR software market. However, the free tier has significant limitations, including the inability to auto-calculate annual leave accruals for part-time staff. Full HR functionality requires a paid plan starting at $100/month (AUD) minimum.

What countries does Employment Hero support?

Employment Hero currently operates in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, and Canada. Its HeroForce EOR service extends coverage to 180+ countries for businesses that want to hire internationally without local entities. Payroll compliance depth is strongest in Australia and New Zealand.

Does Employment Hero integrate with Xero?

Yes, Employment Hero has a native integration with Xero, as well as MYOB and QuickBooks. However, the Xero integration has been a common source of frustration, with reports of syncing issues that require manual intervention. Test the integration thoroughly during your trial period before relying on it for production payroll runs.

Is Employment Hero suitable for large enterprises?

Employment Hero primarily targets small and midsize businesses. While it lists large enterprises among its customer types, the platform’s limited reporting customization, absence of deep HR analytics, and support model are not well-suited to organizations with 500+ employees. Larger businesses should consider platforms like Rippling, HiBob, or dedicated enterprise HRIS solutions.

Does Employment Hero offer phone support?

Phone support is available but restricted. You need a “Support Pin” to access it, and not all plan tiers include this option. Support operates during AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) business hours only. The primary support channels are the HeroAI chatbot and a ticket system.

What is the Swag app?

Swag is Employment Hero’s employee-facing mobile app available on iOS and Android. It provides access to payslips, leave requests, benefits, financial wellness tools, and earned wage access. It serves as a centralized hub for employees to manage their work-related admin from their phone. Mobile app reviews are mixed, with Android performance being a noted weak point.

What is HeroForce?

HeroForce is Employment Hero’s Employer of Record (EOR) service, allowing businesses to hire employees in 180+ countries without setting up local legal entities. Employment Hero operates its own subsidiaries in nine countries. Pricing starts at $399 per employee per month and includes payroll, benefits management, tax reporting, and legal compliance.

The Bottom Line

Employment Hero earns its place as one of the strongest all-in-one HR and payroll platforms in the Australian and New Zealand market. The combination of compliance-aware payroll, solid recruitment tools, a free payroll tier, and an expanding international footprint gives it a compelling value proposition for SMBs that want to consolidate their people operations into a single system. The Swag app and benefits ecosystem add genuine employee-facing value that most competitors at this price point do not match.

The platform’s weaknesses are equally clear. Customer support is inadequate for a product that handles something as critical as payroll. The chatbot-first approach, limited support hours, and restricted phone access create real risk during time-sensitive situations. Customization options for reporting, workflows, and performance management lag behind competitors like HiBob and BambooHR. And the pricing structure, with its minimums and lack of transparency outside Australia, makes it harder to evaluate than it should be.

If you are an Australian or New Zealand business with 10 to 200 employees looking for an integrated HR and payroll platform, Employment Hero belongs on your shortlist. Go in with realistic expectations about support, test the Xero integration carefully if you depend on it, and budget for a paid tier if you need anything beyond basic payroll. For businesses outside ANZ or those needing enterprise-grade analytics and customization, the alternatives listed above will likely serve you better.