Affinity vs each provider
Every comparison below covers the same dimensions: delivery footprint, calculation depth, audit & support ownership, banking & liability, and retained resourcing.
Comparison Guide
Compare outsourced & managed payroll providers
Buyers across Australia and New Zealand are moving away from unmanaged SaaS subscriptions and black-box processing bureaus toward managed payroll services and business process outsourcing. These comparisons look specifically at that outsourcing layer: delivery footprint, award and Holidays Act calculation depth, audit and quality control, who owns employee support, banking disbursal, and how much internal resourcing you retain – for Affinity against each of the other major providers active in the region.
The short version
Providers active in AU/NZ outsourced payroll split into three archetypes: onshore trans-Tasman specialists (Affinity, Datacom, Aurion, ReadyTech, Frontier Software), hybrid global providers that route account management locally but process offshore (ADP, Dayforce, Deel, Definitiv, Employment Hero), and platform-led providers that rely on separate BPO partners to deliver managed services (Rippling, Payroll Metrics, Ramco). Which one fits depends on your compliance depth requirements, data residency needs, and how much internal HR capacity you want to keep.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between these pages and the main payroll provider comparisons?
The main comparison pages (/resources/compare/) look at software features – award interpretation, reporting, integrations. These pages look at the outsourced or managed payroll SERVICE that sits around the software: whether processing is onshore or offshore, who audits the pay run before it's released, whether the provider talks to your employees directly or routes queries back to your HR team, how funds are disbursed, and how much internal resourcing you keep after outsourcing.
Why does it matter whether a provider handles employee queries directly?
It is one of the biggest hidden cost differences between providers. Some outsourced payroll models route every employee payslip question back to your internal HR team, who then log a ticket with the vendor – requiring you to staff an internal helpdesk. Others, including Affinity, take employee queries directly through a named local payroll manager. That single boundary typically explains the difference between retaining 0.15–0.3 FTE and 0.3–0.6 FTE of internal admin per 1,000 employees.
Can I ever fully remove payroll responsibility by outsourcing it?
No. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 in Australia and equivalent New Zealand employment law, statutory payroll compliance liability is non-delegable – it stays with the employer regardless of which provider or banking model is used. Outsourcing reduces the operational burden, but internal teams still need to approve timesheets, review variance registers, and sign off pay runs before they are released.
Which onshore/offshore model should I look for?
It depends on your risk tolerance and sector. Fully onshore trans-Tasman providers keep every calculation and lodgement local, which matters for public sector, union, or data-sovereignty requirements. Hybrid global providers route account management locally but process high-volume calculations through offshore centres. Platform-led providers rely on separate BPO partners to deliver managed services. None of these is automatically 'better' – confirm which model fits your governance requirements.
Starting a payroll review?
Two free guides for the two decisions that come before a vendor conversation – whether the change is worth making, and how to judge who can make it.
Free guide + toolkit
Build a payroll business case that gets approved
Cost the status quo, value the change, and get to the payback, ROI and NPV a board actually decides on. Includes a savings estimator and a board-ready template.
Get the guide(no email required)
Free guide + RFP toolkit
Choosing a payroll provider
Define what you actually need before you compare a single vendor – then turn it into a scored brief every vendor answers. Includes an RFP template and weighted scoring tool.
Get the guide(no email required)
Prefer to talk now? Get in touch →