ADP vs Employment Hero – how they compare for AU/NZ payroll

For: Payroll Managers, HR Leaders, Finance Directors|11 min read|Last updated: August 2026

This comparison is published by Affinity. Vendor information is based on publicly available sources. Contact each provider directly for their current capabilities.

Summary

ADP is a global payroll and HCM provider operating in 140+ countries. Employment Hero is a broad SME "Employment OS" spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring. Affinity is shown here as a separate column: an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist for organisations whose complexity is concentrated in Australia and New Zealand.

How ADP and Employment Hero differ

ADP is a global payroll and HCM provider – US-headquartered, NASDAQ-listed, operating in 140+ countries with hundreds of thousands of clients. In AU/NZ it has operated for 40+ years, with a Melbourne ANZ headquarters, offering cloud payroll software (Workforce Now) alongside outsourced managed payroll, plus multi-country consolidation via GlobalView and Celergo.

Employment Hero is an Australian-founded (2014) 'Employment Operating System' spanning HR, payroll, benefits, recruitment and workforce management, reportedly used by 300,000+ businesses across AU, NZ, the UK, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia. Its payroll engine originated as KeyPay (acquired 2022), and it holds ISO 27001/27017/27018 certification and SOC 2 Type II compliance.

The core distinction for a buyer is what each platform was built to optimise for: ADP is a global payroll and HCM provider operating in 140+ countries, while Employment Hero is a broad SME "Employment OS" spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring. AU/NZ payroll sits within each vendor's broader focus rather than as the sole product, which is where a specialist platform like Affinity differs from both.

Feature comparison

A neutral comparison of ADP and Employment Hero across payroll and workforce capabilities, with Affinity shown as a separate AU/NZ specialist column. Vendor capabilities should be confirmed directly with each provider.

Native / strong Available / partial Not offered

Capability	ADP	Employment Hero	AU/NZ specialistAffinity
AU award & EBA interpretation	Available / partial: Available; depth for complex EBAs to be evaluated	Native / strong: Native award/EBA interpretation via Employment Hero Payroll (formerly KeyPay)	Native / strong: Configurable engine – modern awards, EBAs, shift penalties, allowance stacking
NZ compliance (Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD)	Available / partial: NZ payroll available; confirm Holidays Act depth	Native / strong: Dedicated NZ product – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD payday filing	Native / strong: Purpose-built Holidays Act engine, KiwiSaver, Payday Filing, NZ team
STP Phase 2 & superannuation	Native / strong: Supported	Native / strong: ATO-recognised STP Phase 2; Payday Super readiness via HeroClear (vendor-stated)	Native / strong: Full STP Phase 2 & super, Pay Day Super ready
Pre-payslip intelligence	Available / partial: Platform analytics & insights	Available / partial: Hero AI assistant and anomaly-detection claims – accuracy to be confirmed	Native / strong: Payroll IQ – anomaly & variance checking before the payslip runs
Global / multi-country coverage	Native / strong: 140+ countries (GlobalView / Celergo)	Native / strong: AU, NZ, UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia; EOR services	Not offered: AU/NZ focus – not multi-country
Workforce management	Available / partial: Available across suite	Native / strong: Rostering, time & attendance, geofencing, shift swapping	Native / strong: Integrated WFM with real-time labour costing
Delivery / managed payroll	Native / strong: Software + outsourced managed payroll	Available / partial: Primarily self-service SaaS; separate managed/outsourced payroll option	Native / strong: SaaS, Supported & Fully Managed on one platform
Named local AU/NZ support	Available / partial: Global support, local ANZ presence	Available / partial: Phone support on top-tier plans only; lower tiers AI-bot/email – confirm response times	Native / strong: Named AU/NZ contacts who know your configuration
HR, benefits & hiring breadth	Available / partial: Not a stated focus – confirm directly	Native / strong: Broad SME suite – recruitment, onboarding, benefits marketplace, earned wage access	Not offered: Not offered – integrates with specialist HRIS/benefits providers

Where ADP fits

ADP is built for organisations that need consolidated payroll across many countries with one established, publicly listed provider. Its 140+ country reach, GlobalView and Celergo platforms, and full HCM suite are genuine strengths for multinationals wanting a single global vendor relationship, with the option of outsourced managed payroll in AU/NZ alongside the software.

Where Employment Hero fits

Employment Hero is built for small-to-medium AU/NZ businesses that want HR, payroll, benefits and hiring bundled into one broad, self-service platform with AI-assisted tooling (Hero AI). Its benefits marketplace, recruitment and onboarding modules, and multi-country reach make it a strong fit for SMEs that value breadth and self-service over dedicated, high-touch AU/NZ enterprise payroll support.

Where Affinity fits

For organisations whose payroll complexity is concentrated in Australia and New Zealand, a specialist engine with pre-payslip intelligence, delivery-model flexibility, local data residency, and named local support is a different proposition to either ADP or Employment Hero. Some organisations run ADP or Employment Hero for their broader positioning and Affinity for a complex AU/NZ operation; others choose Affinity specifically because they need genuine cross-Tasman depth that neither platform is built to prioritise.

Frequently asked questions

Is ADP or Employment Hero better for Australian payroll?

ADP is a global payroll and HCM provider operating in 140+ countries. Employment Hero is a broad SME "Employment OS" spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring. Which fits better for Australian payroll depends on which of those is closer to what your organisation actually needs. Confirm current AU award and EBA depth directly with both providers. For organisations whose complexity is concentrated in Australia and New Zealand, a specialist engine like Affinity is built specifically for that depth.

Do ADP and Employment Hero handle New Zealand payroll?

ADP: NZ payroll available; confirm Holidays Act depth. Employment Hero: Dedicated NZ product – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD payday filing. Confirm current NZ depth directly with each provider – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver and IRD payday filing all require genuine local engine work, not just tax-table updates. Affinity runs a purpose-built NZ payroll engine with 40+ years of Holidays Act experience and an NZ-based support team.

What is the main difference between ADP and Employment Hero?

ADP is a global payroll and HCM provider operating in 140+ countries, while Employment Hero is a broad SME "Employment OS" spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring. They overlap on core payroll compliance but differ in scope, ownership model, and the customer base each was built to serve.

How does Affinity compare to ADP and Employment Hero?

Affinity is an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist. It does not try to match ADP or Employment Hero on their own ground; it competes on depth of AU/NZ award and Holidays Act compliance, pre-payslip intelligence, delivery-model flexibility, local data residency, and named local support.

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