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Comparison Guide

Affinity vs PayGlobal – two cross-Tasman enterprise payroll engines compared

For: Payroll Managers, HR Leaders, Finance Directors|12 min read|Last updated: October 2026

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

The short version

Affinity and MYOB PayGlobal are both enterprise payroll engines for complex Australian and New Zealand workforces. PayGlobal is owned by MYOB and typically delivered through partners; Affinity is independently owned. For organisations with 150+ employees, the differences come down to delivery model, pre-payslip checking and support model.

What is the core difference between PayGlobal and Affinity?

PayGlobal built its reputation as a deep, highly configurable payroll engine for complex, high-volume, multi-award workforces across manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and other sectors. Under MYOB it has continued to develop: STP Phase 2, staged Payday Super releases in March and June 2026, NZ payday filing and tax updates, a MYOB-hosted PayGlobal Online option, and a REST API for PayGlobal Online integrations. Its native rostering and time and attendance modules are a genuine strength for organisations that want those inside the payroll system.

Affinity built its business on the same complexity – modern awards, EBAs, Holidays Act calculations, STP Phase 2, Payday Super – but with a different operating model. Affinity does one thing – payroll for Australia and New Zealand – and offers it as SaaS, Supported, or Fully Managed on one platform, with pre-payslip intelligence and named local support from the team that builds the product.

The question is less "which engine is deeper" and more "how do you want payroll delivered and supported?" If you want a configurable engine with native rostering, deployed on-premise or MYOB-hosted and supported through MYOB and its partner network, PayGlobal is built for that. If you want an AU/NZ specialist that can run payroll alongside your team or for you, with pre-payslip anomaly checking and named contacts who know your configuration, Affinity is built for that.

How do Affinity and PayGlobal differ in how they're built?

The fundamental difference is not features. It is what each provider was designed to optimise for.

Affinity

Built, implemented, and supported entirely within AU/NZ
Every product investment goes into AU/NZ payroll accuracy and compliance
40+ years of AU/NZ payroll innovation – 10+ industry firsts
Three delivery models on one platform: SaaS, Supported, Fully Managed
500,000+ employees processed – ISO 27001 framework, single AU/NZ database

PayGlobal

Enterprise AU/NZ payroll engine, founded 1991, owned by MYOB since 2014 (MYOB is privately owned by KKR)
Payroll, time and attendance, rostering, HR, self-service and reporting modules
On-premise or MYOB-hosted PayGlobal Online
Implementation and outsourced processing commonly delivered through partners
Active development in 2026, including Payday Super releases and a REST API for PayGlobal Online

Why this matters: PayGlobal is one of several payroll products within MYOB's portfolio, which spans small business through enterprise, and much of its implementation and outsourcing ecosystem runs through partners. Affinity builds, implements, supports and – if you choose – runs the payroll itself. Neither is wrong; it changes who is accountable when something needs fixing.

How do the features compare?

This table compares the two engines across payroll and workforce capabilities. PayGlobal's capabilities depend heavily on configuration; confirm them directly with MYOB or your PayGlobal partner.

Feature	Affinity	PayGlobal
Primary purpose	AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist	Enterprise AU/NZ payroll and workforce management, owned by MYOB
Award and EBA interpretation	Configurable engine handling complex modern awards and EBAs, integrated with Payroll IQ for pre-payslip anomaly detection	Configurable award rules and interpreters; depth depends on setup. Test against your specific award and EBA scenarios
Multi-position management	Handles employees across multiple positions, cost centres, and pay conditions simultaneously	Multi-position enterprise handling available; confirm against your requirements
STP Phase 2	Full STP Phase 2 compliance with ATO	STP Phase 2 supported, with STP reporting patches released in 2026
Superannuation	Superannuation processing with Payday Super readiness	Payday Super delivered in staged releases (March and June 2026)
NZ compliance	Purpose-built Holidays Act engine, KiwiSaver, Payday Filing with IRD, NZ-based support team	Payday filing, KiwiSaver and NZ tax updates supported. Confirm readiness for upcoming NZ leave-law changes
Workforce management	Integrated rostering and workforce management with real-time labour costing, all part of the same product	Native rostering and time and attendance modules
HR and self-service	Self-service dashboards for employees and managers; integrates with specialist HRIS	HR and self-service modules available
Reporting and analytics	200+ standard reports, SQL reporting database, Power BI integration, report scheduling	Reporting module; REST API for PayGlobal Online integrations
Intelligence / anomaly detection	Payroll IQ – automated anomaly detection, variance checking, pre-payslip risk flagging	Super Guarantee risk flags noted in release notes. A dedicated pre-payslip variance layer or AI features were not found publicly
Delivery models	Three models on one platform: SaaS, Supported, Fully Managed – same team, same database	On-premise or MYOB-hosted PayGlobal Online; outsourced processing via partners
Data residency	All data held in a single secure AU/NZ database, ISO 27001 security framework	PayGlobal Online data-residency and certification details not found publicly – confirm with MYOB
Support model	Named AU/NZ-based support contacts who know your configuration and awards	MYOB enterprise support, account management and partner network; named-contact model to be confirmed
Ownership	Independently owned AU/NZ company. Product decisions driven by AU/NZ customer needs	Owned by MYOB (since 2014), which is privately owned by KKR

Where is PayGlobal strongest?

Configurability for complex workforces

PayGlobal is known for a highly configurable engine suited to high-volume, multi-award environments, with organisations ranging from a few hundred to several thousand employees.

Native rostering and time and attendance

Rostering and T&A sit inside the same system as payroll, reducing integration points for shift-based workforces.

Cross-Tasman footprint

PayGlobal has served both Australian and New Zealand employers for decades, with NZ roots in Christchurch.

Partner ecosystem

A network of implementation and outsourcing partners across ANZ gives customers choice in who configures and supports their system.

Ongoing MYOB investment

2026 releases covering Payday Super, NZ tax changes and a new PayGlobal Online REST API show active development and MYOB's stated commitment to the PayGlobal community.

Where is Affinity strongest?

Pre-payslip intelligence

Payroll IQ flags anomalies before the payslip runs – variance checking, unusual uplifts, missing allowances, award conditions that may not have applied correctly. It is purpose-built for AU/NZ award scenarios.

Deep AU/NZ award interpretation

Affinity's award interpretation engine handles complex modern awards, EBAs, shift penalties, and allowance stacking, maintained by the same team that supports you.

Flexible delivery models

SaaS (self-managed), Supported (dedicated Affinity person alongside your team), and Fully Managed (Affinity runs payroll end to end). Same platform, same database – move between models without reimplementation or changing partner.

One accountable team

Affinity builds, implements, supports, and can operate your payroll. There is no hand-off between software vendor and implementation partner when something needs resolving.

Named local support

Named AU/NZ-based support contacts who know your configuration, your awards, and your pay run.

AU/NZ data residency

All payroll data held in a single secure AU/NZ database under an ISO 27001 security framework.

Independent, payroll-only focus

Affinity's roadmap is driven by AU/NZ payroll customers alone, not balanced across a portfolio spanning small business accounting through enterprise ERP.

Who is each platform best for?

Choose Affinity if you:

Run complex AU/NZ payroll and want pre-payslip intelligence to catch errors before they reach employees
Want delivery flexibility – SaaS, Supported, or Fully Managed – without changing platform
Prefer one accountable team over a vendor-plus-partner model
Value named AU/NZ support and AU/NZ data residency

Choose PayGlobal if you:

Want a highly configurable enterprise engine with native rostering and time and attendance
Prefer on-premise deployment or are moving to MYOB-hosted PayGlobal Online
Already work with a PayGlobal partner you trust
Use other MYOB products and value consolidating with one vendor

Consider both if you:

Are reviewing PayGlobal as part of a hosting move or platform refresh and want to test a specialist alternative
Want to compare a partner-delivered model against a supported or fully managed service on one platform

Frequently asked questions

Is PayGlobal being retired?

No end-of-life, end-of-sale or forced migration announcement for PayGlobal was found as of October 2026. MYOB released Payday Super updates in 2026 and launched a PayGlobal REST API, describing its commitment to the PayGlobal community. This should not be confused with MYOB Exo Employer Services, a different MYOB product with an announced end-of-life. Confirm the roadmap directly with MYOB.

How does PayGlobal handle award interpretation?

PayGlobal supports configurable award rules and interpreters, and depth depends on how your system is set up. Test both PayGlobal and Affinity against your actual award and EBA scenarios, including layered shift penalties and allowance stacking.

Does PayGlobal handle New Zealand payroll?

Yes. PayGlobal supports NZ payday filing, KiwiSaver and NZ tax changes. With NZ leave legislation changing, confirm readiness directly with MYOB. Affinity runs a purpose-built NZ payroll engine with 40+ years of Holidays Act experience and an NZ-based support team.

Is PayGlobal cloud-based?

PayGlobal can be installed on your own servers or hosted by MYOB as PayGlobal Online, where MYOB deploys updates. Affinity is a cloud platform offered as SaaS, Supported, or Fully Managed on one database.

What is Payroll IQ and does PayGlobal offer something similar?

Payroll IQ is Affinity's pre-payslip intelligence layer, flagging variance, unusual uplifts, missing allowances and award-condition issues before the payslip runs. PayGlobal release notes reference Super Guarantee risk flags; a dedicated pre-payslip variance layer was not found publicly. Ask MYOB to demonstrate its pre-pay-run checks against your scenarios.

How does pricing compare?

PayGlobal pricing typically depends on modules, headcount, deployment model and partner services. Affinity's pricing reflects AU/NZ payroll depth and delivery model choice. Request current pricing from both – including implementation and ongoing partner costs – for a like-for-like comparison.

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