Comparison Guide

Aurion vs Frontier Software – how they compare for AU/NZ payroll

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

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

Summary

Aurion and Frontier Software are both long-established AU/NZ payroll and HR vendors, but they differ in country footprint and ownership. Aurion is a 35+ year Australian-built platform owned by RGF Staffing ANZ with a strong government-sector presence, while Frontier Software is a 40+ year AU/NZ HCM vendor with local offices across both countries and a payroll engine, ichris, that extends across 26 countries. Alongside them, this page adds a separate column for Affinity, an AU/NZ payroll specialist, for organisations comparing local depth.

How Aurion and Frontier Software differ

Aurion has spent over three decades focused on Australian payroll and HR, holding IRAP, ASAE 3402 Type 2, ISO 9001, and ISO 27001 certifications, with particular strength in government payroll. Its NZ coverage is limited to tax updates and banking interfaces, and its delivery spans SaaS, APaaS, and MPaaS models, all AU-focused. It also offers a broader HR suite – recruitment, performance, learning, and WHS.

Frontier Software has an equally long history – 40+ years – but with a genuinely cross-Tasman footprint, running local offices in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, and Sydney. Its ichris payroll engine extends coverage across 26 countries, and it offers a full HCM suite (payroll, recruitment, talent, learning, HR) alongside specific modules for post-run analytics (HCI21), workflow (IWF21), and integration (API21).

Put simply: Aurion is Australia-first with a government-sector edge and NZ limited to compliance basics; Frontier Software has genuine local presence in both Australia and New Zealand, plus a multi-country payroll engine that extends well beyond ANZ.

Feature comparison

A neutral comparison of Aurion and Frontier Software 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: Native / strongAvailable / partial: Available / partialNot offered: Not offered
CapabilityAurionFrontier SoftwareAU/NZ specialistAffinity
AU award & EBA interpretation
Native / strong: Established AU award interpretation engine
Native / strong: Established AU/NZ award interpretation (ichris)
Native / strong: Configurable engine – modern awards, EBAs, shift penalties, allowance stacking
NZ compliance (Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD)
Not offered: NZ tax updates & banking only; AU-focused
Native / strong: NZ compliance (Holidays Act, Payday Filing) – verify depth
Native / strong: Purpose-built Holidays Act engine, KiwiSaver, Payday Filing, NZ team
STP Phase 2 & superannuation
Native / strong: Full compliance
Native / strong: Supported
Native / strong: Full STP Phase 2 & super, Pay Day Super ready
Pre-payslip intelligence
Available / partial: DataSmart analytics (post-run), 100+ reports
Available / partial: HCI21 post-run analytics (no pre-payslip anomaly layer)
Native / strong: Payroll IQ – anomaly & variance checking before the payslip runs
Global / multi-country coverage
Not offered: AU-focused
Native / strong: 26 countries (ichris)
Not offered: AU/NZ focus – not multi-country
Government / IRAP certification
Native / strong: IRAP, ASAE 3402 Type 2, ISO 9001 – government payroll
Not offered: Not noted
Not offered: Not offered – no government-specific certification noted
HR / talent breadth
Native / strong: Recruitment, performance, learning, WHS
Native / strong: Full HCM (recruitment, talent, learning, HR)
Not offered: Not offered – integrates with specialist HRIS
Workforce management
Available / partial: Timekeeper (timesheets, work patterns)
Available / partial: Available
Native / strong: Integrated WFM with real-time labour costing
Delivery / managed payroll
Native / strong: SaaS, APaaS, MPaaS (AU-focused)
Native / strong: Software licensing, hosted, outsourced payroll
Native / strong: SaaS, Supported & Fully Managed on one platform
Named local AU/NZ support
Available / partial: Australian support; NZ limited
Native / strong: Local offices – Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Sydney
Native / strong: Named AU/NZ contacts who know your configuration

Where Aurion fits

Aurion is built for Australian organisations, particularly in government and the public sector, that want a locally built platform backed by recognised security and assurance certifications (IRAP, ASAE 3402 Type 2, ISO 9001/27001) alongside HR breadth spanning recruitment, performance, learning, and WHS.

Where Frontier Software fits

Frontier Software is built for organisations that need genuine, established local presence in both Australia and New Zealand, backed by 40+ years of HCM experience and a payroll engine that can extend to multi-country operations across 26 countries. Its full HCM suite and dedicated analytics, workflow, and integration modules suit organisations consolidating payroll and broader HR functions on one AU/NZ-rooted platform.

Where Affinity fits

Where Aurion is AU-first with limited NZ depth, and Frontier Software offers genuine cross-Tasman presence plus multi-country reach, Affinity is built specifically around deep AU/NZ payroll – nothing broader, nothing wider. For organisations whose complexity is concentrated in modern awards, EBAs, and Holidays Act calculations on both sides of the Tasman, a specialist engine with pre-payslip intelligence, delivery-model flexibility, local data residency, and named local support is a different proposition to a platform balancing AU depth against government certification, or one balancing ANZ presence against 26-country reach.

Frequently asked questions

Is Aurion or Frontier Software better for Australian payroll?

Both have established Australian award interpretation engines and long track records. Aurion's edge is its government-sector certifications (IRAP, ASAE 3402 Type 2); Frontier Software's edge is its broader HCM suite and dedicated post-run analytics and workflow modules. For complex modern awards or EBAs, test either against your specific scenarios, or evaluate an AU/NZ specialist such as Affinity, whose award interpretation engine is purpose-built for that complexity.

Do Aurion and Frontier Software handle New Zealand payroll?

Aurion's NZ coverage is limited to tax updates and banking interfaces, so it is best considered AU-focused. Frontier Software has a genuine NZ presence with local offices in Auckland and Wellington and stated Holidays Act and Payday Filing compliance, though depth should be verified directly. Affinity runs a purpose-built NZ Holidays Act engine with an NZ-based support team on the same platform as its Australian payroll.

What is the main difference between Aurion and Frontier Software?

Aurion is an Australian-built payroll and HR platform with government-sector certifications and an AU-first focus. Frontier Software is a longer-established AU/NZ HCM vendor with genuine local offices in both countries and a payroll engine spanning 26 countries. Aurion optimises for Australian depth and government assurance; Frontier Software optimises for cross-Tasman presence and broader multi-country reach.

How does Affinity compare to Aurion and Frontier Software?

Affinity is an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist. It does not compete on Aurion's government-specific certifications or broader HR suite, nor on Frontier Software's 26-country reach and full HCM breadth; it competes on depth of AU/NZ award and Holidays Act compliance across both jurisdictions, pre-payslip intelligence, delivery-model flexibility, local data residency, and named local support.

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