ConnX vs MicrOpay – how they compare for AU/NZ payroll

How do ConnX and MicrOpay differ?

ConnX is an Australian HR software vendor with its head office in Milton, Brisbane. Company profiles list a 2003 founding, and ConnX says it has 20+ years of experience and 500+ clients. It is a modular, web-based HR system covering core HR, payroll self-service, recruitment, paperless onboarding, performance management, learning, leave, workplace health and safety, workflow automation and timesheets with award interpretation.

The structural point is that ConnX does not calculate or process pay, lodge STP or pay super. Those happen in the connected payroll system, with ConnX passing data to and from payroll through an interface. ConnX lists MicrOpay (database or API integration) as its main and best-documented integration, a database integration with HR3 Payroll (ReadyTech), an API integration with Definitiv, and file-based import and export for other payroll systems; some integrations may need the payroll vendor to install additional software. ConnX has long been paired with MicrOpay: it was previously sold by Sage alongside Sage MicrOpay, and some ConnX instances are hosted on MicrOpay's cloud domain. We have not found a current formal partnership statement – confirm the arrangement directly.

MicrOpay (now branded Access MicrOpay Evo) is an established Australian payroll application owned by The Access Group, which acquired it as part of Sage's Australian and Asian businesses in 2021. It runs as Windows software on the customer's own servers or hosted by Access, and has shipped STP Phase 2, a Payday Super release (9.5 SP1) with integrated super clearing, and an Evo layer of dashboards, analytics and an AI Copilot. One related component, the Access Employee Service Portal (ESP), reached end of support after 31 March 2025, with Access ESS or Definitiv named as replacements – so the practical comparison is ConnX on top of MicrOpay versus MicrOpay with Access's own self-service. Running two systems means two vendors, an interface to maintain, data that has to stay in sync, and a support boundary between HR/self-service and payroll. When something breaks between the two, it can be unclear which vendor owns the fix. That is not a criticism of either product – it is simply how a layered model works, and it is worth pricing in.

Where does ConnX fit?

ConnX fits organisations that already run MicrOpay (or another supported payroll system) and want a broader HR layer on top – recruitment, paperless onboarding, performance, learning, WHS and manager and employee self-service – without replacing payroll. Its longstanding pairing with MicrOpay and database or API integration make it the most documented route for that combination. The trade-off is the structure described above: payroll, STP and super stay in MicrOpay, so the two systems need to be kept in sync.

Where does MicrOpay fit?

MicrOpay fits Australian organisations, typically small to mid-sized, that want a familiar payroll application with on-premise or Access-hosted delivery and Payday Super-ready releases. Where self-service needs are modest, Access ESS keeps employee access within the Access family rather than adding a second vendor. Confirm award interpretation depth and NZ Holidays Act coverage directly, as complex rules may rely on separate award interpreters.

Where does Affinity fit?

Affinity is a different shape of answer: an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist where self-service is included with every plan and runs on the same data model as payroll, so approving leave in self-service is the same action as updating the payroll record. It handles Modern Awards, EBAs and leave entitlements natively, adds pre-payslip anomaly detection through Payroll IQ, and can be delivered as SaaS, Supported or Fully Managed. One honest gap: Affinity does not offer recruitment, performance, learning or WHS – it integrates with specialist HRIS products for those. Some organisations keep a payroll-plus-HR-layer stack; others consolidate payroll, workforce management and self-service on Affinity and integrate a specialist HRIS where recruitment or learning is needed.