Employment Hero vs Payroll Metrics – 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

Employment Hero is a broad SME “Employment OS” spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring. Payroll Metrics is an independent AU/NZ integrated payroll and workforce-management platform. 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 Employment Hero and Payroll Metrics differ

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.

Payroll Metrics is an independent Australian payroll and workforce-compliance vendor, founded 2013 and headquartered in Oakleigh, Victoria. It integrates payroll, timesheets, workforce management and advanced rostering for AU and NZ, with STP and SuperStream via an accredited gateway, and holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 9001 certifications.

The core distinction for a buyer is what each platform was built to optimise for: Employment Hero is a broad SME “Employment OS” spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring, while Payroll Metrics is an independent AU/NZ integrated payroll and workforce-management platform. 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 Employment Hero and Payroll Metrics 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	Employment Hero	Payroll Metrics	AU/NZ specialistAffinity
AU award & EBA interpretation	Native / strong: Native award/EBA interpretation via Employment Hero Payroll (formerly KeyPay)	Native / strong: Multi-award/EBA support with custom work patterns	Native / strong: Configurable engine – modern awards, EBAs, shift penalties, allowance stacking
NZ compliance (Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD)	Native / strong: Dedicated NZ product – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD payday filing	Available / partial: Supports NZ tax obligations; Holidays Act depth to confirm	Native / strong: Purpose-built Holidays Act engine, KiwiSaver, Payday Filing, NZ team
STP Phase 2 & superannuation	Native / strong: ATO-recognised STP Phase 2; Payday Super readiness via HeroClear (vendor-stated)	Native / strong: Integrated STP & SuperStream via accredited gateway	Native / strong: Full STP Phase 2 & super, Pay Day Super ready
Pre-payslip intelligence	Available / partial: Hero AI assistant and anomaly-detection claims – accuracy to be confirmed	Available / partial: Compliance automation & reporting (pre-payslip anomaly layer to confirm)	Native / strong: Payroll IQ – anomaly & variance checking before the payslip runs
Global / multi-country coverage	Native / strong: AU, NZ, UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia; EOR services	Not offered: AU/NZ focus	Not offered: AU/NZ focus – not multi-country
Workforce management	Native / strong: Rostering, time & attendance, geofencing, shift swapping	Native / strong: Integrated timesheets, WFM & advanced rostering	Native / strong: Integrated WFM with real-time labour costing
Delivery / managed payroll	Available / partial: Primarily self-service SaaS; separate managed/outsourced payroll option	Available / partial: SaaS; managed services availability to confirm	Native / strong: SaaS, Supported & Fully Managed on one platform
Named local AU/NZ support	Available / partial: Phone support on top-tier plans only; lower tiers AI-bot/email – confirm response times	Native / strong: AU-based support & development teams	Native / strong: Named AU/NZ contacts who know your configuration
HR, benefits & hiring breadth	Native / strong: Broad SME suite – recruitment, onboarding, benefits marketplace, earned wage access	Available / partial: Not a stated focus – confirm directly	Not offered: Not offered – integrates with specialist HRIS/benefits providers

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 Payroll Metrics fits

Payroll Metrics is built for AU/NZ organisations that want payroll, timesheets and advanced rostering integrated in one platform from an independent local vendor with strong security certifications. Its multi-award/EBA support via custom work patterns and dynamic rosters, plus its Australian data centre and AU-based support and development teams, make it a strong fit for organisations that value local ownership and integrated workforce management alongside payroll.

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 Employment Hero or Payroll Metrics. Some organisations run Employment Hero or Payroll Metrics 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 Employment Hero or Payroll Metrics better for Australian payroll?

Employment Hero is a broad SME “Employment OS” spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring. Payroll Metrics is an independent AU/NZ integrated payroll and workforce-management platform. 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 Employment Hero and Payroll Metrics handle New Zealand payroll?

Employment Hero: Dedicated NZ product – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD payday filing. Payroll Metrics: Supports NZ tax obligations; Holidays Act depth to confirm. 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 Employment Hero and Payroll Metrics?

Employment Hero is a broad SME “Employment OS” spanning HR, payroll, benefits and hiring, while Payroll Metrics is an independent AU/NZ integrated payroll and workforce-management platform. 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 Employment Hero and Payroll Metrics?

Affinity is an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist. It does not try to match Employment Hero or Payroll Metrics 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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