Australian HR software splits on one question: does it run payroll that reports to the ATO, or does it only hold records? Employment Hero, Rippling and Workday run Australian payroll natively. Deel, Remote.com and Multiplier employ people for you. HiBob, Zoho People, Connecteam and BambooHR need a payroll tool alongside.
We compared ten options on the same eight parameters and read every price on the vendor’s own site on 31 October 2026. Since 1 July 2026, super has to reach the fund within 7 business days of each payday, so how a tool pays super counts for more than it did a year ago. Where a vendor publishes no Australian price, we mark it quote only. Our Australia hiring guide prices a full hire once you have chosen.
Best HR Software in Australia 2026: Quick Summary
Ten providers are listed below in three groups: native Australian payroll, EOR platforms, and HR tools that need a payroll partner. Each group is ordered by HRStacks score. Use the sort buttons to reorder by price or score.
- 1
Employment HeroBest overallAustralian teams on Modern Awards that want HR and payroll together4.2/5- From
- A$10/mo
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- Included
- Free trial
- Demo
Watch for: HR plans need 10 users, and there is no free HR plan.
- 2
Workday HCMBest for enterpriseLarge employers that want HR, payroll and finance in one suite4.0/5- From
- Quote only
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- Native
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: It is built for large employers and sold by quote.
-
- From
- Quote only
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- Native
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: It publishes no Australian price, and support sits behind a bot.
- 4
DeelBest without an entityEmploying in Australia with no entity, plus other countries on one account4.1/5- From
- $599/mo
- Needs Australian entity
- No
- Australian payroll
- Through EOR
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: Its Australia page carries an out-of-date minimum wage.
-
- From
- A$916/mo
- Needs Australian entity
- No
- Australian payroll
- Through EOR
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: STP and award handling are not itemised on its Australian pages.
-
- From
- $459/mo
- Needs Australian entity
- No
- Australian payroll
- Through EOR
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: Entity ownership in Australia is not confirmed, and add-ons are extra.
-
- From
- Quote only
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- Partner
- Free trial
- No
Watch for: Australian payroll runs through a partner, and pricing is quote only.
-
- From
- Free to 5 users
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- None found
- Free trial
- 30 days
Watch for: No Australian payroll product found, and no Australian price shown.
-
- From
- $29/mo
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- None
- Free trial
- Free plan
Watch for: No Australian payroll or award interpretation, so you need another tool.
-
- From
- $10/mo
- Needs Australian entity
- Yes
- Australian payroll
- None
- Free trial
- Yes
Watch for: It has no Australian payroll, STP, super or award handling.
Prices are as published on each provider’s own site on 31 October 2026. Lowest price sorts on the monthly cost of a 20-person team on the entry paid plan, with Australian dollars converted at A$1 to US$0.70. Providers with no comparable published price sort last.
Detailed reviews of the best HR software in Australia
Read the Watch for line on each review before the strengths, because it names the cost most buyers find out late. All prices come from each vendor’s own pages on 31 October 2026, and quote-only tools are marked as such.
Employment Hero
Why we picked Employment Hero
Employment Hero is the only product here built in Australia for Australian payroll, and it has the highest score on this page at 4.2. Its payroll page names STP Phase 2, SuperStream and Payday Super, with HeroClear paying super inside every pay run. HR Essentials costs A$10 per employee a month and payroll is another A$10.
Plan for the minimums. HR plans need at least 10 users, rostering and time and attendance cost A$4 more per employee, and phone support only comes with Elite and Unlimited. Its pricing page lists A$10 as the lowest HR price, so write-ups that mention a free HR plan are out of date.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Workday HCM
Why we picked Workday HCM
Workday Payroll for Australia is native, reports under STP Phase 2 and runs inside the same system as HR and finance. Workday said in December 2025 that more than 60 customers had signed since launch, including Equity Trustees and Cognizant.
Pricing is quote only and there is no free trial. Workday sells to large employers, and an implementation is a project, not a sign-up. It fits Australian companies with complex pay structures and finance links, not a 20-person team.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Rippling
Why we picked Rippling
Rippling runs Australian payroll natively. Its Australian payroll page says one click calculates PAYGW and submits STP2 to the ATO, then produces an ABA file or pays net wages, super and tax from the platform. It also applies Modern Award base pay, overtime, penalty rates and allowances through its time and payroll modules.
It publishes no Australian price, and its pricing page asks for a quote. Support is the weak spot at 3.2, with business hours chat that sits behind a bot. Its payroll page does not name Payday Super, so ask how super reaches the fund within 7 business days.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Deel
Why we picked Deel
Deel scores 4.1, the highest of the EOR options, and it has the clearest entity story. Its Australia page lists EOR from $599 per employee a month and says a hire can start in as little as 2 days. Deel’s own blog describes a wholly owned Australian entity.
Its Australia page has gaps. It still shows A$24.95 as the minimum wage and stops its super table at June 2026, so check current figures in our hiring guide. If you own an entity, its Global Payroll and PEO services run payroll for direct employees, but its pricing page prints no payroll price.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Remote.com
Why we picked Remote.com
Remote’s Australia page says it uses a Remote-owned local entity. It lists payroll from A$44 per employee a month and EOR from A$916, priced in Australian dollars, and says it pays super and employer deductions to the ATO on time.
Its Australian pages itemise less than Deel’s, so ask in writing how it handles STP reporting and award rates. The A$916 figure is on its Australian page. Its US dollar rate is $599 on annual contracts, with no base platform fee.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Multiplier
Why we picked Multiplier
Multiplier publishes the lowest EOR rate here: $459 per employee a month billed annually, or $499 monthly. EOR Growth is $519 and $559. Global Payroll starts at $20 per employee a month for teams that already own an entity.
We could not confirm who owns its Australian entity, and no Australian statutory detail loaded for us. Its prices exclude compliance-mandated add-ons and an implementation fee, so ask for both before you compare it with a flat rate.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
HiBob
Why we picked HiBob
HiBob’s Australia page promises Fair Work and award conditions, leave balances and super handled each pay run, but its native payroll covers only the US and UK. Australian payroll runs through its Payroll Hub, which syncs with local providers, and HiBob’s marketplace lists Employment Hero as a payroll option.
Ease of use at 4.6 is why teams buy it. Pricing is quote only, our review notes an implementation fee on first-year contracts, and HiBob says customers stay responsible for configuring their own Fair Work processes.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Zoho People
Why we picked Zoho People
Zoho People has the cheapest way in. A free edition covers up to 5 users and the 30-day trial opens every plan. Professional adds attendance, rosters and timesheets, and Premium adds performance, compensation and engagement tools.
Zoho’s pricing page showed rupee prices when we loaded it from India, and we found no Australian price on any Zoho page. We also found no Australian payroll product from Zoho. A Zoho partner has published a link to KeyPay, Employment Hero’s payroll engine, for Australian customers.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
Connecteam
Why we picked Connecteam
Connecteam is a workforce app for shift teams more than an HRIS. The Operations Hub costs $29 a month for the first 30 users on yearly billing and $35 monthly, plus $0.80 for each extra user, and a free plan covers up to 10 users. GPS clock-in, rostering, forms and tasks come in Basic.
Its time clock has a payroll integration setting and a Xero integration, but we found no Australian award interpretation on its pricing or Xero pages. That makes it a front end for hours, not an Australian payroll answer.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
BambooHR
Why we picked BambooHR
BambooHR lists Core at $10, Pro at $17 and Elite at $25 per employee a month in US dollars, with a quote step on each plan. It is a clean HRIS for records, time off, onboarding and reporting, and it scores 4.6 on ease of use.
It does not run Australian payroll, and we found no award interpretation on its pages. Our HRIS review notes payroll is US only. That is why it sits last here, and why it fits teams that already have Australian payroll sorted.
HR software details for Australia
Editor scores: 8 parameters
Strengths and limitations
Support channels
The ranking above scores every provider on the same eight parameters, as set out in the methodology. It splits into three groups: tools that run Australian payroll, EOR platforms that employ for you, and HR tools that need a payroll partner.
This guide helps you decide which kind of provider you need, which Australian payroll rules each tool actually names, and what the first year costs. It does not repeat the ranking.
Do you already own an Australian company?
The first choice is not a product. It is whether you already employ people through an Australian company with its own ABN and PAYG registration.
Common path: many foreign employers start on an EOR and move staff to their own company later. Our Australia hiring guide puts that break-even at about 7 staff on running cost and 14 in year one, using one vendor’s published numbers. The full EOR ranking is on our employer of record page.
Which Australian payroll rules each tool names
We checked each vendor’s own pages for the rules an Australian pay run has to cover. A “Not named” means the pages we could load did not name it, not that the feature is missing.
| Provider | STP Phase 2 | Super | Payday Super | Modern Awards | PAYG withholding | Leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Hero | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rippling | Yes | Yes | Not named | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workday | Yes | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named |
| Deel EOR | Not named | Yes | Not named | Not named | Not named | Yes |
| Remote.com EOR | Not named | Yes | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named |
| Multiplier EOR | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named | Not named |
| HiBob | Not named | Yes | Not named | Yes | Not named | Yes |
Read this before you shortlist: Employment Hero is the only provider that named Payday Super on a page we loaded. Rippling names STP2 and super but not the 7-business-day rule, and Deel’s Australia page stops its super table at June 2026. Ask each provider how it pays super inside that window.
What the headline fee leaves out
Native payroll tools, EOR platforms and HR record tools are priced on different things. The table puts them on the same footing: the monthly cost of a 20-person team on the entry paid plan, in each vendor’s own currency.
| Provider | Entry plan | Monthly cost, 20 employees | Not in that number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecteam | Operations Basic, yearly billing | $29 for up to 30 users | Monthly billing is $35. It runs no payroll |
| BambooHR | Core, $10 per employee | $200 | Payroll, which it does not run in Australia |
| Employment Hero | HR Essentials plus Payroll, A$10 each | A$400 | Rostering at A$4, super clearing at A$0.30 per employee per batch, and a 10-user minimum |
| Zoho People | Free edition | Free to 5 users | No Australian paid price shown, and payroll is a second tool |
| Remote.com | Global Payroll, from A$44 | A$880 | EOR is from A$916 per employee, or A$18,320 for 20 |
| Multiplier | EOR Core, $459 annual | $9,180 | Compliance add-ons and an implementation fee |
| Deel | EOR, from $599 | $11,980 | FX margin and deposit terms are not on its pricing page |
| Rippling, Workday, HiBob | Quote only | Not published | Implementation fees and add-on modules |
Pairing an HR tool with Australian payroll
HiBob, Zoho People, Connecteam and BambooHR keep people data, leave and hours, but none runs Australian payroll natively. These are the pairings we found documented on vendor or marketplace pages.
Five questions to ask every provider
Put these in writing before you sign. The answers separate a clean setup from a surprise in month three.
“How do you pay super within 7 business days of each payday, and what happens when a fund rejects a payment?”
“Which Modern Awards do you interpret, and who updates the rates each 1 July?”
“Which STP Phase 2 pay events do you lodge, and who fixes a mistake?”
“Which company employs our staff in Australia, and do you own it?”
“What does year one cost for our headcount, including setup, minimums and add-ons?”
Narrow it down
Start with whether you own an Australian company, then match the priority below to a provider.
Match your situation to the provider that fits it.
No Australian company
An EOR employs people for you from $459 per employee a month, and Deel scores 4.1 on month-to-month terms.
Native payroll with awards at a published price
HR Essentials plus payroll costs A$20 per employee a month and names STP Phase 2, Payday Super and awards.
An owned entity and prices in Australian dollars
Remote lists payroll from A$44 and EOR from A$916, through an entity it says it owns.
Enterprise HR, payroll and finance
Workday Payroll for Australia is native and runs inside the HCM suite. It is sold by quote.
HR, IT devices and payroll in one system
Rippling pairs PAYGW and STP2 payroll with device management. Its Australian price is quote only.
Shift teams on a budget
Connecteam is free to 10 users and $29 for 30, but you need a payroll tool for awards.
Source: HRStacks editorial scores and vendor pricing
HR software in Australia FAQs
These are the questions employers ask most when they compare HR software for Australia.
How we scored HR software for Australia
Every provider gets the same eight-part score from the same evidence on the same 1 to 5 scale, so you can check it against the cards.
Eight parameters, weighted for HR software in Australia
Weights add up to 100%
Pricing & Value
Published price against what the plan includes, taken from the vendor’s own pricing page.
Platform & Integrations
Native integrations, API access and how much the entry plan includes.
Customer Support
Support channels, response speed and how complex cases are handled.
Ease of Use
How quickly an HR admin and an employee get through payroll, leave and self-service.
Compliance Strength
The Australian payroll rules the vendor names: STP Phase 2, super and Payday Super, Modern Awards, PAYG and leave.
Payroll & Benefits
Whether Australian payroll is built in, sold as a separate product or left to a partner.
Onboarding
Setup time, guided implementation and the cost of getting started.
Global Coverage
How well the tool serves an employer with people in countries besides Australia.
What the score colours mean
Applies to every parameter bar on the cards
Weak spot
Below 3.5
Workable
3.5 to 3.9
Strong
4.0 and up
What counts
Each provider’s own pricing and Australian pages, read on 31 October 2026, plus public review ratings where our review pages carry no scores.
What never counts
Vendor testimonials, prices found only on third-party sites, and claims we could not verify. Unpublished rates stay marked “Quote only”.
How the ranking works
Providers are grouped as native Australian payroll first, then EOR platforms, then HR tools that need a payroll partner. Inside each group they are ordered by overall score, with ties inside 0.1 settled on the unrounded figure. All ten have a full card.
Some links are affiliate links. A commission never changes a score or a ranking, and no vendor can pay to move up. Prices and key facts are rechecked when vendors change them, and the date at the top shows the last update.
Conclusion
Decide first whether you need to employ people or to pay people you already employ. An EOR such as Deel at $599 per employee a month does the first, and a payroll platform such as Employment Hero at A$20 per employee a month for HR and payroll does the second.
The common mistake is comparing those fees directly. A native payroll tool looks far cheaper, but it assumes you carry an Australian company, its ABN and PAYG registration, and super paid every payday. An EOR fee already includes them.
Write down your headcount and whether a company exists, then put the five questions above to your two shortlisted providers. Our Australia hiring guide prices an A$120,000 hire and shows where owning a company beats an EOR.
