Looking for an Employment Hero alternative?

Compare Definitiv Evo to Employment Hero

If your payroll solution feels like it was built for everyone, it probably was. Definitiv Evo is configured around how your business operates. Your awards, your entitlements, and the way your business actually works — not a template of how it should. One platform, fully configurable, built for you.

Compare Key Features 4-Minute Demo

Platform

One system, one employee record

Two separate integrated systems, HR platform + Keypay payroll engine

Scalability

50 to 5,000+ employees, for all payroll complexities

Best suited to SMBs with standard awards, less complex

Payroll

Date-driven payroll with automatic calculations and backpays

Period-based payroll, with manual reconciliations

Award Engine

Highly configurable modern awards, EA and other pay conditions

Pre-built award templates, requires customisation

Multi-Award Processing

Multiple awards per shift, fully automated and date driven

Primary award per employee; multiple awards may need custom setup

Compliance

Verifies qualifications with restrictions before rostering

Qualifications and compliance are advisory, not preventative

Multi-Entity

Native multi-entity, real-time consolidated reporting

Multiple entities support, reports may require external aggregation

Time & Attendance

Mobile time capture - GPS, geofencing, photo capture, offline access

Standard time capture - GPS, geofencing, photo capture, attendance and timesheets

Rostering

Real-time cost-projection capability and control

Lacks real-time cost analysis and projection control

Reporting

Real‑time reporting across payroll and workforce data

Standard payroll reporting, custom reports on higher plans only

Definitiv Evo vs Employment Hero — Feature Comparison

4-Minute Demo

Tailored For Your Business

Definitiv Evo

Award Configurability
Build and manage awards, EBAs and pay conditions directly in the platform, without consultants or engineers.

Automated Pay Conditions
Automatically calculates penalties, allowances and overtime to your specific pay conditions, reducing manual effort.

Payroll Flexibility
Supports multiple pay calendars, shift types and backdated policies, built around the way your business works.

Employment Hero

Pre-Built Award Templates
Operates on a fixed library of modern awards, limiting configuration to what the template allows.

Managed Implementation
Relies on Managed Implementation to configure complex EBAs and custom award scenarios.

Custom Award Builds Charged Hourly
Requires custom builds for award configurations outside the pre-built library with extra cost

Key Differentiator:

Definitiv Evo is fully configurable for your business needs, Employment Hero's template-based model requires Managed Implementation the moment your needs go beyond standard.

Multi-Award Processing

Definitiv Evo

Unlimited Award Complexity
Processes multiple awards for a single employee within a single shift, automatically and accurately.

Automated Award Calculations
Calculates penalties, allowances and overtime across all applicable awards automatically, reducing manual effort.

Real-Time Updates
Recalculates past pay periods automatically for job, award, and ad-hoc changes, ensuring payroll is accurate and complaint.

Employment Hero

Single Award Per Employee
Operates on a single primary award per employee; multi-award scenarios require additional configuration.

Rule-Based Calculations
Relies on manual tag and rule set configuration to calculate pay conditions for each employee's unique award scenario.

Manual Award Updates
Requires manual updates and syncing with award changes, adding more steps to every update.

Key Differentiator:

Definitiv Evo handles unlimited award complexity automatically, while Employment Hero's single-award model means more manual effort and higher costs as your workforce grows.

All-in-One Platform

Definitiv Evo

Unified Platform
Payroll, time & attendance, rostering, onboarding, and compliance all in one platform — data flows across seamlessly.

Single Source of Data
All workforce data is on a single platform, reducing duplicate entries, manual intervention and reconciliation.

Automation First
Timesheets flow directly into payroll, so most compliance checks are automated, keeping data accurate in real time.

Employment Hero

Two Separate Platforms
HR platform and KeyPay payroll engine operate as distinct systems, requiring integration and sync between them.

Duplicate Admin Potential
Separate systems may lead to duplicated tasks and confusion over which platform to update.

Manual Updates Required
Changes to HR or payroll data require synchronisation, leading to delays and manual effort.

Key Differentiator:

Definitiv Evo offers a single, unified platform with real-time data flow, while Employment Hero's two-platform structure requires ongoing integration and manual data sync.

Built to Scale

Definitiv Evo

50 to 5,000+ Employees
Scales from growing businesses to large enterprises without re-platforming or infrastructure upgrades.

Native Multi-Entity
Manage multiple businesses within a single account — consolidated reporting with full data integrity across entities.

No Complexity Ceiling
Handles complex awards, multiple sites and expanding workforces without architectural constraints.

Employment Hero

Designed for SMBs
Optimised for standardised workflows at smaller scale and begins to show limitations as payroll complexity grow

Separate Payroll Files Per Entity
Multiple entities managed through separate payroll files — one bank account and one accounting integration per file.

Limited Complexity Handling
At larger scale, the depth and sophistication of individual modules may not match specialised workforce management complexities and sophistications.

Key Differentiator:

Employment Hero is built for where most businesses start, while Definitiv Evo is built for all stages of your business growth, however complex.

See what Definitiv Evo can do for your business

A complete, all-in-one payroll and workforce management platform — built around your business, not the other way around.

Speak To A Specialist 4-Minute Demo

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Definitiv Evo and Employment Hero?

Definitiv Evo is a true all-in-one payroll and workforce management platform built for mid-market Australian businesses. Employment Hero, powered by the KeyPay engine, was originally built for payroll bureaus and SMBs and that heritage shows.

Platform - Definitiv Evo is one codebase, one source of truth. Employment Hero is two separate products requiring integration and sync between them.
Award Engine - Definitiv Evo's Award Engine is 100% configurable. Employment Hero offers pre-built templates and charges $250 per hour excluding GST for custom configurations.
Scale - Definitiv Evo supports 50 to 5,000+ employees with no complexity ceiling. Employment Hero's guided implementation is capped at under 100 employees on standard awards.
Payday Super-ready - Definitiv Evo's Beam integration is established and live. Employment Hero's HeroClear is a third-party partnership still rolling out to customers.

Definitiv Evo is built for you and the way you work — not the other way around.

Is Definitiv Evo suitable for businesses with complex Australian awards and EBAs?

Yes. Definitiv Evo's Award Engine is 100% configurable. Your payroll team builds, manages and updates awards, EBAs and agreements directly in the platform without external consultants or engineers. The engine automates breaks, allowances, penalty rates and overtime, and processes multiple awards for a single employee within a single shift. When awards change, retrospective recalculations happen automatically.

For businesses with complex EBAs or unique pay conditions, this means accurate, compliant payroll without workarounds, manual calculations or additional fees.

Can Definitiv Evo support multiple business entities?

Yes, Definitiv Evo natively supports multi-entity management within a single, unified platform — with full data integrity, entity-level separation and consolidated reporting as standard.

Employment Hero manages multiple entities through separate payroll files, with one bank account and one accounting integration per file, requiring manual consolidation across instances. For businesses managing multiple ABNs or operational structures, this is a meaningful architectural difference.

How does Definitiv Evo compare to Employment Hero for Payday Super?

Definitiv Evo is already ready. Its direct Beam integration is established, automated and live for all customers — super is calculated, validated and processed automatically with every pay run. There is nothing to set up and no external portals to manage ahead of the 1 July 2026 deadline.

Employment Hero's solution, HeroClear is built via a third-party partnership with Zepto and OZEDI and is currently rolling out to AU Payroll customers. Existing Employment Hero customers on other clearing houses will need to transition to HeroClear before 1 July 2026.

Learn more about Definitiv Evo supports Payday Super.

Can Definitiv Evo scale as my business grows?

Yes and it is built specifically for that purpose. Definitiv Evo scales from 50 to 5,000+ employees without re-platforming, infrastructure upgrades or costly reconfigurations. Whether you are adding sites, expanding your workforce, taking on more complex awards or managing additional entities, the platform adapts without disruption.

There is no complexity ceiling — the same platform serves a 50-person business and a 2,000-person enterprise with the same configurability and compliance confidence.

Speak to our specialist.

What does migrating from Employment Hero to Definitiv Evo involve?

Our implementation team works with you every step of the way:

Data migration - Extract and validate your payroll and employee data.
Configuration - Set up your awards, EBAs and pay conditions directly in Definitiv Evo.
Parallel runs - Run both systems simultaneously to validate accuracy before go-live.
Training - Onboard your payroll team and managers on the new platform.
Go-live - Launch with dedicated support and post-implementation assistance.

Speak to a specialist to discuss your migration.

Is Definitiv Evo right for my business if we are already on Employment Hero?

If your business is growing in complexity with more sites, more awards, more entities, or simply a need for a platform that works around your specific needs rather than a template — then yes, Definitiv Evo is worth switching to.

Definitiv Evo is purpose-built for Australian businesses from 50 to 5,000+ employees that need more than a plug-and-play solution. It is fully configurable, built to scale and designed to get it right from day one.

Not sure if you should switch? Here are 5 questions to help you decide. Or if you’re ready to see Definitiv Evo in action - book your free demo now.