Prices checked 3 November 2026 on each vendor’s official US and Australian pricing pages (linked below). We show prices as US$ / A$ exactly as each vendor publishes them and don’t convert currencies. Where a vendor doesn’t publish a price for one region, we say “see vendor site”. Prices change often, so confirm the current price, and whether it includes sales tax, VAT or GST, before you buy. Deputy prices exclude tax. Employment Hero’s pricing page doesn’t say whether GST is included, so check at checkout.
How we put this together: this comparison is based on the vendors’ public pricing pages, help documentation and app-marketplace listings. We have not run these products in a live business file for this article, and we say so wherever that matters. How we review.
Mostly AU/NZ-specific: Single Touch Payroll, super and modern awards are Australian requirements, and Employment Hero is sold in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore and Malaysia, not the US. Deputy is sold worldwide. Xero Payroll is included in Australian plans but is a paid add-on in the US.
Employers have three common ways to pay staff alongside Xero: use Xero’s own payroll, use Employment Hero for payroll plus HR, or use Deputy for rostering and time and attendance, often feeding hours into payroll. They aren’t direct substitutes. They solve overlapping but different problems.
What each one is for
- Xero Payroll is part of your Xero subscription in Australia, where it covers pay runs, Single Touch Payroll reporting and automated super, with a set number of people included depending on your plan. In the US, Xero Payroll is powered by Gusto and billed separately.
- Employment Hero is an HR and payroll platform: onboarding, contracts, leave, performance and payroll. It integrates with Xero. Available in AU, NZ, the UK, Singapore and Malaysia.
- Deputy is rostering, timesheets and time and attendance, with payroll and HR available as add-ons. It integrates with Xero and is sold internationally.
Prices (USD and AUD, checked November 2026)
| Xero Payroll | Employment Hero | Deputy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it’s priced | Australia: included in the Xero plan. US: separate add-on | Per employee per month (conditions apply) | Per user per month; minimum monthly spend US$30 / A$30 on monthly plans |
| Entry price | US: US$36/month + US$6 per person (powered by Gusto). AU: Ignite A$37/month includes payroll for 1 person; Grow A$78 for 2; Comprehensive A$107 for 5 | USD: not offered in the US. AU: Payroll A$10 per employee; HR Essentials A$11; HR Engage A$15 | Lite US$5 / A$6.75; Core US$6.50 / A$8.75; Pro US$9 / A$13 per user (ex tax) |
| Bigger teams | AU: Ultimate 10/20/50/100 (A$143–A$300/month) cover 10 to 100 people. US: per-person pricing as above | Employment Unlimited and HR Elite: price on application | AU: All-in-One bundle A$13.95 per user (shown reduced from A$16.40). USD bundle: see vendor site |
| Add-ons | AU Ultra: extra employees $2 each | USD: not offered in the US / AU: Managed Payroll A$21 and HR Advisory A$15 per employee | Payroll add-on US$8 per user + US$49 base fee (US, by Paycor) / A$5 per user; HR add-on US$2 / A$3.50 per user |
Worked example: an Australian café with 8 casual staff
These are illustrative list-price figures only, not quotes. Your actual price will depend on plan choice, GST, minimums and current offers.
- Xero only: 8 people exceeds Comprehensive’s 5, so you’d need Ultimate 10 at A$143/month (incl GST). That also includes accounting.
- Xero + Deputy Core for rostering: 8 × A$8.75 = A$70/month ex tax for Deputy, on top of the Xero plan that runs payroll.
- Employment Hero Payroll: 8 × A$10 = A$80/month before any minimums or conditions Employment Hero applies, on top of your Xero subscription for accounting.
In the US, the same café would pay for Xero Payroll separately (US$36 + 8 × US$6 = US$84 a month on top of the Xero plan), or could use Deputy with its Paycor-powered payroll add-on.
How to choose
- Count your people and how they’re paid. Salaried staff on fixed hours often need nothing beyond your accounting platform’s payroll. Rostered casuals benefit from rostering and timesheet tools.
- Decide whether you need HR software. If onboarding, contracts, leave approvals and performance reviews are a pain, Employment Hero covers HR as well as pay (outside the US).
- Check award and overtime rules. In Australia, ask each vendor how it handles your modern award’s penalty rates and overtime, and test a real roster during the trial. Elsewhere, check overtime and holiday-pay rules for your state or country.
- Confirm payroll reporting. In Australia that means STP Phase 2 and super clearing; in the US, payroll tax filings. Check with your accountant before you switch mid-year.
Our verdict
Small Australian teams on predictable hours are usually well served by the payroll already included in their Xero plan. Add Deputy when rostering and timesheets are the bottleneck. Consider Employment Hero once you want HR and payroll in one system. In the US, compare Xero’s Gusto-powered payroll with Deputy’s payroll add-on. Payroll mistakes are expensive, so get your accountant or bookkeeper to sign off the setup.
Official links
- Xero Australia pricing plans
- Xero US pricing plans
- Employment Hero pricing (Australia)
- Deputy pricing (US)
- Deputy pricing (Australia)
- Deputy on the Xero App Store
General information only. This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice, and doesn’t consider your circumstances. Talk to your accountant, bookkeeper or tax adviser (in Australia, a registered tax or BAS agent) before changing systems.