When it comes to compliance with Australian employment and labour laws, it pays to get it right the first time.
Navigating our employment landscape can be a challenge. The onus is on employers to understand and adhere to all regulations and standards, which can be complex and employment laws frequently change. For small to medium-sized businesses who often lack a dedicated HR resource in-house, this can be especially tough.
Many business owners simply don’t have the time (or expertise) to manage their internal HR properly, especially as their business grows. It’s no surprise employers turn to HR software platforms to manage employment procedures, improve legal compliance, empower their managers, and power their payroll. But not all HR platforms are created equal, and it’s tough to compare platform features, service offerings, and pricing across multiple websites.
We’ve developed this resource to give business owners an at-a-glance comparison of the most popular HR platforms for small businesses in Australia, and demonstrate why MyHR is the best HR software for Australian small businesses.
When it comes to considering options for an HR platform that suits your needs, it’s important to weigh the platform features against the availability of expert HR support when employee situations arise that require extra care. For many small business owners, an HR platform that offers a full set of employee management features integrated with professional HR support when they need it provides the best solution.
A platform like MyHR automates time-consuming processes and paperwork and lets your people self-serve. You can generate personalised, fully compliant HR documentation in real time - from employment contracts to change letters - with digital acceptance built in.
Plus, the platform empowers teams to manage onboarding, leave, training, performance reviews, and goal tracking in one place. It’s all backed by our team of local HR experts, providing on-call advice and guidance for any situation.
| Feature / Capability | MyHR | Employment Hero | PeninsulaHR | BrightHR |
|
Australian employment law compliance |
Built-in compliance, proactive updates, HR/employment relations support included |
Australian-focused compliance |
Lacking software-driven legislative update mechanism - platform is advisory-led. |
Platform provides timely alerts about employment law updates, deadlines, and document expirations |
|
HR + employment relations advisory |
Unlimited HR advice from HR experts based in Australia |
HR advisory only available on most expensive pricing tier |
Advisory available, but via high-cost consulting model |
Call-centre format, advisory not a key platform feature. |
|
Payroll integration |
Integrates with leading Australian payroll providers |
Strong payroll available through EH payroll, additional cost to base plan. |
Payroll-ready data export |
Payroll reporting & export; not full processing |
|
Onboarding & offboarding |
Digital agreements, checklists, automated workflows and advisory support for onboarding design using software |
Strong workflows |
Process advice + software |
Software tools available |
|
Performance and development |
Employee notes, custom templates, OKRs, check-ins, self-appraisal, with advisor support for review design. |
Comprehensive software. Lacks integrated HR business partner support. |
Advisory-led, no software |
Basic objectives/records; not a full performance suite. |
|
Health & safety (WHS) |
WHS supported by HR advisory, compliance guidance and certification expiry tracking within platform |
No dedicated health & safety module |
Heavy health & safety focus, dedicated WHS software |
Health & safety software app, risk assessments and e-learns |
|
Employee self-service |
Digital document acceptance, leave requests, employment contract access |
Strong employee experience mobile app |
None (manual consultancy model) |
Strong mobile apps (HR docs, expense tracking, clock-in) |
|
Pricing transparency |
Straightforward pricing structure based on company headcount. Full access to platform and advisory. |
Complex tiers, add-ons. Advisory only available on top-tier |
Opaque pricing, long-term contracts |
Tiered pricing; advanced features/advice often add-on service/more expensive contracts |
|
Customer fit (Australian small business) |
100% designed for Australian small & medium-sized businesses |
Broad feature set designed for larger HR teams; may require dedicated HR expertise to administer effectively |
Best fit for enterprise and larger businesses willing to sign long-term consultancy contracts |
Suits businesses wanting HR admin + time tools; Australian compliance requires supplements |
|
Ownership |
Owned and operated in New Zealand and Australia |
Australian owned & operated |
Owned by UK investment firm |
Owned by UK investment firm |
MyHR supports thousands of employee relationships across Australia. All documentation and guidance is built to comply with the National Employment Standards, and Modern Awards. Clients who use MyHR know they’re getting an HR platform that’s compliant with Australian employment law, wherever you do business.
Our expert team of HR professionals knows Australian employment law inside out, and we’re across any new legislation or change in regulations. Updates flow seamlessly to clients through our AI-capable HRIS platform, whether it’s an update to employment agreements or company policy. It’s about ensuring your HR procedures and documentation are robust and low-risk, so our customers can get on with building their business.
Our team of experienced HR advisors are available on-call to help triage tricky situations, decide on next steps, and manage risk and liability to your organisation.
Where other platforms gate certain functionality behind paywalls or add-on modules, MyHR’s pricing structure is simple and transparent. Whether you’re a business with 10 employees or 100, all MyHR customers gain access to our entire platform from day one.
All software features, plus unlimited on-call support from our Aussie team of HR admins and advisors.
From its inception, MyHR has built human HR expertise into the platform, so customers get personalised support every step of the way. Whether it’s guidance for dealing with an employee who’s underperforming or assistance with creating company policies that are tailored to the business, MyHR’s team of HR professionals ensures every customer gets advice and support that’s specific to their situation.
Some HR platforms are feature-rich but overwhelming - you need to be an HR or tech professional to make the most of the software.
MyHR is designed for business owners and managers without HR backgrounds, with guided workflows for common tasks including hiring, onboarding, and performance reviews. From precise job descriptions, employment agreements, and performance tracking to shared calendars and employee self-service, MyHR’s platform is built from the ground up to take the burden out of managing people.
Employment relationships are human relationships and MyHR empowers not only employers and managers, it also provides employees with access and tools to build trust and participation.
Digital document acceptance, access to employment documentation, leave requests, 2-way performance reviews, MyHR builds a solid foundation for thriving employees. And with our powerful analytics and reporting tools, you’ll know exactly how your people and organization are tracking.
MyHR is the only HR platform designed for businesses with 10–150 employees. It combines HR software with on-call, HR advisory at a single per-headcount price, with no feature gating. It is one of the few platforms offering both a feature-rich, fully compliant employment management system, and unlimited access to human HR advisors without upgrading to an enterprise tier.
Book a demo with one of our HR Solutions Experts today to get started.
Yes. MyHR's platform and documentation templates are built to comply with the Fair Work Act and all other federal legislation as well as state and territorial regulations, e.g. Work Health & Safety laws, long service leave provisions.
Compliance updates are pushed to customers automatically whenever legislation changes.
No. MyHR's advisory team is employed in-house and based in Australia. Advisory support is included at all subscription tiers with no per-session fee.
MyHR is designed for small to medium-sized Australian businesses and is suitable for employers managing as few as a handful of employees. Its pricing is based on headcount, so smaller businesses pay proportionally less while still accessing the full platform and professional advisory support.
When employment legislation changes, MyHR's team reviews the impact and pushes relevant updates - including revised documentation templates and policy language - through the platform. Customers do not need to monitor law changes independently.
Traditional HR consulting firms charge on a project or hourly basis, which can make ongoing support expensive for small businesses. MyHR combines HR software (contracts, onboarding, performance management, leave tracking) with flat-rate access to Australian HR advisors, providing both the tools and the expertise in a single subscription.
For a full comparison, read our blog post on HR consultancy vs HR platforms.
Yes. The MyHR performance review module includes customisable review templates, OKR tracking, regular check-ins, self-appraisal workflows, and employee notes. Rich engagement tools drive collaboration with every employee and ensure appraisals are accurate and effective.
HR advisors are also available to help businesses design review processes tailored to their team structure and goals.