Softwr

HR · head to head

Employment Hero vs Homebase

Employment Hero logo

Employment Hero

HR

Australian HR, payroll and recruitment platform for employment management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Homebase logo

Homebase

HR

Scheduling, time tracking and HR for hourly teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Employment Hero hR plans require minimum of 10 users; Homebase free Basic plan is capped at 10 employees and a single location
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Employment Hero and Homebase actually diverge.

Attributes where Employment Hero and Homebase differ
AttributeEmployment HeroHomebase

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Employment Hero

  • HR and payroll management for small to medium businessesnot Homebase
  • Recruitment and candidate screening using AI video interviewsnot Homebase
  • Leave management and compliancenot Homebase

Homebase

  • Managing shift schedules across restaurant locationsnot Employment Hero
  • Automating tip pool calculations and distributionnot Employment Hero
  • Processing payroll directly from time trackingnot Employment Hero
  • Onboarding and verifying hourly employeesnot Employment Hero

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Employment Hero

  • HR plans require minimum of 10 users
  • Custom pricing required for HR Elite and Employment Unlimited tiers
  • Currency is AUD only, may require currency conversion for non-AU customers

Homebase

  • Free Basic plan is capped at 10 employees and a single location
  • Paid plans are billed per location per month ($30, $70 or $120), so a multi-location business pays the rate again for each site
  • Payroll is a separate add-on at $39 per month plus $6 per month per employee paid
  • Tip Manager and Task Manager are further add-ons billed per location per month on top of the base plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Employment Hero

Free
  • Free Tier (Recruitment)Free
    • Candidate scoring and ranking
    • 50 complimentary AI video interviews (one-time)
  • HR Essentials$10/month
    • Leave management
    • Employee records
    • Document management
  • HR Engage$14/month
    • All HR Essentials features
    • Recruitment
    • Performance management
  • Pro 50 (Recruitment)$199/month
    • 50 AI video interviews (24/7)
    • Full ATS pipeline
    • Candidate scoring

Homebase

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Up to 10 employees per location
    • Basic scheduling
    • Time tracking
  • Essentials$24/month
    • Unlimited employees per location
    • Advanced scheduling
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$56/month
    • Unlimited employees per location
    • AI-powered scheduling
    • PTO controls
  • All-in-One$96/month
    • Unlimited employees per location
    • Employee onboarding
    • Labor cost management

Which should you pick?

Choose Employment Hero if

  • You want to start without paying.
Employment Hero review

Choose Homebase if

  • You want to start without paying.
Homebase review

Questions people ask

Is Employment Hero or Homebase better?
Neither clearly leads. Employment Hero starts at Free and Homebase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Employment Hero or Homebase?
Employment Hero starts at Free and Homebase at Free.
Does Employment Hero or Homebase run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Employment Hero for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Employment Hero best used for?
Employment Hero is most often used for hr and payroll management for small to medium businesses, recruitment and candidate screening using ai video interviews, leave management and compliance. Of those, hr and payroll management for small to medium businesses and recruitment and candidate screening using ai video interviews are not what Homebase is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Employment Hero: How much does Employment Hero cost per employee?

HR plans cost from $10 per employee per month for HR Essentials, $14 per month for HR Engage. Add-ons like managed payroll cost $20 per employee per month. All prices are in AUD with a minimum of 10 users per company.

Source
Homebase: Does Homebase offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, Homebase annual billing offers savings: Essentials saves $72/year, Plus saves $168/year, All-in-One saves $288/year compared to monthly billing.

Source
Employment Hero: Is there a free trial or free version of Employment Hero?

Yes, the Recruitment module offers a free tier with candidate scoring and 50 complimentary AI video interviews (one-time). HR plans do not include a free tier but start at $10 per employee monthly.

Source
Homebase: Is there a free trial for Homebase?

Homebase offers a free 14-day trial of the All-in-One plan with no credit card required.

Source
Employment Hero: What is the minimum commitment for Employment Hero?

HR plans require a minimum of 10 users. The initial HR contract is billed based on the greater of the minimum commitment or actual billable employees. Add-ons have minimum monthly costs, such as $20 for Chat and $40 for Rostering.

Source
Homebase: What does Homebase Payroll cost?

Homebase Payroll costs $39 per month base plus $6 per employee per month, with add-ons available for Tip Manager ($25/month) and Background Checks ($30 each).

Source
Employment Hero: Does Employment Hero include add-on fees beyond the base plan?

Yes, add-ons include Chat ($2 per employee/month, minimum $20), Rostering ($4 per employee/month, minimum $40), Managed Payroll ($20 per employee/month, minimum $400), and other services with separate pricing.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Employment Hero

More on Homebase

Keep looking

Other head to heads