Softwr

HR · head to head

Employment Hero vs SmartHR

Employment Hero logo

Employment Hero

HR

Australian HR, payroll and recruitment platform for employment management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartHR logo

SmartHR

HR

Japanese back-office cloud for labor management, payroll and talent management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Employment Hero has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Employment Hero hR plans require minimum of 10 users; SmartHR no specific pricing published on vendor website
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Employment Hero and SmartHR differ
AttributeEmployment HeroSmartHR
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: 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 SmartHR
  • Recruitment and candidate screening using AI video interviewsnot SmartHR
  • Leave management and compliancenot SmartHR

SmartHR

  • Reducing combined processing time by 88% across HR functionsnot Employment Hero
  • Centralizing employee information through onboarding to offboardingnot Employment Hero
  • Distributing payroll and salary statements via mobile appnot Employment Hero
  • Automating document distribution and employee communicationsnot Employment Hero
  • Integrating with 120+ external systems for extended functionalitynot 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

SmartHR

  • No specific pricing published on vendor website
  • Requires direct quotation for customized pricing
  • Multiple plan options create complexity in pricing structure

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

SmartHR

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the SmartHR review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Employment Hero if

  • You want to start without paying.
Employment Hero review

Choose SmartHR if

Nothing in the data separates SmartHR from Employment Hero on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

SmartHR review

Questions people ask

Is Employment Hero or SmartHR better?
Neither clearly leads. Employment Hero starts at Free and SmartHR at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Employment Hero or SmartHR?
Employment Hero has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Employment Hero and On request for SmartHR.
Does Employment Hero or SmartHR 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?
Yes. Employment Hero has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SmartHR starts at On request.
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 SmartHR 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
SmartHR: How much does SmartHR cost?

SmartHR pricing is customized per organization based on features and user count. The vendor does not publish standard pricing rates. Customers must use the estimation tool or contact the vendor directly to receive a personalized quote. No additional charges are assessed beyond monthly usage fees.

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
SmartHR: What is SmartHR's free tier?

SmartHR offers a free plan (¥0プラン) for small businesses with up to 30 employees. This tier provides basic employee data management without additional charges, making it suitable for very small organizations or trials.

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
SmartHR: What are SmartHR's plan options?

SmartHR provides multiple plans including HR Strategy Plan (labor and talent management), Essential Plan (labor management focus), Talent Management Plan (employee growth focus), and a specialized plan for companies with 50 or fewer employees. Optional add-ons including payroll, attendance tracking, and recruitment are available.

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 SmartHR

Keep looking

Other head to heads