Employment Hero and KeyPay are related products under the same company. KeyPay was acquired by Employment Hero and is now “Employment Hero Payroll” in Australia — a payroll-only, API-first product. Employment Hero is the full HRIS recommended for AU SMBs needing integrated payroll, HR, onboarding and leave. Employment Star implements both, and primarily recommends Employment Hero for SMBs.
They’re not really competitors — KeyPay is Employment Hero now. KeyPay was a standalone, API-first payroll engine; after the acquisition it was rebranded Employment Hero Payroll in Australia. Employment Hero is the broader all-in-one HR and payroll platform (HRIS) that most small and medium businesses use.
| Employment Hero (HRIS) | Employment Hero Payroll (formerly KeyPay) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | All-in-one HR + payroll platform | Payroll-only engine (API-first) |
| Best suited to | SMBs wanting HR, payroll, onboarding & leave in one place | Businesses/partners needing a payroll engine to embed or integrate |
| Core features | HR records, onboarding, leave, performance, payroll, employee app | Pay runs, awards, STP, super, integrations |
| Award automation | Yes | Yes |
| STP Phase 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Who we recommend it for | Most Australian SMBs | Payroll-heavy or integration-led use cases |
For most Australian SMBs, Employment Hero is the better fit — you get HR and payroll in one system with onboarding, leave and an employee app, not just pay runs. If you specifically need a standalone, integration-led payroll engine, Employment Hero Payroll (formerly KeyPay) may suit. Employment Star implements both and will recommend the right one after a short discovery call — there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
If you’re on KeyPay today, you’re already on Employment Hero Payroll — moving to the full Employment Hero HRIS is an upgrade, not a rip-and-replace. Employment Star handles the configuration and data so HR and payroll sit together cleanly. Explore our Employment Hero implementation and Employment Hero Payroll services.
Talk to a certified Employment Hero partner. We’ll recommend the right product and handle the setup.
KeyPay was acquired by Employment Hero and rebranded Employment Hero Payroll in Australia. It’s the payroll-only product within the wider Employment Hero ecosystem.
Employment Hero is the full HR + payroll platform (HRIS). Employment Hero Payroll (formerly KeyPay) is the payroll-only engine. Most SMBs use the full platform.
For most Australian SMBs, the full Employment Hero platform — it combines HR, onboarding, leave and payroll in one place rather than payroll alone.
Yes. Because they’re the same ecosystem, moving to the full Employment Hero HRIS is an upgrade. Employment Star manages the configuration and data migration.
Yes — Employment Star is a certified Employment Hero implementation partner and sets up both the full platform and Employment Hero Payroll.
