Employment Hero vs Insightly: The Complete Buyer's Guide for 2026
Our Harvard-educated consultants have implemented both Employment Hero and Insightly for Australian businesses. Here is what 12+ of experience has taught us about choosing between them.
Feature Comparison
Side-by-side feature ratings for Employment Hero and Insightly.
| Feature | Employment Hero | Insightly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | Insightly significantly outperforms Employment Hero on invoicing, making it the stronger choice for businesses that prioritise this area. | ||
| Expense tracking | When it comes to expense tracking, Employment Hero pulls clearly ahead of Insightly — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Bank reconciliation | For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong bank reconciliation, Insightly is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Payroll | For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong payroll, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Tax reporting and BAS | Insightly has a notable advantage in tax reporting and bas. | ||
| Multi-currency support | Both Employment Hero and Insightly offer comparable multi-currency support capabilities. | ||
| Contact management | For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong contact management, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Pipeline management | For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong pipeline management, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment. | ||
| Email automation | When it comes to email automation, Employment Hero pulls clearly ahead of Insightly — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Reporting and analytics | When it comes to reporting and analytics, Insightly pulls clearly ahead of Employment Hero — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team. | ||
| Integration ecosystem | Both Employment Hero and Insightly offer comparable integration ecosystem capabilities. | ||
| Mobile app | For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong mobile app, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment. |
Invoicing
Employment Hero
Insightly
Insightly significantly outperforms Employment Hero on invoicing, making it the stronger choice for businesses that prioritise this area.
Expense tracking
Employment Hero
Insightly
When it comes to expense tracking, Employment Hero pulls clearly ahead of Insightly — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Bank reconciliation
Employment Hero
Insightly
For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong bank reconciliation, Insightly is the more capable option in our assessment.
Payroll
Employment Hero
Insightly
For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong payroll, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment.
Tax reporting and BAS
Employment Hero
Insightly
Insightly has a notable advantage in tax reporting and bas.
Multi-currency support
Employment Hero
Insightly
Both Employment Hero and Insightly offer comparable multi-currency support capabilities.
Contact management
Employment Hero
Insightly
For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong contact management, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment.
Pipeline management
Employment Hero
Insightly
For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong pipeline management, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment.
Email automation
Employment Hero
Insightly
When it comes to email automation, Employment Hero pulls clearly ahead of Insightly — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Reporting and analytics
Employment Hero
Insightly
When it comes to reporting and analytics, Insightly pulls clearly ahead of Employment Hero — a factor worth weighing if this capability is important to your team.
Integration ecosystem
Employment Hero
Insightly
Both Employment Hero and Insightly offer comparable integration ecosystem capabilities.
Mobile app
Employment Hero
Insightly
For Retail & E-commerce that rely on strong mobile app, Employment Hero is the more capable option in our assessment.
Pricing Comparison
General pricing information for each platform.
Employment Hero
Free tier available; paid from ~$8/employee/month
Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.
Insightly
Free tier available; paid from ~$29/user/month
These figures are estimates based on publicly available pricing. Actual costs depend on your usage, team size, and any negotiated rates.
Pros & Cons
An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.
Employment Hero
Pros
- Extensive integration ecosystem with 30+ connectors
- Rich data model covering employees, payroll, leave and more
- Solid feature set for its price point
- Regular platform updates and improvements
- Cloud-based with reliable uptime
Cons
- Bank feed reliability varies by institution
- May not suit every workflow without customisation
- Complex data model may require expert configuration
- Support response times vary by plan tier
Insightly
Pros
- Cloud-based with reliable uptime
- Well-documented REST API for custom integrations
- Active user community and resources
- Well-established platform with strong market presence
- Centralised customer data for better sales outcomes
Cons
- Complex data model may require expert configuration
- Can require significant setup and customisation
- May not suit every workflow without customisation
- Data migration from other CRMs can be tricky
Best For
Which tool suits which use case.
Choose Employment Hero if you need
- ✓ Retail & E-commerce businesses
- ✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
- ✓ Complex data models (employees, payroll, leave and more)
- ✓ Hospitality & Tourism organisations
- ✓ Tax compliance
Choose Insightly if you need
- ✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
- ✓ Professional Services businesses
- ✓ Managing customer relationships
- ✓ Complex data models (contacts, organisations, opportunities and more)
- ✓ Manufacturing organisations
Expert Verdict
Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.
Clever Ops Recommendation
Comparing Employment Hero and Insightly is a bit like comparing apples and oranges — they solve different problems. Employment Hero handles your accounting & finance needs, while Insightly covers crm & sales. The value of this comparison lies in understanding how they work together. Clever Ops specialises in connecting these kinds of complementary tools for mid-market Australian businesses.
Migration Notes
What to know about switching between Employment Hero and Insightly.
Migrating Between Employment Hero and Insightly
Clever Ops takes a low-risk approach to migrating between Employment Hero and Insightly. We run both systems in parallel during the transition, transferring your core data in stages and verifying data at each step. Your team continues working in the existing system until the new one is fully validated. The process typically takes 4-8 weeks, followed by 3 months of hands-on support.
Employment Hero vs Insightly FAQ
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