Employment Hero vs Remote - Which Is Right for Your Business?
Wondering whether Employment Hero or Remote is the better fit for Retail & E-commerce? We break down features, pricing, and real-world suitability so you can choose with confidence - backed by 12+ of hands-on experience.
Feature Comparison
What our notes on Employment Hero and Remote say, feature by feature.
Employee onboarding
Employment Hero
Onboarding wizards, leave requests and approvals, policies and certification records with expiry dates from the HR Essentials plan up
Remote
Self-serve onboarding platform allows new international hires to complete documentation without manual HR intervention
Payroll processing
Employment Hero
Combined HR, payroll, recruitment and employee engagement tools in one platform, with Payroll sold on its own or bundled into Employment Unlimited
Remote
Employer of Record in 60+ countries with full local compliance, benefits, and payroll handled by Remote legal entities
Performance reviews
Employment Hero
Performance reviews, 1:1s, feedback and expense claims from HR Engage, with goals and 360 reviews from HR Elite
Remote
Not covered in our notes
Reporting
Employment Hero
Limitation: HR platform API access, custom workflows, custom reports and single sign-on are on HR Elite and Employment Unlimited, both priced on request
Remote
Limitation: Platform is newer than Deel and some features are still maturing, particularly around reporting and analytics
Benefits administration
Employment Hero
Not covered in our notes
Remote
Transparent, flat-rate EOR pricing without hidden fees or markups on benefits makes budgeting predictable
Time tracking
Employment Hero
The Employment Hero Work app, where employees request leave, submit timesheets and access discount and cashback perks
Remote
Not covered in our notes
Integrations with accounting
Employment Hero
Not covered in our notes
Remote
Limitation: Integration ecosystem with HRIS and accounting tools is growing but not as extensive as more established platforms
Value for money
Employment Hero
Limitation: Payroll is a separate plan from the three HR plans unless you take Employment Unlimited, which is priced on request
Remote
See “Benefits administration” above
Entries come from our notes on each tool. Where one reads “Not covered in our notes”, we have nothing checked to say about that feature for that tool. It does not mean the tool lacks it.
Pricing Comparison
General pricing information for each platform.
Employment Hero
Australian HR plans are HR Essentials, HR Engage and HR Elite, with a separate Payroll plan and Employment Unlimited, which includes everything in HR Elite plus Payroll. HR Elite and Employment Unlimited are priced on request, and the HR and Payroll plans have a minimum of 10 users. Employment Hero shows current prices on its pricing page.
Prices shown are approximate and may differ based on your plan, team size, and billing cycle. Verify directly with the vendor for current AUD rates.
Remote
Contractor management from $29/contractor/month. EOR from $599/employee/month (flat rate, no hidden fees). Global payroll custom pricing. Free plan available for contractor management up to a limit.
Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.
Pros & Cons
An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.
Employment Hero
Pros
- Combined HR, payroll, recruitment and employee engagement tools in one platform, with Payroll sold on its own or bundled into Employment Unlimited
- The Employment Hero Work app, where employees request leave, submit timesheets and access discount and cashback perks
- Onboarding wizards, leave requests and approvals, policies and certification records with expiry dates from the HR Essentials plan up
- Performance reviews, 1:1s, feedback and expense claims from HR Engage, with goals and 360 reviews from HR Elite
- Payroll with pre-built modern awards, Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO and superannuation processing on the Payroll plan
Cons
- Payroll is a separate plan from the three HR plans unless you take Employment Unlimited, which is priced on request
- Subscriptions to the HR and Payroll plans are billed for a minimum of 10 users
- Rostering, advanced timesheets and the time clock are paid add-ons on the three HR plans
- HR platform API access, custom workflows, custom reports and single sign-on are on HR Elite and Employment Unlimited, both priced on request
Remote
Pros
- Employer of Record in 60+ countries with full local compliance, benefits, and payroll handled by Remote legal entities
- Contractor management with compliant contracts, automated payments, and tax documentation across jurisdictions
- IP protection built into employment contracts protects your intellectual property when hiring in countries with different IP laws
- Transparent, flat-rate EOR pricing without hidden fees or markups on benefits makes budgeting predictable
- Self-serve onboarding platform allows new international hires to complete documentation without manual HR intervention
Cons
- EOR country coverage (60+) is smaller than Deel (150+), which may be limiting for businesses hiring in less common jurisdictions
- Platform is newer than Deel and some features are still maturing, particularly around reporting and analytics
- Integration ecosystem with HRIS and accounting tools is growing but not as extensive as more established platforms
- Customer support has been reported as inconsistent, with response times varying based on time zone and query complexity
Best For
Which tool suits which use case.
Employment Hero
Best for Australian employers with 10 or more staff that want HR, payroll and employee engagement tools from one vendor, including onboarding, leave, performance reviews and award-based payroll.
Not ideal for teams of fewer than 10, since its HR and Payroll plans are billed for a minimum of 10 users, or businesses that want HR platform API access or custom HR workflows without moving to HR Elite or Employment Unlimited.
Remote
Best for businesses hiring full-time employees internationally that want transparent EOR pricing with strong IP protection and local compliance across 60+ countries.
Not ideal for businesses only hiring domestic Australian workers, or those needing EOR services in countries not yet covered by Remote compared to Deel broader reach.
Expert Verdict
Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.
Clever Ops Recommendation
Employment Hero is best for Australian employers with 10 or more staff that want HR, payroll and employee engagement tools from one vendor, including onboarding, leave, performance reviews and award-based payroll. Remote is best for businesses hiring full-time employees internationally that want transparent EOR pricing with strong IP protection and local compliance across 60+ countries. Employment Hero is not ideal for teams of fewer than 10, since its HR and Payroll plans are billed for a minimum of 10 users, or businesses that want HR platform API access or custom HR workflows without moving to HR Elite or Employment Unlimited. Remote is not ideal for businesses only hiring domestic Australian workers, or those needing EOR services in countries not yet covered by Remote compared to Deel broader reach. If you are still weighing the trade-offs, Clever Ops offers a free assessment where our Harvard-educated consultants map your requirements to the right platform.
Migration Notes
What to know about switching between Employment Hero and Remote.
Migrating Between Employment Hero and Remote
Migrating between Employment Hero and Remote involves transferring employees, payroll, benefits and mapping custom fields. Clever Ops follows a structured migration process: discovery, data mapping, test migration, verification, and cutover. We typically complete migrations within 4-8 weeks. Historical data is preserved, and we run parallel systems during the transition to minimise risk. Post-migration, we provide 3 months of support to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Employment Hero vs Remote FAQ
Employment Hero: Australian HR plans are HR Essentials, HR Engage and HR Elite, with a separate Payroll plan and Employment Unlimited, which includes everything in HR Elite plus Payroll. HR Elite and Employment Unlimited are priced on request, and the HR and Payroll plans have a minimum of 10 users. Employment Hero shows current prices on its pricing page. Remote: Contractor management from $29/contractor/month. EOR from $599/employee/month (flat rate, no hidden fees). Global payroll custom pricing. Free plan available for contractor management up to a limit. When comparing costs, factor in per-user charges, add-on modules, and implementation costs, not just the headline price. Clever Ops can model the total cost of ownership for your team size during a free assessment.
Employment Hero: Not ideal for teams of fewer than 10, since its HR and Payroll plans are billed for a minimum of 10 users, or businesses that want HR platform API access or custom HR workflows without moving to HR Elite or Employment Unlimited. Remote: Not ideal for businesses only hiring domestic Australian workers, or those needing EOR services in countries not yet covered by Remote compared to Deel broader reach. Clever Ops helps mid-market Australian businesses plan their tech stack for growth, not just for today.
If both tools are in the same category, you typically choose one as your primary system. However, some businesses run both during migration periods or for different teams. Clever Ops can sync them so your data stays consistent across both platforms.
For Retail & E-commerce businesses, prioritise: Employee onboarding, Payroll processing, Leave management, Performance reviews, Compliance tools. One Employment Hero strength: Combined HR, payroll, recruitment and employee engagement tools in one platform, with Payroll sold on its own or bundled into Employment Unlimited. One Remote strength: Employer of Record in 60+ countries with full local compliance, benefits, and payroll handled by Remote legal entities. Clever Ops can help you build a weighted requirements list and score each platform against it.
For Retail & E-commerce, the answer depends on your operational model. Employment Hero is best for Australian employers with 10 or more staff that want HR, payroll and employee engagement tools from one vendor, including onboarding, leave, performance reviews and award-based payroll. Remote is best for businesses hiring full-time employees internationally that want transparent EOR pricing with strong IP protection and local compliance across 60+ countries. Clever Ops has helped businesses across Retail & E-commerce choose the right stack. Book a free assessment for advice specific to your situation.
This page does not rate either vendor's security. Ask Employment Hero and Remote for their current certifications, how data is encrypted and who can access it. For Australian businesses handling sensitive data under the Privacy Act, data residency and local support are worth verifying with each vendor. Clever Ops, based in Gippsland, Victoria, can review each platform's security posture against your compliance requirements during a free assessment.
Employment Hero uses a REST API (Two separate APIs. The HR platform API uses OAuth 2.0 through a Developer Portal, on Employment Hero's top HR plans, and reads and writes employees, leave requests and timesheet entries (at most 10 per request), with webhooks for employee, leave and timesheet changes. Its pages state no rate limit. The Payroll API, formerly KeyPay, uses an API key with basic authentication or OAuth, accepts timesheets in bulk by standard or external employee ID, has webhooks for employees, leave and pay runs, and allows 5 requests a second per API key per IP address. When the HR platform is connected to Payroll, data flows one way, from HR to Payroll.), while Remote uses a REST API (REST API with OAuth 2.0 authentication. Rate limits apply. JSON responses. API documentation available at gateway.remote.com. Supports webhooks for employment lifecycle events.). With 12+ of integration experience, Clever Ops can tell you what each platform can and cannot do in production.
Yes. Employment Hero provides a REST API and Remote provides a REST API, so automations between them can be built against those APIs. Both tools hold records such as employees, payroll, benefits, so an automation would start there. Clever Ops builds these automations for mid-market Australian businesses, saving teams 8+ hours/week on average.
Related Comparisons
Other popular comparisons involving Employment Hero or Remote.
Explore These Tools
Connect These Tools
Already decided? See how to integrate Employment Hero and Remote seamlessly.
Related Resources
Employment Hero Integration Guide
Full integration capabilities for Employment Hero.
Connect Employment Hero to Remote
Set up automated data sync between these tools.
AI & Automation
Explore our ai & automation services for Australian businesses.
Professional Services Solutions
Automation solutions for professional services businesses.
Vector Database Setup Guide: Choosing, Installing, and Optimizing for Production
Complete guide to setting up and configuring vector databases for AI applications. Compare options, ...
Client Case Studies
See how Australian businesses automate with Clever Ops.
BambooHR vs Employment Hero
Another popular software comparison.
Employment Hero vs Gusto
Another popular software comparison.
Pricing
Transparent pricing for automation services.
Still weighing Employment Hero against Remote?
We help you pick the one that suits how you actually work, then move your data across without losing history. Vendor-neutral advice from a team that has done it for 50+ Australian businesses.