Employment Hero vs Smartsheet

Employment Hero

Employment Hero is an all-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform with a strong presence in Australia and New Zealand. It offers a free HR plan alongside paid payroll and benefits modules, making it accessible for businesses at any stage. Employment Hero also operates a job marketplace called Swag for employees.

Freemium pricing · Get Pricing →

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a work management platform that combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with powerful project management and collaboration features. It is widely used by enterprise teams for project tracking, resource management, and automated workflows. Smartsheet is particularly popular with teams comfortable with Excel who need more collaboration and automation capabilities.

Paid pricing · Get Pricing →

Pros

• ✓Free HR plan available with core employee management features
• ✓Strong compliance tools for Australian and NZ employment law
• ✓All-in-one platform covering HR, payroll, and benefits
• ✓Employee benefits marketplace with discounts and perks

Cons

• ✗Payroll module costs extra and is best suited for AU/NZ companies
• ✗Limited support and compliance coverage outside Australia and New Zealand
• ✗Some users report the platform can feel complex to navigate

Pros

• ✓Familiar spreadsheet interface reduces learning curve for Excel users
• ✓Powerful automation and workflow capabilities
• ✓Strong enterprise security and compliance features
• ✓Excellent for managing large portfolios of projects

Cons

• ✗Pricing is higher than many competitors
• ✗Interface feels dated compared to modern tools
• ✗No free plan — 30-day trial only
• ✗Less intuitive for teams unfamiliar with spreadsheet-style tools

Best For

Australian and NZ businesses needing full HR suite

Best For

Enterprise teams wanting spreadsheet-familiar project management with powerful automation