Employment Hero vs VIVA HR
Choosing between Employment Hero and VIVA HR means deciding between a global HR powerhouse and a focused hiring specialist. Employment Hero is a full Employment OS with global reach, while VIVA HR is laser-focused on streamlining recruitment pipelines. Here’s how to pick the right one for your team.
Best for: Growing SMEs wanting a single platform for HR, payroll, and recruitment, Companies planning international expansion and needing a managed Employer of Record
Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses focused solely on improving their hiring pipeline, Teams needing a simple, affordable ATS with unlimited job postings
Powerful all-in-one platform with mixed support.
Employment Hero is a comprehensive, AI-driven system for managing global HR, payroll, and compliance. We found it offers significant time-saving potential and a unified employee experience. Overall, it's a robust solution for growing businesses, but its value depends heavily on your ability to navigate its modular pricing and variable customer support.
Pros
- All-in-one platform for HR, payroll, recruitment, and benefits.
- AI-powered features automate hiring, shortlisting, and administrative tasks.
- Strong global capability via HeroForce managed service for 180+ countries.
- Employee superapp improves engagement and provides easy access to info.
Cons
- Customer support responsiveness can be inconsistent or slow.
- Onboarding and initial setup process can be complex.
- Pricing model with modules and tiers can feel less transparent.
- Some users report occasional software bugs or feature delays.
Affordable ATS with Powerful Collaboration Tools.
We recognize VIVA HR provides exceptional value and strong features, particularly for small businesses needing an accessible ATS. The platform excels at automated actions and team collaboration, which simplifies complex recruiting pipelines. Overall, we see VIVA HR as a powerful and affordable system, but potential users must also be aware of concerning reports related to unauthorized billing and platform-associated spam issues.
Pros
- Excellent value proposition, especially for small business ATS needs.
- Recruitment process is routinely described as smooth and stress-free.
- Automated actions significantly simplify complex HR workflows.
- Highly praised and responsive customer support team is readily available.
Cons
- Repeated association with candidate spamming and dubious emails on the platform.
- Reports cite difficulty canceling service and unauthorized recurring charges.
- Some high-value candidates are deterred by mandatory application questionnaires.
- Initial difficulty reported with posting jobs or receiving applicants during the trial stage.
AboutEmployment Hero
✨ Employment Hero is an AI-powered Employment Operating System (EmploymentOS). It provides software for businesses to manage their own teams, and a managed service called HeroForce that acts as the legal employer in 180+ countries, handling contracts, payroll, and compliance. It’s designed for SMEs and growing organizations across almost any industry.
AboutVIVA HR
VIVA HR is a robust platform designed to help organizations manage their talent acquisition and team engagement efforts. It appears built for internal users responsible for sourcing, hiring, and analyzing workforce metrics. The system provides practical communication tools, including Email and Text capabilities. It effectively helps you manage the full journey, from candidate Sourcing to issuing Offer Letters. VIVA HR aims to improve overall communication and workflow efficiency within your company. ✅
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Overall HR vs. Hiring Focus
Employment Hero is a complete HR operating system. VIVA HR is a dedicated hiring tool.
Employment Hero bundles HR, payroll, recruitment, and benefits into one platform. It aims to be the single system for your entire employment lifecycle. VIVA HR specializes in the hiring pipeline. It excels at sourcing, tracking candidates, and facilitating team collaboration for recruitment decisions. The key difference is scope. Employment Hero handles everything after the hire. VIVA HR stops once the candidate becomes an employee. If you need to manage ongoing payroll and HR, Employment Hero is the choice. If hiring is your only pain point, VIVA HR is simpler.
Global & Compliance Power
Employment Hero offers global hiring via HeroForce. VIVA HR is a domestic hiring tool.
Employment Hero's HeroForce service lets you hire employees in 180+ countries. It acts as the legal employer, handling contracts, tax, and compliance. VIVA HR does not offer any global employment or compliance services. It is designed for hiring within your existing legal framework. For scaling internationally, Employment Hero solves a massive legal headache. VIVA HR simply cannot compete in this arena. A startup expanding to Germany would use HeroForce. A local clinic hiring nurses would use VIVA HR.
Recruitment & Applicant Tracking
Both tools offer strong ATS features. VIVA HR is more specialized and affordable for pure hiring.
Employment Hero includes AI-powered shortlisting, interview scheduling, and candidate management. These features are often part of its broader HR package. VIVA HR's core purpose is ATS. It offers unlimited job postings, candidates, and culture profiles on its popular Growth plan for $125/month. For a dedicated, cost-effective ATS, VIVA HR's Growth plan is compelling. Employment Hero's hiring tools may be part of a larger, more expensive bundle. A company hiring 50 people a month would find VIVA HR's unlimited model very efficient.
Payroll & Financial Integration
Employment Hero has built-in payroll. VIVA HR has no payroll capabilities.
Employment Hero's intelligent payroll system automates calculations, tax, and submissions. It integrates directly with its HR data for accuracy. VIVA HR contains no payroll features. It is solely focused on the recruitment and hiring process before payroll begins. This is a clear win for Employment Hero if you need a unified system. You must use a separate payroll provider with VIVA HR. A small business wanting one login for payroll and HR would choose Employment Hero.
Employee Experience & Engagement
Employment Hero provides a full employee superapp. VIVA HR's experience ends at the offer letter.
The Employment Hero Work app lets employees view payslips, request leave, and access benefits. It's a central hub for their work life. VIVA HR's user experience is primarily for hiring managers and recruiters. It does not offer an employee-facing portal for ongoing HR tasks. Employment Hero aims to improve daily employee engagement. VIVA HR aims to improve the efficiency of the hiring team. An employee checking their benefits and payslips uses Employment Hero. A hiring manager reviewing candidates uses VIVA HR.
Pricing & Value
VIVA HR offers simple, flat-rate plans. Employment Hero's pricing is per-employee and can scale up.
VIVA HR's Growth plan is $125/month for unlimited users and job postings. This is predictable and great for scaling teams. Employment Hero starts at $10/employee/month for HR essentials, with payroll and recruitment as add-ons. Costs grow with team size and modules. For a 50-person team, VIVA HR's cost is fixed. Employment Hero's cost would be $500+/month plus any module fees. Value depends on needs. VIVA HR is a pure hiring tool bargain. Employment Hero offers more, for a higher price.
Ease of Use & Setup
VIVA HR is praised for intuitive setup. Employment Hero's implementation is more complex.
VIVA HR is frequently described as smooth and stress-free to set up. Its guided onboarding helps users get started quickly. Employment Hero is a comprehensive system. Its implementation and onboarding process is often cited as complex, requiring more planning. VIVA HR wins for quick, simple deployment. Employment Hero requires more investment in setup for its broader feature set. A company needing an ATS tomorrow would start with VIVA HR. A company planning a full HR digital transformation would choose Employment Hero.
Employment Hero pricing: Employment Hero offers tiered subscription plans starting at $10 per employee/month for HR essentials, alongside specialized AI recruitment and payroll solutions. Costs scale based on team size and selected modules, with both monthly and annual billing options available for specific services like the AI Recruitment Agent at $199/month (billed annually).
Professional managed services under the HeroForce brand are also offered with custom pricing, allowing businesses to tailor their plan to their specific needs and workforce size. Note that a minimum of 10 users is required for core subscriptions and pricing is quoted in AUD excluding GST for the Australian market.
Some plans also offer flexibility for single entity or global expansion setups, simplifying the complexity of multi-national compliance and local payroll management through their unified platform infrastructure. Businesses can scale their usage of AI-powered tools such as video interviewing and candidate scoring as their hiring needs grow over time, ensuring they only pay for the capacity they actually use each month through transparent tiered pricing.
VIVA HR costs between $83 and $299 per month with three main software plans: Standard at $83/month, Growth (Most Popular) at $125/month, and Premier at $299/month, plus a managed service option called Autopilot.
Let's look closely at what features are included with each plan, so you can choose the best fit for your team. Billing is flexible, allowing monthly payments or annual billing which saves up to 42%.
Standard
Price: $83/mo Best For: Limited hiring needs or small teams Other Features:
- 5 Active Job Postings
- 1 Location
- 1 User
- Unlimited Candidates
- Candidate Automations
- 5 Active Job Postings
- 1 Location
- 1 User
- Unlimited Candidates
- Unlimited Culture Profiles
- Unlimited Job Postings
- Unlimited Locations
- Unlimited Users
- Unlimited Candidates
- Unlimited Culture Profiles
- All Growth Features +
- AI-powered Hiring Assistant & recruiting tools
- eSignatures
- Custom Roles & Permissions
- Text Messaging
- Managed job ad creation and optimization
- Applicant screening
- Pre-employment checks
- Schedule on-site interviews
- Job scorecards and interview guides
Pricing Notes
- Employment Hero pricing is per employee per month, with a minimum of 10 users for core plans.
- VIVA HR offers flat monthly fees. The Growth plan at $125/month includes unlimited users and job postings.
- Choosing annual billing with VIVA HR saves up to 42% compared to monthly billing.
- Employment Hero's managed service, HeroForce, has custom pricing not listed publicly.
- VIVA HR's managed service, Hiring Autopilot, also has custom pricing.
Pricing Head-to-Head
User Reviews
We found mixed sentiment from users on Trustpilot and Capterra, though we could only access a limited set of reviews. Users frequently praise the platform's ease of use and the time-saving benefits of having payroll, HR, and employee management integrated.
👍 Recurring positives include the intuitive mobile app for employees and the helpfulness of customer support in resolving issues. However, a common point of friction is customer service responsiveness, with some reporting slow or inconsistent support.
The platform has streamlined our payroll and HR processes significantly. The employee app is a great touch for the team. Support was helpful when we needed it.
User feedback is sharply divided, presenting VIVA HR as a highly valuable tool but one associated with serious operational warnings. Many users rave that it is the perfect, inexpensive ATS solution for small businesses, praising its ability to organize job postings, streamline candidates, and provide a game-changing recruitment strategy.
The customer support team is frequently called "amazing" and "fantastic," often offering prompt, helpful responses. However, a significant portion of feedback raises major alarms regarding system governance.
We had a hard time finding the right ATS for our small business. Many options were too expensive or had unnecessary features. VIVAHR was exactly what we needed. It’s a 5-Star experience!
Our Verdict
Choosing between Employment Hero and VIVA HR isn't about which is better—it's about what problem you need to solve. They serve very different needs. Employment Hero's superpower is being your global Employment OS. It handles HR, payroll, benefits, and hiring in one system, and can even employ your staff worldwide through HeroForce. It's built for businesses managing the full employee lifecycle. VIVA HR's superpower is being a focused, affordable hiring machine. It excels at simplifying recruitment pipelines, automating candidate communication, and offering unlimited postings on its Growth plan. It's built for teams that want a great ATS without the extra cost. The deciding factor is your primary pain point. If you're drowning in payroll, compliance, and scattered HR tools, Employment Hero is the comprehensive answer. If hiring is slow, messy, and eating your budget, VIVA HR is the streamlined specialist. For most small businesses just needing to hire effectively, VIVA HR's Growth plan offers unbeatable value. For growing companies ready to invest in a unified HR and global compliance platform, Employment Hero is the strategic choice. Pick the tool that solves your biggest headache first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for small teams: Employment Hero or VIVA HR?
VIVA HR is often better for small teams focused only on hiring. Its Growth plan costs $125/month for unlimited users. Employment Hero starts at $10/employee but requires a 10-user minimum, which may be larger than needed.
Can I hire international employees with VIVA HR?
No, VIVA HR is an applicant tracking system for domestic hiring. To hire and legally employ staff in other countries, you would need Employment Hero's managed service, HeroForce, which operates in 180+ countries.
Does Employment Hero have payroll like VIVA HR?
This is a key difference. Employment Hero has fully integrated, intelligent payroll. VIVA HR does not offer any payroll features. If you need payroll, you must use Employment Hero or a separate payroll provider with VIVA HR.
Is VIVA HR worth it if I only need basic hiring features?
Yes, for basic hiring, VIVA HR's Standard plan at $83/month is a great entry point. It offers unlimited candidates and automations for a single user, providing solid value for simple recruiting needs.
Which platform is easier to set up and use?
User reviews consistently praise VIVA HR for its intuitive setup and smooth hiring process. Employment Hero is more comprehensive, which can make its initial onboarding and implementation more complex to navigate.
Can I get a free trial for both platforms?
Yes, both offer free trials. VIVA HR explicitly includes a free trial with all its Standard, Growth, and Premier plans. Employment Hero offers free trials for specific tools, like its AI Recruitment Agent.
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.