Deputy is Australia’s best-known rostering platform, and its scheduling and mobile experience are hard to beat. But payroll is a newer, separately-priced add-on layered onto a rostering-first product \u2014 and Deputy’s modular pricing means the headline plan rarely reflects what you actually pay once payroll, HR, and analytics are switched on. Workstem is built the other way around: payroll, award interpretation, rostering, and time and attendance are one integrated system from the start, driven by an AI calculation engine, priced pay-as-you-go, and available across Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. If payroll is the job to be done, Workstem is the more complete and more predictable choice. If world-class rostering is your first priority and payroll is secondary, Deputy still earns a look.<\/p>\n
This comparison is written for Australian payroll officers, HR managers, and operators who run award-covered, shift-based teams and want one platform to take them from roster to pay run.<\/p>\n
The compliance backdrop has raised the stakes on payroll specifically. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires Super Guarantee (SG) contributions to be paid on every pay run rather than quarterly. STP Phase 2 reporting to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is standard and must carry the full expanded data set. The SG rate is now 12%, and under the Closing Loopholes reforms, serious wage underpayment can be treated as a criminal offence.<\/p>\n
That matters here because the two platforms sit at different points on the roster-to-pay journey. Deputy has always been strongest at the front of that journey, rostering and time and attendance and has added payroll more recently. Workstem was designed as a payroll engine that pulls rostering and attendance into it. When the highest-risk, most-regulated part of the workflow is pay, the platform that treats payroll as its core, not its newest module, has an advantage.<\/p>\n
| FeaturE<\/th>\n | Workstem<\/th>\n | Deputy<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|
| Core design<\/td>\n | Payroll-first, all-in-one<\/td>\n | Rostering-first, payroll added later<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Native payroll<\/td>\n | Yes built-in, AI calculation engine<\/td>\n | Yes but as a separately-priced add-on (AU only)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Award interpretation<\/td>\n | Fair Work rules via API; included<\/td>\n | Awards Library and Pay Rate Builder; strong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| STP Phase 2<\/td>\n | Direct STP2 lodgement, one-click files<\/td>\n | Supported via Deputy Payroll add-on<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Payday Super readiness<\/td>\n | Super files generated in-platform<\/td>\n | Handled through Deputy Payroll<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rostering and time & attendance<\/td>\n | Built-in and integrated<\/td>\n | Best-in-class; the platform’s core strength<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mobile clock-in<\/td>\n | GPS, QR, Bluetooth, facial recognition<\/td>\n | GPS, QR; polished mobile experience<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| HR, analytics, messaging<\/td>\n | Included in the platform<\/td>\n | Mostly separate paid add-ons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Multi-country coverage<\/td>\n | Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan<\/td>\n | Global rostering; AU-only native payroll<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pricing model<\/td>\n | Pay-as-you-go, quote-based<\/td>\n | Base plan + add-ons; minimum spend required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Scale<\/td>\n | 2,000+ businesses across APAC<\/td>\n | 1.5M+ workers, 375,000+ workplaces<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nWho each platform is built for?<\/h2>\nDeputy launched in Sydney in 2008 and is now used by more than 1.5 million workers across 375,000-plus workplaces in over 100 countries. Its reputation is built on rostering, time and attendance, and a genuinely excellent mobile app, with particularly deep adoption in hospitality, retail, and healthcare. Award interpretation runs through its Awards Library and Pay Rate Builder, and Deputy Payroll \u2014 an Australia-only, end-to-end payroll add-on built for shift work \u2014 was introduced to close the loop that historically relied on exporting timesheets to Xero, MYOB, or Employment Hero.<\/p>\n Workstem, launched by OneJob Group in 2016 and used by over 2,000 businesses, was built as a payroll engine first. Its AI calculation engine collects roster, attendance, and leave data and calculates pay automatically, then lodges STP Phase 2 and generates super and bank files in one flow. Rostering and time and attendance feed that engine rather than sitting in front of a separate payroll product.<\/p>\n Native payroll versus an add-on<\/h2>\nThis is the crux of the comparison. With Deputy, payroll is a distinct product you switch on and pay for on top of your base rostering plan. It works \u2014 Deputy Payroll supports multi-entity pay runs, built-in award interpretation, and STP Phase 2 \u2014 but it is a newer layer, and many long-standing Deputy users still run pay through an integration with Xero or MYOB rather than Deputy’s own payroll. That handoff between rostering and a separate payroll system is exactly where data re-entry and reconciliation errors tend to appear.<\/p>\n Workstem removes the handoff. Approved hours pass through award interpretation and into the pay run inside one system, with ABA files, super files, payslips, and STP2 lodgement generated from the same completed run. Terminations and employment termination payment (ETP) scenarios follow a defined process within the pay run rather than being handled in a downstream tool. For a payroll officer, fewer systems in the chain means fewer places for a number to go wrong before it reaches the ATO.<\/p>\n 1. Award interpretation and Fair Work compliance<\/h3>\nBoth platforms interpret modern awards and enterprise agreements automatically, and Deputy’s Pay Rate Builder is a capable, flexible tool for constructing custom pay rules and penalty conditions \u2014 a real strength for operators who want to model bespoke arrangements. Workstem applies Fair Work and EBA rates across ordinary hours, weekends, and public holidays, with award rates kept current through a Fair Work API so they update after each Annual Wage Review.<\/p>\n The difference again is structural. In Deputy, award interpretation lives with the roster and then has to reach payroll, whether that is Deputy Payroll or a third-party system. In Workstem, interpretation and payroll are the same engine, so what you cost on the roster is what you pay in the run.<\/p>\n 2. Rostering, time & attendance, and mobile<\/h3>\nHere Deputy leads, and it is worth saying plainly: for pure rostering and shift management, Deputy’s scheduling tools, demand-based rostering, and mobile app set the market standard, which is why it is so widely adopted in hospitality and retail. Workstem’s rostering and time and attendance are solid and fully integrated into payroll, and its Workstem One app offers more clock-in methods \u2014 GPS, QR code, Bluetooth, and facial recognition \u2014 which helps with biometric verification and sites where GPS is unreliable. If rostering sophistication is your single most important criterion, Deputy has the edge; if you want rostering that feeds a stronger payroll engine, Workstem is the better balance.<\/p>\n 3. Pricing and total cost of ownership<\/h3>\nDeputy restructured its pricing in October 2025 into Lite, Core, and Pro plans, then sells much of what a payroll-running business needs as add-ons. As a guide from 2026 reviews, Core sits around $8.75 per user per month, with Payroll, HR, Messaging+, and Analytics+ charged separately; Core plus Payroll plus HR lands near $17.25 per user per month, and Pro plus Payroll plus HR around $21.50 per user per month, with a $30 per month minimum spend. Every active user is billed regardless of invite status, and SMS charges can apply. The headline plan price, in other words, understates the real monthly cost once payroll is switched on.<\/p>\n Workstem uses a pay-as-you-go model quoted to your business, with payroll, award interpretation, rostering, and time and attendance in the one platform rather than metered as separate add-ons. Because published figures move, confirm current pricing with both vendors \u2014 but the structural point holds: with Deputy you assemble and pay for the platform module by module, while Workstem bundles the workflow into one predictable arrangement.<\/p>\n Where does Deputy still make sense?<\/h2>\nTo be fair to a strong product: if rostering is the hardest part of your operation, if you run large or complex shift patterns across many locations, and if you value the most polished mobile scheduling experience on the market, Deputy is an excellent platform with enormous scale and a mature ecosystem. Plenty of businesses happily run Deputy for rostering and pair it with a dedicated payroll system. If that split suits how you work, Deputy remains a defensible choice.<\/p>\n Why does Workstem come out ahead on features?<\/h2>\nIf the decision is about payroll \u2014 getting award-covered pay right, lodging STP Phase 2 cleanly, and being ready for Payday Super from 1 July 2026\u00a0 Workstem is the more complete platform. It treats payroll as its core rather than its newest add-on, keeps award interpretation and the pay run inside one AI-driven engine, avoids the module-by-module pricing that inflates Deputy’s real cost, and extends to Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan for businesses that operate across the region. Deputy wins on rostering sophistication and scale; Workstem wins on the payroll workflow that carries the most compliance risk.<\/p>\n The right test is your own pay run. Book a Workstem demo, bring your awards and a live roster, and compare the roster-to-pay flow against your current setup end to end.<\/p>\n Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\nQ1: Does Deputy include payroll, or is it an add-on?<\/strong> Q2: Is Workstem a good Deputy alternative for payroll?\u00a0<\/strong> Q3: How much does Deputy really cost once payroll is added?\u00a0<\/strong> Q4: Which is better for rostering, Workstem or Deputy?<\/strong> Q5: Do both platforms support Payday Super and STP Phase 2?<\/strong> Q6: Can Workstem or Deputy run payroll outside Australia?\u00a0<\/strong> If Every Business Has a Payroll Software , Why Was $1 Billion in Back Pay Needed?<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Top 11 Payroll Software Solutions in Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Hello Payroll Software, Bye Excel Spreadsheets!<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Payroll Software vs. Manual Payroll: Prevent Wage Theft<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Top Payroll Software for MA000025 Electrical Award<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Best Payroll Software for Cleaning Companies<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Best Construction Payroll Software<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Fair Work Compliant: Top Hospitality Payroll Software<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n 5 Reasons Why NDIS Providers Need A Payroll Software<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n |