You’ll find in this list what I believe are the best 7 payroll software packages for Australian business owners, with free options also included for those who are price-sensitive.
This is from my perspective as a person who owns more than 1 online business. Use this guide today to conduct deep insight into what is the right solution for you.
The best payroll software in Australia
I believe these are the top payroll options in the Australian marketplace…
Xero Payroll
MYOB Payroll
KeyPay
Reckon Payroll
Quickbooks Payroll
Lightning Payroll
ePayDay Free Pay
Xero has taken the crown. It’s simply the best accounting software, and upon investigating its payroll potential for small business, has taken another award!
I also have a discount on Xero if you’d like to take up a trial. Totally up to you. I’m now running 4 accounts, across 4 online businesses. It’s surprisingly easier than it sounds, especially when I choose to create businesses that are mostly semi-passive. I also have an accountant who specializes in Xero only.
The others range in functionality, use, expand-ability and support. Xero is the most expensive of the bunch. You may have used or heard of the other options in the past. They’re all still very good platforms to consider.
A FREE solution to Australian payroll
ePayDay provides a free solution. You’re able to pay up to 2 employees for free, well…almost free! Their platform does need to be funded somehow, and the fees are extremely minimal if you’ve only got a few employees.
Sometimes the ‘FREE’ solution to Payroll isn’t actually free…
There is other software out there which claims to be free for Australian business owners. Unfortunately, again, there’s a catch. You may only be able to make a few payments before they ask for a monthly fee. All the best paid options come with a free trial.
Things to consider for Australian payroll software
I like to consider a range of factors when deciding upon any software to use. These include…
Time in the marketplace
Volume of existing business users
Feedback from existing users and reviews
The ease of use and ability to learn the new system
The level and availability of support, and if it’s Australian-based
Note that I haven’t put costs in there. I believe this should be the last factor. Erasing headaches when using payroll software is my 1st priority. Payroll software shouldn’t cost more than $100 Australian dollars including GST per month. Well, at least for small businesses with less than 10 employees.
My recommendation
I wouldn’t choose free. I would chose reliability, longevity and trust. Xero comes out ahead on all 3 factors. Sure – they’re the most expensive. But they simply get the job done, so you can get back to the task of making money.
Consider trialing payroll software solutions in Australia
I hope this has been helpful to you in deciding the right Australian payroll solution as a business owner. Paid options always deliver the best value in my opinion.
You’re most welcome to drop in questions below if required. I’ll do my best to help you out!
Here I’ve provided 7 of the best of Amazon seller apps that I use, as a person who runs more than 1 Amazon business. Some of them I’ve been using for years in previous businesses, whilst others are more recent additions to the quiver.
I’m an Amazon seller, so if you’re looking to start selling on Amazon or you already do, then you’ll find these handy. These 7 are my prime tools, and there’s a few not mentioned that I occasionally use too. You’ll find this an excellent starting point if you’re a beginner.
Evernote
This app is legendary. I found this one through Tim Ferriss way back in 2012. I continue to pay a subscription to this day, and use it frequently. There’s probably other competitors out there that fulfill a similar function, but Evernote does have a cult following.
I use this for product research, product ideas and the like. I like that I can have an idea at 3am, drop it into my phone app, and at 6am can be on the computer with the app looking up the potential on Amazon.
Xero
Early on I used Quickbooks. What a headache. Xero is the most expensive. Xero also happens to be the most dependable. I now have 4 Xero accounts, across 4 business fronts. My accountant loves the monthly trails…. 🙂 Xero also plugs in a range of apps.
I get direct feeds from my bank accounts into each Xero account. Plus, the app is both on my business and personal phone. I’m able to photograph receipts and drop them straight into Xero.
Trello
For years I heard about this app. It was only recently that I decided to jump on board. Why did I not do this sooner? This project management software is ideal for people like me who need to manage more than 1 business front.
I use this to schedule my day. Some days I do very little on Amazon, whilst others I do a whole lot more. When launching a new product, there’s 100 different things to do, and this app really helps streamline the process.
WeChat and WhatsApp
Yes, you probably knew these two, which I’ve grouped as one. If you don’t yet negotiate with Chinese suppliers, then you NEED to be on either of these, preferably WeChat. All Chinese suppliers are on this app, and you’ll get responses way faster than email. Often within 10 minutes!
I use these two apps to get catalogues, pricing and other information when looking to expand into new products. Suppliers love communicating through these platforms.
ZonGuru
Every successful Amazon seller has to use software. It allows us to make calculated decisions towards the effective profit margins and turnover rates of a given product. We can even look at lifecycles and seasonal variations. There’s a few on the market, and the one I choose is Zonguru.
I particularly like the Chrome extension. I use this to instantly gauge product potential. If you’re read some of my guides here, you’ll find screenshots direct from Zonguru.
Thunderbird
I’ve used a range of email software over the years. Thunderbird takes the cake (sorry for the pun!) especially when managing 11 different email addresses. It’s compatible for all operating systems and mobile devices, plus it’s Open Source too!
Speak and Translate
There’s nothing worse than being in China, and having a massive language barrier. Sure – the Canton Fair is full of basic conversational English speakers, but taxi drivers? No chance. Speak and Translate will save your butt in these instances.
Summary
Most of these tools cost money, but all provide value far beyond the monetary cost. Consider these essential to your success, and a mere cost of doing business.
These tools and apps are fundamental to success on Amazon
I hope this coverage gives you an idea of the tools that you should have on your phone, computer or ideally both. These are ideal if you’re looking to start as an Amazon seller, and actually have a profitable long-term business.
If you’ve got an app, tool or software that you use frequently as an Amazon seller, then you’re most welcome to share that below with my growing community. I’d love to hear from you! I’m always on the lookout for how to improve my systems, my sourcing and my overall productivity.
This is a complete Pipefy review from a business owner including pricing and cost information. This is complete, and will allow you to make an informed decision, as it has for many others who read my workflow blog.
Pipefy at a glance
When you find yourself deeply frustrated with your current process management system due to inflexibility, poor user experience, and the rising costs of using multiple tools to get the job done, it may be the time to try Pipefy. It’s a cloud-based, fully customizable business process management platform that helps managers build and execute any type of workflow plus allows teams to achieve higher levels of productivity and efficiency. Pipefy helps you set clear execution standards for every step of each process without the need for IT, technical skills or professional services.
Pipefy could be the ideal management system
Pipefy would be a fantastic solutions provider to companies of various industries, large and small, from startups to enterprises. It can handle and manage any type of process so even if you just need simple task management or demand highly complex multi-stakeholder workflows, it can do the job. Whatever the need is, be it shared services, BPO, IT and service desk, software development, finance, customer support, Pipefy can handle any operational process you throw its way.
The history of Pipefy
Pipefy is the brainchild of Alessio Alionço, a former mergers and acquisitions consultant, who like many before him, found that he needed a better and more effective process management solution for ensuring process execution while combining the business operations of two companies.
Since 2015, the platform has seen steady growth and, fueled by an intense market desire for better solutions to manage business processes and automation, Pipefy now has a presence in over 150 countries and is helping leading enterprises like Accenture, Visa, GE, Volvo, AB InBev, and Telefonica.
Why I like Pipefy
What makes Pipefy such a popular choice is its intuitive and easy-to-use system. From a single, dynamic platform, users are able to improve their efficiency, productivity, and profitability by helping them create, organize, and manage their business processes and workflows. In consequence, companies can streamline and refine all of their processes which facilitates business growth on all levels.
Pipefy can effectively be used by teams
There’s beauty in its simplicity; a user can easily visualize, through a simple Kanban-style interface, their work processes into what’s done, what’s being done, and what’s upcoming. This simple tracking system makes for a highly effective and efficient process management.
A list of Pipefy features
Pipefy’s “superpowers” are plenty and they are all specially designed to make your life easier. Within this review, let’s breakdown each so you can discover the many ways Pipefy can help you and your company level up.
1. Automation – This is a powerful feature that allows you to automatically move a card, create a new one or update a field when an action triggers the response. It creates a smooth and seamless flow of information among processes.
2. Connections – It integrates your company’s processes to make sure all your teams and users are on the same page at all times. This is a critically helpful feature if you have processes that require collaboration from other teams.
3. Integrations – It’s awesome that you can easily connect Pipefy with more than 500 apps, such as Slack, Pipedrive, Zendesk, etc. Their public API uses GraphQL data query language that is flexible and yields predictable results.
4. Email template – Because you don’t have to start from scratch each time, this feature instantly boosts your productivity with automated emails. Enjoy sending messages automatically, whenever cards enter or leave a phase or do it manually by clicking a button inside the card.
5. Process Templates – Make use of Pipefy’s pre-designed templates and save a whole lot of time while managing your processes. You can effortlessly import them into your Pipefy account and customize them according to your needs.
6. Database – Pipefy prides itself in maintaining user privacy so rest assured your company’s information is in a safe, integrated storage system. And because it’s cloud-based, you can easily access important information to your company’s processes, such as customer, supplier and product records.
7. Conditional Logic – You can create fields using conditional logic for a more dynamic and fluid experience plus you can customize your processes based on ‘if,’ ‘then’ and ‘or’ scenarios.
8. Mobile App – Pipefy goes where you go and with the their dynamic mobile app, get fast access to your company’s processes wherever you are and whenever you want.
9. Email Inbox – You can easily set up an inbox that automatically creates cards for each received email. You’ll have the added capability of being able to create new cards on your sales pipeline whenever someone writes to sales@yourdomain.com, etc.
10. Admin Control – Keep the control in your hands as you can restrict access to sensitive information by setting up different permission levels. Because each pipe’s permissions can be managed individually, you can choose which users can have access to each of your Pipes.
11. Two-Factor Authentication – Know that everything is locked up like a vault and you can add an extra layer of security to protect your company by activating the two-factor authentication feature. This is, however, only currently available in the Enterprise plan.
12. Private Pipes – There are some processes that are for your eyes only or for certain team managers. You can keep sensitive information safe in processes by allowing access for only invited users.
13. Metrics – Have all the data and figures ready for you so you can analyze your process’ activity, find bottlenecks and boost productivity!
14. Calendar View – You’ll get a monthly, weekly or daily snapshot of all cards due that period so you’ll always know what’s been done, what’s being done, and what need to be done.
15. My Tasks – You’ll be able to view your most recent cards and notifications in a single place.
16. Approval Flows – This feature allows you to automate approval flows, thereby combining two advanced features.
17. Subtask – Pipefy can help you create automated subtask flows so you can easily keep track of tasks.
18. Filters – If you needed to, you can filter your cards by assignee, label or information on your cards’ fields.
19. Email Messaging – This feature makes it possible for you to send and receive emails from a card in an easy way since you won’t need to open your email inbox to send your clients and colleagues emails. A real time saver!
20. Advanced Reports – This feature makes it possible for you to filter and combine your processes’ information to create and save powerful reports that can be accessed any time.
21. Easy SLA Management – Pipefy’s alerts feature help you keep track of your processes Standard Level Agreements allowing you to control how much time a card can stay in one phase.
22. Public Form – Have the power to organize the information you receive, extract the data you’re looking for, and then provide the necessary response using Pipefy’s form feature.
Pipefy pricing
There’s no need to weigh the pros and cons as you can, of course, try all of Pipefy’s subscription plans for free! Best news is it’s even free for Small Teams (up to 5 users), so this is perfect if you just need the basics. Other subscription plans are Professional at $12 per month for 5-10 users, Business at $22 per month for 10-50 users, and the Enterprise which is customized for your exact needs but you’ll need to contact Pipefy for a quote.
You’ll enjoy a 20% discount if you are billed monthly so that’s another plus. So stop wrestling to gain control of your operational process management and start getting solutions instead, with Pipefy.
I hope this Pipefy review has provided you with the right information in which to make a decision to step forward now. For those with questions, you’re most welcome to contact me directly or make contact with their team.
This is a full CartonCloud software review, covering pricing for their WHS. You might also find some support here towards common questions. Business owners and decision makers are most welcome to use my blog to conduct their independent research.
Background From An Ex-warehouse Employee
I’m Joshua. I’ve been blogging here for 7+ years. In that time I’ve reviewed some of the best software and tools in the industry, those that I believe are fundamental towards business success.
I run two businesses, one is inventory based. I have thousands of SKUs, and went looking for a solution. Given that I live on the Gold Coast, CartonCloud seemed like an ideal solution. But I had to dig deeper. I had to know if it was right for us.
Like Vincent the founder, I drove trucks in Sydney. We lacked an inventory management system, in lieu of old-fashioned paperwork. It worked sometimes, and other times it was a nightmare. Luckily, I’ve now transitioned to the world of business ownership, so this review comes with experience.
CartonCloud can reduce pick times on the floor
CartonCloud Review: Is it any good?
So when I found CartonCloud, there was some key features that sold me…
It was easy for everyone to use
There was full integration into Xero
The roll-out phase was simple and streamlined
Distribution route optimization for cost-effective deliveries
Daily automated backups paired with excellent security features
The biggest advantage was the 24/7 support by their AUSTRALIAN team. Not an overseas call center. In the warehousing, transport and logistics industries, we’re almost all on shift-work. Need help at 3am? They’ll answer the phone.
The HUGE CartonCloud Benefit
You’ll speak to an Australian, ready to help you out. For me that’s a big plus, especially when I looked at the substandard offerings by competitors.
CartonCloud offers a full suite of services
The downsides with CartonCloud
Of course, the CartonCloud cost and pricing is excellent. I’ll share more details here. So, it’s somewhat of a downside actually. Well, in some way.
They’re not the cheapest, in fact they’re almost the most expensive out there. But in this business, it’s wise to pay up for quality. For that top-notch support. For that human element, especially on the rare occasions that there’s a fault late at night.
You don’t want a show-stopper. They can have that resolved quickly. Ask the competitors if they can, with a local team. Likely they can’t.
My closing thoughts
I do feel that this software will suit most warehouses. For those interested, you can drop questions or comments below. Likewise, feel free to reach out to their friendly Australian team who would be most happy to receive your call.
