Clockie vs PayHero: a dedicated time clock + visitor sign-in not another payroll system
PayHero is a genuine NZ payroll platform. If what you actually need is the best shared-tablet time clock and visitor sign-in — with PIN/face verification and offline reliability — Clockie does that and feeds your hours to payroll. Here’s the honest split.
Tablet
Shared kiosk: PIN, face & photo
2-in-1
Staff clock-in + visitor sign-in
Offline
Never loses a clock-in
API sync
Hours pushed to Xero & Crystal Payroll
Why teams pick Clockie
These aren’t the same product. PayHero processes pay; Clockie captures time and visitors on a tablet and hands the hours off. If time-and-attendance and the front door are your problem, this is where Clockie is stronger.
A real shared-tablet time clock
PayHero clock-in is built around the employee mobile app and GPS. Clockie is a shared-tablet kiosk first — one iPad by the door, staff clock in with a PIN or on-device face match, with photo capture as a fallback. Personal-phone clock-in is there too. For a queue at shift change, the optional Tap to Clock setting adds an NFC badge or fob tap on Android kiosks, printed QR cards, and a rotating QR code on each person’s own phone that any kiosk with a camera can read, iPads included. It is off by default, works offline, and a tap or scan replaces the PIN and face check rather than adding to it.
- Shared-tablet kiosk (PIN/face/photo)
- On-device face matching
- Mobile clock-in as well
Visitor & contractor sign-in included
PayHero is staff payroll only. Clockie adds a full visitor / contractor sign-in and H&S register on the same tablet — inductions, host notifications, and an evacuation muster of everyone on site.
- Staff + visitor on one device
- Contractor inductions & host alerts
- Evacuation roll-call included
Offline-first reliability
A tap is never lost. Clock-ins and visitor sign-ins save on the device and sync when you’re back online — built for rural sites, construction, and flaky Wi-Fi.
- Local queue is the source of truth
- Auto-retry on reconnect
- Installs as a PWA — no app store
Feeds your payroll — including PayHero
Approved hours push directly to Xero Payroll and Crystal Payroll via API — live sync of approved timesheets and leave — with NZ statutory breaks applied automatically. PayHero and the wider ecosystem get a ready-formatted CSV export built for their import format.
- Direct Xero & Crystal Payroll API
- NZ statutory breaks auto-applied
- Formatted CSV export for PayHero & others
Side-by-side feature comparison
How Clockie and PayHero line up, feature by feature, so you can decide on the facts.
| Feature | ClockieNZ-built, payroll-first | PayHeroNZ payroll platform |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | Flat base + per staff | Per employee + base fee |
| Entry monthly cost | $29 NZD (5 staff incl.) | $24 base + $4/emp (Origin, max 10 staff) |
| Free trial | 14-day trial | 14-day trial |
| Currency | NZD | NZD |
| Time clock & on-site | ||
| Shared-tablet kiosk | Mobile app | |
| PIN & face-match verification | ||
| Photo capture at clock-in | ||
| GPS clock-in | Super plan+ | |
| Offline clock-in (full sync) | Kiosk + mobile | Not stated |
| Visitor & contractor sign-in | ||
| Evacuation muster roll-call | ||
| Payroll & compliance | ||
| Runs payroll / pay runs | ||
| Holidays Act pay calculation | Via your payroll | |
| IRD filing & payslips | ||
| Leave management | Basic + payroll sync | Advanced |
| Rest & meal break calculation | Super plan+ | |
| Integrations | ||
| Xero | Direct API | |
| Crystal Payroll | Direct API | |
| PayHero | Formatted CSV export | Native |
| Visitor management included | ||
| Support | ||
| NZ-based support | ||
| Priority support | All plans | Higher tiers |
PayHero details are based on publicly available information and may change. Check PayHero’s own site for their latest pricing and features.
What PayHero does better
An honest look at where PayHero is the stronger fit.
PayHero does your payroll — Clockie doesn’t
This is the big one. PayHero runs compliant NZ payroll: Holidays Act calculations, IRD filing, payslips and leave as the system of record. Clockie does not process pay — it captures time and visitors and hands the hours to your payroll. If you want payroll done for you, PayHero (or another NZ payroll) is essential.
Deep leave & compliance tooling
Because it owns payroll, PayHero’s leave management, public-holiday automation and audit reporting go deeper than Clockie’s. Clockie tracks leave and breaks but defers the pay calculation to your payroll.
One vendor for time and pay
If you value a single system for both timesheets and pay runs, PayHero (with its FlexiTime/Droppah stablemates) keeps everything under one roof. Clockie is deliberately the time-and-attendance + visitor layer that plugs into whatever payroll you run.
Choose PayHero if…
- You need NZ payroll processed for you (IRD, payslips)
- You want Holidays Act pay calculated natively
- You want leave and pay in one system of record
- A mobile-app / GPS clock-in suits your team
Choose Clockie if…
- You want the best shared-tablet time clock (PIN/face)
- You need visitor & contractor sign-in on the same device
- You need offline reliability on site
- You keep payroll in Xero, Crystal or PayHero
Switching from PayHero in 3 steps
Done in 15 minutes. No data loss.
Keep your payroll
Stay on Xero, Crystal or PayHero — Clockie feeds hours to it.
Import your staff
Bulk-import your employee list into Clockie in one upload.
Set up the kiosk
Open Clockie on any iPad or tablet — 5-minute setup, then flip on visitor sign-in.
Need a hand? We’ll walk you through it.
Common questions
Does Clockie replace PayHero?
Not for payroll. PayHero processes pay (Holidays Act, IRD, payslips); Clockie does not. Clockie replaces the time-clock and visitor-sign-in part of your setup and pushes approved hours to your payroll. Many businesses use a dedicated time clock like Clockie alongside a payroll system.
Can Clockie send hours to PayHero?
Yes, by CSV. Clockie exports approved timesheets as a ready-formatted file built for PayHero’s import format, so payroll day is an export and an upload. For a fully integrated, live API connection, Clockie integrates directly with Xero Payroll and Crystal Payroll.
Why choose Clockie over PayHero’s time tracking?
If time-and-attendance is your real problem — a shared tablet by the door, PIN or face verification to stop buddy punching, visitors and contractors signed in, and clock-ins that survive dropouts — Clockie is purpose-built for that. PayHero’s time tracking is an add-on to its payroll.
Does PayHero have visitor sign-in?
No. Visitor and contractor sign-in — with inductions, host notifications and an evacuation muster — is built into Clockie (your plan covers your first location, then $10/month per additional location).
Does Clockie work offline?
Yes — full offline sync on both kiosk and mobile. Clock-ins and visitor sign-ins queue locally and sync automatically when connectivity returns.
Add the time clock and front door — keep your payroll
Try Clockie free for 14 days. No credit card. PIN/face verification, visitor sign-in, offline reliability, hours straight to your payroll.
No credit card • Cancel anytime • NZ-based support