Honest Comparison

RosterMates vs RosterElf

Two small, focused rostering companies on either side of the Tasman. RosterElf brings 14+ years and a strong Xero pedigree; RosterMates brings one all-inclusive price, event staffing, and onboarding done for you. Here's the honest side-by-side for Australian teams.

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Comparison last updated 5 July 2026 · pricing from public vendor pages
1 Price
Every feature on every account
0
Seat minimums or billable admins
30 Days
Free trial vs RosterElf's 15
Free
Done-for-you onboarding
Side by Side
RosterMates vs RosterElf at a glance

Feature and pricing comparison for Australian businesses, from each company's public pages as of July 2026.

RosterMates RosterElf
Pricing (per user/month) Flat NZ$8 — all features included (billed NZD) A$6–10 depending on plan and billing cycle
Seat minimums None 10 on annual, 3 on monthly
Admins billable Per-employee pricing only Admins count as billable users
Modern Award interpretation No — rates stay with your payroll AU award features
Xero integration Payroll-ready Xero export Deep — top-rated on Xero App Store
Wider AU payroll coverage Xero, MYOB, KeyPay, Employment Hero + custom CSV Xero-first
AI auto-rostering Yes — rules, history & fairness Assisted "perfect match" suggestions
Event staffing with shift bidding & waitlists Yes No
Digital forms with AI builder Included No forms product
Built-in team messaging DMs, groups & announcements Notifications; no full messaging
Free onboarding — setup done for you Yes Self-serve + help centre
Free trial 30 days, no credit card 15 days
Company NZ-built, founder-owned, AU rule set built in Perth-founded, 14+ years

RosterElf pricing and features from rosterelf.com public pages as of 5 July 2026. RosterElf is a trademark of its owner. RosterMates pricing is currently billed in NZD while Australian billing is finalised. Always confirm current pricing with each vendor.

The Honest Bit
Where each tool genuinely wins

Both are honest small-business products. The differences are real, though.

Choose RosterElf if…

  • Your business runs entirely on Xero and you want its deepest, longest-refined rostering integration
  • Built-in award interpretation features matter to you — RosterElf has them, RosterMates leaves rates to your payroll
  • You're comfortable self-serving setup and a 14-year track record reassures you

Choose RosterMates if…

  • You want everything on one price — forms, messaging, events, kiosk facial recognition — with no tiers to outgrow
  • Seat minimums and billable admins rub you the wrong way
  • You run payroll on MYOB, KeyPay or Employment Hero rather than Xero alone
  • You staff functions or events — bidding and waitlists don't exist in RosterElf
  • You'd rather have setup done for you and founders on the other end of support

Our verdict

RosterElf is a credible, honest competitor — transparent pricing, real history, and a Xero integration that deserves its ratings. If your operation is small, Xero-only and self-sufficient, it will serve you fine.

The RosterMates case is breadth and service: the entire platform — AI rostering, kiosk and GPS clocks, timesheets, leave, forms, messaging, event bidding — on one flat price with no seat minimums, wider AU payroll coverage, and onboarding done for you by the founders. Both companies offer trials; ours is 30 days to their 15, and we'll have you rostering before either expires.

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RosterMates vs RosterElf FAQs

Common questions from Australian teams comparing the two.

RosterElf publishes A$6–10 per user depending on plan and billing cycle, with fine print that matters: annual plans carry a 10-seat minimum, monthly plans a 3-seat minimum, admins count as billable users, and HR features are tiered. RosterMates is one flat per-employee price (currently NZ$8, billed in NZD) with every feature on every account and no minimums — the comparison is less about the sticker and more about what the sticker includes.
RosterElf's Xero pedigree is genuinely strong — years of refinement and top ratings on the Xero App Store. RosterMates exports payroll-ready files for Xero too, alongside MYOB, KeyPay (Employment Hero Payroll) and Employment Hero. If your world is exclusively Xero and you want the deepest possible sync, weigh RosterElf's integration seriously; if you want wider payroll coverage and everything else included, that's our column.
Event staffing with capacity-based shift bidding and waitlists, AI-built digital forms, built-in team messaging, a kiosk with facial recognition, and done-for-you onboarding — plus no seat minimums and no billable-admin surprises. RosterElf counters with award interpretation features RosterMates deliberately leaves to your payroll.
RosterElf offers Australian award interpretation features and RosterMates doesn't — we keep rates under your control and export accurate hours for your payroll to price. If built-in award interpretation is decisive for you, note it in RosterElf's favour, alongside Tanda and Deputy.
RosterElf is self-serve with a help centre and a 15-day trial. RosterMates gives you 30 days and does the setup for you — staff imported, templates built, managers trained over video — free. For a busy owner, that difference usually decides the first week.
RosterElf is Perth-founded with 14+ years of history; RosterMates is New Zealand-built, founder-owned, and serves Australia with a dedicated Australian rule set — state holiday calendars, Australian leave types, AU payroll exports. Both are small, focused companies rather than private-equity platforms; the practical difference is the product model and the service around it.
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