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Compono vs ELMO
Two Australian platforms built for mid-market HR teams, solving different problems. ELMO bundles core HR, payroll, recruitment, performance and learning into one suite, with its deepest strengths in AU payroll compliance and learning management. Compono goes deep on people measurement: who to hire, how teams work, and what capability to build. Here's the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed July 2026 · All comparisons
An HRIS is genuinely useful, and most businesses need one. Payroll, leave, records and onboarding admin belong in a system built for exactly that. The trade-off arrives with the bundle: hiring, learning and engagement modules that exist because the suite needed them, not because they're good. The HRIS wins the deal on admin, so the people modules only have to be passable, and it shows. In fact, plenty of the specialist technology inside these suites is white-labelled from other vendors; Compono's own technology is embedded in HRIS platforms without you even knowing.
The full picture: ATS vs HRIS: which should run your hiring?
The short answer
Choose ELMO if you want
- AU payroll compliance handled: award interpretation, Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 and SuperStream built in
- HR core, payroll, hiring, performance and learning in one contract from one local vendor
- A mature LMS with course libraries, compliance training and CPD tracking
Choose Compono if you want
- People measurement depth: culture, climate and work personality measured with validated instruments, then connected to hiring and development
- Hiring on measured fit, rather than CV-led workflow alone
- Development targeted at measured capability gaps, with competency and credentialling through Assure
Side by side
| ELMO | Compono | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform focus | HR and payroll suite: HR core, payroll, recruitment, onboarding, performance and learning in one configurable platform | Workforce intelligence: hiring, engagement, capability and competency in one system |
| Payroll and compliance | Core strength; automated award interpretation, STP Phase 2 and SuperStream-ready AU payroll | Not offered; Compono pairs with the payroll system you already run |
| Hiring and candidate assessment | Workflow ATS with CV-led screening; no native psychometric or behavioural assessment | Compono Hire matches candidates to role and culture |
| Engagement and culture | Survey module within the suite, capturing manager ratings and self-reports | Compono Engage measures culture and climate with validated organisational-psychology instruments, read alongside work-personality data |
| Work personality | Not offered | 8 validated work personalities (Doer, Auditor, Helper, Advisor, Pioneer, Campaigner, Evaluator, Coordinator) across candidates and teams |
| Learning and development | Mature LMS with Course Builder, course libraries, compliance training and CPD tracking | Compono Develop links learning to measured capability gaps; Assure handles competency and credentialling |
| Best fit | ANZ mid-market organisations with lean HR teams wanting HRIS, payroll and LMS from a single local vendor, especially compliance-and-training-heavy sectors | Mid-market organisations (roughly 60-1,000 staff) whose priority is people insight: measuring culture, engagement drivers and hiring fit |
| Home base and pricing | Australian-founded (2002), Sydney-headquartered, with NZ and UK operations; pricing not published, quote-based per employee and per module | Australian, Brisbane-based, rated 4.8/5 on Capterra; modular by products and employee count; talk to us for a straight number |
Facts checked July 2026 against current public product and pricing pages. Tell us if something's out of date and we'll fix it.
What ELMO does genuinely well
- ANZ payroll compliance depth. Award interpretation, STP Phase 2 and SuperStream baked in, which offshore suites handle poorly or push to partners.
- Breadth in one contract. HR core through payroll, hiring, performance and learning from one local vendor, which genuinely reduces integration overhead for lean HR teams.
- Learning management strength. A mature LMS with course libraries, compliance training and CPD tracking, a common and fair reason mid-market ANZ buyers pick ELMO.
- A sensible AI posture. AI makes recommendations rather than decisions, and AI-generated content is flagged and auditable, backed by Sydney HQ and ANZ-focused implementation and support teams.
Where Compono differs
ELMO earns its place by taking process risk off the table: payroll runs correctly, compliance training gets tracked, records stay tidy. That matters, and ELMO does it well for ANZ organisations. But the second kind of risk stays open. Screening is CV-led, engagement surveying captures self-reports rather than diagnosis, and there's no validated people-science layer connecting who you hire to how teams perform. In practice that cost lands at the top of the funnel: without fit-based shortlisting, teams end up phone-screening everyone and reading every CV by hand.
Compono is built for that second risk. Culture and climate measured with validated instruments, every candidate profiled against them, development aimed at measured capability gaps, and competency credentialled through Assure. If your payroll is already handled and your real question is about people, that depth is the difference.
Where Compono fits next to an HRIS
A note on fit: Compono isn't an HRIS and doesn't want to be. Keep your payroll and records system; it's good at admin. Compono covers the people decisions an HRIS can't see: who to hire, what your culture actually is, where capability is missing and how to build it. The two run side by side, and plenty of our customers do exactly that.
Comparing the two for your team?
Tell us what the decision hangs on. We'll give you a straight answer on fit, including when ELMO is the better call for what you need.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Compono a replacement for ELMO?
It depends what you bought ELMO for. If the core need is payroll, HRIS and compliance training from one vendor, ELMO fits that job and Compono doesn't do payroll. If the need is people insight, measuring culture, hiring fit and capability, Compono goes much deeper.
Does Compono do payroll?
No. Compono focuses on people measurement and decisions: hiring, engagement, capability and competency. It pairs with the payroll and HRIS systems you already run, while ELMO bundles AU payroll with award interpretation, STP Phase 2 and SuperStream.
Does ELMO measure culture or team fit?
Not with validated behavioural science. As of July 2026, ELMO's recruitment screening is CV-led and its surveys capture manager ratings and self-reports. Compono measures work personality, culture and climate with validated instruments and applies them to hiring.
Are both platforms Australian?
Yes. ELMO was founded in Sydney in 2002 and remains headquartered there, with NZ and UK operations. Compono is Brisbane-based. Either way, you're buying from a local vendor with local support.