Flare Review 2026: Pricing, HR & Benefits Features, Pros, and Cons

Flare is a cloud-based HR and benefits administration platform primarily designed for the Australian market [02] [03]. Acquired by MYOB, the vendor serves approximately 100,000 customers [01]. Flare is strongest as an integrated onboarding and benefits frontend, offering digital workflows and comprehensive workplace perks to small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs) [04] [15].

The platform’s most notable differentiator is its pricing structure. Flare provides its core onboarding and benefits software completely free of charge to Australian employers [19]. Instead of charging SaaS subscription fees, Flare monetizes by acting as a referral channel for superannuation funds and associated financial products [14]. While this allows growing companies to offer enterprise-grade perks at zero cost, consumer advocates note that this model introduces potential conflicts of interest regarding the financial products promoted to employees [14].

Buyers should view Flare as a strong shortlist candidate if they are an Australian SME seeking to digitize onboarding and benefits without adding software overhead [15]. However, organizations should carefully evaluate the referral-based monetization model and ensure it aligns with their internal policies before rolling it out to their workforce.

Flare is an Australian HR technology provider that offers digital onboarding, employee records management, benefits administration, and payroll software [17] [18]. Founded in 2015 and later acquired by accounting software provider MYOB, Flare is built to help businesses automate the collection of bank, tax, and superannuation details during new hire onboarding [01] [05].

The platform is widely known in Australia for its free benefits app, which provides employees with access to pre- and post-tax benefits, retail discounts, and novated leasing [06] [19].

Best for

• Australian SMEs: Flare is strongly positioned for small to mid-market Australian businesses (51–200 employees) that want to offer competitive workplace perks and digital onboarding without paying monthly SaaS fees [04] [15].
• MYOB customers: Because Flare is owned by MYOB, it offers deep, native integration with MYOB payroll systems right out of the box [09].

Buyers should verify first

• Monetization impact on employees: Because the software is free to employers, Flare makes money through referral fees from the financial providers and superannuation funds it promotes on the platform. Buyers should verify how these products are presented to their workforce [14].
• Pricing conflicts: While the vendor explicitly states the core platform is free, some third-party directories list estimated pricing between $10 and $100. Buyers should confirm their specific requirements with Flare to ensure no hidden fees apply [22].

• Flare Onboarding & Benefits: The vendor's primary free offering for Australian businesses. It includes digital onboarding workflows, benefits administration, salary packaging, retail discounts, and novated leasing [17] [19].
• Flare Payroll: A separate payroll software product offered by the vendor, priced at $7 per employee per month [18] [20].

Flare operates with highly visible, public pricing [19]. The vendor's pricing strategy relies heavily on a free core tier, supplemented by a paid payroll module. Buyer caveat: Third-party software directory SelectHub lists Flare HR pricing in the range of $10 to $100 [22]. However, this directly conflicts with Flare's official pricing page and corroborating regional sources, which emphasize the zero-cost nature of the core platform [19] [22]. Buyers should rely on the vendor's official terms.

• Flare Onboarding & Benefits: $0 per month. The vendor unequivocally states that its onboarding, HR, and benefits software is completely free to Australian businesses, with no SaaS, user, or ongoing fees [19].
• Flare Payroll: $7 per employee per month. This fee specifically covers payroll processing [20].
• Implementation: $0. Flare does not charge implementation or technical setup fees [21].

Flare’s HRIS capabilities are centered around the new hire experience. The platform supports digital onboarding workflows designed to capture essential employee records, including bank information, tax file numbers, and superannuation choices [05]. Once onboarded, employees gain access to Flare's benefits administration platform, which the vendor describes as Australia's largest workplace benefits platform [06].

According to the vendor's security documentation, Flare has maintained ISO 27001 certification since 2019 [08].

Flare states that it does not charge implementation fees for its software [21]. For ongoing support, the vendor provides an online help center and searchable knowledge base covering onboarding, benefits management, and general employee management [12].

Before selecting Flare, Australian businesses should:

• Confirm that the free Onboarding & Benefits tier covers all necessary HR workflows.
• Review the specific financial products and superannuation funds Flare promotes to employees to ensure comfort with the referral monetization model.
• Verify whether the $7/employee/month Flare Payroll product is required, or if the free tier's MYOB integration is sufficient for current payroll processing needs.
• Confirm that no employees require native onboarding or compliance support outside of Australia.