absence.io vs Leave Dates (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Leave Dates grades higher than absence.io: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Leave Dates grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
absence.io
Time off, time tracking and employee files for small teams
Leave Dates
Annual leave planner and absence tracker for small teams
Which one is for you
Pick absence.io if
- Fits if you run a small team that mainly needs leave tracking and a shared absence calendar
- Works for teams that want time tracking from the same login on the Pro plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need payroll, as there is none
- Tight if you want time tracking or employee files, since both need Pro at €4.49 a user
- Pricey if you need expenses or the API, which only come on Complete at €7.19
- Watch out: prices are in euros and net of tax, with no dollar price shown
Pick Leave Dates if
- Fits if you run a small team and only need to track who is off when
- Works for teams that want Outlook or Google Calendar showing leave
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want payroll, performance or hiring, as it is leave only
- Tight if you want calendar sync or time off in lieu, which need the £1.50 Essential plan
- Tight if you need SSO, the API or webhooks, which need Plus at £1.88
- Watch out: prices are in pounds, excluding VAT, and the USD and EUR switch could not be read
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAabsence.ioFair | 2.6GPALeave DatesGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is €2.69 per user a month billed annually, about $2.90, inside the cheapest quarter of the category. Time tracking and the employee file sit on Pro at €4.49. | A£0.75 per user a month billed yearly, about $1, under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter. Calendar sync needs Essential at £1.50, still under $2. |
| Free plan and trial | C14-day free trial with no card needed, and no free plan. | C30-day free trial of every feature with no card needed, and no free plan. |
| Features | CLeave, time tracking, overtime, an employee file and expenses. Time tracking and files need Pro, expenses and the API need Complete, and there is no payroll. | CWall and year charts, requests and approval, allowances, time off in lieu and reports. It does that one job fully, and it is a small job: no payroll, performance or hiring. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Absence policies, allowances and approval flows need setting up first. | CNo store rating on record. Allowances, leave years and approvers need setting up for each team. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with Microsoft, Google and Slack integrations. The API only comes on Complete. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack and Zapier. No desktop app. |
| Best for | time off and time tracking for small teams | a shared leave calendar for small UK teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: absence.io and Leave Dates. How we grade
Price against what you get
absence.io starts at about $3.01 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Leave Dates starts at about $1 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Leave Dates starts $2.01 a month lower. Of the other HR software on the chart, 1 scores higher than absence.io for less, and none scores higher than Leave Dates for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- absence.io also covers time tracking, expense tracking, time clock and employee records.
- Leave Dates also covers calendar and reports.
At a glance
| absence.io | Leave Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | €2.69 per user / month, billed annually (€2.99 billed monthly) | £0.75 per user / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial of every feature, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | absence.io GmbH | Leave Dates |
| Price read from | absence.io | leavedates.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
absence.io
- Prices are listed in euros and net per user; no US dollar price is shown.
- Time tracking, the employee file and SSO need Pro; expenses and the API need Complete.
- Billing is per user, per month; annual billing takes 10% off the monthly price.
Leave Dates
- The pricing page shows prices in GBP by default, exclusive of VAT, with a currency switch for USD and EUR that could not be read here.
- Calendar sync, time off in lieu and overlap limits need Essential; SSO, API, webhooks and Zapier need Plus.
- The price scales with the number of users, and the page shows the per-user figure billed yearly.
- It covers leave and absence only; there is no payroll, performance or hiring module.
Key features
absence.io
- Absence and leave management
- Employees request time off and managers approve it, with leave handled in every tier.
- Time tracking
- Web and app tracking, a digital time-clock terminal, overtime automation, custom work schedules and project labels on Pro and above.
- Digital employee file
- Document management and an employee file on Pro and Complete.
- Expense management
- Travel and expense claims with automatic receipt capture and a DATEV integration for expenses, on Complete only.
- Integrations and API
- Connects with Microsoft, Google and Slack on every plan. API access and automated workflows are Complete features.
Leave Dates
- Wall chart and year chart
- A shared calendar view of who is away, so managers can plan around absences.
- Leave requests and approval
- Staff drag over dates to request time off, the approver is notified, and the requester is told the outcome.
- Allowances and carry over
- Allowances can be tracked in days or hours, pro-rated for starters and leavers, and carried over between years.
- Calendar sync
- Leave records can be synced to Outlook or Google Calendar, including a shared company calendar, on Essential and above.
- Time off in lieu
- Staff can log overtime and the balance is tracked as time off in lieu, on Essential and above.
- Reports
- Daily or weekly email summaries, downloadable reports, and a daily Slack summary on Essential and above.
Plans
absence.io
Starter€2.69
per user / month, billed annually (€2.99 billed monthly)
Absence and leave management, reports and downloads, integrations with Microsoft, Google and Slack, standard support.
Pro€4.49
per user / month, billed annually (€4.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Starter plus time tracking (web, app and time-clock terminal), automated overtime, digital employee file, document management, SSO and priority support.
Complete€7.19
per user / month, billed annually (€7.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro plus travel and expense management with receipt capture, API access and automated workflows, and a dedicated account manager.
Leave Dates
Starter£0.75
per user / month, billed yearly (£9.00 per user a year)
Unlimited employees and leave, allowances in days or hours, bank holidays, wall and year charts, reports and email summaries, web and mobile apps.
Essential£1.50
per user / month, billed yearly (£18.00 per user a year)
Starter plus Outlook and Google Calendar sync, overlap and leave limits, multi-person requests, time off in lieu, a Slack daily summary and company-wide policies.
Plus£1.88
per user / month, billed yearly (£22.50 per user a year)
Essential plus personal leave-year start dates, unlimited allowances, SSO, API, webhooks and Zapier, and policies by leave type.
Ways to pay less
absence.io
- Annual discount
10% off with annual billing
The pricing page toggle shows each plan about 10% cheaper per month when billed annually.
- Nonprofit
Special pricing for NGOs
The pricing page says NGOs and non-profits can get special pricing by getting in touch.
Leave Dates
- Annual discount
25% off with yearly billing
The pricing page's Monthly and Yearly toggle states a 25% saving for yearly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, absence.io or Leave Dates?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Leave Dates is cheaper to start with: about $1 a month for each person, against about $3.01 a month for each person for absence.io. absence.io starts at €2.69 per user / month, billed annually (€2.99 billed monthly), and Leave Dates starts at £0.75 per user / month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, absence.io or Leave Dates?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither absence.io nor Leave Dates has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.