Deputy vs Humanity Schedule (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Deputy if

• Fits if you have to follow break rules or Fair Workweek scheduling laws
• Works for teams that want staff to swap shifts and find their own cover

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you have 15 or more hourly staff, since every person, managers included, is a paid user
• Skip it if you might shrink, as annual plans can't drop users or plans mid-term and there's no refund
• Tight if you pay monthly with a small team, because there's a $30 monthly minimum
• Watch out: US payroll is $8 a user plus $49 a month on yearly Core or Pro, HR is $2 a user, and texts are 1 cent each
• Not for you if you want auto-scheduling or face-unlock kiosks on Lite, as they start on Core at $6.50 a head

Pick Humanity Schedule if

• Fits if you schedule hourly staff and want labour cost beside the rota
• Works for a small team that can pay yearly

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want auto-fill or demand-based scheduling on the cheapest plan, as those need Professional
• Watch out: open API access, Shift Tasks and Labor Optimizer are paid add-ons
• Not for you if you need monthly-billing prices, as only annual rates were readable
• Tight if you are large, as Enterprise is a custom quote and Professional discounts are not published

Deputy

• Monthly plans carry a minimum spend of $30 a month, and every admin, manager and supervisor counts as a paid user.
• US payroll by Paycor is an add-on for annual Core and Pro plans: $8 per user a month plus a $49 monthly base fee. HR is $2 per user a month.
• Annual plans cannot be moved to a lower plan or fewer users during the term, and cancelling early brings no refund.
• Text messages sent through Deputy, such as published schedules, cost 1 cent per 160 characters in the US.

Humanity Schedule

• Auto-fill, demand-based scheduling, compliance and labor budgeting need the Professional plan or higher.
• Open API access, Shift Tasks and Labor Optimizer are listed as add-ons.
• The pricing page shows annual-billing rates only; the monthly-billing rates were not readable.
• Enterprise is a custom quote, and Professional volume discounts are not published.

Deputy

Shift planning and swaps

Schedules are built from templates with paid and unpaid breaks. Staff can confirm shifts, pick up open ones, swap or offer shifts and find a replacement.

Auto-scheduling and forecasting

From the Core plan, Deputy builds and fills shifts from demand and staff availability, and compares forecast sales and wages against actuals.

Clock-in apps and geofencing

Staff clock in from the mobile apps, a browser, a watch or a shared tablet kiosk. Geofences block clock-ins away from the site, and Core adds face-unlock kiosks.

Timesheets to payroll

Clock-ins become timesheets that managers approve, or that Core approves automatically, and then go to payroll systems such as Gusto, ADP, Paychex or Xero.

Labor-law compliance

Rules for breaks, overtime, Fair Workweek scheduling and custom pay rates are checked as shifts are built and worked.

Team messaging and Shift Pulse

A news feed and messaging reach staff in the app, and Shift Pulse asks each worker for feedback when a shift ends.

Humanity Schedule

Shift planning

Drag-and-drop schedule building across multiple locations, with shift swaps, availability and time-off requests handled by employees.

Demand Scheduler

AI forecasting predicts busy periods so the schedule can be staffed to expected demand. Demand-based scheduling is a Professional feature.

Compliance rules

Scheduling rules can be customized to catch conflicts with labor laws, collective bargaining agreements and shift rules before they become violations.

Labor cost and budgeting

Reports show how scheduling affects budgets and labor cost, with adjustments possible in real time.

Mobile app

Managers post open shifts and approve requests; employees view schedules, trade shifts and request time off. The app also works on Apple Watch.

Payroll and HR connections

Connects to payroll, ERP and HCM systems such as ADP, Oracle, Workday and BambooHR, with an open API available as an add-on.

Deputy

• Lite$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($5.50 billed monthly)

  Basic scheduling, timesheets and time clock, shift swaps, leave and availability, labor-law checks, basic reports and team messaging.

• Core$6.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($7.25 billed monthly)

  Adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, wage budgets, face-unlock kiosk clock-ins and timesheet auto-approval. Marked most popular.

• Pro$9

  per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)

  Adds custom access levels, location hierarchies, pay centers, SSO, a sandbox and 24/7 live chat, with Analytics+ and Messaging+ included.

Humanity Schedule

• Essentials$2.75

  per employee / month, billed annually

  Up to 250 employees: drag-and-drop scheduling, swaps, availability, time off, geofenced clock in/out, basic reporting.

• Professional$3.75

  per employee / month, billed annually

  Starting price; volume discounts may apply. Adds auto-fill and demand-based scheduling, compliance, labor budgeting and SSO/SAML.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Quote only, for complex operations with IT, security or cross-functional scheduling needs.

Deputy

• Annual discount

  About 10% off with annual billing

  Annual plans cost $5, $6.50 and $9 per user a month against $5.50, $7.25 and $10 billed monthly; the page labels the saving 10%.

• Nonprofit

  Special pricing for charities on request

  Charities, not-for-profits and community organizations can ask Deputy about special pricing; no figure is published.

• Other savings

  6 months free on Pro and Payroll until November 30, 2026

  New US businesses that sign up by November 30, 2026 and buy both Pro and Deputy Payroll on a 12-month term get six billing months free.

Humanity Schedule

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  TCP's pricing page has a Monthly/Annually switch labeled "Save 20%", and shows the annual per-employee rates.