Deputy vs Legion (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 Legion if

• Fits if you run a large hourly workforce across many sites
• Works for a business that will go through a demo and a sales process

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you run one small site, as the site is built for large hourly workforces
• Not for you if you want a price list, as none is published
• Watch out: on-demand pay runs through a partner, Stream
• Too light for anyone who needs to know the phone platforms, as iOS and Android are not named

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.

Legion

• No prices or plans are published; the site sends visitors to schedule a demo.
• It is described as built for enterprise teams managing large hourly workforces, not small single-site businesses.
• The site mentions a mobile app and a desktop browser but does not name iOS or Android, so only the web version is listed.
• On-demand pay (Legion InstantPay) runs through a partner, Stream.

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.

Legion

Labor planning

Forecast demand and plan, allocate and model labor against budgets, adjusting when conditions change.

Schedule optimization

Automatically balances demand, budgets, workforce rules, availability and employee preferences so managers review a schedule rather than build one.

Time and attendance

Connects schedules and timekeeping from punch to payroll and surfaces exceptions. Partner time clocks from Accu-Time Systems, GT Clocks and Synel integrate.

Employee app

One app for schedules, availability, time off, shift pickup, swaps, messaging and Legion InstantPay on-demand pay.

Agentic AI

AI agents take approved actions within rules and guardrails that the customer sets, such as managed scheduling and assistants for managers.

Control Center

Staffing rules, operating requirements and policies can be updated by the customer without an IT ticket or a consultant project.

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.

Legion

Pricing could not be confirmed. See legion.co.

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.

Legion

No public discounts listed.