Deputy vs RosterElf (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 RosterElf if

• Fits if you run an Australian team and need award rules on a low per-user price
• Works for businesses that already run payroll in Xero or MYOB

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want annual billing for a small team, as it needs at least 10 seats
• Not for you if you want payroll run inside the app, since it exports to Xero or MYOB
• Watch out: admins and managers are billed as active users
• Watch out: billing is in Australian dollars plus GST, and the Flex plan for volunteers is not in the plan table

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.

RosterElf

• Billed in Australian dollars plus GST, per active employee, including admins and managers.
• Annual billing needs at least 10 seats; monthly billing needs at least 3 active staff. Enterprise pricing starts above 250 employees.
• Payroll is exported to Xero or MYOB rather than run inside RosterElf.
• A Flex plan at $10.60 per rostered staff member a month, for volunteer and event teams, is not in the plan table.

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.

RosterElf

Rostering

Roster templates, staff availability, open shifts, shift swaps, break planning and labour cost forecasting, with roster warnings.

Time and attendance

Clock in with GPS and photo proof, or on a tablet time clock, with timesheet approvals and live attendance.

Award interpretation

Applies award rates to each shift and exports payroll-ready hours to Xero or MYOB.

HR Hub

Employee profiles, digital onboarding and contracts, policies, certificates and a document store, on the HR and Full Suite plans.

Team communication

Team messaging, staff notifications, shift notes, tasks and a newsfeed inside the staff app.

Analytics

Reports across rosters, wages, attendance and leave.

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.

RosterElf

• HRA$3

  per user / month + GST, billed annually (A$4 billed monthly)

  HR tools only: employee profiles, digital onboarding, contracts, policies, certificates and leave.

• CoreA$6

  per user / month + GST, billed annually (A$8 billed monthly)

  Rostering, time and attendance, award interpretation, Xero and MYOB exports, team chat, shift swaps and leave.

• Full SuiteA$7

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

  Everything in Core plus the HR Hub, digital onboarding and contracts and the Workwise AI compliance assistant.

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.

RosterElf

• Annual discount

  Up to 30% off with annual billing

  Annual billing saves up to 30%: Full Suite drops from A$10 to A$7, and Core and HR by 25%. Annual plans need at least 10 seats.