Deputy vs ShiftForce (ShiftNote) (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 ShiftForce (ShiftNote) if

• Fits if you run a restaurant or hotel and want a manager logbook beside the rota
• Works for a business with one or two sites, as the price is per location

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you have many sites, as every location is paid for
• Skip it if you want scheduling on the $50 plan, as that plan is the logbook only
• Watch out: POS integration is listed under the $150 Enterprise plan, and setup fees may apply
• Watch out: it was renamed ShiftForce, and the pricing page still uses the ShiftNote plan names

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.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

• Pricing is per location, so a business with many sites pays for each one; multi-location discounts are by request.
• Scheduling starts at the $100 plan; the $50 plan is the logbook without a scheduler.
• POS integration is listed under the $150 Enterprise plan, and setup fees may apply.
• ShiftNote was renamed ShiftForce, and the pricing page still uses the ShiftNote plan names.

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.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

Employee scheduler

Managers build schedules from templates with drag and drop, and employees can view shifts, request time off and swap shifts within rules the business sets.

Manager logbook

A daily log where managers leave notes for the next shift and track stats such as sales and labor, kept as a searchable record.

Task management

Tasks can be assigned and tracked per company, location, role or person.

Labor cost tracking

The Scheduler plan tracks labor cost against schedules; the Enterprise plan adds labor management and a custom reporting dashboard.

POS data

ShiftForce lists integrations with Toast, Square, Squirrel and NCR Aloha (through the Olo Omnivore API) to bring sales data next to labor.

Daily recap emails

Recap emails keep owners and staff informed about each day at a location without logging in.

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.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

• ShiftNote$50

  per location / month, billed monthly

  Daily logbook, task list, cash management, document storage, shift reports and a stats tracker. $540 a year if paid yearly.

• ShiftNote +Scheduler$100

  per location / month, billed monthly

  Adds employee scheduling, templates, labor cost tracking, shift swaps, time-off requests and a mobile app. $1,080 a year if paid yearly.

• Enterprise$150

  per location / month, billed monthly

  Adds POS integration (Toast, Aloha, Square, Squirrel), labor management and custom reporting. $1,620 a year if paid yearly.

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.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing is cheaper than monthly

  The pricing page lists $540, $1,080 and $1,620 a year per location against $50, $100 and $150 a month.