Deputy vs Tanda (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Deputy grades higher than Tanda: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Deputy grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Tanda grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Deputy
Shift scheduling, time clock and labor-law tools for hourly teams
Tanda
Rostering, timesheets, payroll and HR for Australian hourly teams
Which one is for you
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 Tanda if
- Fits if you run an Australian hourly business that wants rosters and payroll together
- Works for hospitality and retail teams under Australian awards
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're outside Australia, because awards and STP are built around Australian rules
- Not for you if you want to try it free first, as the page lists no trial
- Watch out: single modules have no published price
- Watch out: the page doesn't name the currency
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADeputyGood | 2.0GPATandaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DLite is $5 a person a month billed yearly, so 15 staff come to $75 a month, and managers count as users too. For a team that size that's in the dearest tenth of this category. Auto-scheduling and face-unlock kiosks wait on Core at $6.50 a head. | C$12.80 per user a month plus GST for the all-in-one bundle, which includes payroll and HR. That sits in the middle of the category. Single modules are quote-only. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a trial of up to 31 days with no credit card needed. After it you pay for every user, managers included. | FNo free plan and no free trial on the pricing page. |
| Features | BSchedules from templates with breaks, shift swaps, clock-ins from phones, browsers, watches or a kiosk, labor-law checks as you build, and timesheets that flow to payroll. That's the whole job, with auto-scheduling and demand forecasts on Core. | BRostering, award interpretation, an app with clock-ins, payroll from timesheets, leave and HR. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job. |
| Ease of use | A4.79 from 5,849 App Store ratings. Staff get their shifts, swaps and clock-ins on the phone, which is where most of the use happens. | CNo store rating on record. Award rules and payroll are set up per business. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus payroll and till links such as Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks, Xero and Square, and a public API. No desktop app, so it stops at a B. | BWeb with an employee app, plus MYOB, Reckon, Sage 50, Lightspeed, Oracle Micros and others. No desktop app on the listing. |
| Best for | shift teams that must follow labor laws | hourly teams in Australia |
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: Deputy and Tanda. How we grade
Price against what you get
Deputy starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tanda starts at $12.80 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Deputy scores higher and starts $7.80 a month lower. Of the other shift scheduling apps on the chart, none scores higher than Deputy for less, and 3 score higher than Tanda 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
- Deputy also covers auto-scheduling.
- Tanda also covers applicant tracking and employee records.
At a glance
| Deputy | Tanda | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $5 per user / month, billed annually (Lite) | $12.80 per user / month, plus GST, for the all-in-one bundle |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial of up to 31 days, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Deputy | Tanda |
| Price read from | deputy.com | tanda.com.au |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Tanda
- The pricing page shows one bundle price and asks you to request prices for each module separately.
- Prices are shown in dollars plus GST on the Australian site; the page does not name the currency.
- Award interpretation and STP filing are built around Australian rules, so the payroll side is not aimed at other countries.
- No free plan or free trial is stated on the pricing page.
Key features
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.
Tanda
- Rostering
- Build rosters from templates, typical hours or drag and drop, and see who is working, for how long and at what cost. Validations flag overtime and qualification risks.
- Award interpretation
- An award interpreter works out pay and entitlements from the hours staff actually work, and break rules can be set to match an award's requirements.
- Employee app and clock-ins
- Staff receive rosters, accept or swap shifts, apply for leave and clock in with GPS from their phones. Managers get alerts for late arrivals and missed breaks.
- Payroll from timesheets
- Pay runs are created from timesheets, and the payroll page says STP filing can be done from within the account.
- Leave management
- Staff request leave and unavailability in the app; managers review requests in a calendar next to public holidays and other time off.
- HR and hiring
- Onboarding, contracts, policies and an applicant tracking feature (Tanda Hire) are part of the same system.
Plans
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.
Tanda
All in One$12.80
per user / month, plus GST
Workforce management, payroll and HR bundled. Each module can also be priced on its own on request.
Single modulesCustom
Workforce Management, Payroll or HR sold separately; the page gives no price and asks you to request one.
Ways to pay less
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.
Tanda
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Deputy or Tanda?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Deputy is cheaper to start with: $5 a month for each person, against $12.80 a month for each person for Tanda. Deputy starts at $5 per user / month, billed annually (Lite), and Tanda starts at $12.80 per user / month, plus GST, for the all-in-one bundle.
Which has a free plan, Deputy or Tanda?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Deputy nor Tanda has a free plan. Deputy has a free trial.
Which platforms do Deputy and Tanda run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Deputy lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.