Deputy vs Truein (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 Truein if

• Fits if you have several sites and want staff to clock in with their face
• Works for field crews that need geofenced punches and offline capture

Look elsewhere if

• Too light for HR records or payroll, as it covers time and attendance
• Pricey if you want scheduling and overtime rules, which are Advanced at $3.50
• Watch out: live tracking and time-off management are paid add-ons on top of Advanced
• Watch out: over 1,000 staff means Enterprise, with no published price
• Not for you if you want named payroll integrations, as only API and FTP links are listed

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.

Truein

• Shift and job scheduling, overtime rules and advanced reports are on the Advanced plan, not Time Capture.
• Live tracking ($1.25 per user / month) and time-off management ($0.50 per user / month) are paid add-ons on top of Advanced.
• Companies with more than 1,000 staff are directed to Enterprise, which has no published price.
• The pricing page lists API and FTP integrations with HRMS and payroll systems but names no specific vendors; custom integrations are offered.

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.

Truein

Face-recognition clock-in

Staff clock in with a selfie in the mobile app or at a shared kiosk, and the system checks the face and flags suspected photo or video spoofing for admin review.

GPS geofencing

Punches can be limited to approved work sites, and each entry carries a location stamp.

Offline capture

When there is no network, punches are stored on the device with the face and location and sync once the connection returns.

Job-based time tracking

Hours can be logged against jobs, sites, shifts and staff categories, so a timesheet shows where time was spent.

Scheduling and pay rules

The Advanced plan adds shift and job scheduling, overtime and break rules, activity planning and contractor or agency management.

Multi-site dashboard

One dashboard covers every location, with approval workflows for time corrections and exception flags for late, off-site, duplicate or missing punches.

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.

Truein

• Time Capture$2.25

  per user / month, billed annually ($3.00 billed monthly)

  Face-recognition clock-in, GPS geofencing, kiosk and mobile punching, offline capture, job-based tracking and basic timesheets.

• Advanced$3.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($4.50 billed monthly)

  Time Capture plus shift and job scheduling, overtime and pay rules, advanced reports and contractor management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Advanced plus an account manager, custom contracts and billing, integrations and priority support. For companies above 1,000 staff.

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.

Truein

• Annual discount

  25% off with annual billing

  The pricing page shows a Monthly and a Yearly toggle with a stated 25% saving for yearly billing, for example $2.25 instead of $3.00 per user a month on Time Capture.