Deputy vs Workforce.com (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 Workforce.com if

• Fits if you want scheduling, time tracking and payroll from one company
• Works for a team that can say its headcount range and ask for a quote

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a posted price, as every plan is a quote
• Watch out: four packages are sold apart, All-in-One, Scheduling, Payroll and HR
• Watch out: the US, Canada and UK sites are separate, so check the one for your country
• Not for you if you need to know the phone platforms, as no store listing is 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.

Workforce.com

• No prices are published; every plan on the pricing page has a Request Pricing button.
• The quote form asks for employee range, from 1-20 up to 500+, so cost depends on headcount.
• Four packages are sold: All-in-One, Scheduling, Payroll and HR. The site has separate United States, Canada and UK versions.
• The pages read mention an employee app but no iOS or Android store listing, so only the web version is listed.

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.

Workforce.com

Employee scheduling

Builds schedules and manages shifts, with an employee app, communications and announcements to keep staff informed.

Labor forecasting

Staffing levels are guided by sales, foot traffic and similar data, and POS integrations such as Clover and Epos Now feed sales into schedules.

Time and attendance

Captures hours, breaks and time off on timesheets, with wage and hour automation to calculate pay rates for payroll.

Payroll and benefits

The Payroll product lists full-service payroll, tax filing and benefits management, with integrations to ADP and Gusto for teams that keep their payroll elsewhere.

HR tools

Onboarding and offboarding, an HRIS with self-service, performance management and applicant tracking.

Compliance help

The site lists Fair Workweek, California and Florida compliance pages, WOTC and an attendance points system.

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.

Workforce.com

Pricing could not be confirmed. See workforce.com.

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.

Workforce.com

No public discounts listed.