The Deputy Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Deputy in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Deputy
The Insider’s Guide
Shift scheduling, time clock and labor-law tools for hourly teams
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among shift scheduling apps, read from Deputy’s own pages.
Made by Deputy · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Deputy’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Deputy’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 5 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade
Deputy is workforce management software for businesses that run on shifts. Managers build rosters by hand or with auto-scheduling, staff swap shifts and clock in from phones, tablets or a kiosk, and approved timesheets flow to payroll. HR tools and US payroll by Paycor are sold as add-ons.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Deputy, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Staff get their shifts, swaps and clock-ins on the phone, which is where most of the use happens.
- 1
Best for shift teams that must follow labor laws
Deputy is the grown-up pick here: schedules, a time clock, labor-law checks and timesheets that go to payroll, in an app staff rate highly.
- 2
Paid plans start at $5 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $5 per user / month, billed annually (Lite).
- 3
You can try it first
Free trial of up to 31 days, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 5 of 12
That is against the other shift scheduling apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Deputy you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Deputy at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $5 per user / month, billed annually (Lite)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial of up to 31 days, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Deputy, since 2008
- Category
- Shift Scheduling
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.8 on the App Store, 5,849 ratings
The report card
Best for shift teams that must follow labor laws
Deputy is the grown-up pick here: schedules, a time clock, labor-law checks and timesheets that go to payroll, in an app staff rate highly. The catch is the price. It charges per person, so 15 hourly staff on Lite cost $75 a month, and plenty of rivals charge a flat fee that comes out far lower.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Lite 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan, but a trial of up to 31 days with no credit card needed. That's a long, fair look, though after it you pay for every user. |
| Features | B | Schedules 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. |
| Ease of use | A | 4.79 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Deputy is for
- Great if you have to follow break rules or Fair Workweek scheduling laws
- Handy when you want staff to swap shifts and find their own cover
- Good for multi-site operators who want wage budgets and demand forecasts
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Hospitality, retail and healthcare employers scheduling hourly staff
- Businesses that must follow break rules and Fair Workweek laws
- Multi-location operators that want demand forecasts and wage budgets
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$5
A month to start, for each person
Deputy is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $5 per user / month, billed annually (Lite).
For a team that size that's in the dearest tenth of this category.
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.
Trying it first
Free trial of up to 31 days, no credit card required
Read from deputy.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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%.
Stated on deputy.comNonprofit
Special pricing for charities on request
Charities, not-for-profits and community organizations can ask Deputy about special pricing; no figure is published.
Stated on deputy.comOther 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.
Stated on deputy.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Shift scheduling, time clock and labor-law tools for hourly teams. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, auto-scheduling, payroll, shift scheduling, time clock, time off.
That's the whole job, with auto-scheduling and demand forecasts on Core.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Gusto
- ADP
- Paychex
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Square
- Lightspeed
- BambooHR
Deputy is made by Deputy, and has been around since 2008.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/12
Other shift scheduling apps it is graded above
Deputy's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 5 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 8 of 12) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month for each person, against a middle price of $5.65 for the category: 5 of the 12 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 13 shift scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Deputy’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 12
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 12
- BFeaturesAbove 4 of 12
- AEase of useAbove 8 of 12
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 12
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 shift scheduling apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Deputy is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Deputy you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $60 a year.
What you could make
- Time off: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- A scheduler that rearranges your day as things move.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Gusto, ADP and Paychex among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Deputy’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
When I Work, Homebase, 7shifts, Connecteam and Sling by Toast
The 5 tools Deputy is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
When I Work
Free trial · from $2.50/mo
Staff scheduling with auto-fill, shift trades and an add-on time clock.
- Deputy also covers payroll.
- When I Work also covers team chat.
- 3.2GPA
Homebase
Free plan · from $24/mo
Small-business scheduling, time clock and payroll, priced per location.
- Homebase has a free plan. Deputy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deputy also covers auto-scheduling.
- Homebase also covers team chat, job board posting and employee records.
- 3.0GPA
7shifts
Free plan · from $39.99/mo
Restaurant scheduling, time clock, tips and payroll, per location.
- 7shifts has a free plan. Deputy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deputy also covers auto-scheduling.
- 7shifts also covers team chat and applicant tracking.
- 3.2GPA
Connecteam
Free plan · from $29/mo
Employee app for shifts, time clock, chat and HR, free up to 10 users.
- Connecteam has a free plan. Deputy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deputy also covers payroll.
- Connecteam also covers forms and team chat.
- 2.8GPA
Sling by Toast
Free plan · from $1.70/mo
Free shift scheduling for up to 30 users, with paid time clock tiers.
- Sling by Toast has a free plan. Deputy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deputy also covers payroll.
- Sling by Toast also covers tasks and team chat.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Deputy free?
No, Deputy is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free trial of up to 31 days, no credit card required.
How much does Deputy cost?
Deputy lists 3 plans. Lite: $5 per user / month, billed annually ($5.50 billed monthly).
What platforms does Deputy work on?
Deputy is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Deputy offer any discounts?
Deputy publicly lists the following: About 10% off with annual billing; Special pricing for charities on request; 6 months free on Pro and Payroll until November 30, 2026.
How is Deputy rated?
Deputy's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5,849 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Deputy have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Deputy is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Deputy have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Deputy is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Deputy open source?
Deputy is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Deputy have an API?
Yes. Deputy offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Deputy integrate with?
Deputy's listing names Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks, Xero, Square, Lightspeed and BambooHR.
Who makes Deputy?
Deputy is made by Deputy. It dates from 2008.
What are the alternatives to Deputy?
The closest alternatives to Deputy in our directory are When I Work, Homebase, 7shifts, Connecteam and Sling by Toast.
How does Deputy compare with other shift scheduling apps?
Deputy's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 5 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 2.
Is Deputy good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Deputy D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $5 a month for each person, against a middle price of $5.65 for the category: 5 of the 12 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Deputy?
To replace Deputy you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Deputy’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Deputy's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Deputy. Prices change, so check deputy.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Deputy, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/deputy
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Deputy: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/deputy
Know someone choosing between shift scheduling apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/deputy/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded shift scheduling apps after Deputy, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Shift Scheduling Insider's GuideEvery one of the 13 shift scheduling apps we grade, compared
- Connecteam Insider's GuideEmployee app for shifts, time clock, chat and HR, free up to 10 users3.2 GPA
- Homebase Insider's GuideSmall-business scheduling, time clock and payroll, priced per location3.2 GPA
- 7shifts Insider's GuideRestaurant scheduling, time clock, tips and payroll, per location3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Deputy’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Deputy is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Deputy. Prices and plans change: check deputy.com before you buy.