Deputy alternatives: which scheduling app to pick, and how to switch
Five destinations, one per reason for leaving, and a seven-step switch plan.
The short answer: Homebase if you run one or a few locations and want to pay per location instead of per user, Sling if you only need a shared schedule and want to pay nothing for up to 30 users, When I Work if you want the cheapest per-user price, Connecteam for deskless field crews, Shiftbase if you run a team in Europe. One thing first: several Deputy customers report losing access the day they cancel, even with a year paid upfront. Export everything before you click. We compared the five destinations and reread their pricing pages in 2026.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why teams leave Deputy
Deputy is still a capable scheduler, and we rate it 4.1 out of 5 in our employee scheduling ranking. Happy users praise shift cover at short notice and timesheet exports. People leave over the bill, the support and the exit. Six reasons, taken from Deputy's pricing page and recent reviews.
You pay per user, managers included
Lite costs $5, Core $6.50 and Pro $9 per user per month, before tax. Admins and managers count as users. A team of 25 staff and 2 managers is 27 users: $135 a month on Lite, $175.50 on Core, $243 on Pro. Homebase charges per location instead, so hiring a summer worker doesn't move the bill.
A $30 monthly minimum
Since 2025, monthly plans carry a minimum of $30 per invoice (AUD $30, GBP £20). A team of 4 on Lite would owe $20 and pays $30. Paying yearly saves only 10%. For a small crew, Sling's free plan (30 users) or Homebase Basic (10 employees, one location) changes the math.
Add-ons stack up
Scheduling is included, the rest is extra: HR at $2 per user, Messaging+ at $1.95, Analytics+ at $1.50 (the last two are included in Pro). Deputy Payroll, run by Paycor, costs $8 per user plus $49 a month, and only on annual Core and Pro plans in the US.
Support complaints
Deputy scores 2.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot across 137 reviews. Recent complaints sound alike: tickets bounced between agents, slow answers. One user put it bluntly: "Your online support is simply not up to scratch." The positive reviews, to be fair, praise help with timesheet exports to Xero.
Auto-scheduling that ignores availability
A US reviewer wrote in 2026 that "AUTO-SCHEDULING DOESN'T TAKE EMPLOYEE AVAILABILITY INTO ACCOUNT." Another called the core scheduling "completely broken." These are individual reviews, not a measured rate, but they explain why managers still check every generated schedule by hand.
Access cut the day you cancel
This is the complaint that keeps coming back in 2026. Customers in New Zealand and Jersey report losing access as soon as they canceled, with months already paid. An Australian customer says he found out about a $572 charge only when canceling. Practical takeaway: export schedules, timesheets and staff data before you cancel.
You're leaving because… go to…
The right Deputy alternative depends on what's pushing you out. Usually one line fits. Each card jumps to the full profile below.
Priced per location: Essentials $30 a month.
You only need a shared schedule and want to pay nothingSlingFree scheduling for up to 30 users.
You want the lowest per-user priceWhen I WorkEssentials at $2.50 per user per month.
Your crews work in the field, not at a deskConnecteamSchedule, clock-in and chat in one app.
You only run one location with up to 10 employeesHomebaseBasic is free for one location and 10 employees.
Your team is in Europe and you want euro billingShiftbaseFree up to 15 employees, then priced per employee.
Deputy alternatives, one by one
For each tool: why switch to it, who it fits, its limit, how to move from Deputy, and what it costs. Scores come from our employee scheduling ranking; prices are those each vendor shows in 2026, before tax.
Homebase: per-location pricing for small hourly teams
Score 4.4/5Why switch to Homebase. Deputy bills every user. Homebase bills each location, so a 27-person team on Essentials pays $30 a month, not $175.50. Paid plans add more tools on top of the schedule as you move up.
Who it fits. A single-location restaurant, shop or salon with 5 to 40 hourly employees.
Who it doesn't fit. A 20-site group that needs demand forecasting and labor-law alerts across states: that is where Deputy still earns its price.
Its limit. The free Basic plan stops at one location and 10 employees. Each extra location adds a full plan price.
How to switch. Start the 14-day trial, import your staff list, then rebuild your template week. Run both apps for one week before the cutover.
- Free
- Basic: 1 location, up to 10 employees
- Paid
- Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location/month
- Discount
- save 20% annually
- Limit
- every location is billed separately
Sling: free shared scheduling up to 30 users
Score 4.0/5Why switch to Sling. If you mostly use Deputy to publish the schedule and handle shift swaps, Sling does that free for up to 30 users. It's the cheapest way out for a small team.
Who it fits. A team of 10 to 30 that wants a clean schedule on everyone's phone.
Who it doesn't fit. A team that needs payroll exports and labor cost tracking on the free plan.
Its limit. Time clock and labor costs sit in the paid plans: Premium at $2 per user ($1.70 yearly) and Business at $4 ($3.40 yearly).
How to switch. Create positions and staff, copy your current week, and use the 15-day trial if you need the paid features.
- Free
- scheduling up to 30 users
- Paid
- Premium $2/user/month ($1.70 yearly); Business $4 ($3.40)
- Best for
- shared schedule, no budget
- Limit
- time clock only on paid plans
When I Work: the lowest per-user price
Score 3.9/5Why switch to When I Work. It keeps Deputy's per-user model but cuts the price: Essentials is $2.50 per user, half of Deputy Lite. For 27 users, that's $67.50 a month instead of $135.
Who it fits. A manager who wants a schedule staff pick up without training, with easy swaps and availability requests.
Who it doesn't fit. A multi-site operation that wants forecasting and deep labor analytics.
Its limit. No free plan, and the pricing FAQ ties the $2.50 price to single-location use and $5 to multi-location, so check which applies to you.
How to switch. The 14-day trial needs no card. Import staff, rebuild positions, publish one week in parallel.
- Paid
- Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8 per user/month
- Trial
- 14 days, no card
- Best for
- simple per-user scheduling
- Limit
- no free plan
Connecteam: one app for crews that never sit at a desk
Score 4.2/5Why switch to Connecteam. Instead of per-user billing, Basic covers 30 users for $29 a month billed yearly, with scheduling, time clock, chat, forms and training in one mobile app.
Who it fits. Cleaning, security, home care and event companies with staff spread across job sites.
Who it doesn't fit. A restaurant that wants a tool built around restaurant shifts first.
Its limit. Past 30 users, each extra person costs $0.80 to $5 depending on the plan.
How to switch. The free plan covers 10 users: run a pilot crew on it, then move to Basic once the schedule works.
- Free
- up to 10 users
- Paid
- Basic $29/month yearly ($35 monthly) for 30 users; Advanced $49; Expert $99
- Best for
- deskless field teams
- Limit
- extra users add up past 30
Shiftbase: per-employee pricing in euros for European teams
Score 4.3/5Why switch to Shiftbase. Deputy bills European customers in US dollars (outside the UK). Shiftbase bills in euros, has no monthly minimum, and is free up to 15 employees.
Who it fits. Hospitality and retail teams of 5 to 50 people in continental Europe.
Who it doesn't fit. A US business: pricing is in euros and the tool is built around European workflows.
Its limit. The free plan covers one department and 5 teams. Basic is €30 a month for 6 employees, then €4 each: €114 for 27 people.
How to switch. The 14-day trial needs no card. Import staff by CSV, rebuild teams, then your template week.
- Free
- up to 15 employees
- Paid
- Basic €30/month for 6, then €4; Premium €72 for 12, then €5; Enterprise €336 for 48, then €6
- Best for
- European teams
- Limit
- no built-in payroll
Five alternatives side by side
Take one location with 25 staff and 2 managers. Deputy Core is 27 users at $6.50: $175.50 a month. Homebase Essentials is $30, Connecteam Basic $29 billed yearly, When I Work Essentials $67.50, and Sling is free for scheduling. The table shows one row per tool: billing model on the left, first price and switch path on the right.
| Billing model | First price and how to switch | |
|---|---|---|
| DeputyWhere you start | Per user, managers included; $30 monthly minimum | Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user/month |
| HomebasePer location | Per location; free for 1 location up to 10 employees | Essentials $30/month; 14-day trial |
| SlingFree | Free up to 30 users, then per user | Premium $2/user/month; 15-day trial |
| When I WorkCheapest per user | Per user, no free plan | Essentials $2.50/user/month; 14-day trial, no card |
| ConnecteamField crews | Flat for 30 users, then per extra user | Free up to 10; Basic $29/month yearly |
| ShiftbaseEurope | Free up to 15, then per employee in euros | Basic €30 for 6, then €4; CSV import |
Entry prices before tax as shown by each vendor in 2026; they can change. Price on your real headcount, managers and seasonal staff included.
Leave Deputy in seven steps
A scheduling app feeds payroll. Switch at the wrong moment and hours end up split across two tools. This order protects your data, the pay run and your team's trust.
Pick the cutover date on the payroll calendar
FirstSwitch on the first day of a pay period, never mid-period. Otherwise half the hours live in Deputy and half in the new app, and payroll gets two exports to merge.
Check your Deputy renewal date too, and plan the switch at least a month before it.
- Time
- one hour
- Risk if rushed
- a pay run to redo
Export everything before you cancel
Before cancelingExport approved timesheets, recent schedules, the staff list with roles, pay rates and availability, and leave balances. Store them outside Deputy.
Why now? Because customers report losing access the day they canceled. Those records matter for audits and wage disputes.
- Time
- half a day
- Risk if rushed
- lost timesheet history
Rebuild locations, positions and rules
Week 1Set up locations, teams and positions first, then rules: breaks, overtime, night premiums. Import staff after, usually by CSV.
Ask each vendor to show how it calculates overtime for your state or country. That's where tools differ most.
- Time
- one to three days
- Risk if rushed
- wrong overtime
Run both apps for one week
Week 2Publish the same week in both apps and compare hours per employee. Any gap is a rule set up wrong. Fix it before cutover.
One week is enough. Longer, and staff stop knowing which schedule to trust.
- Time
- one week
- Risk if rushed
- gaps found at payroll
Get the team on the new app
Week 2Send invites and show how to see shifts, set availability and request a swap. Ten minutes at the start of a shift is enough.
Name one go-to person per location for the first week.
- Time
- 10 minutes per team
- Risk if rushed
- missed shifts
Reconnect payroll and integrations
CutoverCancel Deputy after the first clean pay run
After payrollWait until the first pay run from the new app is approved. Confirm your exports are saved, then cancel.
Reread your terms first: one customer says he only learned of a charge when canceling.
- Time
- one hour
- Risk if rushed
- fees or lost data
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a scheduling switch go wrong
A failed schedule shows up the next day: an empty shift, someone who came in for nothing. These mistakes come up again and again in reviews from teams that changed tools.
Canceling before exporting
Several Deputy customers say access ended the day they canceled. Export timesheets, schedules and leave balances first.
Comparing per-user and per-location prices
Deputy and When I Work bill users; Homebase bills locations. Price both on your real headcount over twelve months, seasonal hires included.
Forgetting the minimum
Deputy's $30 monthly minimum hits small teams. A tool with a free tier at your size can be cheaper than the cheapest Deputy plan.
Trusting auto-scheduling blindly
Whatever tool you pick, read the first generated schedule before you publish it. Availability and time-off rules are where errors hide.
Skipping the overtime check
Ask for a demo of overtime, breaks and premiums under your local rules. One wrong rule skews every paycheck.
Picking without checking your industry
Your sector changes the answer. See our rankings for restaurant staff scheduling, restaurant scheduling software and healthcare staff scheduling.
- Cutover set on the first day of a pay period
- Timesheets, schedules and leave balances exported out of Deputy
- Prices compared on real headcount, managers included
- Overtime and break rules checked in a demo
- One week of parallel scheduling, hours compared
- One go-to person per location
- Zapier or Make scenarios rebuilt, dry payroll export approved
- Deputy canceled after the first clean pay run
Deputy alternatives: common questions
What is the best free alternative to Deputy?
Sling for a shared schedule: free for up to 30 users. Homebase Basic is free for one location and up to 10 employees. Connecteam is free for 10 users, Shiftbase for 15 employees. Deputy has no free plan, only a trial on Lite and Core.
How much does Deputy cost per month?
$5 per user on Lite, $6.50 on Core and $9 on Pro, before tax, with 10% off yearly. Monthly plans have a $30 minimum per invoice, and managers count as users.
Is Homebase better than Deputy?
For a single location with under 40 hourly staff, usually yes: it's priced per location and has a free tier. For a large multi-site group that needs forecasting and compliance alerts, Deputy still fits better. Our restaurant scheduling ranking puts both side by side.
Is When I Work cheaper than Deputy?
Per user, yes: Essentials is $2.50 against $5 for Deputy Lite. Check the plan that matches your setup, since When I Work's FAQ ties $2.50 to single-location use.
How do I export my data from Deputy before I switch?
Start with timesheets: Deputy says you can export them "to an Excel spreadsheet or your payroll system of choice." Then save schedules, staff records and leave balances outside Deputy, and do it before you cancel, since several customers report losing access on the day they canceled.
What happens to my data when I cancel Deputy?
Several customers report losing access the day they canceled. Export timesheets, schedules, staff records and leave balances first, and keep them in your own storage.
How long does it take to switch scheduling software?
Plan on two to three weeks: a few days of setup, a week of parallel scheduling, then cutover at the start of a pay period. Overtime rules take longer than importing staff.
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