Deputy

Deputy at a Glance

Deputy Pros and Cons in 2026

Where Deputy Stands Out

• AI-powered auto-scheduling: demand forecasting and labor optimisation built into the Core tier rather than gated to enterprise add-ons
• Built-in labor law compliance engine: US, UK, and Australia federal/state rules baked into the platform with auto-flagging of potential violations
• Native payroll add-on: Deputy Payroll by Paycor at $8 per user plus $49 base, plus deep payroll/HR integrations with major US providers
• Strong hospitality and retail vertical fit: shift swap, find replacement, biometric clock-ins, and demand-driven scheduling features purpose-built for hourly workforces
• 320,000+ workplaces with 17+ years of operational maturity: validated at scale across global hospitality, retail, healthcare, and frontline industries

Where Deputy Falls Short

• No published HIPAA attestation on the security page, limiting fit for regulated healthcare workflows
• Pro-tier features (SSO, custom access levels, sandbox) gated to the highest plan
• Add-on pricing for Messaging+, Analytics+, and HR can stack on top of base per-user fees
• No free tier; smallest plan starts at $5 per user per month
• Stronger feature density on hourly/shift work than salaried HR or full HRIS workflows; pairs with separate HRIS platforms for non-hourly teams

Who Should Use Deputy?

Hospitality, retail, healthcare, and frontline operators (20 to 2,000 hourly employees) needing AI-driven shift scheduling, biometric time clocks, and built-in labor law compliance across multiple locations. A natural fit for hospitality and retail multi-location operators in Australia, US, UK, and Canada. For frontline workforce communication and SMB pricing, see Connecteam. For broader categories, see our HR software guide or attendance management guide.

Deputy Product Suite in 2026

Deputy Modules in 2026

• Scheduling: AI auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, shift swap, find replacement, multi-location
• Time and Attendance: biometric time clocks, GPS clock-in, timesheets, auto-approval
• Labor Compliance: US, UK, AU federal/state labor law compliance engine
• HR Add-On: $2 per user with employee records, document storage, basic HR workflows
• Messaging+ Add-On: $1.95 per user team communication and shift-related chat
• Analytics+ Add-On: $1.50 per user advanced analytics and labor cost reporting
• Deputy Payroll by Paycor: $8 per user plus $49 base for native US payroll
• Mobile App: iOS and Android Deputy app for shift workers and managers

Deputy Customer Success and Global Implementation

Deputy customer team runs out of Sydney with regional teams in San Francisco and London. The 320,000+ workplace customer base across Australia, US, UK, and Canada provides strong implementation pattern coverage for hospitality, retail, healthcare, food service, fitness, and professional services teams. Deputy is privately held (VC-backed by OpenView, IVP, Square Peg Capital, EVP) with continuous platform investment in AI scheduling capabilities and labor compliance depth.

How Much Does Deputy Cost in 2026?

Deputy uses transparent per-user per-month pricing with three published tiers: Lite at $5, Core at $6.50 (most popular), and Pro at $9. Add-ons for HR ($2 per user), Messaging+ ($1.95), and Analytics+ ($1.50) layer on top of base per-user fees. Deputy Payroll by Paycor add-on at $8 per user plus $49 base provides native US payroll. Custom contracts available for charities, short-term events, and large enterprise deployments.

Deputy 2026 Pricing (Transparent Published)

• Lite - $5 per user per month; basic scheduling, timesheets, time clocking, labor law compliance, shift swap, leave and availability
• Core - $6.50 per user per month (most popular); everything in Lite plus advanced scheduling, biometric time clocks, demand forecasting, wage and labor budgets
• Pro - $9 per user per month; everything in Core plus custom access levels, location hierarchies, pay centers, SSO, dedicated CSM, sandbox, Analytics+ and Messaging+ included
• HR Add-On - $2 per user per month; employee records, document storage, basic HR workflows
• Deputy Payroll by Paycor - $8 per user per month plus $49 monthly base; native US 50-state payroll integration

Hidden Costs and Contract Gotchas to Watch For

• Per-user pricing scales with workforce size; budget headroom required for fast-growing hourly teams
• Add-on costs (HR $2, Messaging+ $1.95, Analytics+ $1.50) layer on top of base per-user fees and can total significantly above the headline rate
• Deputy Payroll add-on at $8 per user plus $49 base is on top of base scheduling subscription; total cost varies with team size
• Multi-location deployments may carry implementation services fees for setup and configuration
• Custom integrations beyond the standard partner list typically require professional services

Deputy Implementation Path

Deputy implementation typically runs 1 to 2 weeks for SMB hospitality and retail customers and 4 to 8 weeks for mid-market customers with multi-location deployments and complex labor compliance configuration. The Sydney customer success team coordinates with regional teams in San Francisco and London. Most customers go live with scheduling plus time clocks first, then layer payroll integration and analytics in subsequent phases.

Deputy vs the Alternatives

Deputy versus Connecteam: Connecteam has free Small Business plan (up to 10 users) plus three modular hubs at flat $29 to $99 per month for first 30 users. Deputy is per-user pricing with AI auto-scheduling and labor law compliance engine purpose-built for hourly work.

Deputy versus Sling: Sling is now part of Toast (acquired 2020) with restaurant industry focus. Deputy is broader hospitality plus retail plus healthcare with global coverage and SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001 trifecta.

Deputy versus When I Work: When I Work is US SMB scheduling at simpler pricing for under-200 hourly teams. Deputy has stronger AI auto-scheduling, labor compliance engine, and mid-market multi-location capabilities.

What Real Buyers Report About Deputy

Hospitality, retail, healthcare, and frontline operators are most positive about Deputy for the AI-powered auto-scheduling depth, the built-in labor law compliance engine, and the strong mobile experience for shift workers. Praise tends to land on responsive Sydney customer success, useful demand forecasting and labor optimisation in the Core tier, and the 320,000+ workplace customer base across global hospitality and retail. Recurring complaints cover no HIPAA attestation, Pro-tier feature gating, and add-on pricing stacking. Buyers running 20 to 2,000 hourly employees in hospitality, retail, healthcare, food service, fitness, and professional services give higher scores to Deputy above generic scheduling tools for the combination of AI scheduling, labor compliance, and frontline mobile experience.

Bottom Line: Is Deputy Right for You?

Deputy fits hospitality, retail, healthcare, and frontline operators (20 to 2,000 hourly employees) needing AI-driven shift scheduling, biometric time clocks, and built-in labor law compliance across multiple locations. The 320,000+ workplace customer base, AI auto-scheduling in Core tier, and SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001 plus PCI-DSS Level 3 plus CSA Star Level 1 compliance trifecta differentiate it from generic scheduling tools. The trade-offs are no HIPAA attestation, Pro-tier feature gating, and add-on pricing stacking. For hospitality and retail multi-location operators, Deputy is worth shortlisting alongside Connecteam and When I Work.