Our Full Review
Deputy is the scheduling tool for businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets but don't want to commit to industry-specific software. Unlike 7shifts (restaurants only) or Connecteam (field teams), Deputy works across retail, healthcare, hospitality, and more.
Who Should Use Deputy?
Deputy is ideal for:
- Retail stores with fluctuating customer traffic and variable staffing needs
- Healthcare facilities (clinics, home health) managing nursing shifts
- Hospitality businesses (hotels, venues) with event-based scheduling
- Warehouses and manufacturing tracking shift coverage and overtime
- Multi-location businesses needing centralized scheduling across sites
Who Should Look Elsewhere?
- Restaurants — 7shifts is purpose-built for food service and has better POS integrations
- Field service teams — Connecteam or Hubstaff have better GPS tracking
- Salaried office teams — Deputy is for hourly shift workers, not 9-5 employees
- Budget-conscious startups under 10 employees — When I Work or free tools may suffice
Employee Scheduling
Deputy's scheduling is powerful and flexible:
- Drag-and-drop builder with visual calendar
- Auto-scheduling: AI suggests optimal shifts based on demand forecasts, availability, and labor budgets
- Shift templates for recurring schedules
- Open shifts: Post available shifts for employees to claim
- Shift trading: Employees swap shifts with manager approval
- Multi-location scheduling from one dashboard
- Conflict detection: Double-bookings, skill mismatches, understaffing alerts
Time & Attendance
Comprehensive time tracking:
- Mobile clock-in/out with GPS verification
- Web-based time clock
- Kiosk mode for shared tablets
- Geofencing: Restrict clock-ins to specific locations
- Photo verification to prevent buddy punching
- Break tracking with automatic compliance
- Overtime alerts in real-time
Compliance & Labor Laws
Deputy handles complex labor regulations:
- Predictive scheduling laws: Automatic compliance with advance notice requirements (SF, NYC, Oregon, etc.)
- Break rules: Enforce meal and rest break requirements by jurisdiction
- Overtime tracking: Alerts before hitting OT thresholds
- Minor labor laws: Restrict hours for employees under 18
- Audit trails: Track all schedule changes for compliance purposes
Demand Forecasting
Data-driven scheduling based on sales/traffic:
- Integrate sales data from POS or other systems
- AI predicts busy periods based on historical data
- Suggests staffing levels to hit labor cost targets
- Scenario modeling: "What if I add 2 employees on Saturday?"
This feature alone can save 2-5% on labor costs for retailers and restaurants.
Payroll Integrations
Deputy's integration ecosystem is best-in-class:
- Payroll: Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Square Payroll, OnPay, Rippling, and 100+ more
- Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, MYOB
- POS Systems: Square, Lightspeed, Shopify, Vend
- HR Platforms: BambooHR, Namely
Time data syncs automatically—no manual exports.
Team Communication
Built-in messaging:
- 1-on-1 and group chats
- Broadcast announcements to entire team or specific locations
- Newsfeed with company updates
- Task management and checklists
Mobile App
Deputy's mobile experience is excellent:
- Clean, intuitive interface (4.7 stars on App Store/Google Play)
- Clock in/out with one tap
- View schedules with color-coded shifts
- Request time off or shift swaps
- Receive push notifications for schedule changes
Reporting & Analytics
Strong workforce analytics:
- Labor cost as % of revenue
- Overtime and compliance reports
- Attendance trends and late clock-ins
- Employee performance metrics
- Custom report builder
- Export to Excel/CSV
Pricing Breakdown
Deputy uses tiered pricing:
- Scheduling: $4.50/user/month — Basic scheduling and mobile app
- Time & Attendance: $4.50/user/month — Add time clocking and PTO tracking
- Premium: $6/user/month — Adds demand forecasting, auto-scheduling, advanced reports
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — SSO, API access, dedicated support
For a 50-person team on Premium: 50 × $6 = $300/month.
More expensive than When I Work ($2-4/user) but less than 7shifts' higher tiers.
31-day free trial with all features.
The Bottom Line
Deputy is the best multi-industry scheduling tool. It's not as niche-focused as 7shifts (restaurants) or Connecteam (field teams), but that flexibility is its strength.
If you run a shift-based business and need strong payroll integrations, compliance automation, and demand forecasting, Deputy delivers. The mobile app is genuinely good—employees will actually use it.
Not the cheapest option, but the feature set justifies the cost for businesses with 20+ hourly employees. Try the 31-day trial—if you're still scheduling in Excel, Deputy will feel like magic.