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It's a split decision.
Choose Deputy if you run shift-based operations and need scheduling, timekeeping, labor compliance, and payroll workflows in one system. Its listed entry price is $5 per user monthly, but monthly plans have a $30 invoice minimum, and payroll costs extra. Choose DeskTime if automatic records of work time, apps, websites, documents, and project hours matter more than workforce operations. Its $6.42 per-user monthly rate requires annual billing; monthly pricing is not published, and VAT is extra. Neither has a free plan.
01Side by side
| Deputy | DeskTime | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5/user/month; monthly plan | $6.42/user/month; annual billing |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan listed; 14-day trial |
| Best for | Shift scheduling, timekeeping, and compliance | Automatic work and activity tracking |
| Core strength | Staffing operations and labor rules | Automatic activity records and productivity reports |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | Paycor timesheets; SSO on Pro | App, URL, document tracking; integrations on Premium |
| Team and seat costs | $30 monthly invoice minimum; admins count as users | Annual per-user prices; VAT excluded; monthly rate unpublished |
| Support | 24/7 live chat on Pro | Account manager and training on Enterprise |
Deputy Choose Deputy if
- Choose Deputy if shift scheduling and swaps are central to your work.
- Choose Deputy if you need timekeeping, leave, and labor compliance tools.
- Choose Deputy if you want approved timesheets sent to Paycor.
DeskTime Choose DeskTime if
- Choose DeskTime if you want work time tracked automatically, without timers.
- Choose DeskTime if app, website, document, and project activity matters.
- Choose DeskTime if you need productivity reports or shift scheduling on Premium.
02Pricing compared
Deputy’s listed entry price is lower: Lite starts at $5 per user per month, versus DeskTime Pro at $6.42 per user per month. But they use different billing terms. Deputy lists monthly rates and says annual billing saves 10%, with the annual charge billed upfront; it does not publish separate annual rates. Monthly Lite, Core and Pro invoices have a $30 minimum. DeskTime’s listed prices require annual billing, exclude VAT, and its monthly rates are not published.
Deputy Core is $6.50 and Pro is $9 per user per month. Payroll is extra: $8 per user monthly plus a $49 monthly base fee, and is available on annual Core and Pro plans in the US. DeskTime Premium is $9.17 per user per month on annual billing. Neither has a free plan; DeskTime lists a 14-day trial.
03Features and depth
Deputy is built around shift operations: managers can create schedules, handle shift swaps, track time and timesheets, and manage leave and availability. Lite includes basic scheduling and timekeeping. Core adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, timesheet auto-approval, and wage and labor budgets. Deputy also lists labor-law calculations, HR tools, and a payroll workflow that sends approved timesheets to Paycor; payroll is a paid add-on in the US, not part of the base price. Its AI agent is described as turning on-shift decisions into actions.
DeskTime focuses on automatic work records and productivity analysis. It tracks work time, apps, websites, documents, and project hours when employees turn on their devices. It also offers activity categories, productivity calculations, AI summaries, reports, exports, online status, and an absence calendar. Shift scheduling is listed with Premium, not Pro. DeskTime is the closer fit for app and project activity records; Deputy covers more of the scheduling, timekeeping, and compliance workflow.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The learning curve depends on what the team needs to manage. Deputy brings together schedules, shift changes, timesheets, leave, and compliance, so managers choosing it should expect to set up workforce rules and processes—not just start a timer. Core and Pro add more automation and administration tools.
DeskTime’s central workflow is more automatic: it records work time and app, website, and document activity when employees turn on their devices. That may mean less manual time entry, but teams still need to decide how they will use productivity categories and monitoring data. The practical trade-off is operational setup with Deputy versus defining expectations for automatic tracking with DeskTime.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Deputy or DeskTime?
Deputy has the lower listed starting rate: Lite is $5 per user per month, while DeskTime Pro is $6.42 per user per month with annual billing. The comparison is not fully like-for-like: Deputy has a $30 monthly invoice minimum, and DeskTime’s monthly price is not published and excludes VAT.
Does Deputy include payroll in its base price?
No. Deputy lists payroll as an add-on at $8 per user per month plus a $49 monthly base fee. The pricing page says it is available on annual Core and Pro plans in the US, and that fees vary by business size.
Does DeskTime include shift scheduling?
DeskTime lists shift scheduling with its Premium plan, priced at $9.17 per user per month on annual billing. Its Pro plan does not list scheduling. Deputy includes basic scheduling on Lite, with auto-scheduling and demand forecasting listed for Core and Pro.
Do Deputy and DeskTime offer a free plan or trial?
Neither product lists a free plan. DeskTime lists a 14-day free trial. The published Deputy pricing information does not specify a free-trial offer, so check its current terms rather than assuming one is available.