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It's a split decision.
Choose Homebase if you want a free, one-location plan for up to 10 employees and prefer pricing per location. Its paid plans start at $30/location/month, while payroll costs extra. Choose Deputy if you want per-user scheduling and labor-compliance tools, or need auto-scheduling, forecasting, and wage budgets on Core. Deputy starts at $5/user/month, but monthly plans have a $30 invoice minimum; payroll and other add-ons can raise the bill. Compare billing units before treating either headline price as cheaper.
01Side by side
| Homebase | Deputy | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Paid plans start at $30/location/month | $5/user/month; $30 monthly invoice minimum |
| Free plan | Basic: one location, up to 10 employees | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Small hourly teams wanting per-location pricing | Shift teams needing scheduling and labor compliance |
| Core strength | Scheduling, time tracking, payroll, HR, and hiring | Scheduling, timekeeping, compliance, and forecasting |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Payroll uses tracked hours; integrations not published | Approved timesheets send to Paycor; others not published |
| Team/seat costs | $30/month Essentials includes unlimited employees | Per-user pricing; admins and supervisors count as users |
| Support | Support details not published | Pro includes 24/7 live chat |
Homebase Choose Homebase if
- Choose Homebase if you need a free plan for one location.
- Choose Homebase if per-location pricing fits your staffing model.
- Choose Homebase if you want scheduling, time tracking, and HR tools.
Deputy Choose Deputy if
- Choose Deputy if per-user pricing suits your team size.
- Choose Deputy if you need labor-compliance tools and forecasting.
- Choose Deputy if Paycor timesheet handoff matters.
02Pricing compared
Homebase has a free Basic plan for one location and up to 10 employees. Its paid plans start at $30 per location per month for Essentials, then rise to $70 for Plus and $120 for All-in-One. The pricing page lists monthly prices; annual prices are not published. Payroll is extra: $49 per month plus $6 per employee paid, or $29 per month for teams of up to five, with a listed offer for six months free.
Deputy starts at $5 per user per month for Lite, with Core at $6.50 and Pro at $9. The pricing page says annual billing saves 10%, but does not publish annual rates. Monthly plans have a $30 minimum invoice. Payroll costs $8 per user monthly plus a $49 base fee, and other add-ons can raise the total. These billing units matter: compare your location count and paid users, not just the headline rates.
03Features and depth
Homebase groups scheduling, time tracking, payroll, hiring, HR, and team communication in one app aimed at hourly teams. Its product page lists schedule building, availability and shift management, clock-ins from mobile or tablet devices, and tracking for hours, breaks, and overtime. Payroll can calculate wages, taxes, and tips using tracked hours, but it is a paid add-on. Hiring tools cover job posts, candidate screening, and interview booking; higher plans add onboarding and HR features.
Deputy also covers scheduling and timekeeping, with shift swaps, timesheets, and labor-compliance calculations for pay rates, overtime, breaks, and premium pay. Core adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, timesheet auto-approval, and wage and labor budgets. Pro adds SSO, a sandbox, and 24/7 live chat; Analytics+ and Messaging+ are included. Deputy’s product page describes an AI agent for turning on-shift decisions into actions. Its payroll feature sends approved timesheets to Paycor in one click; payroll is a separately priced add-on in the US.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither pricing page establishes which product is easier to learn, so we would not treat either feature list as proof of a simpler setup. Our review scores give Homebase 7 for ease of use and Deputy 5.5, but those scores alone do not explain where users get stuck.
The practical difference is how you buy and manage the tools: Homebase prices most plans by location, while Deputy charges per user and counts administrators and supervisors as users. Check which staff need access, whether you need payroll or add-ons, and how schedules and timekeeping fit your existing process before choosing. Ask each vendor about setup and training costs; those prices are not published here.
Questions people ask
How much does Homebase cost a month?
Homebase’s Basic plan is free for one location and up to 10 employees. Paid plans start at $30 per location per month for Essentials, with Plus at $70 and All-in-One at $120. Payroll is extra, and the pricing page does not publish annual rates.
Is the Deputy app legit?
Deputy’s product page lists scheduling, timekeeping, HR, payroll, and compliance tools, and its pricing page lists paid plans. That confirms what the vendor sells, not whether the app meets your security or reliability requirements. Check those points with Deputy before sharing employee data.
Is Homebase a good company?
Our review scores rate Homebase 7 overall, with 8 for features and 7 for ease of use and value; support and user sentiment score 5 each. Those scores suggest a fit worth considering for hourly teams, but do not establish service quality for every business.
Should I choose Homebase or Deputy?
Choose Homebase if you want a free one-location plan for up to 10 employees or prefer per-location pricing. Consider Deputy for per-user scheduling and labor-compliance tools, especially Core’s auto-scheduling, forecasting, and labor budgets. Compare total costs including Deputy’s monthly minimum and both products’ payroll charges.