Deputy alternatives, matched to why you're switching
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Connecteam Reviews · Updated September 30, 2026 · Checked November 1, 2026 · Grounded in 100 recent Deputy reviews
Disclosure: this site reviews Connecteam and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. Connecteam is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
Why teams look past Deputy
Deputy's Trustpilot reviews split sharply by how they were collected. Of the 50 most recent (Aug 2024 to Sep 2026), the 30 collected through Deputy's own link average 4.47. The 20 unprompted ones average 1.25, and 16 of them are about support: a chatbot before any person, no phone line, and tickets merged or left open for months.
The other reasons are about money. Reviewers describe the move to Lite, Core, and Pro as a price rise that pushed features up a tier, and one G2 reviewer calls the tier changes forced upgrades. Deputy charges per user, which hurts businesses with many part-timers, and monthly plans now carry a $30 minimum. Several reviewers found they had signed an annual plan they could not leave without paying the rest of the term. Two unprompted reviewers said they moved to Connecteam.
“When something goes wrong, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming to reach a resolution because there is no option to speak to someone over the phone.”Samantha Long, Trustpilot, Jan 2026
“Basic features removed from lite to core so we have to pay more to get what we already had.”Michael Pengilley, Trustpilot, Oct 2025
“My issue is a lot of a staff but only a few hours a week sometimes non, so I pay the same as a huge company with full time staff.”adrian jackson, Trustpilot, Jun 2026
“Only when you cancel do you find out you are expected to pay $572 for the remaining term for services that will not be used.”Paul, Trustpilot, Apr 2026
Like for like, Connecteam's reviews collected through a link it shares average 4.67 (49 reviews, Sep 21 to 29, 2026), against 4.47 for Deputy's invited ones. Connecteam had only one unprompted review in that window, so we can't set its unprompted score against Deputy's 1.25.
Match the Deputy alternative to your reason for leaving
| Compared on | Best alternative | Check before switching |
|---|---|---|
| Tier changes pushed up your price | Connecteam | Connecteam's reviewers also complain about features locked behind higher tiers and upsell calls. |
| You pay per user for many part-timers | Connecteam or Homebase | Connecteam is flat only to 30 users per hub, then charges per user. Homebase is per location with unlimited employees. |
| The app feels slow or cluttered after updates | Connecteam | Ease of use is its top praise, but admins describe a learning curve and some reviewers report bugs and logouts. |
| You want payroll in the same app | Homebase (or 7shifts for restaurants) | Connecteam has no built-in payroll, only exports to Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero, ADP, MYOB, and others. |
| You want to reach support by phone | Homebase | Connecteam has no phone line either. Homebase's reviewers describe calls, though some waited on callbacks. |
| You were caught by an annual contract | Pay monthly, wherever you go | Connecteam refunds annual plans only within 30 days (prorated) and monthly plans not at all. |
| You schedule to demand forecasts and labor budgets | Stay with Deputy | This is Deputy's strength, on Core and up. Fit Small Business lists no labor forecasting among Connecteam's cons. |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-09-30. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
The 6 best Deputy alternatives
Connecteam
Flat price to 30 users, free under 10Deputy charges for every user, managers included, so a large part-time roster costs the same as a full-time one. Connecteam is free for up to 10 users, and past that each hub costs $29 a month billed yearly for the first 30 users on Basic, with no per-user charge until user 31. On Trustpilot, reviews collected through a link each company shares average 4.67 for Connecteam (49 reviews, Sep 21 to 29, 2026) and 4.47 for Deputy (30 reviews, Aug 2024 to Sep 2026). Ease of use is the most common praise in Connecteam's reviews. The complaints overlap with Deputy's: features locked behind higher tiers, upsell calls, app bugs, support that starts with an AI bot and has no phone line, and no built-in payroll.
Full Connecteam vs Deputy comparison →Homebase
Per-location pricing and built-in payrollHomebase charges per location with unlimited employees, from $24 a month billed yearly on Essentials, so a single site with many part-timers pays one price. It runs its own US payroll as an add-on ($49 a month plus $6 per employee paid, first 6 months free). Several of its reviewers describe phone calls with support. Caveats: other reviewers describe callbacks that never came and payroll issues of their own, and onboarding, e-sign, and HR tools are on the $96 to $120 All-in-One plan only.
Connecteam vs Homebase →Sling
Cheap per-user schedulingSling is free for scheduling up to 30 users, and Premium, which adds the time clock and geofencing, is $1.70 per user a month billed yearly ($2 monthly). That is well under Deputy's $5 Lite plan. Caveats: Sling is owned by Toast, has no built-in payroll, and its 100 newest Google Play reviews average 2.66 (Jun 29 to Sep 27, 2026).
Connecteam vs Sling →When I Work
Simpler scheduling, per userWhen I Work is a lighter scheduler that starts at $2.50 per user a month, with a 14-day trial and no card. It includes team messaging and shift trades. Caveats: time tracking is a paid add-on (+$1.50 to +$2 per user), there is no public free plan, and its pricing page does not say whether prices are the annual or monthly rate.
When I Work alternatives →7shifts
Restaurants onlyFor restaurants, 7shifts adds tip management, hourly labor forecasting, and its own payroll, priced per location from $39.99 a month billed yearly (Essentials, up to 30 employees, prices marked subject to change). Caveats: it serves restaurants only, and its unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.16 (19 reviews), close to Deputy's 1.25, with complaints about payroll, tips, and billing.
Connecteam vs 7shifts →Jibble
Free face-recognition time clockDeputy keeps face-unlock kiosk clock-in on Core and up. Jibble's free plan includes GPS and facial recognition clock-in for unlimited users, and its invited Trustpilot reviews average 4.55 (49 reviews, Jun 24 to Sep 30, 2026). Caveats: it is a time clock first, with no team chat and no demand-based scheduling, and it no longer publishes paid-plan prices.
Connecteam vs Jibble →
When to stay with Deputy
Stay if you run many sites and schedule to demand. Deputy's Core plan adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, and wage budgets, and Connecteam has no labor forecasting. Stay too if your team is happy with it: G2 reviewers mostly describe Deputy as easy for staff, with slow loading as the main gripe. And check your contract first, since Deputy's annual plans give no refunds on cancellation.
If you are leaving over per-user costs or tier changes, Connecteam is free for up to 10 users and flat for the first 30 per hub, and it adds forms, training, and team chat on top of scheduling and the time clock. Read the full comparison, the pricing breakdown, or what its users say.
See Connecteam pricingHow we sourced this
On September 30, 2026 we pulled Deputy's 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews (Aug 2024 to Sep 2026), 50 recent G2 reviews (Apr 2025 to Jun 2026), and Connecteam's most recent Trustpilot reviews (Sep 21 to 29, 2026). Trustpilot labels how each review was collected. We counted reviews from a company's own review link as invited and the rest as unprompted, and compare each group only with the same group. Connecteam's link-collected reviews carry Trustpilot's “Unprompted” label, so we count them as invited. G2 samples are not comparable between products, so we quote them but do not compare their averages.
Prices come from each company's own pricing page as of 2026-09-30. Quotes are verbatim, credited to the reviewer who wrote them. See our methodology and Deputy vs When I Work.
Deputy alternatives FAQ
What are the best Deputy alternatives?+
Connecteam if per-user costs or tier changes are the problem, since it is free for up to 10 users and a flat $29 a month per hub for the first 30 on Basic. Homebase for per-location pricing and built-in payroll, Sling for low-cost scheduling, When I Work for a simpler scheduler, 7shifts for restaurants, and Jibble for a free time clock.
What do Deputy reviews say?+
We read Deputy's 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews and 50 G2 reviews. Invited Trustpilot reviews average 4.47 (30 reviews) and unprompted ones 1.25 (20 reviews). In 16 of the 20 unprompted reviews the complaint is support: chatbot first, no phone line, and slow escalations. Others cite price increases, annual contracts, and payroll export errors. G2 reviewers mostly praise it and mention a slow app.
Is Connecteam better than Deputy?+
On price for teams of 11 to 30 and on link-collected Trustpilot reviews (4.67 vs 4.47), yes. It is not better on support channels, since neither has a phone line, and Deputy goes further on demand forecasting and labor budgets for multi-site operators.
Does Deputy publish pricing?+
Yes, per user per month: Lite $5 billed yearly ($5.50 monthly), Core $6.50 ($7.25), and Pro $9 ($10). Monthly plans have a $30 minimum per invoice, there is no free plan, and the trial runs up to 31 days with no card.