Deputy vs Planday: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Deputy and Planday side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, Planday leads on lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Deputy
The complete people platform for hourly work, enabling smarter scheduling and confident payroll.
Best for you if:
- • You want optimizes schedules and labor costs using AI
Planday
The people-first platform for creating rotas, managing teams, and building brilliant businesses.
Best for you if:
- • You want significantly reduces administrative time for scheduling and payroll
| At a Glance | Deputy | Planday |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | From $5/user/mo, billed monthly Lite plan | From $2.99/user/mo, billed monthly Starter plan |
Category | HR & Recruiting Payroll | HR & Recruiting Time Tracking |
Rating | 4.5/5 Capterra 4.6 · G2 4.6 · SourceForge 4.3 1,506 reviews | 4.4/5 G2 4.5 · SourceForge 4.3 · Capterra 4.3 213 reviews |
Free plan | No | No |
Watch out for | Add-ons for HR, Messaging+, Analytics+ increase costs. | Minimum 5 users for 'Starter' tier |
Choose Deputy or Planday?
Choose Deputy if
- You want optimizes schedules and labor costs using AI
- You want helps ensure compliance with various labor laws and regulations
Choose Planday if
- You want significantly reduces administrative time for scheduling and payroll
- You want provides clear overview of labor costs and staffing across multiple locations
- Budget matters ($2.99/user/mo, billed monthly vs $5/user/mo, billed monthly)
In-Depth Analysis
Deputy
The complete people platform for hourly work, enabling smarter scheduling and confident payroll.
Deputy's pricing is fair, offering a clear progression of features.
Watch out
Add-ons for HR, Messaging+, Analytics+ increase costs.
Strengths
- Pro: Optimizes schedules and labor costs using AI.
- Pro: Helps ensure compliance with various labor laws and regulations.
- Pro: Reduces staff turnover and recruitment costs through improved employee experience.
- Pro: Offers comprehensive features for scheduling, time tracking, and HR management.
- Pro: Integrates with existing payroll, HR, and POS systems.
Weaknesses
- Con: No free plan available, only a free trial.
- Con: Pricing is per user per month, which can add up for larger teams.
Key features
Planday
The people-first platform for creating rotas, managing teams, and building brilliant businesses.
Planday's pricing structure, while not explicitly stating per-user costs for Starter and Plus, appears to be competitive given the feature set.
Watch out
Minimum 5 users for 'Starter' tier
Strengths
- Pro: Significantly reduces administrative time for scheduling and payroll.
- Pro: Provides clear overview of labor costs and staffing across multiple locations.
- Pro: Ensures compliance with working time rules and regulations.
- Pro: Improves team communication and engagement through a centralized platform.
- Pro: Offers flexibility to adjust staffing based on business needs (e.g., low-season/peak time).
Weaknesses
- Con: Minimum of 5 users required for Starter plan.
- Con: Dedicated phone support only available in the Pro plan (callback service).
Key features
Plans and prices: Deputy vs Planday
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy |
| deputy.com/pricing read Oct 13, 2026 |
| Planday |
| planday.com/pricing read Oct 3, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Deputy pricing and Planday pricing.
Key Takeaways
Deputy
- Choose if you want the complete people platform for hourly work, enabling smarter scheduling and confident payroll
Planday
- Lower entry price: $2.99/user/mo, billed monthly vs $5/user/mo, billed monthly
What the data shows
On the data below, Planday leads on lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- User ratings are within 0.2 points (4.5/5 from 1,506 reviews for Deputy, 4.4/5 from 213 reviews for Planday).
- Planday has the lower entry price: $2.99/user/mo, billed monthly (Starter) against $5/user/mo, billed monthly (Lite) for Deputy.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Deputy and Planday compare in 2026?
On the data below, Planday leads on lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. User ratings are within 0.2 points (4.5/5 from 1,506 reviews for Deputy, 4.4/5 from 213 reviews for Planday). Planday has the lower entry price: $2.99/user/mo, billed monthly (Starter) against $5/user/mo, billed monthly (Lite) for Deputy.
What are Deputy and Planday used for?
Deputy: The complete people platform for hourly work, enabling smarter scheduling and confident payroll. Planday: The people-first platform for creating rotas, managing teams, and building brilliant businesses.
What does Deputy cost vs Planday?
Deputy's cheapest paid plan is Lite at $5/user/mo, billed monthly. Planday's cheapest paid plan is Starter at $2.99/user/mo, billed monthly. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 13, 2026.
What's the main difference between Deputy and Planday?
Deputy's main strength: optimizes schedules and labor costs using AI. Planday's main strength: significantly reduces administrative time for scheduling and payroll.