WorkSchedule vs Deputy

Compare the free starting point, UK working-time checks and labour-cost tools for your team. Deputy also offers time clocking and workforce automation; WorkSchedule focuses on planning and sharing the rota.

No credit card · Starter is free for up to 10 employees

WorkSchedule is best for

Independent UK shift-based teams looking for rota planning, working-time checks and configurable employer on-cost estimates, with a free Starter plan for up to 10 employees.

Deputy is best for

Teams that want scheduling alongside time clocking and timesheets, with advanced scheduling, demand forecasting and labour budgets available on Core and Pro.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Sources checked 17 October 2026. Features and prices can change; see the source notes below.

Feature	WorkSchedule	Deputy
Free starting option Deputy’s UK pricing page lists paid Lite, Core and Pro plans rather than a permanent free scheduling plan.	Starter: free, up to 10 employees	Free trial, then paid plans
Monthly paid plans Deputy’s month-to-month GBP prices exclude applicable taxes, with a £20 monthly minimum per invoice; administrators and managers count as users. Annual-contract equivalents are £3.25 / £4.25 / £6.50 per user/month. WorkSchedule’s Professional minimum covers the first 10 employees, then adds £2.25/month per employee beyond 10, after a 14-day trial.	Professional from £2.25/month	Lite £3.60 · Core £4.75 · Pro £7.25 per user/month
Labour-cost estimates Both support planned wage visibility. Estimates are not payroll calculations.	Live rota costs	Salary allocation; budgets on Core and Pro
Employer NIC, pension and holiday accrual in estimates Deputy documents a location-level percentage uplift for planning and reporting, not payroll. Native UK NIC thresholds and qualifying-earnings pension calculations were not verified. WorkSchedule calculates weekly-banded NIC and pension with per-employee pension overrides and optional holiday accrual; estimates depend on your settings.	Weekly-banded NIC and pension; optional holiday accrual	Configurable percentage on-cost uplift
UK working-time support Compare the specific checks and settings you need, not just a general compliance label. Neither platform guarantees legal compliance.	Daily, weekly and young-worker checks	Labour-law compliance; advanced features on Core and Pro
48-hour average working week Deputy documents stress-profile maximum-hours settings; equivalent statutory reference-period averaging was not verified. WorkSchedule needs 17 weeks of history and does not issue this warning for staff marked part-time or opted out; this is not a universal legal assessment.	Full 17-week reference-period warnings	Configurable maximum-hours warnings
11-hour daily rest and exception records Deputy documents fatigue profiles and between-shift settings, but equivalent universal UK 11-hour enforcement and compensatory-rest audit records were not verified; confirm settings and plan availability. WorkSchedule blocks conflicts by default. Adult exceptions require a manager’s reason and compensatory-rest details; warnings remain.	Assignment checks and audited adult exceptions	Configurable rest-gap warnings
Time clocking and timesheets Deputy lists basic clocking and timesheets on Lite, with more advanced features on higher plans.	Rota planning, not a clock-in system	Available on all three plans
Auto-scheduling and demand forecasting Deputy’s pricing page places auto-scheduling, demand forecasting and labour optimisation on Core and Pro.	Manager-led rota planning	Core and Pro

Why consider WorkSchedule?

Start with a genuinely free plan

Starter is free for up to 10 employees, rather than a time-limited trial. Professional is separate and paid from £2.25/month after its 14-day trial. Deputy’s monthly plans have a £20 minimum per invoice, excluding applicable taxes.

Keep UK checks beside the rota

Check daily rest, weekly rest and young-worker limits as you schedule. Average-hours warnings use a full 17-week reference. Adult rest exceptions retain warnings and an audit trail, not a promise of legal authorisation.

Estimate more than wages

WorkSchedule uses weekly-banded employer National Insurance and pension estimates, plus optional holiday accrual. Deputy also supports on-cost estimates through a percentage uplift; native UK threshold-based NIC and qualifying-earnings pension calculations were not verified.

Choose planning or a broader workforce suite

WorkSchedule staff can view shifts in a phone browser without installing an app. If you need clocking, timesheets or automatic rota generation, compare Deputy’s relevant plan before deciding.

Sources and comparison notes

Deputy’s official UK pricing page and help sources were checked for this comparison. Month-to-month prices are distinguished from the annual-contract rates initially shown on its pricing cards, using the page’s own labelled plan data. The exact standard trial duration was not established, so no fixed duration is claimed. Deputy offers fatigue/rest warnings and percentage on-cost uplifts: we do not claim it lacks compliance or employer on-costs. Help evidence was available through search extracts where direct access was restricted; granular fatigue-control availability by current plan remains unverified. “Not verified” means the reviewed sources did not establish an equivalent specific feature, not that it is absent. WorkSchedule’s checks support scheduling decisions, not legal advice; estimates depend on settings and staff information.

Deputy UK pricing — plans, feature tiers, taxes and monthly minimum · checked 17 October 2026
Deputy fatigue management — stress profiles, hours and rest gaps · checked 17 October 2026
Deputy on-cost help — percentage uplift for estimates · checked 17 October 2026
Deputy cost comparison report — wages, leave and configured on-costs · checked 17 October 2026
Deputy trial upgrade guide — trial Core and billing options · checked 17 October 2026

FAQs

Does Deputy offer a permanent free scheduling plan?+

The official UK pricing page checked for this comparison lists a free trial followed by paid Lite, Core and Pro plans. WorkSchedule’s Starter plan is free for up to 10 employees. WorkSchedule Professional is paid after its 14-day trial.

What is Deputy’s minimum monthly charge in the UK?+

Deputy lists a £20 minimum monthly spend per invoice on monthly Lite, Core and Pro plans, excluding applicable taxes. Month-to-month per-user prices are £3.60 for Lite, £4.75 for Core and £7.25 for Pro. The lower £3.25 / £4.25 / £6.50 figures are annual-contract monthly equivalents, not rolling-monthly prices. Administrators and managers count as users. Check current annual terms and add-on charges before buying.

Do both platforms support UK compliance?+

WorkSchedule checks daily and weekly rest and young-worker limits, with average-hours warnings requiring 17 weeks of history and audited adult rest exceptions. Staff marked part-time or opted out are excluded from its average-hours warning. Deputy documents fatigue profiles with maximum-hours and rest-gap settings, and advertises basic versus advanced compliance by plan. An equivalent statutory averaging calculation and compensatory-rest audit were not established. Verify the specific checks, settings and plan you need; neither platform guarantees legal compliance.

Can both show labour costs?+

Yes. WorkSchedule estimates weekly-banded employer National Insurance and pension contributions, with optional holiday accrual. Deputy provides salary allocation, Core/Pro labour budgets and a configurable percentage on-cost uplift for planning and reporting. An equivalent native UK threshold-based NIC and qualifying-earnings pension breakdown was not verified. Neither platform’s planning estimates are payroll calculations.

Which should I choose if I need clocking or auto-scheduling?+

Deputy lists basic time clocking and timesheets on Lite, and auto-scheduling and demand forecasting on Core and Pro. WorkSchedule focuses on manager-led rota planning and sharing rather than clocking or automatic rota generation. Compare the features and total price your team needs.

More questions? See pricing & plan FAQs or email us.