Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Deputy
Score 7.8 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Deputy is a web-based workforce manager solution. Deputy is designed to help users simplify their scheduling, timesheets, tasking, employee communication and administrative tasks. It includes various apps and one click payroll integration that aim to make workforce management easier. The Deputy platform enables users to schedule in line with demand, prepare accurate payroll, and communicate more clearly. Deputy streamlines employee admin, so teams can focus on what…
$2.50
per user
Xero
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Xero is an online accounting software product for small businesses and personal finance. Its features beyond general ledger and double-bookkeeping include quotable invoicing, bank reconciliation, purchase order and expense management, and tax management. Third party apps can extend its features further.
$13
per month
Pricing
DeputyXero
Editions & Modules
Scheduling Only
$2.50
per user
Scheduling, Time and Attendance
$4.50
per user
Enterprise
Custom pricing for enterprise clients
per user
Early
$13
per month
Growing
$37
per month
Established
$70
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DeputyXero
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPrices in table are in USD and just apply to the US - other markets & prices are listed below: Canada - Starter $18 CAD/month, Standard $45 CAD/month, Premium 5 $58 CAD/month UK - Starter £14/month, Standard £28/month, Premium £36/month AU - Starter $29 AUD/month, Standard $59 AUD/month, Premium 5 $76 AUD/month NZ - Starter $31 NZD/month, Standard $66 NZD/month, Premium $84 NZD/month
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DeputyXero
Considered Both Products
Deputy
Chose Deputy
Deputy is way better specifically to manage people and rosters. Xero does not have this functionality at this level.
Chose Deputy
BrightHR was frustrating. One of my staff already uses BrightHR at another job of theirs and when they tried to log in to our business to check the roster they didn't have the ability to swap businesses. The only solution BrightHR came up with was for my staff to create another …
Chose Deputy
Has nothing on Deputy. We moved straight from Excel to Deputy. Cant imagine business now without it
Chose Deputy
I found Deputy more user-friendly and a nicer online experience. I only trialed Timesheets.com for a short time and didn't really like the experience.
Chose Deputy
I haven't used any other product except manual word documents. Obviously using Deputy has had a huge impact on the efficiency of my administrative tasks such as timesheets rosters and payroll.
Chose Deputy
Deputy is so easy to use, less complicated and super fast to work with. I have not found other systems to be as easy as Deputy.
Chose Deputy
We only had When I Work for employees to enter their hours. The functions of Deputy is way better and all employees think that it is much easier to use. It is now a year since we changed to Deputy, so I don't know if the other app has improved, but at the time Deputy was …
Chose Deputy
Deputy provides a comprehensive approach to time tracking for employees and scheduling. I like how Deputy includes state labor laws and integrates with our payroll provider to sync hours and paid time off during each pay run. Other software providers with built-in time tracking …
Chose Deputy
At the time I tried it (a couple of years ago, think it might have been called T-Sheets?) it really was not something we could use for running a business where the field employees didn't work fixed shifts. It would have been more work than staying with the manual timesheets.
Chose Deputy
We had researched a few different varieties of Deputy style apps, however, none of them had the flexibility or ease of use that Deputy provided. Also very cost-effective when compared with others. The others trialed were clearly not memorable as the names escape me.
Chose Deputy
Have previously dabbled with desktop SMS delivery services however on the recommendation of an industry colleague tried Deputy and haven't looked back. It covers all of our rostering requirements in one place and also presents an easy-to-read layout.
Chose Deputy
We have not used another software aside from deputy, timesheets were manually entered. We chose Deputy for the integration possibilities, ease of use, and time-saving capabilities in scheduling and payroll. We knew that overall communication was a point to improve which is what …
Chose Deputy
Deputy has proved to be much more user friendly than other platforms I have used previously.
Chose Deputy
Our accountant uses and recommended deputy. We hadn't heard of it before. Being aligned with the accounting team's products is very beneficial (they can jump in and process pay if needed).
Chose Deputy
I have been using timekeeping software for years. Deputy stopped me in my tracks. It is easy to learn and easy to use. All the other products I have used are adequate, and in fact, some of the features outshine Deputy in some ways. But overall, Deputy is (to me) the market …
Chose Deputy
Selected Deputy for the 3rd party app [and] integrations was key. Lots of competitor apps [were] reviewed but found Deputy incredibly quick and easy to set up and trial. This and the integration to our existing epos and accounting software made the decision-making process …
Chose Deputy
Before deciding on Deputy, we trialed a number of rostering products. Many of them were either too expensive or didn't offer the same range of functionality. Deputy was far more intuitive and user-friendly than others providing an easy-to-use interface and system that just …
Chose Deputy
Very similar product in terms of workflow, features, etc.
Chose Deputy
We made this spend decision on Deputy many years ago, and I do fear that other companies may be more competitive now.
Chose Deputy
It was so long ago I can’t recall why we chose Deputy over the competition. In saying that, over the past three years of using Deputy, we have never had any reason to revisit the alternative providers because we have been happy with the functionality of the product.
Xero
Chose Xero
Xero has more functions and uses but is different and we need both to run our hospitality business. Deputy does the rostering side of things exporting to zero to manage financials.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
DeputyXero
Workforce Management Software Features
Comparison of Workforce Management Software Features features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
6.0
1 Ratings
12% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Scheduling and Shift Management8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Workforce Reporting and Analytics5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Workforce Compliance Monitoring9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Accessibility10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Assignment and Tracking5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting and Resource Planning3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Staffing Forecasting and Resource Planning3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Shift Swapping and Time-Off Requests5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
7.5
73 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.065 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.023 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings7.249 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.141 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.154 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
8.1
151 Ratings
5% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings7.979 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings8.3138 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
7.3
189 Ratings
11% below category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings5.672 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.9187 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
8.4
214 Ratings
8% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.4210 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.7212 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.0187 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
8.4
224 Ratings
10% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.7204 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.9209 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.2192 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.9217 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.1198 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings8.073 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.3137 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.8130 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings8.3112 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.4112 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings9.4117 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.9131 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.767 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.665 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings9.140 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings10.039 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings10.090 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings8.833 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.859 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings5.633 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings7.359 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
6.4
101 Ratings
16% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings7.697 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.224 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings6.229 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.016 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Deputy
-
Ratings
Xero
7.1
89 Ratings
8% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings9.462 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings9.456 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings6.358 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings6.366 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings6.121 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings6.124 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings6.117 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DeputyXero
Small Businesses
When I Work
When I Work
Score 8.9 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 7.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Beeline Extended Workforce Platform
Beeline Extended Workforce Platform
Score 7.2 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 6.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
DeputyXero
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(409 ratings)
8.1
(239 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.8
(46 ratings)
6.2
(35 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(404 ratings)
8.3
(165 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(5 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Performance
9.2
(5 ratings)
10.0
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(30 ratings)
2.6
(37 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.5
(398 ratings)
7.3
(10 ratings)
Configurability
7.8
(6 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.7
(3 ratings)
6.8
(124 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.3
(5 ratings)
10.0
(6 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(5 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.8
(5 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
DeputyXero
Likelihood to Recommend
Deputy
[My own feeling on the subject is] that large teams will probably enjoy the features much more than a smaller team. [In my opinion] I would not have signed up with Deputy had it not been for the integration with my payroll provider. [From my point of view] the cost is not worth it for a small team. [I've found] it has a lot of features geared towards big teams and those are not things you can "opt-out" of from a cost/tier standpoint [as far as I'm concerned].
Read full review
Xero
I am a massage and physical therapist. We are not a fancy business but business admin can take a lot of time and effort. Xero came recommended to me by colleagues in the sector. You raise invoices, you get paid. and you pay your bills. These are all daily scenarios for most businesses and Xero does this particularly well. Since my accountant can query my records directly, this greatly saves on bookkeeping time when it is time to do the company returns.
Read full review
Pros
Deputy
  • Employee Scheduling - So straightforward and easy to use! Love the copy & past feature!
  • Timekeeping - the App & Kiosk are perfect for employees to clock in and out in a matter of seconds
  • Company Communication - the Newsfeed feature makes it easy to keep everyone up to date on company announcements
  • Task Management - simple to use task lists help keep my team organized
Read full review
Xero
  • Repeating invoices (most of my business is monthly recurring invoices) - it does these very well.
  • Reporting - particularly being able to dig into the different lines of the P&L statement.
  • Tracking categories - I assign a category to every line of every invoice so it's easy to see how much has been sold of each type of service every month and year, and compare them to previous periods.
Read full review
Cons
Deputy
  • Integration with various point of sale systems to pull sales data vs. scheduled and/or worked hours.
  • Ability to "re-invite, " change a password or fix an employee-level account if they didn't set things up correctly.
  • An easier way of loading all holidays or facility closure dates for the year. e.g. Google reminds you, Are you open for Thanksgiving this year?
Read full review
Xero
  • Having different email addresses for different parts of a customer's business (eg invoices and statements to different places)
  • Easily seeing the text of emails that have been sent through Xero
  • More easily archiving old pay items. Our HR software updates rates when awards are updated which means a lot of old pay rates are in the system and they have multiple clicks to archive each one. Clicking the ones to archive in bulk and then just click archive for all would be much more efficient.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Deputy
The basic functionality and overall efficiency it provides is enough to renew. I still would like to see improvements in reporting and leave management, but overall it is absolutely worth it to have the program. I especially like having remote access and supervisors scheduling and approving time sheets of employees
Read full review
Xero
In addition to the matters covered in this review, my reason for renewing this product is that Xero's functionality and the constant updates that the company provides, makes the software even more business friendly. The software therefore builds a brand loyalty among customers.
Read full review
Usability
Deputy
Deputy is user-friendly and easy to understand for users with basic to moderate computer knowledge. The Employee is simple and easy for employees to understand. Employees get push notifications when shifts are scheduled and can clock in and out easily directly from the phone or kiosk, or using the website. The only challenge we’ve had is the ability for management to assign leave to employees who have not yet requested time off.
Read full review
Xero
As a standalone software, it allows users to fulfill most of the basic functions (e.g. transaction input and report generation) simply and conveniently. It also allows for multiple APIs to help augment various tasks that accounting-adjacent (e.g. claims processing). The cloud based model and portability to mobile devices allows tasks to be carried out in a more convenient way.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Deputy
We have never had a problem with deputy being unavailable
Read full review
Xero
We have been actively using and 100% Xero based for our ecommerce accounting practice for over 4 years. There has on been one real outage for more than 5 minutes. Xero was open and transparent about the outage, what they were doing to resolve the issue, and provided 15 minute updates. Showing how they care about their customers and partners. Plus, showing that their customers care too, were understanding, and went surfing or in our case took a nap. Couldn't run our business without Xero as a partner.
Read full review
Performance
Deputy
Everything is quick and easy
Read full review
Xero
Pages generally load quickly, but it's a fairly common occurrence to have pages taking a bit longer than I'd like to load (as in, 4+ seconds). Occasionally I have to refresh a page to get it to work. Bank feed and integrations tend to be slow in general, but that could easily be due to API latency on the side of the other parties. Most of the time, though, the bank feeds refresh before I login so it's not a huge problem. Not necessarily good performance compared to a local app like QuickBooks desktop, but definitely good performance for a cloud application. Room for growth? yes.
Read full review
Support Rating
Deputy
Every time I have contacted support they have answered my question within the hour and solved every problem we have had. They follow up to make sure we are satisfied with our results which has been great when we are busy and get distracted
Read full review
Xero
Always respond and keep issues open until you are satisfied with the result. Generally good responses, in the past, I had some support responses that were really basic and really annoying. They type where "have your tried restarting your computer" style of answers. Well, of course, I went through all the basics before contacting them. Duh, but I suppose not everyone does. Otherwise, it would be a 10. The last year has shown a marked improvement in the support responses however.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Deputy
It was super easy and quick
Read full review
Xero
The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
Read full review
Online Training
Deputy
Did a great job of getting us up to speed with their online documentation.
Read full review
Xero
All of Xero's training is online and available for anyone (business owner or accountants) to learn and become experts in their system. There is a range of content from product training to real world webinars from their partners. Xero is beautiful accounting software and their training is the same.
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Implementation Rating
Deputy
It took me a bit to get all my staff input from our previous scheduling software. However, once all the information was there, everything went smoothly and we were able to start implementing Deputy right away. It did not take long to train my staff and have them comfortable with using the system.
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Xero
If it can be done, time the implementation near a new fiscal year so you can start clean. Otherwise, you have to go back and do historical data from the beginning of the fiscal year, which can be brain draining.
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Alternatives Considered
Deputy
For years we used TimeTrax systems but they were hard to use and required manual downloads of punches, networked setups, and we needed separate setups for each location. When evaluating cloud-based solutions we first tried TSheets, but the higher cost and lack of features made us choose Deputy. Our main complaint about the actual TSheets system was the IPads did not store punches when it first launched so if you lost internet it couldn't store the punches. When we were evaluating the system they were building a police station next door that resulted in intermittent internet outages and the kiosk app basically became a brick until the internet came back on.
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Xero
Each of the products I listed had their own list of drawbacks, but the one thing they all had in common, which was right on top of that list of drawbacks, was ease of use. I struggled to get myself accustomed to each system and struggled, but when it came to getting a client to even try and use it was when the true struggle started. Just found it easier to make use of Xero from the very beginning.
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Scalability
Deputy
We have gone from using deputy simply to schedule a couple of members of staff on coffee shop shifts, to also scheduling staff in the retail unit part of our business, to now also scheduling team days and having remote working staff start on schedule shifts to track their working hours.
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Xero
I have yet to fully stress test the product given the size of the company where I am using it. I am sure as we scale to more customers, more vendors and more reporting requirements, I will have a better understanding of what it is capable of in terms of bandwidth and processing
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Return on Investment
Deputy
  • Hundreds of man-hours saved monthly that previously was spent on recording hours work.
  • Holiday management is very clear and support fair treatment of staff.
  • The 100% accuracy of timesheets is amazing. Once approved thousands of timesheets just land in our payroll system thanks to the export/import functions.
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Xero
  • Xero is a basic accounting system that performs basic accounting tasks easily and accurately. For that, it provides a positive impact on our day to day accounting operations.
  • Because of Xero's basic structure, I feel it lacks some of the sophistication that some users want and need. The ability to create unique custom reports would enhance the impact Xero would have on meeting business objectives by providing current and useful accounting information.
  • In my opinion, Xero's lack of focus on their customers - their users - is a real issue with me. In my opinion, those of us that are in the trenches that work with the system on a daily basis have to deal with the shortcomings of the system with the knowledge that Xero support refuses to address the operational issues that make their user's lives difficult. I feel if Xero would focus on truly making their software better from a users point of view, it has the potential to be a great system.
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ScreenShots

Deputy Screenshots

Screenshot of Manage your business from your pocket.  See who is currently on the clock and who is late.Screenshot of What if someone doesn't show up for a shift? Find a replacement from your phone in seconds!Screenshot of Enterprise level experience in an elegantly designed iPad app.

Xero Screenshots

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