German-based absence management tool with a focus on calendar views and reporting.
absence.io is a German-built absence management tool known for its clean calendar interface and reporting capabilities. It's popular across Europe but was designed with the German and EU market in mind — not the UK. That means UK-specific setup like statutory leave patterns, UK bank holidays, and Bradford Factor monitoring may need extra configuration or workarounds. LeaveApprove is built from the ground up for UK businesses, with GBP pricing and UK leave workflows.
LeaveApprove
£8/user/mo
All features included. No tiers.
absence.io
From ~£2.50/user/mo (EUR pricing)
Pricing at time of writing
14-day comparison plan
Use your own policies, real managers, and a small pilot team to check whether LeaveApprove removes enough admin before you commit.
Based on publicly available information from absence.io's website as of March 2026. Features and pricing may have changed since publication. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
| Feature | LeaveApprove | absence.io |
|---|---|---|
| Visual leave calendar | ||
| One-click approvals | ||
| Automatic balance tracking | ||
| UK bank holidays built in | Manual setup | |
| Custom leave types | ||
| Bradford Factor monitoring | ||
| TOIL tracking | ||
| Return-to-work forms | ||
| Employee directory | ||
| Document management | Limited | |
| Role-based access (4 levels) | Basic | |
| Full audit trail | Limited | |
| UK leave setup patterns | Manual setup | |
| GBP pricing (no FX fees) | ||
| Company-wide leave blocks | ||
| No credit card for trial |
Buyer checklist
Feature parity matters, but conversion usually comes down to speed, clarity, and whether the tool removes work for managers on day one.
| Decision point | LeaveApprove | absence.io |
|---|---|---|
| Start evaluating | Self-serve trial with every core feature switched on | Often needs plan comparison, demos, or sales follow-up |
| Prove fit quickly | Set up policies, invite staff, and approve real requests in days | Implementation depends on package, modules, and admin setup |
| Control total cost | One transparent monthly price for the people-ops toolkit | Pricing can depend on tiers, add-ons, seat minimums, or contracts |
| Keep managers moving | Leave, sickness, TOIL, rotas, clock-ins, expenses, and reviews in one workflow | Core leave tracking may sit beside wider HR workflows or paid modules |
Why LeaveApprove
LeaveApprove is built for UK teams that want the everyday people-ops work handled cleanly without turning leave management into a long software project.
Built for UK businesses — LeaveApprove is designed around UK leave setup, allowance patterns, and UK bank holidays. absence.io was built for the EU market.
GBP pricing with no currency conversion — absence.io prices in EUR, which means UK businesses pay foreign exchange fees and deal with fluctuating costs.
Bradford Factor monitoring included — automatically track and flag absence patterns. This is a UK-specific HR metric that absence.io doesn't support.
TOIL tracking built in — manage time off in lieu natively. absence.io doesn't offer dedicated TOIL tracking.
UK bank holidays pre-loaded — absence.io requires manual configuration of UK bank holidays. LeaveApprove has them built in from day one.
Return-to-work forms digitised — record RTW notes within the platform after an absence.
Trust signals
A comparison page should make the next step feel low-risk. LeaveApprove keeps the buying checks visible before you start the trial.
14-day free trial with no payment card required
No fixed-term contract, minimum-seat lock-in, or module hunt
Privacy information, role-based access, and data export links are available before rollout
Stripe-hosted checkout when you decide to subscribe
Trial plan
Use the free trial to test the workflows that decide whether a comparison turns into a rollout.
Day 1
Add company details, policies, employees, managers, and public holidays before inviting the wider team.
Day 3
Ask one manager to approve holiday, sickness, TOIL, and restricted-date examples in the shared calendar.
Day 7
Review audit history, access levels, exports, billing terms, and whether the process is clear enough to roll out.
Yes. LeaveApprove is a strong alternative to absence.io for UK teams that want straightforward leave management, transparent pricing, employee self-service, approvals, absence tracking, TOIL, Bradford Factor monitoring, and audit history in one product.
LeaveApprove costs £8/user/mo with all core features included. absence.io pricing is listed here as From ~£2.50/user/mo (EUR pricing), based on the comparison information available at the time of writing.
Yes. Most small teams can set up LeaveApprove quickly by adding employees, choosing leave policies, and inviting managers and staff. The goal is to replace manual follow-up with live balances, one-click approvals, and a shared team calendar.
Yes. LeaveApprove includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, so you can test the leave calendar, approvals, absence tracking, and reporting before choosing a paid plan.
Explore how LeaveApprove compares to other leave management software for UK teams.