Deputy is a scheduling and time clock platform built for shift-based teams.
Deputy is strong for shift scheduling, time clocks, and labour planning. For teams that need a dedicated leave system, LeaveApprove focuses on the absence workflows Deputy treats as secondary: annual leave policies, sickness records, Bradford Factor monitoring, TOIL, return-to-work forms, and manager approvals.
LeaveApprove
£8/user/mo
All features included. No tiers.
Deputy
From £3.50/user/mo
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 Deputy and LeaveApprove materials as of March 2026. Features and pricing may have changed since publication. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
| Feature | LeaveApprove | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Visual leave calendar | Basic | |
| One-click approvals | ||
| Automatic balance tracking | ||
| UK bank holidays | ||
| Custom leave policies | Limited | |
| Bradford Factor monitoring | ||
| TOIL tracking | Manual | |
| Return-to-work forms | ||
| Sickness absence records | Basic | |
| Company-wide leave blocks | ||
| Department clash detection | Basic | |
| Full audit trail | Limited | |
| All features in one plan | ||
| No credit card for trial | ||
| Set up in under 5 minutes |
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 | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
Purpose-built leave workflows - LeaveApprove gives managers a dedicated system for holiday, sickness, TOIL, and approvals.
UK bank holidays included - avoid configuring a US-led scheduling platform around UK leave expectations.
Bradford Factor monitoring included - useful for sickness absence conversations and early intervention.
Return-to-work forms are part of the same employee record, keeping follow-up notes next to the absence history.
Simpler for non-shift teams - avoid the scheduling and time clock complexity if leave management is the real problem.
Transparent all-feature pricing - no need to decide which scheduling tier or add-on unlocks the workflows you need.
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 Deputy 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. Deputy pricing is listed here as From £3.50/user/mo, 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.