Connecteam vs Deputy 2026: Flat Bundle or per-User Scheduling?

Connecteam is cheaper for almost every hourly team: its Operations hub costs $29 a month for the first 30 users on yearly billing, while Deputy charges $5, $6.50 or $9 per user a month on an annual plan. Deputy earns its higher bill when you need auto-scheduling against sales forecasts and labor-law rules built into the roster. Prices were read on Connecteam's pricing page and Deputy's pricing page in October 2026.

Toolradar data: on Toolradar as of October 2026, Deputy is listed as an alternative to 15 other tools and Connecteam to 8. Deputy is the more cross-shopped of the two; Connecteam's case rests on price and breadth, which is exactly what the numbers below test.

At a glance

How the two pricing models work

Connecteam sells hubs, each with a flat price for the first 30 users. The Operations hub holds the time clock, job scheduling, forms and quick tasks, which is what an hourly team buys first. Communications (chat, updates, surveys, knowledge base) and HR and Skills (time off, courses, onboarding) are separate hubs priced the same way. On yearly billing, Operations costs:

Connecteam says yearly billing saves 18%. A team of 4 or of 30 pays the same flat amount, which is why the model favors growing crews.

Deputy sells seats. Lite is $5, Core $6.50 and Pro $9 per user a month on the annual plan, billed upfront or in monthly installments, and Deputy counts every administrator and supervisor as a user. Monthly plans carry a minimum spend of $30 per invoice per month, which Deputy introduced on 1 September 2025.

The difference compounds with headcount. On Connecteam, the 31st person on Basic adds 80 cents a month. On Deputy, every person adds the full seat price from the first one.

Team bills at 15, 50 and 100 people

These figures use yearly or annual billing on both sides and the printed prices above; all totals are our arithmetic. The like-for-like rows match Deputy Core's auto-scheduling with Connecteam Expert, the first Operations tier that auto-assigns shifts.

At entry level Connecteam wins at every size, and the gap widens as the team grows: at 100 users Deputy Lite costs about six times Connecteam Basic. Compared on auto-scheduling, the two are within $18 a year of each other at 15 users, and Connecteam Expert is cheaper from there, $1,704 a year less at 50 users.

The table leaves out two costs. Connecteam bills each hub separately, so adding Communications or HR and Skills at a paid tier adds another flat fee. Deputy's add-ons are per user: HR is $2, Messaging+ $1.95 and Analytics+ $1.50 per user a month billed monthly, with 10% off on annual billing, and SMS schedules cost 1 cent per 160 characters in the US.

Scheduling and time tracking

Deputy's scheduling is built around labor cost. Core adds auto-scheduling that builds and fills shifts from business needs and staff availability, demand forecasting, wage and labor budgets, micro-scheduling across areas within one shift, biometric clock-in and timesheet auto-approval. Lite already includes labor law compliance, shift swaps and find-a-replacement, leave and availability management. For a restaurant or retail manager who rosters against forecast sales and has to respect predictive-scheduling rules, that is the reason to pay per seat.

Connecteam's scheduling is built around getting people to the right job. Basic includes GPS clock in and out, unlimited jobs, open shifts and payroll integration. Advanced adds auto clock-out, up to 10 geofence sites, repeating shifts and templates, and a shareable live schedule link. Expert adds automatic shift assignment, up to 12 schedules, unlimited geofences, auto-reports and API access. That fits field crews, cleaning and construction teams that move between sites more than it fits a single store with tight wage targets.

The weak spot on each side: Connecteam's pricing page does not list forecasting or labor-law rules as features, and Deputy's cheapest tier stops at basic scheduling, timesheets and reporting.

Communication, HR and payroll

Deputy puts messaging and a news feed on every plan, with Messaging+ and Analytics+ included in Pro. HR features (hiring, onboarding, documents, feedback) are the per-user HR add-on. In the US, Deputy Payroll enabled by Paycor sends approved timesheets into Paycor; Deputy lists it at $8 per user a month plus a $49 monthly base fee, on annual Core and Pro plans.

Connecteam spreads the same ground across its three hubs. Each paid hub includes Limited-plan access to the other two, so an Operations customer gets basic chat and HR tools without paying for them. A team that wants surveys, a knowledge base or courses at full strength pays for a second hub. Payroll stays with your existing provider through the integration on Operations Basic.

Our Connecteam review and Deputy review cover the feature sets in more depth.

Free plans, trials and contract terms

Connecteam has two free routes. Businesses with fewer than 10 employees can use the Small Business Plan for free, and teams of up to 30 can drop to the free Limited plan after the trial, with fewer features than the paid tiers. Everyone starts with a 14-day trial of the Expert plan, no credit card needed.

Deputy has no free plan, only a free trial, and it honors the remaining trial days if you upgrade early. For a five-person café, that difference alone decides the matchup; our best free employee scheduling apps list covers other no-cost options.

Read the cancellation terms before you choose yearly billing. Connecteam's annual subscription includes a prorated refund if you cancel within the first 30 days; monthly plans can be cancelled anytime with no refund for prepaid amounts. Deputy's annual plan cannot be refunded if cancelled early, and during the year you can add users but cannot change plan or lower the employee count. A seasonal business that shrinks after summer should think twice before an annual Deputy contract.

Which one should you choose?

Pick Connecteam if you run a deskless or multi-site crew, your headcount is growing or seasonal, or you want time tracking, scheduling and team chat for the lowest bill. It is the clear choice under 10 employees (free) and the cheaper one at every size we priced. See Connecteam pricing for every hub and tier.

Pick Deputy if you schedule hourly staff against forecast demand and wage budgets, operate where predictive-scheduling and break rules apply, or want payroll handled through Paycor in the same workflow. The per-seat bill buys labor-cost control, not just a roster. See Deputy pricing for the add-ons and billing rules.

Still comparing? Connecteam vs Homebase, Homebase vs Deputy and Deputy vs When I Work cover the other common pairings, and the best shift scheduling software ranking puts all of them side by side. Teams that only need clock-ins should start with best time clock software.

How we compared them

Louis Corneloup, founder of Dupple and Toolradar, prepared this comparison for owners and HR leads of hourly teams. Prices, plan features and billing terms were read in October 2026 on Connecteam's pricing page and Deputy's pricing page, including both FAQ sections. Team bills are our arithmetic on the printed yearly and annual prices. The Toolradar figures come from each tool's record on Toolradar. Dupple has no test lab; nothing here comes from running either app. Publishing rules sit on the HRpresso about page.

FAQ

Is Connecteam or Deputy cheaper in 2026?

Connecteam is cheaper for most teams. Its Operations Basic plan costs $29 a month for up to 30 users on yearly billing, while Deputy Lite costs $5 per user a month on an annual plan. A 50-person team pays $540 a year on Connecteam Basic and $3,000 on Deputy Lite, by our arithmetic.

Does Connecteam have a free plan?

Yes. Businesses with fewer than 10 employees can use Connecteam's Small Business Plan for free, and teams of up to 30 users can use the free Limited plan on each hub after the 14-day trial. Deputy has no free plan, only a free trial.

Which is better for auto-scheduling?

Deputy. Its Core plan adds auto-scheduling based on business needs and staff availability, plus demand forecasting, labor optimization and wage budgets. Connecteam's automatic shift assignment starts on Operations Expert and its pricing page does not list forecasting, so Deputy fits teams that roster against expected sales.

Does Deputy charge for managers and admins?

Yes. Deputy counts every user, administrator and supervisor toward your total, and each pays the plan's per-user price. Connecteam's flat price covers the first 30 users of any role, so adding managers costs nothing until the 31st person.

Can I cancel an annual plan early?

On Connecteam, an annual subscription includes a prorated refund if cancelled within the first 30 days. On Deputy, you can cancel an annual plan early but receive no refund, and during the year you can add users but cannot switch plans or reduce the employee count.

Which one handles payroll?

Neither runs payroll inside its core plans. Connecteam integrates with your payroll provider on Operations Basic. Deputy integrates with payroll and HR systems on every plan and, in the US, offers Deputy Payroll enabled by Paycor at $8 per user a month plus a $49 monthly base fee on annual Core and Pro plans.

Cite this: HRpresso, "Connecteam vs Deputy 2026: Flat Bundle or per-User Scheduling?", October 2026.

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