Homebase vs Deputy (2026): Which Is Better for HR Teams?

Homebase is the cheaper buy for one location. Its paid plans charge per site with unlimited staff, so Essentials stays at $30 a month whether you have 7 people or 70. Deputy charges per person, with Lite at $5, Core at $6.50 and Pro at $9 per user, with a monthly minimum, so 10 staff cost $50 to $90 a month. Deputy wins on scheduling depth, face-verified clocking, and teams spread across many sites with few people at each.

Prices and features were read on 10 October 2026 from Homebase pricing, Homebase payroll, Homebase time clock, Deputy pricing, Deputy payroll and Deputy time clock. Both pricing pages print annual rates, so the figures here are list prices, monthly unless noted, and Deputy's $5, $6.50 and $9 are its annual rates. Toolradar data: the time-tracking ranking, updated October 2026, evaluates 105 tools, and both Homebase and Deputy appear in it. A ranking is a shortlist signal, not a price, and it does not show which product fits your schedule.

At a glance

Price: Homebase charges per location, Deputy per person

Homebase bills by site. Essentials is priced per location a month with unlimited employees (the full Homebase review has the complete plan list), Plus is $70, and All-in-One is $120. Deputy bills by user: Lite is $5, Core is $6.50 and Pro is $9 per user a month. On monthly billing, Deputy's pricing page applies a minimum per invoice to Lite, Core and Pro, a rule in effect since 1 September 2025.

That minimum decides the small cases. Lite costs $30 for up to six people, so on monthly billing Deputy never comes in below Homebase Essentials at one site. From seven people, Lite costs more. Core passes that minimum at five people. At ten people the gap is $20 on Lite and $35 on Core, and it widens with each hire. For one location, Homebase costs the same or less at every headcount, because no Deputy plan on monthly billing drops below the Essentials price.

Deputy wins when the same staff are spread across many sites. Take five locations with three people each, 15 staff in all. Homebase Essentials costs $150, that is five locations at the per-location price. Deputy Lite costs $75 and Core costs $97.50, on one invoice. Basic is free for one location only, so five sites would need a paid plan. Essentials is the fair comparison, because Basic has only basic scheduling and time tracking.

Both pages show an annual toggle with a saving badge, 20% on Homebase and 10% on Deputy. Both print the discounted rate: Homebase's annual figures are $24, $56 and $96 per location a month, billed annually, and Deputy's monthly-billing rates are $5.50, $7.25 and $10 per user.

Scheduling: Deputy goes deeper

Deputy's Core tier adds auto-scheduling, micro-scheduling, demand forecasting, labor optimization and wage and labor budgets. Lite covers basic scheduling only. Homebase Essentials has advanced scheduling, and Plus adds an AI Scheduling Assistant, PTO controls, and departments with permissions. The Homebase page does not say what the assistant automates, so treat it as a claim to test, not a match for Deputy's auto-scheduling.

Price only decides this near ten staff. Core at $6.50 per user comes to $65 for ten staff, under Homebase Plus at $70. At eleven staff Core reaches $71.50, past Plus. Up to ten people, Deputy Core buys the deeper scheduling for less than Homebase Plus costs. From eleven people, Plus is the cheaper route to a scheduling AI.

For a fixed weekly schedule that a manager keeps by hand, Essentials covers the job. For a team that wants the product to build the week from forecast demand, Deputy Core is the tier to price. Shift-first buyers can compare the field in our best shift scheduling software list and the Shiftie review.

Time clock: free on Homebase, face checks on Deputy

Homebase's time clock is free, per its time-clock page. Staff clock in from a phone, tablet or POS device. Each person gets a PIN from day one, and GPS clock-in and a photo at clock-in start on Essentials, not on the free clock. It tracks meal and rest breaks, flags overtime and sends alerts for missed punches. It offers no facial or biometric recognition.

Deputy checks faces on its kiosk app for iPad and on the Android time clock app, and it stamps GPS location on mobile. The kiosk app records meal and rest breaks offline, and managers get an alert when a break is missed altogether. Overtime and pay compliance rules are configurable. Deputy's pricing page places biometric clocking in Core, while its time-clock page does not name the tier for face verification, so confirm it on the quote.

Pick Deputy when buddy punching, one person clocking in for an absent colleague, is the problem on a shared tablet. Pick Homebase when a PIN is enough and you do not want to pay for the clock, or when GPS clock-in on Essentials is worth its price. For the wider field, see our best time clock software comparison, and the free time clock apps list covers clocks that stay free.

Payroll export: Homebase runs payroll, Deputy hands off to Paycor

Homebase Payroll runs inside the product. You run payroll from your timesheets, and Homebase calculates, files and pays the taxes, by direct deposit or printed check. It produces W-2s, 1099s and payroll reports, and it offers to move pay and tax data over from your current provider at no setup cost. It covers US employers in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The one accounting link named is QuickBooks Online. Integrations for 401(k), workers' comp and healthcare are listed without detail.

The price is $49 a month plus $6 per active employee. Unlimited payroll runs are included, and the page says you pay only for employees who get paid. A limited six-month offer makes payroll and Plus free.

Deputy does not run payroll itself. Deputy Payroll is enabled by Paycor. One click sends approved timesheets, pay rates and leave to Paycor, and employees view their Paycor pay stubs in the Deputy app. Paycor is the only export target Deputy names. The add-on is $49 a month plus $8 per user, available on annual Core and Pro plans in the US, per the pricing page.

For ten employees that is $109 a month on Homebase Payroll and $129 on Deputy Payroll. If you want one tool to schedule, clock and pay, Homebase is the buy. If Paycor already runs your payroll and you want the hand-off, Deputy's one-click route is the one to price. More payroll options sit in our best payroll software list, and the Paycor review covers the provider Deputy's export depends on.

What ten people cost each month

Figures are monthly list prices as printed on the two pricing pages, read 10 October 2026, except that Deputy Payroll is sold only on annual Core and Pro plans. The Deputy row therefore pairs a monthly Core price with an annual-only add-on, so get its annual total on a quote. Homebase's six months of payroll and Plus are free under a limited offer, so the first half year can cost less. The pricing page does not print the offer's end date or the price after it, so ask for both in writing.

Free plans and trials

Homebase's Basic plan is free for one location with up to 10 employees. It includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and a POS integration. Homebase also offers a 14-day trial of All-in-One with no credit card. If no plan is chosen after the trial, the account falls back to Basic. For a free start that grows later, our free employee scheduling apps list compares the other free tiers.

Deputy has no permanent free plan on its pricing page. Lite and Core show a "Start free trial" button, but the page does not say how long the trial runs. If the budget must be zero for now, Homebase's Basic is the only free route on either page.

Who should choose which

Choose Homebase when you run one US location, or a few with larger teams at each, you want payroll in the same tool, and a free clock is enough. Its weak spots: per-location pricing gets expensive when you open many small sites, the clock has no face or biometric check, and payroll covers the US only.

Choose Deputy when you run many sites with few people at each, when face verification on a shared tablet matters, or when Paycor already runs your payroll. Its weak spots: per-user pricing rises with every hire, the monthly minimum applies on monthly billing, and the only payroll route named is Paycor.

Choose neither if you need a full HR system of record or payroll outside the US. Both products start from scheduling and time tracking, so a people record needs its own tool. Start with the best HR software list and what an HRIS costs.

Questions to put to each quote

For Homebase:

• What is the annual rate per location, and what do the six months of payroll and Plus cost after the offer ends?
• Does the AI Scheduling Assistant build the schedule, or only suggest shifts for a manager to accept?
• Is there a face or biometric option for the clock, and at what price?

For Deputy:

• Which tier includes face verification and biometric clocking?
• Can approved timesheets go to a payroll provider other than Paycor, and at what price?
• What is the annual per-user rate, and does the monthly minimum still apply on the plan you buy?

FAQ

Is Homebase or Deputy cheaper in 2026?

For one location, Homebase. Essentials is $30 a month with unlimited staff. Ten people on Deputy cost $50 on Lite, $65 on Core and $90 on Pro, all at monthly list prices. Deputy comes out ahead when staff are spread across several sites with few people at each, because its price follows the person, not the site.

Does Deputy have a free plan?

No permanent one. Deputy's pricing page offers trials on Lite and Core, with no length printed. Homebase's Basic plan is free for one location with up to 10 employees.

Which time clock is better, Homebase or Deputy?

It depends on the problem. Deputy's kiosk and Android apps use face verification and GPS, and biometric clocking sits in Core. Homebase's clock is free and uses a PIN for each person, with GPS and a photo at clock-in on Essentials, and it offers no face or biometric option.

Can Homebase run payroll?

Yes, in the US. Homebase Payroll calculates, files and pays taxes inside the product, at $49 a month plus $6 per active employee. The one accounting integration named is QuickBooks Online.

Can Deputy export to my payroll provider?

Paycor is the only provider Deputy names, and Deputy Payroll adds $8 per user to its base fee on annual Core or Pro plans. Ask Deputy in writing whether another payroll provider can take approved timesheets before you rely on that route.

Cite this: HRpresso, "Homebase vs Deputy (2026): Which Is Better for HR Teams?", October 2026.

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