Deputy review

Deputy is a general shift-work platform with deep labor tools, which is why it scores close to the restaurant specialists. The Lite plan, at $5 per user per month on annual billing, covers basic scheduling, timesheets, time clocking, labor law compliance, shift swaps and leave management. The plan that matters for labor targets is Core at $6.50, which adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, labor optimization, wage and labor budgets, micro-scheduling and biometric time clocking. Pro at $9 adds location hierarchies, custom access levels and single sign-on for larger groups. Deputy AI is included in every plan for building schedules and answering workforce questions. Add-ons include payroll enabled by Paycor at $8 per user a month plus a $49 base fee, and HR at $2 per user. There is no free plan, and per-user pricing adds up for kitchens with many part-time staff, so compare the total against a per-location tool such as Homebase.

Who it is for

Restaurant groups that want auto-scheduling, demand forecasting and wage budgets at a per-user price.

Price

Lite from $5 per user per month on an annual plan; Core $6.50; Pro $9.

$5 per user per month (USD excl. all applicable taxes) billed upfront or in monthly installments
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Auto-scheduling and demand forecasting on the Core plan
• Wage and labor budgets with labor optimization tools
• Labor law compliance on every plan, advanced compliance on Core
• Shift swap and find replacement, plus leave and availability management
• Deputy AI included in every plan for building schedules

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Forecasting and wage budgets at $6.50 per user per month
• Strength: Labor law compliance starts on the cheapest plan
• Strength: Optional payroll by Paycor that takes approved timesheets
• Weakness: No permanent free plan
• Weakness: Forecasting and budgets are not in the Lite plan
• Weakness: Per-user pricing rises with large rosters

Key facts

• Lite: $5 per user a month, annual
• Core: $6.50 per user a month, annual
• Pro: $9 per user a month, annual
• Payroll add-on: $8 per user a month plus $49 base fee

Where it ranks

Deputy is No. 2 in our Best Restaurant Scheduling Software verdict.