Deputy vs Sling
Short answer: Sling costs less. Its Free plan covers the schedule for up to 30 users, and Deputy has no free plan. For the time clock, labor reports and paid time off, Sling Business is $4 a user, against $5.50 on Deputy Lite.
Shift Amp schedules your whole team for free, at any size. Pro adds the time clock, labor reports and paid time off for $2 a member, half the price of Sling Business.
Head to head
| Deputy | Sling | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None; a free trial of up to 31 days | Up to 30 users, no time clock (stronger) |
| Price with the time clock and reports | $5.50 a user on Lite | $4 a user on Business (stronger) |
| Monthly minimum | $30 per invoice | None; no base fees (stronger) |
| Free trial | Up to 31 days, no credit card (stronger) | 15 days on paid plans |
| Shift swaps and availability | Lite | Business |
| 25 people, with reports | $137.50 a month on Lite | $100 a month on Business (stronger) |
Which to choose
Deputy, Sling or Shift Amp?
Here’s who each one suits.
Choose Deputy if…
- You’d like a longer trial before you pay. Deputy’s runs up to 31 days, with no credit card.
- Your team clocks in from smartwatches. Deputy’s time clock runs on tablets, phones, the web and watches.
Choose Sling if…
- You need just the schedule for 30 people or fewer. Sling Free covers it, with open shifts, time-off requests and messaging.
- You need the time clock and labor reports. Sling Business is $4 a user, under Deputy Lite’s $5.50, with no base fee.
Choose Shift Amp if…
- You want your whole team on the schedule for free, whether that’s 8 people or 80. Shift Amp’s Free plan has no cap.
- You want shift swaps, availability, open shifts and messaging included. They’re all on the Free plan.
- You want the time clock, a kiosk, labor reports and paid time off for $2 a member a month: half the price of Sling Business, and well under Deputy Lite’s $5.50.
- You want to try everything first. Every new team gets 14 days of everything, Pro included.
No credit card required.
Pricing
Is Deputy cheaper than Sling?
It depends on your team size, your locations and what you need. Try your numbers, with Shift Amp alongside.
What you need
Monthly cost for 20 people
$100 a month billed annually
$68 a month billed annually
$2 per member a month, with no location fees
Sling costs less than Deputy here: $80 a month against $110. Shift Amp Pro comes to $40, half the price of Sling Business.
| Team size | Deputy | Sling | Shift Amp | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | Free | Business | Free | Pro | |
| 5 people | $27.50 | $0 | $20 | $0 | $10 |
| 10 people | $55 | $0 | $40 | $0 | $20 |
| 15 people | $82.50 | $0 | $60 | $0 | $30 |
| 25 people | $137.50 | $0 | $100 | $0 | $50 |
| 50 people | $275 | Over the 30-user cap | $200 | $0 | $100 |
| What’s included | Scheduling, time clock, timesheets, leave and basic reports. | Up to 30 users. Scheduling, open shifts, time off and messaging. | Time clock, kiosk, labor reports, paid time off, auto-assign and shift tasks. | The schedule, swaps, messaging and shift tasks, at any team size. | Adds the time clock, timesheets, labor reports and paid time off. $2 a member. |
Deputy counts every user, managers and admins included, and monthly plans have a $30 minimum per invoice, which the table doesn’t show. Billed annually, Lite is $5 a user, with no refund if you cancel early. Sling prices per user, and admins and managers count toward the Free plan’s 30-user cap. Billed annually, Sling Business is $3.40 a user.
Feature by feature
How do the features compare?
We show Deputy on Lite, its cheapest plan, and Sling on its Free and Business plans, the two that line up with Shift Amp Free and Pro. Where a feature needs a paid plan, we name the plan.
| Feature | DeputyLite | SlingFree and Business | Shift AmpFree and Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | |||
| Schedule builderBuild the week, then publish it. | Lite | Free plan | Free plan |
| Week templatesReuse a whole week. | Lite | Business | Free plan |
| AvailabilitySee who can work while you place shifts. | Lite | Business | Free plan |
| Shift swapsYour team trades shifts in the app. | Lite | Offers on Free, swaps on Business | Free plan |
| Open shiftsPost shifts your team can claim. | Lite | Free plan | Free plan |
| Automatic schedulingFill shifts without placing each one. | Auto-scheduling on Core | Auto-assign on Business | Auto-assign, Free plan |
| Time tracking | |||
| Mobile time clockClock in from a phone. | Lite | Business | Pro |
| Kiosk time clockA shared device by the door. | Lite | Business | Pro |
| GeofencingCheck where people clock in. | Lite | Business | Pro |
| Labor costs | |||
| Labor cost while schedulingSee what a shift costs as you place it. | Lite | Business | Free plan |
| Labor reportsHours and wages over any period. | Basic reports on Lite | Business | Pro |
| Paid time off balancesApprove time off against what is left. | Lite; automatic accruals on Core | Business | Pro |
| Team | |||
| Group messagingThreads for a team or location. | Lite, groups of up to 10 | Private on Free, group on Business | Free plan |
| Shift tasksAttach the work to the shift. | Lite | Business | Free plan |
| iOS and Android appsFor managers and their teams. | Every plan | Every plan | Free plan |
Why Shift Amp
Where Shift Amp comes out ahead
Whether you run one small location or several, here’s where you get more for less.
Free for your whole team
- Shift Amp
- Free for the schedule at any team size.
- Deputy
- No free plan. Lite is $5.50 a user, with a $30 monthly minimum.
- Sling
- Free up to 30 users, admins and managers included.
Swaps, availability and tasks included
- Shift Amp
- All three on the Free plan.
- Deputy
- Included on Lite, from $5.50 a user.
- Sling
- Not on Free. All three come with Business, at $4 a user.
Half the price of Sling Business
- Shift Amp
- $2 a member for the time clock, labor reports and paid time off.
- Deputy
- $5.50 a user on Lite.
- Sling
- $4 a user on Business.
No credit card required.
Switching
From Deputy or Sling to Shift Amp
Three steps, and you can run both for a week before you move everyone over.
- 1
Start your free account
Add your locations and positions. No credit card needed.
- 2
Bring your team over
Export your team list, save it as a CSV and import it, up to 200 people per file.
- 3
Build and publish the week
Rebuild your current week once, save it as a template, then publish.
FAQ
Deputy vs Sling, answered.
Is Deputy cheaper than Sling?
No. Sling is free for the schedule up to 30 users, and Deputy has no free plan. With the time clock and labor reports, Sling Business is $4 a user against $5.50 on Deputy Lite, or $3.40 against $5 billed annually.
How does Shift Amp compare to Deputy and Sling?
Shift Amp is free for the schedule at any team size, with shift swaps, availability, open shifts, messaging and shift tasks included. Pro adds the time clock, labor reports and paid time off balances for $2 a member a month, half the price of Sling Business, with no location fees.
Does Deputy have a free plan?
No. Its free Starter plan is closed to new customers. Deputy offers a free trial of up to 31 days with no credit card, then Lite is $5.50 a user a month, or $5 billed annually.
Is Sling free?
Yes, for up to 30 users, and admins and managers count toward the 30. Sling’s Free plan has no time clock.
Try Shift Amp on your week.
Scheduling is free for your whole team at any size, and every new team gets 14 days of everything, Pro included.
No credit card required.
How we compared
Facts verified . We checked each product’s public plans and features using the vendors’ own pricing pages and help centers. Deputy and Sling are trademarks of their owners. Shift Amp is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
Sources
- Deputy, Pricing. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Deputy, Pricing plans. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Deputy, Deputy Starter Plan (Discontinuing). Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Deputy, Deputy home page (free trial). Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Sling, Pricing. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Toast, Sling Pricing (non-Toast accounts). Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Shift Amp, Pricing. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.