Deputy, Connecteam and TDS Workforce Management often end up on the same shortlist: all three roster people onto shifts, clock them in on a phone and turn the hours into timesheets. They are built for different jobs, though, and the right choice depends on what hurts most in your week.
We make TDS Workforce Management, so read this knowing that. We've tried to be fair, including about where the other two are stronger. Everything about Deputy and Connecteam comes from their own websites and public listings as checked in October 2026; features and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
At a glance
| Deputy | Connecteam | TDS Workforce Management | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Shift-based businesses of any size, with strong award and pay rules | Small to mid-size deskless teams wanting one app for scheduling, chat and HR | Teams rostered onto client sites, where licences and proof of attendance matter |
| Rostering | AI-assisted and demand-based scheduling, shift swaps, break planning | Scheduling in its Operations hub | Rosters by site or person, repeating shifts, copy forward, suggested staff and auto-fill, open shifts and shift swaps |
| Clock-in checks | Time clock app; GPS and facial recognition per its public listing | GPS clock-in on every paid tier; geofenced sites from the Advanced tier | Geofence per site, refused outside the radius, or a site kiosk with a PIN; optional photo, duty checklist and signature |
| Award interpretation | Yes: award interpretation and custom pay rules | Not a focus | No, but it pays the overtime, weekend, night and public holiday rates you set |
| Licences and checks | Document management in its HR product | Documents and training in its HR and Skills hub | Licences with verification and scans; sites that require them block unlicensed staff |
| Payroll | Its own payroll software, plus integrations | Payroll integrations | Monthly earnings statements with hours by rate; exports for Employment Hero and Xero |
| Phone apps | iOS and Android | iOS and Android | Android, and the web portal on any phone browser |
| Pricing model | Per user per month, by plan | Free for up to 10 users; paid tiers per hub, priced for the first 30 users plus a per-user charge | Per active user per month: A$5, A$9 or A$12 by plan, minimum A$39 |
Deputy
Deputy is a mature scheduling platform with rostering, time and attendance, HR and payroll. Its standout for Australian employers is pay compliance: it says it can automate award interpretation and custom pay rules, with real-time alerts and audit-ready records. It lists AI-assisted scheduling, demand forecasting, shift swapping and break planning, and its industry pages cover everything from hospitality and retail to cleaning and security.
Choose it if award interpretation is your biggest risk, you want payroll in the same product, or your staff need an iPhone app. Think twice if you mainly need to prove that the right, licensed person was at a client's site; Deputy is general-purpose, so site-level licence rules and per-shift proof of service take more setting up.
Connecteam
Connecteam is sold as three hubs: Operations (scheduling and time clock), Communications (chat and updates) and HR and Skills (documents and training). Its free Small Business plan covers up to 10 users. Paid tiers include GPS clock-in from Basic, up to 10 geofenced sites on Advanced and unlimited sites on Expert, and each paid hub is priced for the first 30 users with a charge for every user after that.
Choose it if you're a small team that wants scheduling, chat and onboarding in one app, starting free. Think twice if you need many geofenced sites (count which tier that puts you on) or licence rules that stop unqualified staff being rostered.
TDS Workforce Management
TDS Workforce Management is built for people who work on other people's sites: security, cleaning, field service and events. Every shift belongs to a client and a site; each site has its own clock-in radius and its own required licences, and the roster, publishing and clock-in all refuse anyone who doesn't hold them. Clock-ins are checked against the site, with an optional photo, a duty checklist and an on-site signature at clock-out, and clients can be emailed the roster and a daily attendance summary.
It also covers the rest of the week's admin: open shifts staff can claim, shift swaps between teammates that a manager approves, breaks taken in the app, a kiosk for sites without phones, fatigue limits, leave balances that accrue on ordinary hours, and pay rules for overtime, weekends, nights and public holidays, with the hours exported to Employment Hero or Xero.
Choose it if you roster licensed or vetted staff onto client sites, especially across Australia or Saudi Arabia, whose licence sets are built in. Think twice if you need full award interpretation or an iPhone app today: TDS Workforce Management applies the rates you set but doesn't interpret awards, and staff on iPhones use the web portal or a site kiosk.
How to choose
- Write down the one problem that costs you most: underpaying awards, empty posts, unlicensed staff, or admin time.
- Shortlist the product built around that problem, not the one with the longest feature list.
- Run a two-week trial with real shifts and real staff, including someone who works nights.
- Check how hours get to payroll, because that's where most double handling hides.
If your problem is the second or third one, ask us for a demo with your own sites. If it's the first, Deputy or one of the Australian payroll-led tools is likely the better fit.
Deputy and Connecteam are trademarks of their owners. This comparison isn't endorsed by either company.