UK BUYER’S GUIDE · 3 PRODUCTS
Rota and time attendance software
Can we turn changing rotas and actual hours into approved pay data without losing control of costs or exceptions?
Compare shift planning, clocking, manager approvals and the route from worked hours to payroll.
YOUR SHORTLIST STARTS HERE
Compare the options.
Highest documented score first. Fit adds up the 20 feature checks below, including AI, across documented plans. Entry prices may exclude scored capabilities. The upper end of a range represents unverified points.
3 of 3 products · Highest documented score first
| Product / good fit for | Pricing context | Documented fit | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
Deputy UK Deputy UK Shift-based employers needing scheduling, attendance and optional analytics in one platform. | £3.25user/month excl. VAT monthly | 55–100/100 documented fit55% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
Rotageek Rotageek Retail, hospitality or service organisations with variable demand and complex shift coverage. | Request pricingOrganisation-specific quote VAT basis not stated quote | 55–100/100 documented fit55% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
RotaCloud RotaCloud Shift-based teams wanting straightforward management of actual hours and payroll exports. | Request pricingOrganisation-specific quote VAT basis not stated quote | 45–100/100 documented fit45% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
Prices retain their original currency, billing basis and VAT status. Check the evidence and plan requirements before buying.
| Capability & demo question | Deputy UK55–100/100 documented fit | Rotageek55–100/100 documented fit | RotaCloud45–100/100 documented fit |
|---|---|---|---|
Core workflowPublish staff rotas5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCreate and publish a weekly rota for two job roles. | ✓ Supported Rotas and shift publishing. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Digital rota scheduling. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Shift planning and published rotas. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowEmployee time clock5.0 points availableAsk in the demoClock a worker in and out and inspect the recorded duration. | ✓ Supported Tablet, mobile, web and watch clocking. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Employee clocking. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Mobile and terminal clocking. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowTimesheet review and approval5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCorrect a missing clock-out and approve the timesheet. | ✓ Supported Timesheets with approval controls. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Timesheet management and approvals. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Review, adjust, approve and lock hours. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowLeave and absence requests5.0 points availableAsk in the demoApprove leave and show its effect on rota availability. | ✓ Supported Leave and accrual management. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Absence requests and approvals. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Holiday and absence management. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowEmployee availability and swaps5.0 points availableAsk in the demoSubmit availability and request a shift swap. | ✓ Supported Shift swaps and replacements. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Mobile shift swaps and preferences. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Availability tools and shift swaps. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowLabour cost visibility5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCompare scheduled hours with wage costs before publishing. | ✓ Supported Wages against scheduled hours. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Labour-cost modelling. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Labour-cost controls. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowManager rota actions on mobile5.0 points availableAsk in the demoChange a shift or approve a team request using a phone. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Mobile product exists; exact manager actions require demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthReusable shift patterns5.0 points availableAsk in the demoApply a rota template and alter one shift without rebuilding the week. | ✓ Supported Reusable shift templates. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthRole or skill-based assignments5.0 points availableAsk in the demoAttempt to assign a worker lacking a required skill and inspect the outcome. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Scheduling considers skills and contracts. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthConfigurable break rules5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCreate a paid and an unpaid break and inspect payable hours. | ✓ Supported Paid and unpaid break scheduling. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthMulti-location scheduling5.0 points availableAsk in the demoShare a worker across two locations without conflicting assignments. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Multi-site workforce scheduling. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthLocation-restricted clocking5.0 points availableAsk in the demoAttempt to clock in outside an authorised location. | ✓ Supported Location-restricted clocking. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Geofence and Wi-Fi clocking restrictions. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthException-based timesheet approval5.0 points availableAsk in the demoAutomatically approve an ordinary shift and route an exception to a manager. | ✓ Supported Automatic timesheet approvals and exceptions. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthMapped payroll export or connection5.0 points availableAsk in the demoExport approved hours into the named payroll product with correct pay codes. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Payroll integrations mentioned; chosen mapping and transfer need verification. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Sage export and direct Staffology transfer. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthEdited-hours audit history5.0 points availableAsk in the demoEdit a clocking record and retrieve its prior value, actor and timestamp. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Edited timesheets record manager and time. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthAttendance or rota API5.0 points availableAsk in the demoRead or update a rota or timesheet with documented API permissions. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthCustom workforce reporting5.0 points availableAsk in the demoFilter hours or labour costs by site and role and export the result. | ✓ Supported Analytics+ custom reports and sharing. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Prebuilt reports verified; custom filtering and export scope need confirmation. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
AIAI demand forecasting5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCompare predicted demand with actual workload over a representative period. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Machine-learning demand forecast. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
AIAI-assisted shift allocation5.0 points availableAsk in the demoGenerate a rota from demand and constraints and review proposed assignments. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Constraint-aware AI scheduling. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
AIAI workforce questions or insights5.0 points availableAsk in the demoAsk a labour-cost question and reconcile the AI answer with records. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Natural-language workforce insights. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
“Not verified” means the recorded evidence does not settle this specific check. It does not mean the feature is absent. Read the scoring method.
Focus on up to three products →ASK BETTER QUESTIONS
Before you buy rota and time attendance software software.
What to look for
- Test an overnight shift, a late clock-out, an absence and a cross-site replacement.
- Give a team leader a phone and have them correct and approve a timesheet.
- Reconcile scheduled, worked and payable hours before the first payroll export.
What changes the cost
- Active staff, manager seats, locations and minimum charges.
- Clocking terminals, messaging and advanced forecasting.
- Payroll integration, implementation and reporting add-ons.
What to watch out for
- A rota view is not proof of a manager approval workflow.
- An export may omit the pay codes required by your payroll provider.
- A forecast should be evaluated against local demand rather than a generic demo.
Common questions
Can managers work entirely from the app?
Check the exact tasks: editing hours, approving timesheets, approving leave and replacing shifts may differ.
Is automatic scheduling always AI?
No. Rules-based assignment and machine-learning demand forecasts are assessed separately.
Should clocking be linked to payroll?
A reliable transfer can reduce re-entry, but payroll should receive approved payable hours with mapped codes.