# Deputy vs SHIFTR Employee Scheduling

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SHIFTR Employee Scheduling at none against Deputy's 2. SHIFTR Employee Scheduling also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Deputy's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (6.1K vs 755). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Deputy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $59.99 per month. SHIFTR Employee Scheduling asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Deputy against 4.7 for SHIFTR Employee Scheduling. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Deputy has 6.1K ratings behind it against 755, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Deputy's written reviews are positive against 65% of SHIFTR Employee Scheduling's.

Deputy ships an update weekly, SHIFTR Employee Scheduling monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Deputy | SHIFTR Employee Scheduling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (6.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deputy-shift-schedule-maker/id477070330/reviews)** | [4.7 (755 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftr-employee-scheduling/id1378936197/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.1K** | 755 |
| Positive reviews | 59.2% of reviews | **65.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 285 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Deputy.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/477070333) | [Specsoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/1378936196) |

## What reviewers say

### Deputy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deputy-shift-schedule-maker/id477070330)

This app simplifies employee scheduling, time tracking, and workforce management for businesses. It allows for easy creation of balanced schedules, communication with staff, and integration with payroll systems. Employees can view their schedules, manage availability, and clock in/out.

**Highlights:** Create balanced, cost-effective schedules, Publish shift information via push notification, Fill open shifts with team pick-up, Approve leave and shift changes, Manage team communications and tasks, Track time and attendance, Integrate with payroll and POS systems

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 users | $59.99 | per month |
| 25 users | $144.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient for scheduling and timekeeping
- 👍 Helpful for managing staff
- 👍 Reliable and efficient

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🐛 Unreliable location tracking
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance after updates
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 💰 Expensive for some businesses

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes frequently
- Timesheets not accurately recording hours worked
- Shift scheduling issues after updates
- Notification system not reliable

**Requested features**

- Add ability to cancel shifts
- Improve communication features between employees
- Provide more detailed reporting and analytics
- Allow employees to view their leave balances
- Integrate with more payroll/HR systems


### SHIFTR Employee Scheduling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftr-employee-scheduling/id1378936197)

This app simplifies employee scheduling and attendance tracking for businesses. It allows managers to create schedules, manage time off, and track employee hours efficiently. Team members can also manage their availability and swap shifts.

**Highlights:** Easy employee scheduling, Time clock and tracking, Time off requests and availability, Shift swapping, Open shifts, Automatic notifications, Calendar sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Efficient scheduling and time-saving features
- 💬 Excellent customer support and live assistance
- 📱 Mobile accessibility for employees
- 💡 Innovative shift swap and time-off request features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Calendar navigation issues and bugs
- 💳 Misleading free trial to paid conversion
- ❌ Limited free version functionality
- 📱 Text notification feature missing
- 🔐 Login requirement barriers

**Reported bugs**

- Calendar skips to 1970, preventing historical shift review
- Blank white screen on login
- Login credentials not visible when typing
- Schedule fails to load
- App lags and crashes

**Requested features**

- Fix calendar to prevent skipping to 1970
- Add text message notifications
- Improve free version capabilities
- Simple week-at-a-glance view (Monday-Sunday)
- Direct schedule download and text sharing


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Deputy free?

Deputy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SHIFTR Employee Scheduling free?

SHIFTR Employee Scheduling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Deputy or SHIFTR Employee Scheduling?

Deputy is rated higher. Deputy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while SHIFTR Employee Scheduling averages 4.7 from 755 ratings.

### Do Deputy or SHIFTR Employee Scheduling have ads?

Neither Deputy nor SHIFTR Employee Scheduling shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Deputy or SHIFTR Employee Scheduling?

Deputy ships an update weekly, and SHIFTR Employee Scheduling monthly. Most recently, Deputy was updated on November 1, 2026 and SHIFTR Employee Scheduling on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*