# Deputy vs Paddl Canonical: https://paddl-ai.co/compare/deputy Last reviewed: 2026-09-22 by the Paddl team Deputy provides shift scheduling, time tracking, and workforce management tools used by businesses across hospitality, retail, and healthcare. Known for AI auto-scheduling and strong payroll integrations. ## In one sentence Paddl is food safety, compliance and operations software for UK hospitality: digital SFBB, HACCP plans, allergens and Natasha's Law labels, temperature, cleaning and training records, and an EHO-ready audit pack. £69 per location per month with every feature included, a 30-day free trial and no contract. Deputy: £3.25 to £6.50 per user per month, £20 minimum; a 40-person team on Core is £170 a month for the rota alone. ## Deputy pricing Deputy: £3.25 per user per month (Lite), £4.25 (Core), £6.50 (Pro); £20 a month minimum. GBP, excluding VAT. Admin users are charged. Add-ons: HR £2, Messaging+ £1.40, Analytics+ £1 per user per month. Free trial. Checked 2026-09-11 against https://www.deputy.com/gb/pricing. Paddl: £69 per location per month, every feature included, 30-day free trial. No tiers and no volume discount. 5 owner and manager users per location included, £2.99 a month for each extra; staff do not take a seat. ## Deputy reviews 4.6 out of 5 from 773 reviews on Capterra (https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/126548/deputy), read 2026-09-11. Praised: simple to use and easy and organised for scheduling; detailed scheduling and timekeeping functionality. Complaints: the app can be slow or glitchy when loading shifts; not the cheapest with a lot of staff doing few hours, as it is per user. ## Where Deputy and Paddl differ 44 features compared; 32 are in Paddl and not in Deputy, checked against Deputy's published feature list on 2026-09-11. **Food Safety & Compliance** Paddl has, Deputy does not: Digital SFBB Packs, HACCP Plans, AI HACCP Generation, Allergen Management, Risk Assessments, EHO Report Generation, One-Click Audit Packs, Fire Safety - Drills, Certificates & Expiry Alerts, COSHH Management. **Operations & Equipment** Paddl has, Deputy does not: Equipment Tracking, AI Equipment Anomaly Detection, Temperature Monitoring, Maintenance Swimlanes, Supplier Management, Delivery Checks. **Team & Training** Paddl has, Deputy does not: Staff Inductions, Shift Handovers / EOD Reports. Deputy covers in part: Training Tracking, Team Chat & Direct Messages. **Documents & Knowledge** Paddl has, Deputy does not: Document Management, Knowledge Hub, Digital Signatures, Licence Management, Insurance Gap Detection, Lease & Property Management. **Reporting & Incidents** Paddl has, Deputy does not: Complaint Monitoring, Incident & Accident Reporting, EHO Visit Dashboard, AI Legal Guidance & Evidence Packs. **Platform & AI** Paddl has, Deputy does not: Offline Mode, AI Assistant, AI That Carries Out Tasks, AI Document Extraction, Compliance Dashboard. Where Deputy is stronger: Market-leading shift scheduling with AI auto-scheduling; Time tracking with GPS and biometric clock-in; Strong payroll integrations (Xero, ADP, MYOB); Flexible per-user pricing for larger teams. ## Choose Deputy if - Shift scheduling is your only priority - You need deep payroll integrations - You already have separate compliance software ## Choose Paddl if - You need compliance and operations in one platform - You want team chat included rather than a per-user add-on - UK food safety (SFBB, HACCP, allergens) is essential - You want to eliminate the need for multiple tools - AI-powered document extraction and HACCP generation matter - You need equipment tracking, maintenance, and shift handovers ## What matters most **Per user versus per location** Deputy charges per user, so a 40-person pub on Core is £170 a month before add-ons. Paddl is £69 a location with five users included and £2.99 per extra, so the same team is about £174 with every feature, not just the rota. **What the rota knows** Paddl's rota reads the same records as the compliance side: it warns before you roster someone whose certificate has lapsed or who is on approved leave, and it builds the week against a demand band from Square takings. Deputy has stronger payroll integrations and auto-scheduling for larger, multi-industry teams. **Scope** Deputy is scheduling and time only. Paddl adds HACCP, SFBB, allergens, COSHH, routines, equipment, licences, insurance and the EHO pack. **Messaging is an add-on there and included here** Deputy sells team messaging as Messaging+, £1.40 per user per month on top of the plan, so a 40-person pub pays about £56 a month for the chat alone. Paddl's team chat is on the one plan, the forty staff take no seats, and it carries what the rota knows: channels made from it, open shifts claimed from the thread and broadcasts that ask each person to acknowledge. ## Switching from Deputy to Paddl - Per-location pricing instead of per user - The rota warns about lapsed certificates and approved leave before you publish - Hours from GPS check-ins, holiday accrual, payroll export - The compliance records in the same login An afternoon: import staff, publish next week. ### How the switch works 1. Export the staff list and current rota from Deputy 2. Import staff into Paddl and set roles per site 3. Build next week's rota from a template or let Paddy draft it 4. Point payroll at Paddl's hours export 5. Turn on routines and upload the menu for the compliance documents What you keep: Rota, shift swaps, time and attendance; Holiday management What you give up: Deputy's direct payroll integrations (Xero, ADP); Auto-scheduling across many industries ## Alternatives to Deputy for UK hospitality | Product | Category | Pricing | | --- | --- | --- | | Paddl | Food safety, compliance and operations | £69 per location per month, every feature included, 30-day free trial. No tiers and no volume discount. | | RotaCloud (https://paddl-ai.co/compare/rotacloud) | Rota and scheduling | From £10 a month for up to five employees, scaling by headcount; Capterra lists £5 per user; no contract | | Planday (Xero) (https://paddl-ai.co/compare/planday) | Rota and scheduling | Per user per month from around £2.99, five-user minimum; Pro on quote | | 7shifts (https://paddl-ai.co/compare/7shifts) | Rota and scheduling | Free plan for one location; paid from US$39.99 a location a month | ## Questions **How much does Deputy cost in the UK?** Deputy publishes UK prices: Lite £3.25 per user per month, Core £4.25, Pro £6.50, excluding VAT, with a £20 a month minimum and admins counted as users. Add-ons are £1 to £2 per user. Paddl is £69 a location a month with five users included and £2.99 per extra. **What do Deputy reviews say?** Deputy holds 4.6 from 773 reviews on Capterra UK. Reviewers praise how simple the scheduling is; the complaints are the app being slow when loading shifts and the per-user cost for large part-time teams. **Is Deputy good for a pub or restaurant?** Yes for the rota, clock-in and payroll integration. It has no food safety features, so the compliance records live elsewhere. **What is the best alternative to Deputy for UK hospitality?** Paddl if you want the rota and the compliance records in one place at a per-location price; RotaCloud or Planday if you want another scheduling-only tool. **Can I move from Deputy to Paddl?** Yes. Export staff and shifts, import staff into Paddl, publish next week's rota, and point payroll at Paddl's hours export. Deputy is monthly, so there is no term to run down.