The Deputy alternative built for a 10-person crew, not a 1,000-person chain.
Deputy is a mature scheduling and time platform used by large hospitality and retail operators, with HR sold as an add-on and per-user pricing by module. PunchPro is sized for small businesses: one plan, every feature, set up in an afternoon, with hiring and onboarding included.
14 days freeNo credit card requiredEvery feature included
Enterprise-grade shift management, or one simple plan for a small team.
Choose PunchPro if…
- You have 5–200 hourly employees and no HR department
- You want hiring, onboarding and records included rather than as an add-on
- You need job sites and cost codes, not just locations and areas
- You want one published price with everything
Stay with Deputy if…
- You run many locations with complex award rules or demand forecasting
- You need Deputy's POS and large-payroll integrations
- Shift swapping, open shifts and news feed are core to your operation
- You have a team that will configure and administer it
Either works if…
- You schedule hourly staff who clock in from a phone or kiosk
- You export hours to a payroll provider
- You want a free trial first
PunchPro vs Deputy: what you get on one plan.
Deputy sells scheduling, time and HR as separate per-user modules. PunchPro puts all of it on one plan sized for small teams.
| Feature | PunchPro | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $39.99/business + $7 per active user | Per user, by module |
| Price shown for full feature set | Yes | Per module |
| Employee scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Demand forecasting / auto-scheduling | No | Yes |
| Shift swapping / open shifts / news feed | No | Yes |
| GPS at the punch | Yes | Yes |
| Kiosk clock-in with photo | Kiosk; no photo | Yes |
| Time off & accrual policies | Yes | Yes |
| Cost codes & job labor tracking | Yes | Areas / locations |
| Offer letters & e-signature | Yes | HR add-on |
| Onboarding checklists & handbook | Yes | HR add-on |
| Certification & license expiry alerts | Yes | HR add-on |
| Payroll review with guardrails | Yes | Timesheet approval |
| Payroll exports | QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, Paycom | Broad list incl. ADP, Gusto, Xero, Paychex |
| Setup | Under 20 minutes, no implementation | Configuration and onboarding |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Yes |
Deputy is a trademark of its owner; PunchPro is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Competitor details reflect their public materials as of October 2026 and may change; confirm plan details on the vendor's site.
Why hourly teams leave Deputy for PunchPro.
Hiring, onboarding and records live next to the time clock.
PunchPro keeps one employee record from offer letter to final paycheck: offers signed on a phone, onboarding checklists, handbook e-signatures, licenses with expiry alerts, then scheduling, punches, PTO and payroll prep on the same person.
- Offer letters and e-signature; the employee profile is created on signing
- Handbook, I-9/W-4 status and certification tracking with alerts
- Same record for schedule, punches, PTO and payroll review
Location at clock-in and clock-out. Nothing in between.
PunchPro records where a punch happened so you can confirm someone was at the site, the store or the client's home. It does not follow employees between punches, which keeps the privacy conversation with your crew short.
- Location captured at punch-in and punch-out only
- Punches shown against the assigned job site or location
- Clear privacy story for your crew and your handbook
Guardrails before you approve. Export to the payroll you already run.
Timecards with missed punches, unexpected overtime or edits are flagged before the period locks, with one-tap fixes and an audit trail. Approved hours export to QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex or Paycom, so nothing changes on the payroll side.
- Configurable guardrails: Off / Warn / Block
- Flagged timecards surfaced first, bulk approval for the rest
- Export to QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, Paycom
One price on the page. No tiers to decode.
PunchPro is $39.99 per month per business plus $7 per active user, every feature included, month to month, no implementation fee. Deputy prices per user by module, and HR features are a separate add-on. PunchPro includes HR, time and scheduling on one price per business plus active users.
- Every feature on every account — no modules or add-ons
- Active users only: seasonal dips cost less
- 14-day free trial, no credit card, cancel anytime
Moving from Deputy to PunchPro takes an afternoon.
No implementation project. Most teams run one pay period on both and then turn the old one off.
Import your people
Export your employee list from Deputy as a CSV and import it, or add employees as you send offers. Pay rates, roles and job codes come along.
Run a pay period in parallel
Your team clocks in on PunchPro while Deputy keeps running. Compare the two timesheets at the end of the period; the 14-day trial covers it.
Point payroll at PunchPro
Approve hours in payroll review and export to QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex or Paycom. Cancel Deputy when the numbers match.
PunchPro as a Deputy alternative, answered plainly.
Is PunchPro cheaper than Deputy?
For a small team that wants scheduling, time and HR together, PunchPro is usually cheaper because Deputy prices those as separate per-user modules. Compare at your headcount; Deputy's current pricing is on their site.
Does PunchPro do auto-scheduling or demand forecasting?
No. Managers build the week from templates and availability. Deputy's forecasting is built for larger operations.
Does PunchPro have shift swaps or a news feed?
No. Schedules are published to each employee's phone with notifications, but there is no employee-to-employee swap flow or feed.
Is PunchPro suitable for multiple locations?
Yes. Pricing is per business, not per location, and employees can be scheduled and punched by job site or location.
How do I move from Deputy to PunchPro?
Export your people, import them, and run one pay period on both during the 14-day trial.
Does PunchPro run payroll?
No. PunchPro reviews hours and exports to QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex or Paycom.
More comparisons: QuickBooks Time · ClockShark · Workyard · Clockify · Time Clock Wizard · Homebase · Connecteam · When I Work · Buddy Punch · Jibble
Try PunchPro next to Deputy for 14 days.
Every feature, no credit card. Run one pay period and compare the timesheets yourself.
14 days freeNo credit card requiredEvery feature included