RosterMate vs Deputy
Deputy is one of the biggest names in rostering worldwide. RosterMate is built in New Zealand, for New Zealand — everything in one price, with free onboarding and support from the team that builds it, instead of add-ons, minimum spends and a global ticket queue. Here's the honest side-by-side.
Feature and pricing comparison for New Zealand businesses, from each company's public pages as of July 2026.
| RosterMate | Deputy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing (per user/month) | $8 NZD flat — all features included | Lite A$6.75 · Core A$8.75 · Pro A$13 (no NZD price list) |
| Minimum monthly spend | None | A$30 / US$30 per invoice |
| Paid add-ons required for full product | No — one price | HR, Messaging+, Analytics+ cost extra |
| Roster builder & templates | Yes | Yes |
| AI auto-rostering | Yes — AI Auto-Roster | Yes, incl. POS demand data |
| GPS clock-in with geofencing & photo verification | Yes, incl. facial verification | Yes |
| Leave management (NZ Holidays Act) | NZ-native, incl. alternative & family violence leave | Leave yes; compliance engine built for AU awards |
| NZ payroll integrations | Xero NZ, PayHero, Smartly, Crystal | Xero native; iPayroll/Smartly/PayHero via file export |
| IRD payday filing & NZ bank batch files | Built in | No (payroll product is US-only) |
| Event staffing with shift bidding & waitlists | Yes | No |
| Custom forms with AI builder | Included | Via paid HR add-on |
| Integration ecosystem | Focused on NZ payroll | 300+ integrations |
| Support | Unlimited & free — NZ humans, replies in minutes, direct to the team that builds it | Chat/email; 24/7 on Pro plan; reviews note offshore support |
| Free onboarding — setup done for you | Yes — staff imported, templates built, managers trained | Self-serve setup guides |
| Custom solutions & roster automations built for you | Yes — tell us the problem, we build the fix, free | Global product roadmap |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Monthly or annual; no refunds on annual cancellation |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | 31 days, no credit card |
| Reviews | — | Capterra 4.6/5 · Trustpilot 3.9/5 (as of Jul 2026) |
Deputy pricing and features from deputy.com public pages as of 5 July 2026 (AU pricing shown; Deputy publishes no NZD price list and applies a minimum monthly spend of A$30/US$30 per invoice from 1 Sep 2025). Deputy is a trademark of Deputechnologies Pty Ltd. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
Example: a café or retail store with 20 rostered staff, using scheduling, time clock and timesheets.
No product is best for everyone. Here's where Deputy is strong, and where RosterMate makes more sense.
Choose Deputy if…
- You need demand-driven scheduling from POS/sales data — Deputy's forecasting is genuinely mature
- You rely on a niche system in Deputy's 300+ integration ecosystem
- You're a multi-country operation that wants one global brand with SSO and enterprise controls
- Your staff already know the Deputy app from previous jobs — 320,000+ workplaces use it
Choose RosterMate if…
- You want one flat NZD price with everything included — no add-on stacking or minimum spend
- You want NZ payroll done properly: Xero NZ, PayHero, Smartly, Crystal and IRD payday filing built in
- You value real support — a Kiwi answers in minutes, and free onboarding means we build your rosters and templates for you
- You want software that listens — tell us a problem and we ship the solution, including complex roster and event automations set up free
- You staff events — capacity-based shift bidding with waitlists is unique to RosterMate
- You want month-to-month terms with no annual lock-in or cancellation penalties
The table above only counts features. Every RosterMate plan also comes with a New Zealand team doing the heavy lifting for you — included in the price, not sold separately.
Free onboarding, done for you
We import your staff, build your roster templates, set up your positions and areas, and train your managers — free. You start with a working roster, not a blank screen.
Support in minutes, not days
Unlimited free support from the NZ team that actually builds RosterMate. Call or message — a human answers fast. No ticket tiers, no offshore queue, no chatbot maze.
We build what you need
Got a problem your software ignores? Tell us. We listen, design a solution and ship it — RosterMate customers watch their feedback become features that better their business.
Complex setups automated, free
Rotating patterns, event crews, multi-site rosters — our team builds your complex roster and event automations for you, at no charge. If it can be automated, we'll set it up.
Our verdict
Deputy is an excellent, mature product — if you're a large multi-national with POS-driven demand forecasting needs, it deserves its reputation. But most New Zealand businesses don't need 300 integrations; they need rosters sorted, staff clocked in, leave handled under the Holidays Act, and payroll filed with IRD — at a price that doesn't creep with add-ons, minimum spends and exchange rates.
That's exactly what RosterMate is: everything included at $8 NZD per employee, built and supported in New Zealand, with the only built-in IRD payday filing in this category — plus free onboarding where we set your rosters up for you, unlimited support that answers in minutes, and a team that builds the solutions you ask for. Try both — Deputy offers 31 days free and we offer 30. We think you'll stay.
Try RosterMate FreeCommon questions from teams comparing the two.