Deputy vs Sling

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Our analysts compared Deputy vs Sling based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Employee Scheduling Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Deputy is a one-stop shop for hiring, training, scheduling, paying and managing time sheets of frontline and hourly workers. It offers an intuitive interface and various features to help manage employees, streamline scheduling operations and simplify internal communications.

You can easily create, edit and manage schedules while ensuring optimal staffing levels. The platform's drag-and-drop functionality allows quick adjustments to accommodate changes in staffing or workload. Time clock features enable employees to clock in and out accurately, minimizing the risk of time theft and simplifying payroll processing.

Also, Deputy provides a comprehensive suite of HR tools, including features for managing time off. Employees can easily request and track vacation, sick leave and other absences. A built-in messaging portal facilitates internal communication and records interactions to promote accountability.

You can also post job openings on popular online channels and create a branded portal to accept applications. The system lets you design a new hire’s onboarding workflow with embedded training materials and tips. Additionally, customizable automation helps businesses comply with fair workweek regulations, break rules, maximum work hours, consecutive workdays and other labor regulations.

One of the platform’s standout features is its pre-built integrations and extensibility with other third-party solutions. The vendor lets you add extra features such as payroll processing, business intelligence, demand forecasting, point of sale system and more.


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Sling is a cloud-native tool for streamlining employee scheduling for businesses of all sizes. It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, allowing managers to build and modify schedules with ease. Pre-built templates for recurring shifts further save time, eliminating the need for repetitive manual assignments.

The platform offers employees self-service options to view schedules, request time off, and swap shifts with colleagues. This collaborative approach reduces management overhead and fosters a sense of autonomy among staff. Automated overtime tracking and labor cost analysis allow you to make data-driven decisions and identify areas for staffing optimization.

Additionally, it integrates with time clock functionality, enabling employees to clock in and out via their mobile devices. It also connects with existing calendar apps, ensuring everyone maintains a synced view of upcoming work commitments.

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$2.50/User, Monthly, Freemium
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$1.70/User, Monthly, Freemium
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Create The Perfect Software Stack: Deputy won the SelectHub award for having the best integrations and extensibility options among employee scheduling tools, with 96 analyst score. It offers pre-built integrations with popular accounting solutions, online calendars, HRMS software, HCM tools and iPaaS platforms. You can easily import or export data and access the API to design custom integrations with external solutions.
  • Work From Anywhere: The platform offers one of the most robust scheduling mobile apps that lets you manage operations from any remote location. With a perfect 100 analyst rating, it supports offline scheduling, chat options, team news sharing, mobile time clocks, GPS tracking and customizable push notifications.
  • Streamline Scheduling: Another top-rated module is its scheduling toolkit, which has a 93 rating from our analysts. You get customizable templates and drag-and-drop tools to design schedules in minutes. The built-in AI sends conflict alerts for unavailable employees and compliance issues, ensuring schedules are accurate and efficient. The platform automatically updates employee calendars upon publishing a schedule and offers them the option of first refusal, shift swapping and bidding via their unique portals.
  • Manage Timesheets Efficiently: It offers a robust time and attendance management module that got a 92 rating from our analysts. Employees can track work hours via the mobile app, and the platform automatically prevents early clock-ins, sends break reminders, tracks overtime and maintains timesheets. It also automatically clocks out employees and prevents overtime based on your business’s budget and compliance regulations.
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  • Adopt a Data-Driven Approach: In our analysis, Sling scored an impressive 95 for its reporting and dashboard tools. You can generate reports and visualizations on time and attendance, scheduling history, employee performance and more. The platform supports automated weekly or monthly reporting based on your rules and offers filtering options to find and audit reports.
  • Simplify Task Management: According to our research, Sling is one of the top-ranked products for managing shifts and tasks. It supports 87% of key task management requirements out of the box, including custom task creation, rotating and recurring shifts, open shift bidding, auto-assigning vacancies, shift feedback, task notes and shift swapping.
  • Manage Schedules From Anywhere: Sling offers one of the highest-rated mobile apps, with 4.7 and 4.6 ratings on the Play Store and Apple Store, respectively. It supports employee punch-ins, push notifications, time tracking, geofencing/GPS tracking, calendar integrations and team messaging options.
  • Manage Employees Efficiently: Based on our data, Sling’s employee management tools are its second highest-rated module, with a rating of 87. This is on par with scheduling stalwarts like Deputy. It offers budgeting, employee self-service options, labor forecasting, shift bidding, multiple pay rates and more. The only limitation is that it cannot send update reminders and alerts for expiring employee documents.
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  • Scheduling: Create, manage and optimize schedules with AI. Use drag-and-drop scheduling tools while considering availability, skills and preferences to create partial, pre-assigned or open shifts.
  • Time Tracking: Turn staff phones into a time tracking solution using the mobile app or connect the platform to a POS system to allow employees to punch in and out of work. The platform sends alerts for break hours, overtime and budgetary conflicts. It also offers geofencing to help avoid time theft and buddy punching.
  • Mobile App: Managers can access their profiles from anywhere, create schedules, approve time off requests, communicate with team members and track task progress. Employees can view schedules, request PTO, chat with colleagues, swap shifts and bid on open shifts.
  • Demand Forecasting: Access your business’s historical sales data and seasonal trends on a centralized dashboard to make informed staffing decisions. Define business logic and benchmarks with demand-based rules to ensure minimum coverage while considering your budget. You can pull real-time wage-to-sales data on the mobile app to make scheduling adjustments on the go.
  • Shift Pulse: Send feedback forms and questionnaires to employees after every shift. Minimize staff fatigue by automating schedule assignments based on worked hours and overtime. Employees can express their work satisfaction using a staff sentiment bar and tracker.
  • Compliance Tools: Deputy helps comply with fair workweek regulations by providing tools to manage overtime, minimum rest periods and other labor laws. It also assists with reporting, managing employee records and ensuring adherence to minimum wage laws.
  • Leave Management: Employees can submit time-off requests directly through the platform, and managers can review and approve or deny them. You can also track leave balances and generate leave reports.
  • Document Management: The platform offers a centralized repository for storing and organizing employee documents, such as contracts, performance reviews and training certificates. Its search and filtering capabilities make it easy to find specific documents when needed.
  • Hiring: Post openings on online job forums and track their traction from within the software interface. You can track applicants, schedule interviews, send questions and receive applicant feedback.
  • Training and Onboarding: Design branded onboarding workflows for trainees and manage employee training programs by tracking attendance, assigning tasks and monitoring progress.
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  • Shift Scheduling: Build schedules within minutes while managing time-offs, shift swaps and employee availability. Schedule across geographical locations and time zones while saving templates for future use. Get notifications for double-booking or overlapping shifts, reduce absenteeism and late arrivals, and avoid scheduling overtime. Let employees pick shifts they like while granting approvals.
  • Task Management: Keep employees accountable by adding tasks to shifts. Clarify everyone’s job during shifts while ensuring employees stick to set timelines while finishing assigned tasks. Improve productivity and efficiency by allowing employees to access task lists via mobiles.
  • Time Clock: Track employee clock-ins and outs from a designated terminal, on-site time clock or both. Set early clock-in limits while automatically clocking out employees in case of forgotten log-outs. Review, edit, approve and export timesheets to process payroll seamlessly.
  • Location Management: Create location-specific news feed pages to share important information and messages. Monitor progress while creating to-do lists per location. Authorize multiple display directions and workspaces for every location.
  • Mobile App: Manage schedules on the go while letting employees clock in and out using any Android or iOS device. Use geofencing tools to ensure employees log in and out from designated locations while tracking attendance from anywhere. Send automated alerts or message latecomers in the app.
  • Labor Cost Management: Receive budget insights and suggestions while scheduling to ensure cost-effectiveness. The platform calculates labor costs based on employee wages, allowing real-time margin monitoring per shift. Sling also sends alerts if projected labor costs exceed your budget for a particular shift, prompting you to adjust staffing assignments before finalizing the schedule.
  • Compliance Management: Store licenses, contracts, certifications, and other files within employee profiles with unlimited storage. To ensure timely renewals, Sling alerts you when critical documents are nearing expiry. Set granular permission levels for document access to safeguard staff details. Managers can define and assign custom break durations per labor regulations, automate break scheduling, and send break reminders to employees.
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Product Ranking

#8

among all
Employee Scheduling Software

#30

among all
Employee Scheduling Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

89
84
91
91
85
87
78
78
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Mobile Capabilities
Integrations and Extensibility
Schedule Management
Time and Attendance Management
Collaboration
Mobile Capabilities
Reporting and Analytics
Collaboration
Employee Management
Schedule Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Deputy
Sling
+ Add Product + Add Product
Collaboration Employee Management Leave And Absence Management Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Reporting And Analytics Schedule Management Security And Compliance Shift Management Time And Attendance Management 91 85 78 100 88 64 95 76 89 94 91 87 78 98 75 95 86 56 86 83 0 25 50 75 100
88%
0%
12%
88%
0%
12%
83%
0%
17%
83%
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17%
75%
0%
25%
75%
0%
25%
100%
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0%
93%
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7%
89%
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11%
78%
0%
22%
67%
0%
33%
100%
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0%
95%
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5%
80%
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20%
78%
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22%
56%
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44%
89%
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11%
84%
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16%
95%
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5%
84%
0%
16%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

90%
0%
10%
60%
0%
40%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 1504 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 234 reviews
90%
of users recommend this product

Deputy has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 1504 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

91%
of users recommend this product

Sling has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 234 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

4.3 (15)
n/a
4.7 (307)
4.4 (82)
n/a
4.6 (152)
4.6 (720)
n/a
4.2 (462)
n/a

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Deputy and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Mobile Capabilities and Integrations and Extensibility. Deputy stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Mobile Capabilities Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

Sling stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly Interface: Users appreciate the intuitive design, which makes it accessible for both managers and employees and easy to adopt with minimal training.
Robust Remote Workability: The mobile app is highly praised for allowing employees to clock in/out, manage shifts and receive notifications, making it convenient for on-the-go use.
Greater Flexibility and Accessibility: Deputy offers flexible shift management, allowing employees to swap or pick up shifts and work across multiple locations. Cloud-based hosting ensures access from anywhere with an internet connection.
Employee Empowerment: The software gives employees more control over their schedules, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility for time management.
Streamline Scheduling: Deputy effectively manages scheduling, time tracking and attendance, reducing errors and improving overall efficiency. Reviews highlight valuable features like preventing early clock-ins and integrating with payroll systems.
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User-Friendly and Intuitive: Many users appreciate Sling's easy-to-use interface, which makes scheduling and other tasks straightforward and accessible without extensive training.
Comprehensive Features in the Free Version: Users find the free version of Sling highly functional and often better than some paid alternatives.
Optimized Shift Management: The ability to create repeating shifts and use shift templates saves time and effort in planning.
Improved Efficiency and Organization: Sling helps organize schedules and increase efficiency by reducing scheduling errors.
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Support and Customer Service Issues: Several users reported poor customer service experiences, especially when dealing with technical support or canceling the service. The vendor primarily offers support via email, which some users found inadequate.
Performance and Speed: Some users experienced lag when accepting shifts or clocking in and out, causing delays and frustration.
Challenges With Multi-Location Tracking: For organizations with employees across multiple locations or states, keeping track of everyone’s whereabouts could be challenging as the platform doesn’t support multiple time zones across geographies.
Syncing Issues: Users noted that the inability to sync with external calendars (like Google or Apple Calendar) was a significant drawback.
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Notification Overload: There can be too many notifications, especially for chats that users are not actively involved in. Sling doesn’t offer the privacy tools required to customize notifications for managers and employees.
Occasional Glitches and Loading Issues: Some users experience occasional bugs, app crashes or slow loading times after a system update.
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Deputy is a valuable asset for businesses looking to streamline their scheduling operations and enhance employee productivity. During my research, I found it to be a highly effective and centralized tool for hiring, training and scheduling employees. Users consistently praise its performance, with many giving it a 4.5-star rating.One of Deputy's standout features is its AI-powered automation, which can significantly improve scheduling and shift break compliance. However, it may require some initial setup and learning to function optimally. The touchless facial recognition clock-in feature is particularly valuable in today's post-pandemic world.I appreciate Deputy's commitment to employee empowerment. Its accountability measures, such as GPS tracking and facial recognition, effectively prevent time theft without compromising employee autonomy. The Shift Pulse feature is another valuable tool that fosters open communication between employees and management.While Deputy is a powerful solution, it's not without its flaws. I encountered bugs and glitches that occasionally disrupted the user experience. Slow performance, particularly for mobile app users and non-desk staff, can be frustrating. Additionally, GPS challenges can be problematic for businesses with multiple locations as the platform doesn’t support multiple time zones.The HR functionality is also limited, but I believe it has the potential to expand over time. Adding more languages to the interface would also make it more inclusive. Overall, I recommend Deputy to small to mid-sized organizations seeking a reliable and feature-rich scheduling solution that also offers basic HR functionalities.

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My research into employee scheduling solutions revealed that Sling is a frontrunner, particularly for its user-friendliness. The intuitive interface simplifies schedule creation and management, even for those with limited technical expertise. The platform offers highly customizable templates and automation features, making it easy to generate regular reports.What truly impressed me was the feature set offered in the free plan. Beyond basic scheduling, it provides time tracking, communication tools like news sharing, private messaging and long-term scheduling. This exceeds what many of its competitors offer in their free plans. Also, the ability to schedule up to 50 employees at no cost is a huge advantage for growing small businesses.However, for larger enterprises with complex staffing needs, Sling might not be the perfect fit. While it excels in core scheduling functions, it lacks advanced features like a built-in AI, hiring and onboarding tools, and employee engagement trackers. It doesn't let you automate scheduling or analyze sales forecasts to optimize workforce allocation.Additionally, scheduling conflict alerts are limited to employee availability and don't consider skill sets or preferences. For businesses seeking a more comprehensive workforce management solution with AI-powered assistance, Sling may require further exploration alongside other options in the market.

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