# Turnozo vs Deputy vs Sling: An Honest Comparison for 2026
Turnozo vs Deputy vs Sling: honest breakdown of pricing, features, and who each one is actually for.
Source: https://turnozo.com/blog/turnozo-vs-deputy-vs-sling
Published: 2026-02-12
Updated: 2026-04-13
Category: comparisons
Tags: deputy, sling, comparison, scheduling-software, pricing
You've decided your team needs scheduling software. Good call. But now you're staring at a dozen options that all claim to be "the simplest, most affordable scheduling solution."

Let's cut through the marketing. Here's an honest comparison of three popular options: Turnozo, Deputy, and Sling.

Full disclosure: we built Turnozo. But we're not going to pretend it's perfect for everyone. Some teams genuinely are better served by Deputy or Sling. and we'll tell you which ones.

> **Calculator: Real Cost: Scheduling + Time Tracking:** Interactive element available in the full article.

## The quick summary

|                           | **Turnozo**                    | **Deputy**                | **Sling**                     |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **Starting price**        | Free ≤10, then €2.47/user/mo   | $5/user/mo                | Free (up to 30 users)         |
| **All features included** | Yes                            | No (tiered)               | No (tiered)                   |
| **Time tracking**         | ✓ Included                     | ✓ Included                | Paid plans only               |
| **Location verification** | ✓ GPS + geofencing             | GPS / advanced controls   | No dedicated GPS layer        |
| **Shift swaps**           | ✓                              | ✓                         | ✓                             |
| **Mobile app**            | ✓                              | ✓                         | ✓                             |
| **Free entry point**      | Free plan for small teams      | 31-day trial              | Free plan + 15-day trial      |
| **Best for**              | Small teams wanting simplicity | Enterprise/multi-location | Budget-conscious teams <30 |

## Pricing: what you actually pay

This is where the differences matter most.

### Turnozo: €2.47/user/month

One plan. All features. No tiers, no add-ons, no surprise costs.

For a team of 15 employees: **€37.05/month.**

That's it. Scheduling, time tracking, timesheets, availability management, shift swaps, mobile app. everything.

### Deputy: $5-$9/user/month + $30 minimum

Deputy has three tiers:

- **Lite:** $5/user/month. basic scheduling and timesheets
- **Core:** $6.50/user/month. adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, labor optimization
- **Pro:** $9/user/month. adds SSO, custom access levels, advanced timesheets

Plus add-ons: HR ($2/user/mo), Messaging+ ($1.95/user/mo), Analytics+ ($1.50/user/mo).

And here's the catch: **$30/month minimum spend**, regardless of team size.

For a team of 15 on Core: **$97.50/month** ($6.50 × 15).
For a team of 5 on Core: **$32.50/month** (but you'd pay $30 minimum anyway).

Deputy is clearly built for larger teams. If you have 5-10 employees, you're paying a premium for features designed for 100+ person operations.

![Deputy pricing page showing Lite, Core, and Pro plans](/blog/deputy-pricing-2026.png)

### Sling: Free to $4/user/month

Sling's pricing is its biggest differentiator:

- **Free:** Basic scheduling for up to 30 users
- **Premium:** $2/user/month ($1.70 annual). adds time tracking, labor costs, overtime tracking
- **Business:** $4/user/month ($3.40 annual). adds kiosk, reports, no-show tracking, PTO management

For a team of 15 on Business: **$60/month** (monthly) or **$51/month** (annual).

The free plan is genuinely free, not a bait-and-switch. But it's also genuinely limited. no time tracking, no labor cost tools, no reports. For most businesses that need more than just a visual schedule, you'll end up on a paid plan.

![Sling pricing page showing Free, Premium, and Business plans](/blog/sling-pricing-2026.png)

## Features: what actually matters

### Scheduling

All three handle basic drag-and-drop scheduling. The differences:

**Turnozo** keeps it simple. Drag-and-drop grid, color-coded roles, availability visible while you schedule. No AI auto-scheduling. you build the schedule, the tool just makes it faster and prevents conflicts.

**Deputy** goes deepest here. Auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, micro-scheduling (15-minute increments), and break planning compliance. If you have complex labor law requirements or need to match staffing to predicted demand curves, Deputy has the most sophisticated tools.

**Sling** is somewhere in between. Long-term scheduling (build months ahead), available shifts board, and shift templates. Clean interface, but the scheduling features on the free plan feel basic compared to paid alternatives.

### Time tracking

**Turnozo:** GPS clock-in/out, timesheets, overtime calculations. Included on every plan because there's only one plan.

**Deputy:** Similar core features, but adds biometric clocking (face/fingerprint) on Core and above. Timesheet auto-approval rules are a nice touch for larger teams.

**Sling:** Time tracking only on paid plans. Mobile clock-in on Premium, kiosk mode on Business. If you're on the free plan, you need a separate time tracking solution.

### Employee communication

**Turnozo:** In-app notifications, shift reminders, schedule publishing. Your team sees their schedule on their phone. Straightforward.

**Deputy:** Has a full messaging system (upgraded with Messaging+ add-on). News feed, shift-aware messaging, role-based permissions. It's essentially a workplace communication platform bolted onto scheduling.

**Sling:** Messaging is actually one of Sling's strengths. even the free plan includes private messaging and news sharing. Group messaging on Premium. For a free tool, the communication features are impressive.

### Integrations

**Deputy:** Strongest here. QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, BambooHR, Square, Xero (see our [Turnozo vs Planday](/blog/turnozo-vs-planday) comparison), and dozens more. If you need your scheduling tool to talk to your payroll, POS, or HR system, Deputy has the most options.

**Sling:** Integrates with major payroll and POS systems. Not as extensive as Deputy, but covers the common ones.

**Turnozo:** Growing integration list. Calendar sync (Google, Outlook) and payroll export. We're building more, but we're honest. if you need 50 integrations today, Deputy wins this category.

## Who should use what

### Choose Turnozo if:

- You have a small-to-medium team (5-100 employees)
- You want one simple price with everything included
- You don't need AI auto-scheduling or demand forecasting
- You value simplicity over feature count
- You're based in Europe (€ pricing, GDPR-native)

### Choose Deputy if:

- You have a large or multi-location operation
- You need demand forecasting and labor optimization
- You require biometric time clocking
- You need deep integrations with enterprise HR/payroll systems
- Budget is less of a concern than capability

### Choose Sling if:

- You have fewer than 30 employees and want free scheduling
- Time tracking isn't critical (or you have a separate tool)
- You want strong team messaging built in
- You're testing the waters and not ready to pay for software yet

## The honest take

**Deputy** is the most powerful of the three. It's also the most expensive and the most complex. If you're a multi-location restaurant group with 200+ employees, demand forecasting is worth the premium. If you're a single café with 8 staff, you're paying for a jet engine to power a bicycle.

This is one matchup. For the full landscape, see our [complete scheduling software comparison](/blog/best-employee-scheduling-software).

**Sling** has the best entry point. Free for 30 users is hard to beat. But "free" comes with real limitations, and the paid plans, while affordable, still don't include everything Turnozo offers at a lower per-user price.

**Turnozo** is the simplest. One price, everything included, no decisions to make about tiers. We built it for the business owner who wants to spend 15 minutes on scheduling, not 15 minutes figuring out which plan they need.

We're also the newest. which means we're still building features that Deputy and Sling have had for years. If you need auto-scheduling, 50 integrations, or enterprise-grade analytics, we're not there yet. If you need clean, simple, affordable scheduling with time tracking. we think we're the best option.

Try all three. Sling is the easiest place to start, Deputy gives you the deepest feature stack, and Turnozo is the cleanest option if you want scheduling + time tracking without tier math. The best tool is the one your team actually uses every week.

→ **[Get started free at turnozo.com](https://turnozo.com)**

If you want a broader shortlist beyond these three, go next to [Best Employee Scheduling Software](/blog/best-employee-scheduling-software). If price is your main filter, compare real plan math in [Scheduling Software Costs $2-$8/User](/blog/employee-scheduling-software-pricing). And if Sling is on your list mainly because it starts free, pair this with our [Sling review](/blog/sling-scheduling-review) before you decide.

> **Turnozo CTA:**
> **Deputy feel too heavy and Sling too limited once time tracking matters?**
>   Turnozo gives small teams one simple plan with no feature tiers, plus a free
>   tier for up to 10 employees.