The short version
- Choose CrewConnect if you're a café, restaurant, food truck or shop that wants rostering, a phone time clock and timesheets — and, on Pro, opening and closing checklists, stock and supplier purchase orders — in one simple app, free for up to 5 staff, set up for you.
- Choose Deputy if you need a large, mature platform with deep integrations, award interpretation and payroll options, and you're comfortable with add-on pricing.
- Choose Tanda if you want rostering, award interpretation, payroll and HR from one Australian vendor in one bundle.
- Choose RosterElf if you want an established rostering and time-and-attendance tool with HR features and payroll integrations.
Side by side
| CrewConnect | Deputy | Tanda | RosterElf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best known for | Rostering + shop-floor jobs (checklists, stock, purchase orders) for hospitality and retail | Scheduling, time and attendance at scale, with a large integration marketplace | Workforce management with award interpretation, payroll and HR | Rostering, time and attendance and HR for small and mid-sized businesses |
| Free plan | Yes — up to 5 staff, forever | Check their pricing pages | ||
| Paid pricing | Pro A$5 per user / month, any team size | Per user per month, by plan and add-ons — see Deputy, Tanda, RosterElf | ||
| Opening / closing checklists with audit | Yes (Pro) — who ticked what and when, weekly exceptions report | Not their core focus — check whether task features cover your routine | ||
| Stock and supplier purchase orders | Yes (Pro) — stock levels, restock list, PO PDFs, delivery receiving | Not their core focus — usually a separate inventory tool | ||
| Award interpretation and payroll | No — you set hourly rates; exports hours and a pay summary | Yes, in some form — a strength of these tools | ||
| Setup | Free, done for you on every plan | Self-serve, with onboarding options | ||
| Staff app | Mobile web app (no download) | Native iOS and Android apps | ||
Where CrewConnect is different
It runs the shop floor, not just the roster
The opening and closing checklist, the stock count and the supplier order are usually paper, a spreadsheet and a separate inventory app. CrewConnect puts them in the same app staff already clock in with, so the same people, locations and change log cover all of it.
Free for small teams, simple after that
Up to 5 staff is free. After that it's one price — A$5 per user per month — with no add-ons for checklists, stock or purchase orders.
We set it up for you
On every plan, we load your locations, staff, settings, checklists, stock items and suppliers from what you use today, and help you get your first roster out. Support comes from the team that builds it, in Australia.
Where the others are stronger
If you need automatic award interpretation, built-in payroll, native mobile apps or a large integration marketplace today, Deputy, Tanda or RosterElf are likely a better fit. A direct payroll export is on our roadmap.
Questions
Is CrewConnect a Deputy alternative?
For cafés, restaurants, food trucks and small retail teams that mainly need rostering, a phone time clock and timesheets — plus checklists, stock and purchase orders — yes. If you rely on automatic award interpretation or built-in payroll, Deputy or Tanda may suit better.
Is CrewConnect cheaper than Deputy or Tanda?
It's free for up to 5 staff and A$5 per user per month on Pro with no add-ons. Their prices vary by plan and add-ons, so compare against their current pricing pages for your team size.
Does CrewConnect do award interpretation?
No. You set each person's hourly rate. CrewConnect estimates wage cost on the roster and exports hours and a pay summary for your payroll system.
Try it free — we'll set it up for you.
Starter is free for up to 5 staff. Pro adds checklists, stock and purchase orders, 50% off for your first 3 months. Free setup on every plan, with support from Australia.