Deputy or Connecteam – Which Time Tracker Fits Trade Businesses?
Both Deputy and Connecteam will tell you they do everything. Technically, that's close to true. But "everything" in different ways — Deputy is the Australian Award compliance specialist; Connecteam is the all-in-one team operations platform that happens to be free for small teams. Here's how to pick the right one for your trade business.
Deputy vs Connecteam — The Short Version
Deputy vs Connecteam — Feature by Feature
| Feature | Deputy | Connecteam |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $6/user/mo | Free (≤10 users); $29/mo (≤30 users) |
| AU Award Interpretation | ✓ Built-in, comprehensive | ✗ Not included |
| Payroll Integration | ✓ Xero, MYOB, Employment Hero | ~ Gusto, QuickBooks (no native Xero) |
| Time Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team Communication | ~ Basic messaging | ✓ Full team chat + announcements |
| GPS Tracking | ~ Limited | ✓ Included in platform |
| Checklists & Forms | ~ Limited | ✓ Extensive |
| Free Plan | ✗ Trial only | ✓ Free for ≤10 users |
| Best For | Award-compliant payroll, AU businesses | All-in-one team management, small teams |
Verified April 2026 — check directly with providers for current pricing and feature availability.
Deputy and Connecteam — In Detail
Deputy is a Melbourne company, and it shows. The platform has invested heavily in Australian Modern Award interpretation — penalty rates, overtime calculations, allowances, and Fair Work compliance are baked into the time tracking engine rather than bolted on as an afterthought. For a trade business with employees on the Building and Construction General On-site Award, Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award, or Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award, this is the feature that justifies the subscription on its own.
The payroll integration is excellent: Deputy exports directly to Xero, MYOB, and Employment Hero/KeyPay with Award-interpreted pay calculations already applied. That means your payroll run goes from "three-hour Friday afternoon exercise in manual overtime calculations" to "review and approve." For a growing trade business with 5–30 staff, this is significant time and error reduction.
Scheduling is clean and drag-and-drop. Employees get shift notifications via the mobile app, can swap shifts (with manager approval), and clock in and out with GPS verification. The interface is polished and the mobile app performs well on both iOS and Android. The main thing Deputy doesn't do well is broader team operations — checklists, forms, training, and HR documents are limited compared to Connecteam. It's a workforce scheduling and payroll compliance tool, not a team operating system.
Deputy Pros
- Best Modern Award interpretation in the market
- Native Xero, MYOB, and Employment Hero integration
- Polished scheduling with mobile shift notifications
- GPS-verified clock-in/out
- Melbourne-built — understands AU Fair Work requirements
- Strong compliance reporting for audits and Fair Work disputes
Deputy Cons
- Limited team communication features vs Connecteam
- Checklists and forms are basic
- GPS tracking not as robust as dedicated tools
- No free plan — trial only
Connecteam is the app you use when you want to stop using five different apps. Time tracking, job scheduling, team chat, GPS location, task checklists, digital forms, training modules, HR document storage — it's all in one platform, and the breadth at this price point is genuinely impressive. For a small trade business, the free plan (up to 10 users, no credit card required) is legitimately useful, not a crippled trial.
The mobile-first design works well for tradies in the field. The team chat is a proper messaging platform — channels, direct messages, file sharing, read receipts. The checklists and forms module covers safety inductions, pre-start checks, toolbox talk records, and job completion forms. That's a significant operational value-add that Deputy simply doesn't provide.
The gap is payroll. Connecteam integrates with Gusto and QuickBooks, but Xero integration is indirect — typically via Zapier or manual CSV export. There is no Australian Modern Award interpretation built in. If your payroll is complex (multiple Award types, penalty rates, annualised salary reconciliation), you'll need to handle that interpretation elsewhere. Connecteam assumes you're either doing simple payroll or using a dedicated payroll system.
Connecteam Pros
- Genuinely free for up to 10 users — not a trial
- Excellent all-in-one platform: time, scheduling, chat, checklists, GPS
- Best-in-class team communication for field teams
- Checklists and forms cover safety and operational needs
- Great value at the $29/mo paid tier for up to 30 users
Connecteam Cons
- No Australian Modern Award interpretation
- No native Xero integration — indirect via Zapier
- Not a payroll-first platform
- GPS basic compared to dedicated fleet tools
How to Choose Between Deputy and Connecteam
Choose Deputy if:
- You have employees on Modern Awards and need accurate penalty rate calculations
- You use Xero or MYOB for payroll and want a clean, direct integration
- Fair Work compliance is a priority — you've had (or are worried about) underpayment issues
- Your primary problem is "payroll takes too long and I'm not confident the numbers are right"
Choose Connecteam if:
- You want one app that covers team chat, scheduling, checklists, forms, and time tracking
- You have 10 or fewer employees and want to start for free
- Your payroll is simple — all-hours pay or you use a dedicated payroll system
- Your primary problem is "my team doesn't know what they're supposed to be doing or where"
Some trade businesses use both: Connecteam for day-to-day team operations and Deputy for payroll export. That's a reasonable stack, though it's worth trialling each individually first to see if one covers enough of your needs.
Running a team of tradies and spending Friday afternoon on manual timesheets?
Deputy + Employment Hero is the AU payroll stack most trade businesses with employees should be running. Award-interpreted timesheets, clean Xero export, and no more Friday arvo stress.
Start Deputy Free Trial →Frequently Asked Questions
Deputy is better if your primary need is Award-compliant time tracking with clean payroll integration. It's an Australian company that has invested heavily in Modern Award interpretation — particularly relevant for building, electrical, and plumbing awards. Connecteam is better if you want an all-in-one team platform covering time tracking, scheduling, team communication, checklists, and forms in one app.
Yes. Deputy has built Award interpretation into its platform for Australian businesses — it can automatically apply penalty rates, overtime rules, and allowances based on the Modern Award covering your employees. This is a significant capability for building and construction, electrical, and plumbing businesses with employees on industry awards.
Connecteam offers a free plan for up to 10 users — this is not a trial, it's genuinely free with core features. Paid plans start at $29/month for up to 30 users. For a small tradie business with a handful of employees, the free plan covers time tracking, scheduling, basic communication, and checklists. The value-for-money at the paid tier is also strong — $29/month for 30 users is exceptional in this category.
Deputy integrates natively with Xero, MYOB, and Employment Hero/KeyPay for payroll processing. Connecteam integrates with Gusto and QuickBooks but Xero integration is less direct — typically via Zapier or export/import. If Xero payroll is your priority, Deputy is the cleaner choice.