Rostering
- Weekly roster
- Cord8YesWeekly roster
- Shift swaps
- Cord8YesShift swaps
- Open shifts
- Cord8YesOpen shifts
- Leave and availability
- Cord8YesTime off requestsAlso: Availability
Cord8 vs Deputy
Cord8 is rostering and inventory software for independent retail and hospitality businesses in Australia. This page compares it with Deputy, using Deputy's public website, and says where Deputy is stronger. Sign-up is not open yet. Join the waitlist.
Which one suits you
Pick Cord8 if
- You want stock counts, supplier orders and expiry dates in the same workspace as the roster.
- You want to scan supplier invoices and check each line before you save.
- You want a free plan, or one workspace price rather than a price for every user.
Pick Deputy if
- You need award interpretation from the start.
- You want pay processing in the same account as the roster.
- You need links to your sales systems or accounting software.
- You want a phone app and a kiosk app now.
Prices and features change. Check the vendor's page before you decide.
Side by side
Cord8 on the left, Deputy on the right. A feature we did not find on the pages we checked is marked as not listed, not as a no.
| Feature | Cord8 | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Rostering | ||
| Weekly roster | YesWeekly roster | Yes Basic rostering on the Lite plan; advanced rostering on the Core plan.1 |
| Shift swaps | YesShift swaps | Yes Swap and offer shifts are listed.1 |
| Open shifts | YesOpen shifts | Yes Open shifts, with or without approval, are listed.1 |
| Leave and availability | YesTime off requestsAlso: Availability | Yes Leave management is listed. Availability is named as an input to scheduling.2 |
| Time clock and timesheets | ||
| Time clock | YesTime clock and timesheets | Yes Clock-in apps for mobile, tablet and computer.3 |
| Location, QR or photo check at clock-in | YesLocation-checked clock in On a paid Employees planAlso: QR code clock in, Photo at clock in | Yes GPS geofencing on the mobile app and facial verification on the iPad Kiosk app. QR clock-in was not found on the pages checked.3 |
| Shared-device clock-in | YesStaff PIN on a shared device | Yes A Kiosk app for iPad and a Time Clock app for Android tablet.3 |
| Timesheet approval, lock and CSV export | YesLock and export timesheets | Partial Timesheets with auto-approval on the Core plan, and export of approved timesheets. Locking a period was not found on the pages checked.1 |
| Labour cost on the roster | PartialLabour cost estimates On a paid Employees plan | Yes Salary allocation shows wages against the hours scheduled.1 |
| Stock and ordering | ||
| Stock counts with barcode scanning | YesStock countsAlso: Barcode scanning | Not listed on the pages we checked (checked 8 Nov 2026) |
| Purchase orders and deliveries | YesSuppliers and ordersAlso: Purchase order approval, Partial deliveries | Not listed on the pages we checked (checked 8 Nov 2026) |
| Invoice scanning | YesScan an invoice On the Inventory plan | Not listed on the pages we checked (checked 8 Nov 2026) |
| Expiry tracking and write-offs | YesExpiry datesAlso: Write-offs with reasons | Not listed on the pages we checked (checked 8 Nov 2026) |
| Pay, awards and connections | ||
| Pays wages from timesheets | NoCord8 does not pay wages. It records hours and exports timesheets as a CSV file. | Yes A payroll add-on is sold separately.1 |
| Award interpretation | NoCord8 does not interpret awards. Labour costs are estimates from the rates you enter. Check them against the award or your adviser. | Yes Award interpretation is listed from the Lite plan.1 |
| Accounting software links | NoCord8 does not link to accounting software. Take the CSV into the system you already use. | Yes Xero and MYOB are among the listed links.4 |
| Sales-system links | NoCord8 does not connect to sales systems or import sales data. | Yes Square and Lightspeed Restaurant are among the listed links.4 |
| Installable phone app | NoCord8 works in a web browser on a phone or a computer. It is not available as an installable phone app yet. | Yes A mobile app, plus the iPad and Android tablet apps.3 |
| Pricing | ||
| Charged per user or per workspace | One allowance of 15 users covers your whole workspace, whichever products you buy. Extra users can be added. | Charged per user per month.1 |
| Free plan | YesFree covers up to 10 users and 1 location. | Not listed on the pages we checked (checked 8 Nov 2026) |
Time clock and timesheets
- Time clock
- Cord8YesTime clock and timesheets
- Location, QR or photo check at clock-in
- Cord8YesLocation-checked clock in On a paid Employees planAlso: QR code clock in, Photo at clock inDeputyYes
GPS geofencing on the mobile app and facial verification on the iPad Kiosk app. QR clock-in was not found on the pages checked.3
- Shared-device clock-in
- Cord8YesStaff PIN on a shared device
- Timesheet approval, lock and CSV export
- Cord8YesLock and export timesheetsDeputyPartial
Timesheets with auto-approval on the Core plan, and export of approved timesheets. Locking a period was not found on the pages checked.1
- Labour cost on the roster
- Cord8PartialLabour cost estimates On a paid Employees plan
Stock and ordering
- Stock counts with barcode scanning
- Cord8YesStock countsAlso: Barcode scanning
- Purchase orders and deliveries
- Cord8YesSuppliers and ordersAlso: Purchase order approval, Partial deliveries
- Invoice scanning
- Cord8YesScan an invoice On the Inventory plan
Pay, awards and connections
- Pays wages from timesheets
- Cord8NoCord8 does not pay wages. It records hours and exports timesheets as a CSV file.
- Award interpretation
- Cord8NoCord8 does not interpret awards. Labour costs are estimates from the rates you enter. Check them against the award or your adviser.
- Accounting software links
- Cord8NoCord8 does not link to accounting software. Take the CSV into the system you already use.
- Sales-system links
- Cord8NoCord8 does not connect to sales systems or import sales data.
- Installable phone app
- Cord8NoCord8 works in a web browser on a phone or a computer. It is not available as an installable phone app yet.
Pricing
- Charged per user or per workspace
- Cord8One allowance of 15 users covers your whole workspace, whichever products you buy. Extra users can be added.Deputy
Charged per user per month.1
Where Deputy is stronger
These are things Deputy lists on its own website that Cord8 does not do today.
Award interpretation is listed from its lowest plan, Lite.1
A payroll add-on covers pay processing in the same account.1
Links to sales systems and accounting software are listed, including Square, Lightspeed Restaurant, Xero and MYOB.4
A Kiosk app for iPad and a Time Clock app for Android tablet are listed, as well as a mobile app.3
Pricing
Cord8 charges one price for the workspace. Free covers up to 10 users and 1 location. Employees is A$59 a month ex GST with 15 users included. Inventory is A$50 a month ex GST with 1 location included.
Deputy, as listed on its website
Lite: A$6.75 per user per month, excl. all applicable taxes1
Core: A$8.75 per user per month, excl. all applicable taxes1
Payroll add-on: A$5 per user per month, excl. all applicable taxes1
Prices and features change. Check the vendor's page before you decide.
Questions about Cord8 and Deputy
Does Deputy interpret awards?
Deputy's public website lists award interpretation from its lowest plan. Cord8 does not interpret awards. Labour costs are estimates from the rates you enter. Check them against the award or your adviser. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
Can Deputy pay my staff?
Deputy lists an add-on that processes pay, sold separately from its rostering plans. Cord8 does not pay wages. It records hours and exports timesheets as a CSV file. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
Does Deputy have stock counts or supplier orders?
Stock counts, purchase orders, invoice scanning and expiry tracking are not listed on the Deputy pages we checked. Its integrations page lists partner systems such as Vend that include inventory. Checked 8 Nov 2026. In Cord8 they sit in the same workspace as the roster. Count the shelves and apply the differences when you finish. Keep suppliers, raise purchase orders and receive deliveries against them.
Does Cord8 have a kiosk app like Deputy?
Deputy lists a Kiosk app for iPad and a Time Clock app for Android tablet. Team members can sign in with a store PIN on a shared device, with settings kept out of reach. Cord8 works in a web browser on a phone or a computer. It is not available as an installable phone app yet. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
Sources
Every cell, price and strength above comes from a page on Deputy's own website or help centre, checked 8 Nov 2026. Where a row says "Not listed on the pages we checked", we read the pages numbered beside it and did not find the feature. That is not a statement that Deputy lacks it; check with Deputy before you decide.
- https://www.deputy.com/au/pricing checked 8 Nov 2026
- https://www.deputy.com/au/features checked 8 Nov 2026
- https://www.deputy.com/au/features/employee-time-clock checked 8 Nov 2026
- https://www.deputy.com/au/integrations checked 8 Nov 2026
Deputy is a trademark of its owner. This page is based on its public website and is not endorsed by Deputy. Report an error