Deputy and SKEDS overlap on scheduling but are aimed at different problems, so it helps to be clear about the difference. Here is a fair comparison to help you choose.
What Deputy is good at
Deputy is a well-known Australian workforce management platform for shift-based teams in retail, hospitality and healthcare. Auto-scheduling against demand, time and attendance, labour-law compliance alerts and a strong mobile app for swaps and availability are its core strengths. It rosters people onto shifts; it does not manage customer jobs, quotes, site safety packs or invoices.
Where SKEDS focuses
SKEDS is a job scheduling and management platform built around a live dispatch board, an offline field app, and site safety and invoicing in one place, localised for 11 markets. If recurring maintenance, built-in health and safety, and local tax and accounting matter to you, that is where SKEDS puts its weight.
Compare them point by point
Here is what SKEDS offers against the things worth checking on any tool. We have filled in our own column and left Deputy for you to confirm, because their plans and features change over time.
| Capability | SKEDS | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling & dispatch | Drag-and-drop board with day, week and team views, plus travel time | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Field app & offline | iOS, Android and web; crews can open jobs, add photos and complete safety checks offline, then sync | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Health & safety | SWMS, hazard boards, incident reports and PPE checks built in and attached to each job | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Invoicing & accounting | Quote to job to invoice, syncing both ways to Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and local ledgers | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Recurring & repeat jobs | Repeat-job templates and scheduled series for maintenance contracts | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Inventory | Track materials and allocate stock to a job as parts are used | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Local fit | 11 markets with local currency, tax handling and language | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Migration | Guided import of clients, jobs, quotes and price lists, plus generic CSV | Check Deputy’s current plan |
| Pricing model | Per user, per month, no lock-in, with a 14-day free trial | Check Deputy’s current plan |
How to decide
If your business runs on shifts and wage compliance, Deputy earns its reputation. If it runs on jobs, booked, dispatched, signed off and invoiced, that is the shape of SKEDS. The honest answer is still to try the one you are leaning toward on a real week of your own work. SKEDS offers a free 14-day trial and a guided import, so you can move your clients and jobs across and compare like-for-like rather than from a feature list. Not sure where to start? Our comparison guide walks through the criteria.
A note on fairness
We have described Deputy in general terms and our own product specifically. Features and pricing for other products change often, so confirm the current details on Deputy’s own site before deciding. SKEDS is not affiliated with Deputy, and nothing here is meant to disparage it.
Try SKEDS on your own jobs
Import your data, schedule a week, and send an invoice, all inside the free trial.
Start free trial