Deputy vs UKG Ready
time & attendance head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | From $5/user/mo (published) | Quote-based |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market |
| Stated ERP integrations | NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero | NetSuite, QuickBooks |
| Vendor | Deputy | UKG |
Our take
Where Deputy leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 13 of the 27 capabilities where they differ (led by kiosk / shared-device clock-in and labor cost & budget forecasting).
- Published pricing where the alternative quotes.
- Stated Xero integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where UKG Ready leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 14 of the 27 capabilities where they differ (led by offline clock-in with later sync and exception detection & alerts).
Where they differ
The 27 capabilities (of 54 in the time & attendance taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kiosk / shared-device clock-inTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| Offline clock-in with later syncTime Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Core strength Offline clock-ins with later sync |
| Exception detection & alertsTimesheets & Pay Rules | Not evidenced | Core strength Timesheet exception approval workflows |
| Labor cost & budget forecastingScheduling | Core strength Labor budgeting and cost forecasting | Not evidenced |
| Predictive scheduling / Fair Workweek complianceCompliance & Labor Law | Core strength Fair Workweek / predictive scheduling compliance | Not evidenced |
| Drag-and-drop schedule builderScheduling | Core strength | Partial AI-assisted demand-based scheduling implies a builder; no explicit drag-and-drop documented |
| Multi-department / cost-center allocationLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Supported Location hierarchies and pay centers (Pro plan) | Not evidenced |
| Meal & rest break enforcementCompliance & Labor Law | Core strength | Partial Covered under general labor compliance rule enforcement; not called out specifically |
| Union / collective bargaining agreement supportCompliance & Labor Law | Supported Award interpretation covers enterprise/union agreement pay rules | Not evidenced |
| Standard reports & exportsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Not evidenced | Supported Configurable dashboards and reports |
| Custom report builderWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Not evidenced | Supported |
| Team messaging / shift communicationEmployee Experience | Supported In-app news feed and team messaging | Not evidenced |
| Dedicated time clock hardwareTime Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Partial "Mobile and biometric time clocks" implies physical devices; no dedicated hardware line documented |
| GPS location capture on punchLocation & Fraud Prevention | Core strength GPS/location-based clock-in | Supported |
| GeofencingLocation & Fraud Prevention | Supported | Core strength Geofenced mobile clock-in/out |
| Buddy-punching prevention controlsLocation & Fraud Prevention | Partial Biometric clock-in verification serves this; no dedicated feature name | Supported Biometric time clocks |
| Automatic timesheet calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Supported Real-time attendance tracking feeding auto-approved timesheets | Core strength Automated pay calculation from timesheets; real-time labor tracking |
| Overtime & premium pay calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Core strength | Supported Configurable pay-rule engine |
| Shift swap & open-shift self-serviceScheduling | Supported Shift swapping and replacement | Core strength Shift swap and coverage workflows |
| PTO accrual trackingLeave & Absence Management | Partial Leave request management does not explicitly document accrual rules | Supported Time-off and leave request management |
| Leave request & approval workflowLeave & Absence Management | Supported | Core strength |
| Real-time leave balance visibilityLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Partial Implied by leave request management; no dedicated balance UI documented |
| Job / task / project cost codingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Partial Location hierarchies and pay centers imply cost-center coding, not explicit job/task costing | Not evidenced |
| Budgeted vs. actual hours trackingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Partial Covered via labor budgeting and cost forecasting dashboards | Not evidenced |
| Multi-country labor law coverageCompliance & Labor Law | Supported Award interpretation (AU/NZ) plus Fair Workweek (US) compliance coverage | Core strength Native payroll in US/CA/UK/NZ plus 160+ country reach via UKG One View and partners |
| Labor cost dashboardsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Core strength Labor cost, hours and profit dashboards | Supported Configurable dashboards |
| Employee self-service portal / appEmployee Experience | Supported | Core strength UKG Ready Mobile app and employee self-service portal |
Both grade identically on the other 27 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Deputy, UKG Ready.
Deputy vs UKG Ready — FAQs
Is Deputy or UKG Ready better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with NetSuite, QuickBooks. Deputy additionally lists Xero. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, Deputy or UKG Ready?
Deputy publishes a starting rate ($5/user/mo); UKG Ready prices by quote, so a like-for-like number requires asking both.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what Deputy and UKG Ready should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.