Deputy is a big, well-established scheduling platform priced per user. FireAttend is a rota and pay-week app built in a takeaway and priced per shop. Here's how they compare for a UK takeaway, on price and on the things that matter in the trade.
The short answer. Deputy's cheapest plan with clock-in (Lite) is £3.60 per user a month plus VAT on monthly billing, so a 20-person shop pays £72 a month plus VAT. FireAttend is £26 a month per shop however many staff you have. Deputy has far more integrations and features for large operations; FireAttend is built around a takeaway's pay week, late closes and staff who cover more than one shop.
Monthly cost at one shop, on each product's cheapest plan that includes clock-in:
| Staff in one shop | FireAttend | Deputy Lite (monthly billing) | Deputy Lite (annual billing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | £26 | £36 + VAT | £32.50 + VAT |
| 20 | £26 | £72 + VAT | £65 + VAT |
| 30 | £26 | £108 + VAT | £97.50 + VAT |
Deputy's published rates are per user per month, excluding VAT: Lite £3.60 (monthly) or £3.25 (annual), Core £4.75 or £4.25, Pro £7.25 or £6.50, with a £20 a month minimum on monthly plans. FireAttend is £6 a week per shop (£26 a month), with no VAT to add because we aren't VAT registered. If your takeaway isn't VAT registered either, you pay Deputy's VAT and can't claim it back.
| FireAttend | Deputy | |
|---|---|---|
| Priced by | Shop (£6 a week each), unlimited staff | User per month (Lite from £3.25 annual / £3.60 monthly) |
| How staff clock in | Their own phone: tap the shop's NFC tag (Android) or scan its QR (iPhone) | Apps on tablet, mobile, web and watch; face-unlock kiosk on Core and Pro |
| Location check | Optional, once at the moment of the tap, no background tracking | Geofencing on all plans |
| Pay week | Gross pay from the punches at each person's own rate, bank/cash split, freeze a paid week | Timesheets with payroll and HR integrations (Xero, Sage, PayCaptain listed) |
| Payslips | Issued from the frozen week into each person's staff app | Not stated on Deputy's UK pricing page |
| Runs payroll | No: your accountant or payroll provider does | No UK payroll processing on the UK pricing page; integrates with payroll |
| Documents and right to work | Included: documents and expiry dates in one place, reminders before they lapse | HR add-on at £2 per user a month ("securely manage documents and leave") |
| Staff at more than one shop | One person, one account, one pay figure across shops | Not stated on Deputy's UK pricing page |
| Free trial | 60 days (card up front) | Free trial offered on Lite and Core |
| UK presence | UK company, built in our own takeaways | UK pricing page, London office, UK phone line |
Deputy figures are from deputy.com/gb/pricing, read on 15 October 2026. Prices change; check theirs before you decide. FireAttend's prices are on our pricing page. We make FireAttend, so read this as our comparison, not an independent review.
For most takeaways, yes. Deputy Lite is £3.60 per user a month plus VAT on monthly billing (£3.25 on annual billing), so 10 staff is £36 plus VAT and 20 staff is £72 plus VAT. FireAttend is £26 a month per shop whatever your headcount. Deputy's prices were checked on 15 October 2026.
No. Staff clock in on their own phones by tapping the shop's NFC tag (Android) or scanning its QR code (iPhone). There's no tablet or clocking machine to buy.
No. FireAttend works out hours and gross pay and issues payslips from a frozen week. Your accountant or payroll provider still runs payroll. Deputy's UK pricing page doesn't offer UK payroll processing either; it integrates with payroll software.
Yes. The trial is 60 days, long enough to run real pay weeks side by side before you change anything.
60 days free, then £6 a week per shop, however many staff you employ.
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