Rota Software Comparison: Alpaka vs Deputy, Planday, RotaCloud, Rotaready Evo and When I Work
Last checked: 2 November 2026
A feature-by-feature comparison of rota software, using what each vendor publishes about its own product.
I run Alpaka, so read this table with that in mind. I chose the rows, and they're the features of our rota, which is why our column is all Yes. That makes it a fair way to see how Deputy, Planday, RotaCloud, Rotaready Evo and When I Work handle the same jobs. It won’t tell you which is best overall. Every cell links to the vendor's own page, and I checked them all on 2 November 2026.
The Short Version
The basics of building and publishing a rota are common to all six products. The differences show up in working-time and rest checks, in seeing someone's shifts across rotas, in staffing targets and in how you work with freelancers.
Work out which of those matter to your team, then test them in a trial.
How to Read the Table
- Yes
- The vendor documents the feature.
- Partly
- The vendor documents a narrower version. The note says how.
- Not documented
- I found no public evidence. That doesn't mean the product lacks the feature, so ask the vendor or test it in a trial.
| Feature | Alpaka | Deputy | Planday | RotaCloud | Rotaready Evo | When I Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copy a rota to new dates | YesAny date range, with or without shiftsSource | Yes Single shifts, a day or whole weeks Source | Yes Copies the current week to the next Source | Yes Week, month or custom range Source | Yes Week-to-week cloning Source | Yes Copies a day, week or one person Source |
| Reusable shift patterns | YesApplied to a person across the rota datesSource | Yes Day, week or two-week; per location Source | Yes Schedule templates Source | Yes Patterns up to 12 weeks Source | Yes Rota templates by day or site Source | Yes Daily or weekly only Source |
| Draft before publishing | YesDraft and Confirmed, with bulk changeSource | Yes Copied shifts must be published Source | Yes Drafts hidden from staff Source | Yes Unpublished shifts hidden from staff Source | Yes Drafts visible to rota editors only Source | Yes Hidden until published Source |
| Offer work to named freelancers, who accept or reject | YesOffer status on the rota; the freelancer answers by secure linkSource | Yes Shift confirmation by app, email or SMS; contractors can turn down offers Source | Partly Staff request open shifts; nothing specific to freelancers Source | Partly Staff claim open shifts or acknowledge; no outright reject found Source | Partly First to accept a broadcast shift gets it; agency flow unconfirmed Source | Partly Staff confirm shifts or bid on open shifts; no decline found Source |
| Two people editing at once, with live updates | YesShift changes reach other editors without a refreshSource | Not documented Lists a Refresh schedule option; live editing not covered Source | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented Says schedules update in real time; not about two editors Source |
| Warns about shift clashes | YesLists clashing rotas, you confirm to proceedSource | Yes Checks for conflicting shifts on creation Source | Yes Warns on two shifts at once Source | Yes Blocks overlapping shifts Source | Not documented | Yes Flags people already booked Source |
| Shows a person's other shifts on the grid | YesTheir shifts on other rotas appear dimmedSource | Not documented | Not documented Departments are separate schedules Source | Yes Other locations, greyed out; optional setting Source | Not documented | Yes Option in Position view Source |
| Contract hours over or under | YesPer person, per week, on the grid | Partly Agreed-hours limit that warns or blocks Source | Yes Colour flags plus a full overview Source | Yes Over or under, as shifts are added Source | Yes Real-time contracted hours view Source | Partly Per-person maximum hours, not a contract Source |
| 48-hour weekly warning | YesRed tag above 48 hours in any week | Yes Set a weekly hours limit Source | Yes Set up as a rule; rolling week Source | Partly Maximum hours only limits open-shift claims Source | Yes Checks the regulations, with opt-outs Source | Yes Set per person; alert only Source |
| 11-hour daily rest warning | YesTag on the shift, showing hours of rest | Partly Overnight gaps only, 7pm to 9am Source | Yes Set up as a rule Source | Not documented | Yes Validated as you edit Source | Yes Set a minimum, up to 18 hours Source |
| 24-hour weekly rest warning | YesW tag on every shift in that week | Partly Maximum days only, not unbroken hours Source | Yes Continuous hours off in a set period Source | Not documented | Yes Minimum days off over a period Source | Partly Maximum days a week, not unbroken hours Source |
| Daily staffing targets against actual | YesBy department, shift type or time of daySource | Yes Coverage planner by area Source | Not documented | Not documented | Yes Staffing levels by role, department or site Source | Not documented Highlights open shifts only Source |
| Daily totals on the rota | YesShifts or hours, by shift type or departmentSource | Yes Shift counts per area, per day Source | Yes Daily shift counter Source | Partly Hours and costs; daily view not confirmed Source | Partly Live labour metrics; daily view not confirmed Source | Yes Daily and weekly scheduled hours Source |
| Turn a shift into an absence on the rota | YesPick the absence, click the shift, confirmSource | Partly Converts the timesheet to leave, not the shift on the schedule Source | Yes Applies a sick shift type to the shift Source | Partly Adds sickness from the shift; shift removal not confirmed Source | Partly Sickness can match a shift; conversion not confirmed Source | Partly Manager handles reported absences from the Scheduler Source |
| Notes on a day | YesHover note with editor and time | Yes Notes on a date Source | Yes Daily or manager notes on the schedule Source | Yes Day and shift notes Source | Not documented | Yes Date annotations Source |
| Message staff | YesWhole team or one person, from the rotaSource | Yes News Feed and alerts Source | Yes From the schedule Source | Partly Rota notifications; memo details not confirmed Source | Yes In the mobile app Source | Yes Built-in team messaging Source |
| Download or export | YesRota report with totals and staffing targetsSource | Yes Excel or PDF Source | Yes CSV or PDF Source | Yes Reports Source | Yes Contracted-hours report Source | Yes Print or spreadsheet Source |
| Role-based permissions | YesControls hidden when not permittedSource | Yes Overrides depend on permissions Source | Yes Administrator and Schedule manager Source | Yes Access levels Source | Yes Rota editing permissions Source | Yes Admin, Manager, Supervisor Source |
Alpaka's rota features against five rota products, checked on 2 November 2026 against public vendor pages. Alpaka's column describes our own product.
Where These Products Are Much the Same
Copying a rota, reusable shift patterns, drafts that stay hidden until you publish, downloads and role-based permissions are documented by all six products. If a demo spends most of its time on these, you aren't learning much about what sets that product apart.
Which Rota Software Warns About the 48-Hour Week and Rest Breaks?
Alpaka, Planday and Rotaready Evo all document warnings for weeks over 48 hours, less than 11 hours' daily rest and no 24 hours' weekly rest. Alpaka's show on the rota grid with no rules to set up, while Planday's are rules you set up. When I Work documents the 48-hour and 11-hour warnings, but limits days worked rather than checking 24 unbroken hours. Deputy's rest rules cover overnight gaps and a maximum number of days. I found no daily or weekly rest warning documented for RotaCloud. Shift patterns can get complicated: at Askham, a care provider on Alpaka, shift patterns vary between sites and include sleep-ins, with waking and non-waking time on site paid differently.
Can I See Someone's Shifts From Other Rotas?
Yes in Alpaka, RotaCloud and When I Work. Alpaka shows them as dimmed entries on the grid you're working on and counts them towards the person's hours and rest warnings. RotaCloud and When I Work document it as an option. I didn't find it documented for Deputy, Planday or Rotaready Evo. It matters when staff work across sites, because hours and rest can't be judged from one rota alone. Clarendon Care Group and Redwood Healthcare, which run 15 care homes as a group, use Alpaka for scheduling across their homes.
Which Rota Software Tracks Daily Staffing Targets?
Alpaka, Deputy and Rotaready Evo. Alpaka compares each day's actual staffing with a target you set by department, shift type or time of day. Deputy documents a coverage planner by area, and Rotaready Evo documents staffing levels by role, department or site. I didn't find daily targets documented for Planday, RotaCloud or When I Work.
Can I Offer Shifts to Named Freelancers and Record a No?
Yes in Alpaka and Deputy. Alpaka puts the offer on the rota, sends the freelancer a secure link to accept or reject it, and records the answer on the rota. Eat to the Beat use it with around 750 freelancers. Deputy documents shift confirmation by app, email or SMS, and contractors can turn down offers. Planday, RotaCloud, Rotaready Evo and When I Work document open shifts or acknowledgement, which isn't the same as asking a named person and recording a no.
Can Two Managers Edit the Same Rota at Once?
In Alpaka, yes, and I built it that way on purpose. A rota gets worked on twice. First weeks ahead, when you're planning, and then on the day, when reality stops matching the plan. Either way, two managers are often in it at the same time. Each one sees the other's changes as they happen, so a shift that becomes an absence or gets swapped to someone else shows up without a refresh. You set the absence and find cover from the rota itself, without going off to another page.
None of the other five products document this. That doesn't mean they can't do it. If more than one person runs your rota, open it in two browsers during a trial and watch what happens when one of you changes a shift.
When Another Product Is the Better Pick
If one thing matters more to you than anything above, start with that product.
- Deputy if you want staffing forecast from your POS sales data, and rotas built by AI. Sources: demand forecasting, auto scheduling
- Planday if you want staff to arrange shift swaps between themselves for a manager to approve, and revenue forecasts from your POS to schedule against. Sources: shift swaps, revenue forecasts
- RotaCloud if you want visible estimated costs as you build. Source
- Rotaready Evo if you run hospitality and want a demand forecast from reservations, sales data, weather and trading history. Source
- When I Work if you want the app to fill shifts from availability and qualifications. Source
What This Comparison Doesn't Show
- What the others do that isn't a row. Forecasting, shift swaps, payroll and clock-in aren't in the table. The section above covers where others are stronger.
- Whether a Yes behaves the same way. Planday and Deputy rules need setting up, while Alpaka's tags work without any setup. Rotaready Evo and Planday can apply rules differently to Alpaka's fixed Monday to Sunday week.
- Which plan a feature is on. Availability can depend on the pricing plan, and the table doesn't separate plans.
- Alpaka's own limits. Our work-time and rest tags are planning warnings. The 48-hour tag looks at a single week, not the 17-week average, and doesn't know about opt-outs. A Yes in our column isn't legal compliance, and that goes for every product here.
If you find something on this page that's wrong or out of date, tell me and I'll correct it.
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