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ZimQi vs Deputy & Tanda

A Simpler Australian Alternative to Deputy & Tanda for Field Crews

Deputy and Tanda are powerhouse workforce management platforms built first and foremost for hospitality, retail, healthcare rosters, and complex shift-swapping. For a cleaning company, trade contractor, security operator, or facilities team with 5 to 40 workers moving across sites, three friction points usually come up:

Why Field & Trade Businesses Look for an Alternative to Deputy and Tanda

Per-User Monthly Creep:

At A$6.50 to A$13.50+ ex GST per user per month on Deputy (with a A$30/mo minimum spend) or per-employee pricing on Tanda, keeping a pool of 25 casuals or backup subcontractors on the books adds up fast—even when half of them only work a few shifts a month.

Another App to Install & Log Into:

Getting casual cleaners or subcontractors to install a dedicated roster app, keep notifications on, and remember their login every week is a constant battle.

Paying for Hospitality Overhead You Don't Use:

If you just need to know who arrived on site, when they knocked off, what they did, have a supervisor approve the hours, and export a clean CSV for your bookkeeper, a full HR suite is overkill.

Side-by-Side Comparison: ZimQi vs Deputy vs Tanda (Verified October 2026)

Competitor pricing and feature availability verified from each vendor's public Australian/global pricing page as of October 2026. Where a vendor publishes prices in USD, figures are clearly labelled US$ alongside approximate A$ equivalents. Vendors change plans and pricing over time; check each vendor's website for current rates.

Side-by-Side Comparison: ZimQi vs Deputy vs Tanda (Verified October 2026)
Feature / Pricing ZimQi Deputy Tanda
Entry Pricing (AU) A$19/mo ex GST (A$20.90/mo inc GST) (Starter, up to 3 crew) · A$49/mo ex GST (A$53.90/mo inc GST) (Solo, up to 10 crew) Lite A$6.50/user/mo, Core A$9/user/mo, Pro A$13.50/user/mo ex GST (A$30/mo minimum) Per-employee monthly quote (typically ~A$6–$12+/user/mo)
20-Person Crew Cost A$149/mo ex GST (A$163.90/mo inc GST) flat (Team plan — unlimited crew & sites, ~1,250 worker-days/mo) A$130 to A$270/mo ex GST (scales up with every extra casual on your list) ~A$160 to A$240+/mo
Casuals Who Work 0 Days This Month A$0 / 0 credits used (Team & Scale include unlimited crew profiles) Charged per active user on the account Charged per active employee profile
How Crew Check In Telegram (iOS/Android) or personal mobile browser link — no app install Deputy mobile app or iPad kiosk Tanda mobile app or wall clock
Location Verification Point-in-time check-in/out location with site-radius flag (no continuous live GPS tracking) App GPS stamp / facial kiosk App GPS / wall clock photo
Paper-to-Digital Site Forms Included (upload PDF/photo → AI builds form → files to your Google Drive or Dropbox) Shift task lists only Not a custom form builder
Connect Claude or ChatGPT (MCP) Included on all plans (77-tool MCP server + REST API) Not available Not available

Honest Verdict: When to Pick Deputy/Tanda vs. When to Pick ZimQi

Stay with Deputy or Tanda if:

You need built-in Modern Award pay-rate interpretation inside your timesheet software, automated shift bidding for café/retail staff, or wall-mounted iPad photo kiosks. (ZimQi intentionally does not do award interpretation—your bookkeeper or payroll software handles pay rates from ZimQi's approved CSV export.)

Switch to ZimQi if:

Your people work out on job sites, already use messaging apps on their phones, and you want fast Telegram check-ins, supervisor approval chains, roster-vs-actual checks via Claude/ChatGPT, and flat monthly pricing.

ZimQi Single-Price Summary (ex GST & inc 10% AU GST)

Every account starts with a free trial: 30 days or 100 credits, whichever comes first (no card required, includes 3 free AI form template imports). Starter: A$19/mo ex GST (A$20.90/mo inc GST) · Solo: A$49/mo ex GST (A$53.90/mo inc GST) · Team: A$149/mo ex GST (A$163.90/mo inc GST, unlimited crew & sites) · Scale: A$299/mo ex GST (A$328.90/mo inc GST, unlimited crew & sites). 2 credits = 1 active worker-day (~A$0.10–$0.20/day). BYO-AI (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Grok) = A$0 / 0 ZimQi credits.

Start Free Trial on Telegram Full Pricing & Credit Breakdown Sign up with Email

Frequently Asked Questions

How does ZimQi pricing compare to Deputy in Australia?

As of October 2026, Deputy charges per user per month (A$6.50 on Lite, A$9.00 on Core, and A$13.50 on Pro, ex GST, with a A$30/mo minimum). ZimQi charges flat monthly plans: Starter at A$19/mo ex GST (A$20.90 inc GST) for up to 3 crew, Solo at A$49/mo ex GST (A$53.90 inc GST) for up to 10 crew, and Team at A$149/mo ex GST (A$163.90 inc GST) for unlimited crew and sites with 2,500 monthly credits (~1,250 worker-days).

Does ZimQi do award interpretation like Deputy or Tanda?

No. ZimQi focuses on capturing accurate site check-ins, check-outs, daily work notes, and supervisor approvals via Telegram, then exporting clean approved hours as a CSV for your bookkeeper or payroll system.

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