Looking for an alternative to Timetastic?
You're in the right place.
Leave Dates is the best solution to managing your team's time off that's feature rich and suits any budget.
So, what's the deal with Timetastic?
Timetastic is a key player in the leave management software space, and for good reason.
It's a paperless leave management solution with desktop and mobile versions, per-user pricing and a neat user interface.
It's easy to use, has a wide range of functionalities and looks pretty.
But is that all we should expect from this kind of software? Would we consider Timetastic to be perfectly… fantastic?
Let's take a look.
| Features | Timetastic | Leave Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Leave request and approval workflow | ||
| TOIL request and approval workflow | ||
| Allowance tracking | Single | Multiple |
| Highlighting holiday clashes | ||
| Employee working schedules | ||
| Public holidays | ||
| Pro-rata calculations for part-time staff | ||
| Sync with Outlook & Google Calendar | ||
| Mobile apps (Android and iOS) | ||
| Advanced reporting | Pro plan only |
Features and functionality
Obviously, this is an important one. As a piece of software with a particular function, it must do the job - and do it well.
Features-wise, both Leave Dates and Timetastic offer a comprehensive suite of functionalities – leave tracking, calendar management, request and approval workflows, employee scheduling, pro-rata calculations, integrations with Outlook, Google Calendar and Slack, and mobile apps on iOS and Android.
Everything you need to manage staff holidays is there – so far, so good.
Leave Dates also offers extra features such as requesting and approving TOIL, advanced leave and absence reporting, and the option to handle multiple allowances and multiple approvers.
Scalability and customisation
As businesses grow, their leave management needs become more complex - for example, when hiring new staff, often with varying needs, on different contract terms or working in other countries.
Both platforms can scale well for any number of employees and allow you to configure flexible working patterns, advanced user permissions, non-standard leave allowances and location-specific information such as time zones and public holidays.
Growing companies may wish to integrate their leave and absence with other systems, such as payroll or other HR tools.
Both Leave Dates and Timetastic offer direct access to their APIs and webhooks for building custom integrations, and Leave Dates also offers a Zapier app for point-and-click integration.
Leave Dates vs. Timetastic Pricing
Ultimately, management tools are about driving efficiency, and efficiency always comes back to cost savings. Both tools offer simple pricing based on the number of users, which is perfect for growing teams as their costs will increase in proportion to their team size.
Timetastic pricing starts at ÂŁ1.20 per user per month, rising to ÂŁ2 for advanced features.
Leave Dates is nearly half the price at ÂŁ0.80 per user per month, and it's possible to save 25% by subscribing to an annual plan for ÂŁ7.20 per user per year; this equates to ÂŁ0.60 per month.
Timetastic offers a 30-day free trial, and Leave Dates has a forever free plan for up to 5 users.
While Timetastic's free 30-day trial may sound enticing, it will cost you more in the long run. The free plan of Leave Dates allows you to use all of the features with a small team before committing to purchase the paid plan. There's no need to enter any card details or make any commitments; just get started and roll out later if it's right for you, whether that takes a month or a year.
| Timetastic | Leave Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ÂŁ1.20 per user, per month | ÂŁ0.80 per user, per month |
| Other plans | Pro plan ÂŁ2.00 per user, per month | Annual plan ÂŁ7.20 per user per year (Save 25%) |
Customer experience
Both Timetastic and Leave Dates have beautiful, user-friendly interfaces, prioritising intuitive design and ease of use. Customers of both tools find it easy to navigate and configure, and onboarding staff is easy because they need little to no training.
In 2022 and 2023, Leave Dates was awarded the 'Best Ease of Use' and 'Best Value' from software comparison site Capterra due to its low price-per-user and high user satisfaction ratings.
Leave Dates is great!
Being able to see when people are off and book holidays whenever you need to is essential. Our old system was in the dark ages compared to Leave Dates.Matthew B. Master Technician
Amazing tool.
Great software that has made our leave process a lot more organised and centralised. I like that it shows the allowance summary as we submit new requests, and we can see other team members' requests, allowing better planning.
Nelly L. Business Manager
Changed how we plan time.
We love that it is super easy to make a request, and to action that request. The app is really intuitive, and allows us to plan holidays and leave on the go. Being able to sync with our work calendar is also extremely useful as it means we always know who is and isn't in the office.
Harry C. Business Process Executive
Saves a lot of time and paperwork.
Very easy to use, easy to set up and easy for people to request their holidays. Simple for managers to use. Saves a lot of time and paperwork.
Steve R. Operations Director
Great, clear, easy to use.
The ease with which I can see leave taken and remaining. It's also really easy to delete leave when it's not needed.
Luce T. Data Analyst
Easy for staff.
The Leave Dates software has lifted the burden of manually tracking time off by staff. Staff can submit their requests for time off quickly. It was easy for staff to self-educate on how it works. Response from support staff has been excellent.
Cheryl M. Accounting Specialist
Final thoughts
Leave Dates has emerged as a popular choice among smaller businesses, especially startups, seeking an efficient, comprehensive and cost-effective leave management solution. Its robust and advanced features, specialised support, competitive pricing, scalability, excellent user experience, customisation options and integration capabilities collectively position it as a leader in this marketplace.
Leave Dates enables businesses of all sizes to optimise their leave management processes to enhance productivity and have happier, healthier staff.
Save time and money
Get started today with better staff holiday planning.
