Deputy handles rosters. NDIS providers need the whole chain.
Deputy is excellent rostering software — genuinely one of the best for shift-based teams. But it isn’t NDIS software. It rosters your workers and tracks their hours; it does not claim through PRODA, write NDIS progress notes, invoice against the price guide, or track participant budgets. Providers who run Deputy bolt a second system on for all of that. Rostrel does both jobs in one.
Disclosure: Rostrel is our software. This comparison uses Deputy’s public information as of June 2026 — including Deputy’s own NDIS customer case study — and is meant to be fair and accurate. Confirm current details on deputy.com.
Rostrel may suit you if…
You want rostering and NDIS notes, claiming and funding tracking in one product — instead of paying for and stitching together a rostering tool plus a separate claiming system.
Deputy may suit you if…
You only need rostering and time & attendance, you run non-NDIS shift teams too, or you already have a separate claiming system you’re happy with and just want best-in-class scheduling.
What Deputy does well
Plenty — and it’s worth saying clearly. Deputy is an Australian-founded, globally used workforce-management platform with strong, mature rostering (including auto-scheduling and demand forecasting), robust time and attendance with mobile, kiosk and biometric clock-in, real SCHADS award interpretation, and a native Xero payroll export. Its apps are polished and highly rated. Many NDIS providers happily use it for rostering, and it markets scheduling to the sector.
So this isn’t “Deputy is bad.” It’s “Deputy isn’t NDIS software” — and for a provider, that distinction is the whole story.
Where Deputy stops, for an NDIS provider
Deputy handles the workforce. It doesn’t handle NDIS service delivery and billing. There is no NDIS claiming or PRODA bulk payment request, no NDIS-structured progress or case notes, no price-guide invoicing, and no participant plan or budget tracking. Deputy’s own NDIS case study makes this concrete: the provider linked Deputy’s rostering to a separate care-management system via a custom build so that NDIS budgets and care planning lived elsewhere.
That’s the hidden cost of a rostering-only tool: a second system, a second subscription, and the gap between them — the place where delivered support quietly fails to get claimed. Rostrel closes that gap by keeping the roster, the note and the claim on one chain.
Rostrel vs Deputy at a glance
| Capability | Rostrel | Deputy |
|---|---|---|
| Staff rostering & scheduling | Yes | Yes (best-in-class) |
| Time & attendance / clock-in | Yes | Yes (advanced) |
| SCHADS-aware payroll export | Yes | Yes |
| Built for the NDIS | Yes | No (general workforce) |
| NDIS progress / case notes | Yes | No |
| NDIS claiming (PRODA bulk) | Yes | No |
| Price-guide invoicing | Yes | No |
| Participant funding tracking | Yes | No (separate system) |
| Pricing model | Per participant, unlimited workers | Per user, per month |
| Australian-made | Yes | Yes (founded in AU) |
Comparison as of June 2026, based on each product’s public information (including Deputy’s NDIS case study). Deputy can record generic shift notes and tasks, but not NDIS-structured progress/case notes or claiming. Confirm current details on deputy.com and our pricing page.
When Deputy might be the better choice
If your need is purely rostering and time & attendance — or you run shift teams across other industries beyond the NDIS — Deputy is a superb tool, and its scheduling and clock-in depth is hard to beat. If your NDIS claiming already runs cleanly through another system you’re committed to, pairing it with Deputy can work well. Rostrel is for providers who’d rather not run two systems.
Moving rostering and claiming into one tool
If you’re running Deputy plus a separate claiming or care-management system, Rostrel can replace both with one — rostering, clock-in, SCHADS-aware payroll export, notes, claiming and funding on a single chain. No setup fee, no lock-in, and onboarding help to move across. Start with a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Can Deputy do NDIS claiming?
No. Deputy does rostering, time & attendance and award interpretation, but not NDIS claiming/PRODA, NDIS notes, price-guide invoicing or participant budget tracking. Those need a separate system. Rostrel covers rostering and the NDIS layer together.
Is Deputy good for NDIS providers?
For rostering, clock-in and SCHADS payroll export — yes, it’s excellent, and plenty of providers use it for that. The limitation is that it isn’t NDIS service-delivery software, so claiming and notes live elsewhere.
Does Rostrel replace Deputy entirely?
For most NDIS providers, yes — rostering, clock-in, payroll export and the NDIS-specific work in one product. If you also run non-NDIS shift workforces, Deputy’s broader industry features may still suit those.
Can I switch from Deputy to Rostrel?
Yes — moving from Deputy to Rostrel is designed to be low-friction. We help you bring your participants, workers and rosters across, there's no lock-in contract and no setup fee, and most providers are up and running within a couple of weeks. Tell us what you're running now and we'll map out exactly how the switch would work for your team.
Is Rostrel cheaper than Deputy?
It depends on your team shape. Many NDIS tools charge per worker or per user, which adds up fast if you run a large casual workforce. Rostrel charges per active participant with unlimited workers — Starter from $299/mo, Growth $349/mo and Scale $699/mo, plus a free tier for one-person providers — so your bill tracks participants, not headcount. For most small-to-mid providers with lots of casuals that works out lower. Run your own numbers on our pricing page.
One tool for the roster and the claim
Stop paying for a rostering tool and a claiming system and minding the gap between them. See how Rostrel keeps the shift, the note and the claim connected. Book a 20-minute demo.
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Last updated June 2026. Competitor information is sourced from public materials and may change; we review these comparisons periodically.