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Restaurants · head to head

Deputy vs WISK

Deputy logo

Deputy

Restaurants

Workforce management for restaurants

From
$3.5/user/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WISK logo

WISK

Restaurants

Bar inventory and pour cost control using Bluetooth scales and POS depletion data

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Deputy a $30 monthly minimum applies to every plan, so a team of four on the $5 Lite plan pays for six; WISK food inventory is markedly shallower than beverage, so kitchen led operations end up buying a second back office system and paying twice for invoice capture.
  • They diverge on capability: Deputy covers AI scheduling, WISK covers Bluetooth scale counting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deputy and WISK actually diverge.

Attributes where Deputy and WISK differ
AttributeDeputyWISK
Starting price$3.5/user/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Deputy

  • AI scheduling
  • Time tracking
  • Demand forecasting
  • Compliance
  • Team communication
  • Performance tracking
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in WISK

  • Bluetooth scale counting
  • POS depletion matching
  • Invoice scanning
  • Recipe and pour costing
  • Ordering and par levels
  • Variance by period and staff

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Deputy

  • Staff scheduling and shift management for hourly teamsnot WISK
  • Time clocking, timesheets and labour cost trackingnot WISK

WISK

  • A cocktail bar losing margin to over pouring that needs variance measured weekly rather than monthlynot Deputy
  • A restaurant group standardising pour costs across venues with different bar managersnot Deputy
  • An operator who wants supplier price rises on spirits surfaced automatically as they hit invoicesnot Deputy
  • A venue preparing for sale or investor review that needs defensible stock valuationsnot Deputy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Deputy

  • A $30 monthly minimum applies to every plan, so a team of four on the $5 Lite plan pays for six
  • Auto scheduling, demand forecasting and labour optimisation all require a plan above Lite
  • SSO and custom access levels are Pro only at $9 per user per month
  • Payroll is an add on at $8 per user per month plus a $49 monthly base fee
  • Messaging and analytics are separately priced add ons at $1.95 and $1.50 per user per month

WISK

  • Food inventory is markedly shallower than beverage, so kitchen led operations end up buying a second back office system and paying twice for invoice capture.
  • Accuracy depends on the Bluetooth scale, which is an additional hardware purchase per bar station and a consumable in practice given how bar equipment is treated.
  • The value proposition collapses without a consistent counting cadence, and the software cannot force a bar manager to count every week.
  • Pricing is per location, so a group with several small satellite bars pays the same per site as it does for its flagship venue despite much lower beverage revenue.
  • POS integration quality varies by system, and where item level mapping is incomplete the theoretical usage figures are wrong in a way that is not obvious until someone audits them.

Pricing, plan by plan

Deputy

$3.5/user/month
  • Scheduling$3.5/user/month
    • Scheduling
    • Communication
  • Time & Attendance$3.5/user/month
    • Time clock
    • Timesheets
  • Premium$4.9/user/month
    • Full features
    • Reporting

WISK

On request
  • WISK$undefined/year
    • Priced per location per month with tiers by feature set
    • Bluetooth scale hardware quoted separately
    • Onboarding and item catalogue setup billed at the start

Which should you pick?

Choose Deputy if

  • You need ai scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time tracking.
Deputy review

Choose WISK if

  • You need bluetooth scale counting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want pos depletion matching.
WISK review

Questions people ask

Is Deputy or WISK better?
Neither clearly leads. Deputy starts at $3.5/user/month and WISK at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Deputy or WISK?
Deputy starts at $3.5/user/month and WISK at On request.
Does Deputy or WISK run on more platforms?
Deputy runs on Web, Ios, Android. WISK runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Deputy best used for?
Deputy is most often used for staff scheduling and shift management for hourly teams, time clocking, timesheets and labour cost tracking. Of those, staff scheduling and shift management for hourly teams and time clocking, timesheets and labour cost tracking are not what WISK is typically brought in for.
What can Deputy do that WISK cannot?
Deputy covers AI scheduling, Time tracking, Demand forecasting, Compliance. WISK covers Bluetooth scale counting, POS depletion matching, Invoice scanning, Recipe and pour costing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deputy: How much does Deputy cost per user?

Deputy offers three plans: Lite at $5/user/month, Core at $6.50/user/month, and Pro at $9/user/month. All plans are billed upfront or in monthly installments in USD, excluding taxes.

Source
WISK: Do I need the scale to use it?

Not strictly, but without it partial bottles are estimated and the variance figures lose most of their precision, which is the reason to buy the product.

Deputy: Is there a minimum monthly charge for Deputy?

Yes, there is a minimum spend of $30 USD/AUD or £20 GBP monthly per invoice, effective September 1, 2025.

Source
WISK: How long does a count take?

A bar of a few hundred SKUs is typically countable by two people in under an hour once the catalogue is set up.

Deputy: Can I change plans or cancel anytime with Deputy monthly billing?

Monthly plans allow changes anytime without penalty, effective the first of the current month. You can cancel by paying through the current billing period with no additional penalties.

Source
WISK: Does it handle food as well as drink?

It does, but the depth is in beverage. Kitchen heavy operations usually pair it with, or replace it by, a broader food costing platform.

Deputy: What happens if I cancel an annual Deputy plan before 12 months?

Annual plans do not offer refunds if you cancel before 12 months expire. You may cancel before the 12 months expire, but you forfeit any unused prepaid time.

Source
WISK: Does it connect to my accounting system?

It exports invoice and cost data to QuickBooks and Xero rather than acting as the ledger itself.

Deputy: Can I use Deputy without paying for every team member?

All admins and managers count as users and are subject to per-user charges. There is no option to exclude administrative staff from billing.

Source
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