20 Best Leave Management Software For Tracking PTO In 2024
10 Best Leave Management Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
There are so many different leave management software solutions that making a shortlist of the best can be tricky. You want to automate the tracking of various types of leaves, such as vacation, sick, and personal days, while maintaining compliance with company policies and labor laws—and now need the right tool for your company and team. In this post, I share from my personal experience as an HR expert using many different leave management tools with teams of all sizes, and share my picks of the best leave management software overall.
What is Leave Management Software?
Leave management software is a digital tool designed to automate and manage employee leave requests and approvals. It tracks various types of leaves, such as vacation, sick, and personal days, aligning with company policies and labor laws.
The purpose is to simplify the application and approval process, provide real-time visibility into employee availability, and reduce administrative tasks. It helps in maintaining accurate leave records, ensuring fair and consistent leave management, and assists in workforce planning by keeping track of absences, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
-
Deel
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8 -
Rippling
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8 -
ClearCompany
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Overviews of the 10 Best Leave Management Software
Here’s a brief description of each leave management software that showcases each system’s best use case, standout features, and pros & cons. Keep reading to find additional bonus picks at the bottom of the list.
Deel is an all-in-one global workforce management software. It handles core HR operations like contract management, expense management, and payroll and benefits administration.
Why I picked Deel: One of the reasons this platform made my list is its new Slack plugin. Time off requests and leave management were already a part of the software. But with the new plugin, employees can manage their time off directly through Slack, helping to reduce app-switching. The software will automatically notify team members when someone's away, and allows you to set up coverage to ensure nothing is missed because someone's OOO.
Deel Standout Features & Integrations
Features include the unique burnout indicator tool. When fluctuations happen in an employee's time off habits (such as taking off much more or less time than usual), managers are notified. This helps alert your management team to signs of burnout and address the situation as needed. Deel also offers free HR global software for businesses looking to automate HR admin and reporting across international teams.
Integrations include Ashby, BambooHR, Expensify, Greenhouse, Hibob, Netsuite, Okta, OneLogin, Quickbooks, SCIM, Xero, Workday, and Workable. An Open API is also available to build custom integrations.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Complete workforce management solution
- Expertise in over 150 companies
- Manage PTO through Slack plugin
Cons:
- Limited invoice customization
- May not be suitable for those not using Slack
Connecteam is a comprehensive employee management app for deskless teams that helps companies efficiently manage their employees' time off requests.
Why I picked Connecteam: While exploring their PTO features, I was surprised by the mobile version of the app. Mainly because it gives you a quick overview of the people that have requested time off or are currently off work. Additionally, you can make updates from the app which is very useful. Its algorithms allow for seamless PTO accrual and usage tracking, ensuring employees are always aware of their remaining balance and available leave days.
Connecteam allows employees to submit their PTO requests in just a few clicks and the software tracks employee hours worked and PTO balance updates automatically, reducing the risk of errors during payroll calculation.
Connecteam Standout Features & Integrations
Features include a simple drag-and-drop interface, which makes it easy for managers to update, approve, and modify schedules according to employee leave requests, eliminating the need for paper forms or emails. Additionally, it gives employees more autonomy over their vacation requests, allowing them to see their allotted time, PTO balance, and any previously approved PTO on their account.
Integrations include Paychex, Xero, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll (online + desktop), Google Calendar and others.
Buddy Punch is an advanced time-tracking and scheduling application tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) seeking efficient workforce management. By incorporating geofencing and facial recognition technology, Buddy Punch ensures accurate time-tracking, easy scheduling, and seamless time off management for employees
Why I picked Buddy Punch: I picked Buddy Punch for its innovative approach to time-tracking and scheduling, combining user-friendly features with cutting-edge technology. Its geofencing capabilities and facial recognition offer enhanced accuracy and security, ensuring employees clock in and out from designated locations while preventing buddy punching.
Buddy Punch is designed primarily for small and medium-sized businesses looking to streamline their time-tracking and scheduling processes. The software is useful for companies with remote or on-site employees. Buddy Punch reduces the likelihood of time theft and ensures that users can easily view and export time data. Key features like job and project tracking, and time off management, make it an ideal solution for businesses seeking to optimize their workforce management while minimizing administrative burdens.
Buddy Punch Standout Features and Integrations
Features include job codes, PTO tracking, reports, geofences, facial recognition, punch limiting, and SSO.
Integrations include ADP, Gusto, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Outlook, Paychex, Paylocity, Slack, Square, TSheets, and Xero. You can also connect Buddy Punch to a paid Zapier account to unlock additional integrations, if needed.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Wide range of integrations
- User-friendly interface
- Facial recognition technology
Cons:
- Payroll module only available for the U.S.
- Expensive
BambooHR is a complete human resource management system (HRMS) with tools for time tracking and leave management, hiring and onboarding, performance tracking, payroll and benefits administration, and an employee database.
Why I picked BambooHR: This platform made it onto my list because it’s more than just a time tracking and leave management solution, it also provides a comprehensive feature suite for managing various other core HR tasks. Your team can keep employee records up to date, run payroll, monitor performance, and collect engagement data all in the same system. This makes for more unified HR operations and ensures alignment between systems.
BambooHR Standout Features and Integrations
Features include the software’s employee portals, which allow your staff members to update their data, request time off, and more. This helps alleviate the manual workload of managing leaves for your team. The time off system is also highly customizable to meet the unique needs of your company’s time off policies.
Integrations include Slack, Deel, Lattice, Officevibe, TalentLMS, Bonusly, Lever, Payscale, Papaya Globa, Oyster, and dozens more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Lots of integrations available
- Built-in communications hub
- Helpful employee self-service portals
Cons:
- Pricing is not transparent
- Some features come as paid add-ons
Replicon
Best unified solution for managing global time off policies and compliance
Replicon Time & Attendance is a comprehensive workforce management solution that efficiently tracks and manages employees' time and attendance data. With user-friendly features like time tracking, shift scheduling, and leave management, the platform enables businesses to accurately monitor employee work hours, ensure compliance with labor regulations, and streamline payroll processes for increased productivity and cost-effectiveness.
Why I Picked Replicon Time & Attendance: Replicon Time & Attendance stands out with its geofencing and mobile time tracking capabilities. Geofencing allows organizations to set up virtual boundaries around specific job sites or locations, ensuring that employees can only clock in and out when they are physically present at designated areas. Additionally, the mobile time tracking feature enables employees to log their work hours using their smartphones or tablets, providing real-time data on employee attendance and location. These features are particularly beneficial for businesses with mobile or remote workforces, offering enhanced visibility and accountability while reducing the risk of time theft or inaccurate time reporting.
Replicon Time & Attendance Standout Features & Integrations
Features include advanced compliance management tools and labor law monitoring features. The platform stays up-to-date with changing labor laws and regulations, allowing businesses to automatically apply the latest legal requirements to their time tracking and attendance processes. Replicon offers configurable rule sets and built-in compliance alerts to notify organizations of any potential violations, ensuring that they maintain adherence to labor laws and minimize the risk of costly compliance errors or penalties.
Integrations include SAP, ADP, Salesforce, Quickbooks, Atlassian, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, Servicenow, Zero, Zoom, Outlook Calendar, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Azure DevOps, Google Meet, Google Calendar, and other popular business software.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy to learn and use
- Detailed workforce resource management + compliance
- All-in-one time tracking & leave management
Cons:
- Feature-lite mobile app
- Subscribe to 3 plans to get all their offerings
Homebase is a leave management software designed to help businesses manage their employees' schedules, time tracking, and PTO requests. It's a great tool for small to medium-sized businesses that need a simple and efficient way to handle employee time off and vacation/sick time tracking.
Why I picked Homebase: I chose Homebase because it's super user-friendly and has a clean interface that makes it easy to navigate. It's perfect for businesses like mine that don't have a dedicated HR department and need a simple solution to manage employee leaves. Plus, it's affordable and offers a free plan for smaller teams, which is a huge bonus for startups and small businesses. Homebase also offers a mobile app, which is super convenient for both managers and employees. You can access all the features from your phone, making it easy to manage leaves and PTO even when you're on the go.
Homebase Standout Features & Integrations
Features include the ability to quickly set up PTO policies, and employees can request time off directly through the platform. Managers can approve or deny requests with just a few clicks, and the system automatically updates the employee's PTO balance. Another great feature is the built-in communication tools. You can send messages to your team members directly through Homebase, making it easy to discuss time off requests or any other work-related topics.
Integrations include ADP, Clover, Google, Lightspeed, Payanywhere, Paychex, Quickbooks, Shopify, Square, Toast, Upserve, Vend, and Wells Fargo.
Best for businesses looking for simple, stress-free leave management
actiPLANS offers a streamlined leave management solution designed to simplify the process of requesting and approving time off while handling PTO accrual calculations and providing insightful reports.
Why I picked actiPLANS: The tool stands out for its user-friendly interface and custom leave types, making it easy for employees and managers to navigate and understand various absences within the organization.
actiPLANS is perfect for businesses looking to automate and improve their leave management process. The tool offers one-click approvals, custom PTO accrual rules, and comprehensive reports, enabling more efficient resource planning and policy compliance.
actiPLANS Standout Features and Integrations
Features include, leave management, shift assignment, activity planning, location tracking, and event scheduling.
Integrations include actiTIME, a comprehensive solution for tracking employee work hours, project time, attendance, and generating insightful reports to boost productivity and streamline payroll processes.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Comprehensive reporting
- Customizable PTO accrual rules
Cons:
- Can’t edit requests
- Limited integrations
Leave Dates is a user-friendly time off management software designed for business owners, managers, team leaders, and employees. Its simplicity and customization options enable users to easily manage leave requests and approvals while maintaining transparency throughout the team.
Why I picked Leave Dates: Leave Date’s simple, clear, and intuitive interface makes tracking and managing leave easy for everyone. The customization options and calendar connectivity further enhance its appeal, making it a standout choice for time off management. It simplifies the leave management process for businesses of all sizes.
Leave Dates Standout Features and Integrations
Features include a live wall chart, a check leave and balance function, a straightforward request and approval system, easy setup and sync, flexible management, daily reports, leave management on the go, and customization options tailored for any company's leave policy.
Integrations include Excel, Google Calendar, and Outlook, as well as integrations with single sign on and Slack. You can also connect Leave Dates to a paid Zapier account to unlock additional integrations.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Calendar integration
- Free tier
- Intuitive interface
Cons:
- Inability to add back leave
- Limited features
Calamari is an online leave management system that simplifies time off calculation and holiday management for businesses.
Why I picked Calamari: One of the coolest things about Calamari is its flexible multilevel approval process. It offers a customizable leave request approval process that you can set-up to reflect your company's unique structure.
Calamari is a leave management and notification automation tool suitable for companies with distributed teams across different locations. Calamari’s ability to set up separate time off policies and absence types for each location makes it easy to keep all employee and time off-related data in one system. Additionally, it is available in five languages and is compliant with EU-wide privacy and data protection laws.
Calamari Standout Features and Integrations
Features include the ability to attach medical records or other necessary documents to absence requests, the ability to view the entire history of leave requests, and roles and privileges, which gives access to employee time off data and can be restricted as needed.
Integrations include Asana, Basecamp, Google Workspace, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Office 365, and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Helpful support team
- Affordable
- Easy to navigate
Cons:
- Can’t edit existing time off requests
- Hard to track vacation days on mobile app
Vacation Tracker is a leave management tool that simplifies the process of requesting, approving, and tracking time off for employees and managers.
Why I picked Vacation Tracker: Their real-time visibility and self-service features reduce administrative tasks for HR, while the calendar integration and custom notifications keep everyone informed about leave activities. The tool's support for remote teams, multiple locations, and departments ensures all team members can access tailored leave policies and holidays.
Vacation Tracker is perfect for businesses looking to simplify their leave management processes while keeping everyone informed and accountable. The platform also offers brought forward polices that allows employees to transfer unused time off to the following year, complete with customizable expiration dates for the rolled-over days.
Vacation Tracker Standout Features and Integrations
Features include real-time visibility of team leave activity, employee self-service for PTO management, a streamlined leave approval process, custom notifications, custom leave types, management of multiple locations and departments, personalized leave types and policies, hourly PTO tracking, automated accruals, configurable user profiles, and built-in reporting.
Integrations include Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and numerous email programs.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Helpful automation
- Real-time visibility
- User-friendly
Cons:
- Unclear status on remaining vacation days
- No accrual tracking or custom messages
The 10 Best Leave Management Software Comparison Chart
Here’s a comparison chart that summarizes basic details about each of my top leave management software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the best software that works for your business needs.
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Deel | Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people | Website |
| Connecteam | From $29/user/month (billed annually, min 5 seats) | Website |
| Buddy Punch | From $3.99/user/month + $19/month base fee | Website |
| BambooHR | From $6.19/user/month, (billed annually). | Website |
| Replicon | From $12/user/month | Website |
| Homebase | From $20/user/month | Website |
| actiPLANS | From $1.90/user/month | Website |
| Leave Dates | From $1/employee/month | Website |
| Calamari | From $2/employee/month | Website |
| Vacation Tracker | From $1/user/month | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareOther Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best leave management software list. I didn’t have room for a full review for each of these but they are still worthy of consideration:
- LeaveBoard
For simplifying employee scheduling and leave management for SMEs
- Absence.io
For simplifying absence management internationally for businesses of all sizes
- Pause
For handling leave requests and capacity planning for startups
- EasyTimeOff
Efficient leave management with customizable policies
- Planleave
For streamlined PTO tracking and automation
- PurelyHR Time Off
Leave management for automated processes and custom policies
- ADP Total Absence Management
For managing employee leave for large businesses
- Insightful
Leave management in a productivity platform
- Factorial
For its robust mobile app
- Kissflow Workflow
Customizable leave management for HR workflows
How I Selected the Best Leave Management Software
Perhaps you're wondering how I selected the best leave management software for this list? To build this top 10 list, I evaluated and compared a wide range of leave management systems with positive user ratings.
After determining my long list of top choices, I further honed my list by using the selection criteria below to see how each platform compared to the next one. I also drew on my years of human resources experience to pinpoint the administrative features that add a lot of value.
Selection Criteria
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best leave management software for this article:
Usability
As an HR professional, I prioritize ease of use and a well-organized interface to create a positive user experience. The software must also offer time-saving features and eliminate any administrative hassles. Good customer service and tech support are also vital.
User Interface
When it comes to the user interface, I look for a straightforward design that enables HR teams to navigate the software with ease. User-friendly dashboards and reports are also critical to ensure a seamless experience.
Scalability and Flexibility
Leave management software must be flexible and scalable enough to meet the organization's current and future needs. Ideally, the software should offer different packages for any company size.
Reporting and Analytics Tools
It’s important for the tool to have a comprehensive reporting system that includes automated data collection, data dashboards, and data interpretation.
Software Integrations
Leave management software should integrate easily with other systems to streamline data management requirements. Ideally, the software should offer integrations with HR software and other niche tools, like payroll management systems, to create a complete HR management suite.
Pricing
Ideally, the software should be transparent about its pricing modules, and the pricing should be flexible enough to suit different budgets and business sizes. A free trial or demo is also essential to allow for evaluation before making a final decision.
People Also Ask
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about leave management software and how it works:
What is leave management?
Leave management (also known as time off management) is the process of tracking, administering, and managing employee time off, such as vacation days, sick leaves, and other types of absences. It ensures that employees take their allotted time off according to the organization’s policies and guidelines while maintaining efficient workflow and productivity.
What main features are included in leave management software?
Leave management software typically includes features like automated leave tracking, employee self-service portals, customizable leave policies, real-time reports and analytics, integration with other HR systems, and calendar syncing for easy visibility of employee availability.
What are the most common types of leaves employees take?
The most common types of leaves employees take include vacation or annual leave, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, public holidays, personal leave, bereavement leave, and unpaid leave, such as a sabbatical or a leave of absence for personal or professional reasons.
Other legitimate, but less common, types of employee leaves include leaves for religious observance, jury duty, military leave, or time off to vote on an election day.
What key details should be included in a leave management policy?
A comprehensive leave management policy should include key details such as types of leaves offered, eligibility criteria, the process for requesting and approving leaves, accrual and carryover rules, maximum leave limits, and any applicable laws or regulations governing employee time off.
For more advice on how to craft a proper employee leave policy, take a look at our article on What are HR Policies? +7 Main Types to Have in Place.
Other Resources
Now that you've explored my top picks for leave management software, consider delving deeper into other aspects of the workforce and people management. Check out the following articles to expand your knowledge on workforce management software, people management tips, HR policies, and novel employee wellness program ideas.
- What is Workforce Management Software - Types and Key Features
- People Management Tips for New and Experienced Managers
- What are HR Policies? +7 Main Types to Have in Place
- 10 Novel Employee Wellness Program Ideas to Attract and Retain Top Talent
What's Next?
Finding the best leave management software can significantly impact your company's efficiency and employee satisfaction. We hope our top picks will help you find the perfect solution for your organization's unique needs. If you're interested in tracking your employees' activities at a more granular level, consider looking into time and attendance software as well.
If you found this listicle helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter. You'll gain more valuable insights and tips on workforce and people management right in your inbox. Stay informed and make better decisions for your team!