absence.io alternative
An absence.io alternative that's free for small teams
absence.io is an established European absence-management and time-tracking platform, popular with German and European small businesses. absence.io hosts all customer data in Germany.1 Absenca covers the core of leave management, calendar, approvals, accruals, public holidays and a Slack bot on Pro, with a free plan for up to 10 people. Here's an honest side-by-side, with a source and a date for every absence.io fact.
In short
Choose Absenca if you want focused leave tracking, free for a small team and at one price. If you need time tracking and digital personnel files, absence.io's wider product may suit you better.
Other absence.io alternatives at a glance
Absenca isn't the only option. Five other leave and HR tools, one line each, with every fact from the vendor's own site:
- Calamari: Calamari prices Time Off, Time & Attendance, Core HR and Scheduling as separate per-user modules, with Performance marked as coming soon.2 Calamari's Time Off module costs $2.50 per user per month, or $2.00 billed yearly, and Calamari charges at least 10 seats.3
- Personio: Personio sells two HR plans, Core and Core PRO; recruiting, surveys, performance and compensation are add-on apps.4 Personio lists HR plans from €7.60 per employee a month and quotes each company after a demo, by headcount and add-on apps, plus a one-time setup fee that depends on company size.4
- Timetastic: Timetastic has a Slack integration on both plans and a Microsoft Teams integration on Pro, and lists no Google Chat integration.5 Outside the UK and Ireland, Timetastic charges $1.50 (Business) or $2.50 (Pro) per user per month, billed monthly.5
- Vacation Tracker: A Vacation Tracker workspace connects to one platform at a time, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace or email, and there's no Google Chat bot.6 Vacation Tracker's Core plan costs $2 and Complete $4 per user per month, with monthly minimums of $50 and $100.7
- Leave Dates: Leave Dates hosts customer data in Ireland.8 Leave Dates charges every employee $1.40 (Starter), $2.70 (Essential) or $3.40 (Plus) a month in US dollars, or less billed yearly.9
absence.io vs Absenca
| absence.io | Absenca | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None; a 14-day trial1 | Free for up to 10 people |
| Price | €2.99 to €7.99 a user a month1 | Pro: $37.50 a month for up to 50 people |
| Leave calendar & approvals | Yes10 | Yes |
| Chat bots | Slack and Teams approvals; no Google Chat11 | Slack, on Pro |
| Public holidays | 200+ countries12 | 190+ countries |
| Accruals, carry-over & seniority | Monthly accrual and carry-over; no seniority rules documented13 | Yes, seniority tiers included, on every plan |
| TOIL (time off in lieu) | Through overtime, from Pro14 | A TOIL balance, on every plan |
| Bradford Factor analytics | Not documented1 | Yes, on Pro |
| Leave attachments | Yes15 | Yes |
| Time tracking & personnel files | Yes, on Pro and Complete1 | No; Absenca tracks leave only |
absence.io charges €2.99 (Starter), €4.99 (Pro) or €7.99 (Complete) per user per month, 10% less billed annually, with no minimum.1 Absenca bills in US dollars: free for up to 10 people, then $37.50 a month for up to 50 people on Pro. The two bill in different currencies, so this page converts neither: compare both at your exchange rate.
Why teams pick Absenca
Simpler
Absenca has one plan for leave instead of tiers that add time tracking and HR files. absence.io's time tracking and digital employee files come with its Pro and Complete plans.1
A real free plan
Up to 10 people at no cost, with no time limit. absence.io has no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.1
Approvals in Slack
People request leave and managers approve it in Slack, on Pro, with the web app for everything else. absence.io's Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations let approvers accept or decline requests and post a daily absence summary; it lists no Google Chat integration.11
How to switch from absence.io
-
Pick a cut-over date
Choose the day Absenca takes over, and on that day note each person's remaining balance in absence.io.
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Set up your office
Add your office with its work week, leave year start and public holidays for its country. Then add your leave types and policies: accrual schedules, carry-over caps and expiry, and seniority tiers.
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Import your people from a CSV
Fill in Absenca's template with each person's name, email, department, role, office and start date. Absenca checks every row before it imports anyone, then emails each person an invitation. CSV import is on every plan.
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Set opening balances
Adjust each person's balance to what absence.io showed on the cut-over date. Absenca records each adjustment, with your reason, in the audit log.
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Go live
Your team signs in with a Google, Microsoft or Slack account. Approved leave syncs to Google or Outlook calendars, on every plan. Turn on the Slack bot, on Pro, to request and approve leave in Slack.
The full walkthrough, with what to check before and after the cut-over: move your leave data.
Where absence.io might be the better fit
- Time tracking and digital personnel files in the same product. absence.io's time tracking and digital employee files come with its Pro and Complete plans.1
- Public holidays for more countries, and native mobile apps. absence.io offers public holidays for more than 200 countries.12 absence.io has iOS and Android apps.1
- A long-standing Munich company. absence.io is a Munich company used by more than 3,000 companies.1
We'd rather you pick the right tool than the loudest one. If the points above matter more to you than price, absence.io is a perfectly good choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Absenca a good absence.io alternative?
Yes, if you mainly need leave and absence tracking. Absenca covers the leave calendar, approvals, accruals and public holidays free for up to 10 people, and adds a Slack bot on Pro. absence.io has no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.1
Can I migrate from absence.io?
Yes. Absenca bulk-imports your people from a CSV during setup, on every plan.
Where does Absenca host data?
Absenca's data location and portability page, under Trust, says where its infrastructure sits, how it answers authority requests for data and how you take your data with you.
How much does Absenca cost compared with absence.io?
Absenca is free for up to 10 people. Pro is $37.50 a month for up to 50 people, or $33.75 a month billed annually ($405 a year). absence.io charges €2.99 (Starter), €4.99 (Pro) or €7.99 (Complete) per user per month, 10% less billed annually, with no minimum.1 The two bill in different currencies, so compare the monthly totals for your team size.
Other comparisons
Every absence.io fact on this page links to its source and the date we checked it. Features and prices change, so check absence.io's own pages before you decide.
Sources
- absence.io/en/packages-pricing, checked
- calamari.io/pricing, checked
- calamari.io/pricing, checked
- personio.com/pricing, checked
- timetastic.co.uk/pricing, checked
- vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/guide-which-vacation-tracker-integration-is-right-for-me-google-microsoft-teams-slack-or-email-only, checked
- vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-can-i-change-my-subscription-corecomplete-and-annualmonthly, checked
- help.leavedates.com/article/88-data-security, checked
- leavedates.com/pricing-plans, checked
- absence.io/en/features/vacation-tracker, checked
- absence.io/en/features/integrations, checked
- info.absence.io/en/help-center/holidays-worldwide, checked
- info.absence.io/en/help-center/set-up-monthly-allowance-with-a-fixed-expiry-date, checked
- info.absence.io/en/help-center/flexitime-overtime-balances-taking-time-off-time-off-in-lieu, checked
- info.absence.io/en/help-center/all-absence-type-settings-explained, checked