absentify alternative
An absentify alternative that works beyond Microsoft 365
Absenca is a strong absentify alternative if your company runs on Slack, or isn't all Microsoft. It has a Slack bot on Pro, a full web app and a deeper policy engine, and it still works with Microsoft 365 through Microsoft sign-in and Outlook calendar sync. absentify integrates with Microsoft Teams and has no Slack or Google Chat integration; its webhooks can post to Slack.1 Absenca is free for up to 10 people, and Pro is $37.50 a month for up to 50. Here's an honest side-by-side, with a source and a date for every absentify fact.
In short
Stay with absentify if you're all-in on Microsoft 365 and only need the basics. Choose Absenca if you want the same in-chat convenience in Slack, with accrual schedules, TOIL and Bradford Factor analytics. Absenca costs less than absentify's Mini plan for teams of 10 and 50 people; absentify costs less for teams of 20 and 30 people.2 absentify's free plan covers any number of users, with 2 departments, 1 administrator and 1 leave allowance.3
Other absentify alternatives at a glance
Absenca isn't the only option. Five other leave tools, one line each, with every fact from the vendor's own site:
- 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.4 Vacation Tracker's Core plan costs $2 and Complete $4 per user per month, with monthly minimums of $50 and $100.5
- Timetastic: Timetastic has a Slack integration on both plans and a Microsoft Teams integration on Pro, and lists no Google Chat integration.6 Outside the UK and Ireland, Timetastic charges $1.50 (Business) or $2.50 (Pro) per user per month, billed monthly.6
- Leave Dates: Leave Dates lists a Slack app, and no Microsoft Teams or Google Chat integration.7 Leave Dates charges every employee $1.40 (Starter), $2.70 (Essential) or $3.40 (Plus) a month in US dollars, or less billed yearly.8
- Calamari: Calamari prices Time Off, Time & Attendance, Core HR and Scheduling as separate per-user modules, with Performance marked as coming soon.9 Calamari's Time Off module costs $2.50 per user per month, or $2.00 billed yearly, and Calamari charges at least 10 seats.10
- LeaveBoard: LeaveBoard is free for up to 9 employees.11 From the 10th employee, LeaveBoard's PRO plan costs $1.35 per active employee per month, or $13.50 a year.12
absentify vs Absenca
| absentify | Absenca | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited users; 2 departments, 1 admin, 1 allowance3 | Free for up to 10 people |
| Price | $1 to $3.50 a user a month2 | Pro: $37.50 a month for up to 50 people |
| Chat bots | Teams only1 | Slack, on Pro |
| Works outside Microsoft 365 | Partly: email sign-in, built around Microsoft 36513 | Yes: a web app with Google, Microsoft and Slack sign-in |
| Calendar sync | Outlook; no Google Calendar sync13 | Google and Outlook, on every plan |
| Public holidays | 250 countries2 | 190+ countries |
| Accrual schedules & seniority tiers | Accrual rules; no seniority increases documented14 | Both, on every plan |
| TOIL (time off in lieu) | Overtime as an allowance14 | A TOIL balance, on every plan |
| Bradford Factor analytics | Not documented15 | Yes, on Pro |
| Departments | 2 to unlimited, by plan3 | Per office, with per-office policies |
| Leave attachments | From Essentials3 | On every plan |
What a team pays each month
| Team | Absenca | absentify Mini |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | Free | $102 |
| 20 people | $37.50 | $202 |
| 30 people | $37.50 | $302 |
| 50 people | $37.50 | $502 |
Monthly prices in US dollars, before tax. Absenca bills Pro for all 50 seats, so every team from 11 to 50 people pays $37.50.
Why teams pick Absenca
Not locked to one stack
A Slack bot, a full web app, Microsoft sign-in and Outlook calendar sync, so a mixed or migrating company keeps one leave system instead of one per platform. absentify integrates with Microsoft Teams and has no Slack or Google Chat integration; its webhooks can post to Slack.1
Policies on the free plan
Accrual schedules, TOIL, seniority tiers and leave attachments come with every plan, free for up to 10 people. absentify's free plan covers any number of users, with 2 departments, 1 administrator and 1 leave allowance.3
A policy engine for grown-up leave years
Carry-over caps and expiry, seniority tiers and blackout periods come with every plan. Bradford Factor analytics come with Pro. absentify doesn't document Bradford Factor scoring; its Insights cover leave trends, sick-leave patterns and a burnout board.15
How to switch from absentify
-
Pick a cut-over date
Choose the day Absenca takes over, and on that day note each person's remaining balance in absentify.
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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 absentify showed on the cut-over date. Absenca records each adjustment, with your reason, in the audit log.
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Keep the Microsoft 365 pieces
People keep signing in with their Microsoft accounts, and approved leave keeps landing in Outlook. What changes is where requests are approved: in the web app, or in Slack on Pro. absentify integrates with Microsoft Teams and has no Slack or Google Chat integration; its webhooks can post to Slack.1
-
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 absentify might be the better fit
- A free plan for any number of users, if its limits suit you. absentify's free plan covers any number of users, with 2 departments, 1 administrator and 1 leave allowance.3
- Native to Microsoft Teams, and simple to roll out there. absentify can be installed from the Microsoft Teams Store or deployed centrally by an admin.13
- Widely used. absentify reports more than 230,000 users at more than 30,000 companies.2
We'd rather you pick the right tool than the loudest one. If the points above matter more to you than price, absentify is a perfectly good choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is Absenca a good absentify alternative?
Yes, especially if your company works in Slack. Absenca takes leave requests and approvals in Slack, and works with Microsoft sign-in and Outlook calendar sync, so a mixed company isn't tied to one platform. Accrual schedules, TOIL and per-office policies come with every plan. absentify integrates with Microsoft Teams and has no Slack or Google Chat integration; its webhooks can post to Slack.1
Isn't absentify's free plan, with unlimited users, better?
For large teams with simple needs, it can be. absentify's free plan covers any number of users, with 2 departments, 1 administrator and 1 leave allowance.3 Absenca's free plan covers up to 10 people with accrual schedules, TOIL and per-office policies, and Pro is $37.50 a month for up to 50 people.
Does Absenca work with Microsoft Teams like absentify?
Not yet. Absenca's Microsoft Teams bot isn't available yet, so if your company lives in Teams today, absentify is the more natural fit. absentify integrates with Microsoft Teams and has no Slack or Google Chat integration; its webhooks can post to Slack.1 With Microsoft 365, people sign in with their Microsoft accounts, and Outlook calendar sync is on every plan, the free Starter plan included. Managers approve requests in the web app or Slack, and the email notification links to their approval queue. The Slack bot is on Pro and the Custom Pack, not on the free Starter plan.
Can I move my data over from absentify?
Yes. Absenca bulk-imports your people from a CSV during setup, on every plan, so switching takes an afternoon rather than a migration project.
Other comparisons
Every absentify fact on this page links to its source and the date we checked it. Features and prices change, so check absentify's own pages before you decide.
Sources
- absentify.com/docs/en/roles/hr_admins/settings/integrations/integrations, checked
- absentify.com/pricing, checked
- absentify.com/docs/en/roles/hr_admins/settings/plan-feature-matrix, 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
- timetastic.co.uk/pricing, checked
- leavedates.com/integrate-with-us, checked
- leavedates.com/pricing-plans, checked
- calamari.io/pricing, checked
- calamari.io/pricing, checked
- leaveboard.com/support/billing-and-subscription, checked
- leaveboard.com/pricing, checked
- absentify.com/docs/en/roles/employee/sign_in, checked
- absentify.com/docs/en/roles/hr_admins/settings/allowances, checked
- absentify.com/docs/en/roles/manager/using_insights, checked