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Absenca

Day Off alternative

A Day Off alternative with leave policies, free for small teams

Day Off and Absenca are both free for small teams, so the real question is what you get for free and what an 11th person costs. Day Off is free for up to 10 users, with one-step approval and basic reports.1 Day Off's accruals, carry-over, blockout dates, multiple locations and policies, and integrations come with Pro, not Free.1 Absenca is free for up to 10 people with accrual schedules, carry-over and TOIL, 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 Day Off fact.

In short

Stay with Day Off if it costs less at your team size, or you need time tracking from the same vendor. Choose Absenca if you want accruals, carry-over and TOIL on the free plan, and one flat price as you grow. Bradford Factor analytics come with Pro. Both are free for up to 10 people; Day Off's Pro plan costs less for 11 to 18 people; Absenca costs less for 19 to 50 people.1

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Day Off vs Absenca

Day Off compared with Absenca
Day Off Absenca
Free plan Up to 10 users1 Free for up to 10 people
Price $2 a seat a month, $20 minimum1 Pro: $37.50 a month for up to 50 people
Accruals & carry-over on the free plan On Pro, not Free1 Yes, on every plan
Chat bots Slack and Teams2 Slack, on Pro
Calendar sync Google and Outlook3 Google and Outlook, on every plan
Public holidays Imported from Google Calendar, or by hand3 190+ countries, built in
TOIL (time off in lieu) Not documented3 A TOIL balance, on every plan
Bradford Factor analytics Not documented3 Yes, on Pro
Time tracking On Pro + Time Tracker1 No: Absenca is leave only

Both are free for up to 10 people; Day Off's Pro plan costs less for 11 to 18 people; Absenca costs less for 19 to 50 people.1 Day Off Pro costs $2 a seat a month with a $20 monthly minimum, and Pro + Time Tracker $3 a seat with a $30 minimum; both save 17% billed yearly.1

Absenca vs Day Off →

What a team pays each month

Monthly price by team size on Absenca and on Day Off Pro
TeamAbsencaDay Off Pro
10 peopleFree$01
20 people$37.50$401
30 people$37.50$601
50 people$37.50$1001

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

Policies on the free plan

Accrual schedules, carry-over caps and expiry, TOIL and blackout periods come with every plan, free for up to 10 people. Day Off's accruals, carry-over, blockout dates, multiple locations and policies, and integrations come with Pro, not Free.1

One price as you grow

Pro is $37.50 a month for any team from 11 to 50 people, so a new hire doesn't change the bill. Both are free for up to 10 people; Day Off's Pro plan costs less for 11 to 18 people; Absenca costs less for 19 to 50 people.1

Absence insight, not just a calendar

A TOIL balance on every plan. Bradford Factor analytics, on Pro. Day Off's features page doesn't mention TOIL or Bradford Factor scoring.3

How to switch from Day Off

  1. Pick a cut-over date

    Choose the day Absenca takes over, and on that day note each person's remaining balance in Day Off. Export Day Off's balance report on that day. Day Off has balance, accruals and carry-over reports.3

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Set opening balances

    Adjust each person's balance to what Day Off showed on the cut-over date. Absenca records each adjustment, with your reason, in the audit log.

  5. 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 Day Off might be the better fit

We'd rather you pick the right tool than the loudest one. If the points above matter more to you than price, Day Off is a perfectly good choice.

Frequently asked questions

Is Absenca a good Day Off alternative?

Yes, especially if you want leave policies without paying for them. Absenca's free plan, for up to 10 people, includes accrual schedules, carry-over and TOIL. Day Off's accruals, carry-over, blockout dates, multiple locations and policies, and integrations come with Pro, not Free.1

Is Day Off cheaper than Absenca?

For some team sizes, yes. Both are free for up to 10 people; Day Off's Pro plan costs less for 11 to 18 people; Absenca costs less for 19 to 50 people.1 Day Off Pro costs $2 a seat a month with a $20 monthly minimum, and Pro + Time Tracker $3 a seat with a $30 minimum; both save 17% billed yearly.1 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).

Does Absenca work in Slack and Microsoft Teams like Day Off?

In Slack, yes: Absenca's Slack bot takes requests and approvals, and it's on Pro and the Custom Pack, not on the free Starter plan. Absenca's Microsoft Teams bot is coming soon, so if your company lives in Teams today, Day Off is the more natural fit. Day Off integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, where people request time off and get approvals.2

Can I move my data over from Day Off?

Yes. Absenca bulk-imports your people from a CSV during setup, on every plan, and you set each person's opening balance from Day Off's reports.

Other comparisons

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Every Day Off fact on this page links to its source and the date we checked it. Features and prices change, so check Day Off's own pages before you decide.

Sources

  1. day-off.app/pricing, checked
  2. day-off.app, checked
  3. day-off.app/features, checked