Custom handover and exception steps
JodooYou want to change the request process and connect the records around it.
Choose the right time-off system
10 leave management tools compared
Compare dedicated leave tools, HR suites, payroll-connected systems, and a configurable Jodoo app. Start with the policy and approval work your team actually needs.
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Start with the requirement that changes your shortlist
A focused leave calendar
Timetastic, Leave Dates, Vacation Tracker, actiPLANSYou mainly need prebuilt time-off planning and policy tools.
Leave inside an HR suite
Zoho People, BambooHR, BreatheLeave should share the employee context of a broader HR system.
Worked time or payroll integration
Jibble, GustoTimesheets or payroll are the main system the leave data must support.
About this comparison
This comparison is published by Jodoo and includes Jodoo. We reviewed official product and plan information on September 8, 2026, and exercised the Jodoo example’s request, correction, approval, balance, and cancellation paths. We did not conduct hands-on tests of every competitor. The options are grouped by fit, not by a claimed universal ranking.
Compare the capabilities that change the buying decision
These are product and plan distinctions, not a score. The detailed profiles below link to the official sources. A listed capability may require a paid tier.
| Software | Allowance and accrual | Planning and daily use | Where customization happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jodoo | Granted hours and approved adjustments; no scheduled accrual in this app | Linked requests, review tasks, balances and work handovers | Your own form fields, review rules and connected business records |
| Zoho People | Policy-based leave with accrual and holiday settings | Employee self-service inside an HR suite | HR policies, employee records and edition-specific workflows |
| BambooHR | Policy-based accrual and balances in Core | Requests, approval access and a time-off calendar | Configuration within the employee HR platform |
| Jibble | Entitlements and accrual; check the applicable plan | Days or hours of leave alongside timesheets and mobile use | Time-off policies and time-tracking settings |
| Breathe | Holiday allowances and sickness records | Employee/manager access within UK-focused HR software | HR configuration; check additional rota or time modules |
| Vacation Tracker | Accrual, hourly tracking and advanced policies in Complete | Slack/Teams requests, calendars and plan-dependent substitute approvals | Leave policies, notifications and packaged automations |
| Leave Dates | Carryover caps and expiry rules are documented | Dedicated leave planning | Allowance and leave-policy settings; trial your work patterns |
| Timetastic | Allowance records and plan-specific controls | Shared leave calendar and mobile approvals; Pro adds planning/reporting | Leave rules; rota and time-clock needs are a separate purchase |
| Gusto | Payroll-linked policy types and balances | Approved time off synchronized with payroll | Payroll/HR policies, with plan and enrollment restrictions |
| actiPLANS | Accrual settings, thresholds, PTO and sick balances | Leave requests and visual work-availability planning | Workweek, approval and leave-type settings |
What each option offers—and what to weigh up
Jodoo
A leave process that needs its own fields, handovers, and exception steps
Why consider it
The example connects requests, manager tasks, posted allowances, bookings, and cancellations. Add a required customer handover field or adjust the review view when the way your team works changes. Unexpected absence and work coverage use a separate connected-record app.
Where it may not fit
You must configure employee access, policy periods, and reviewers. Choose a specialist when automatic holiday calendars, complex accrual, statutory leave administration, or payroll posting are the primary requirement.
Pricing and plan considerations
A free platform plan and evaluation path are available. The full example uses advanced calculations and automations; confirm the required paid features and usage limits. Business is advertised at $12 per user per month on annual billing, with a five-user minimum.
Zoho People
Leave policies and employee self-service within a broader HR system
Why consider it
Zoho documents policy configuration by factors such as location and role, employee requests, approvals, and leave-calendar connections. It is a natural shortlist choice when leave belongs alongside the employee records and HR processes already managed in Zoho People.
Where it may not fit
Compare the edition containing your leave rules, integrations, and approval requirements. A broad HR suite offers more prebuilt HR functionality than a focused request app, but you still need to configure its policy model.
Pricing and plan considerations
Essential HR is listed at US$1.25 per user per month, billed annually, including time-off management. The official page also lists a free edition; confirm its current user limit and the edition needed for your leave rules.
BambooHR
A central employee system with time-off policies and approval access
Why consider it
Time-off policies, accrual, approval, and a calendar are listed within BambooHR’s Core offering. Its broader employee platform is relevant when a team wants leave administration to sit beside its other HR records rather than operate as a separate tool.
Where it may not fit
Evaluate the HR platform as a whole. Distinguish included time-off functions from time tracking, payroll, and other packaged or additional services before comparing cost with a leave-only tool.
Pricing and plan considerations
The official pricing page advertises Core from $10 per employee per month, with pricing adjustments by employee count. Confirm your quote and included modules.
Jibble
Teams that want time-off requests alongside timesheets
Why consider it
Jibble documents requests in days or hours, approvals, mobile access, and time-off information connected to timesheets. That combination is useful when the buying decision starts with hours worked and PTO needs to be visible in the same environment.
Where it may not fit
Check that your allowance, carryover, approval, and reporting needs are in the chosen plan. “Free time tracking” should not be assumed to include every advanced PTO policy configuration.
Pricing and plan considerations
A free, unlimited-user entry plan is promoted. Review feature boundaries for the leave rules your team needs.
Breathe
Holiday and sickness records within a small-business HR package
Why consider it
Breathe documents holiday and absence management as part of its core HR software, including employee and manager access. Its UK SME focus makes it relevant when the wider choice includes everyday employee administration, not just a leave approval form.
Where it may not fit
Check regional fit and the package needed for additional time, rota, payroll integration, or other HR services. Do not assume that an operational absence record covers every statutory or medical process.
Pricing and plan considerations
Core HR packages are priced by employee band. The current pricing table also identifies additional modules.
Vacation Tracker
Leave requests and notifications connected to Slack or Microsoft Teams
Why consider it
Vacation Tracker documents leave requests, quotas, approvers, and notifications through Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email. Its higher-tier scope includes hourly leave, accrual, substitute approvals, and more advanced policy automation.
Where it may not fit
Match the plan to the actual policy. Hourly requests, multi-level or substitute approvals, and automation depth are meaningful package distinctions rather than minor extras.
Pricing and plan considerations
Core and Complete plans use per-user pricing with minimum charges. Confirm team size, billing interval, and the displayed minimum when calculating the total; headline rates alone are not a team quote.
Leave Dates
A focused leave-planning tool with allowance carryover rules
Why consider it
Leave Dates documents policy-driven carryover, including a maximum carried amount and an expiry period. This is an important distinction for teams whose recurring problem is moving unused allowance between leave years correctly.
Where it may not fit
Check the wider request, working-pattern, approval, and integration experience in a trial. A carryover feature does not on its own establish that every accrual or payroll rule is covered.
Pricing and plan considerations
Ask the vendor for the current cost for your team size and billing interval. Include any policy or integration features you need in the quote.
Timetastic
A shared view of who is off with straightforward request approvals
Why consider it
Timetastic’s Business plan lists a shared calendar, holiday allowance records, approvals, and mobile access. Pro adds planning controls and reports. Its separate workforce offering should be considered when rotas and time-clock needs extend beyond leave planning.
Where it may not fit
Choose the plan against the actual scheduling problem. A leave wall calendar and a full rota or time-clock product are different purchases even when sold by the same vendor.
Pricing and plan considerations
The official page displayed Business at $1.50 and Pro at $2.50 per user per month during this review. A separate Rota & Time Clock plan was also listed. Confirm currency and current regional terms.
Gusto
US payroll users who need approved time off to flow into payroll
Why consider it
Gusto documents time-off policies, employee requests, manager actions, and approved requests synchronized with payroll. If payroll is the authoritative destination, that native connection can matter more than having a highly customized request form.
Where it may not fit
Some policy types require higher plans. The documented policy model also has enrollment and category restrictions, so check employee types and existing policy structure before importing balances.
Pricing and plan considerations
Evaluate leave as part of the required Gusto payroll/HR package. Confirm the plan for custom or unpaid policies instead of assuming every policy is in the entry package.
actiPLANS
PTO and sick balances alongside visual work-availability planning
Why consider it
actiPLANS documents leave requests, approvers, PTO and sick-day balances, workweek settings, and balance restrictions. Its settings distinguish the leave type, approval need, affected balance, and working duration rather than treating all time away alike.
Where it may not fit
Review scheduling, calendar, and actiTIME integration needs together. The free edition has limited functionality, so a small user count is not proof that the free version covers the full workflow.
Pricing and plan considerations
The official page lists a limited free version for one to three users. Annual pricing for one to forty users is shown at $1.50 per user per month; other bands and billing periods differ.
Compare entry prices without mistaking them for complete quotes
| Software / entry option | Published price or pricing basis | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Jodoo Free / Business | $0 platform plan; Business $12/user/month, annual billing | Free includes 5 users. Business starts at $60/month for 5 users. Confirm features needed by the full leave app. |
| Zoho People Essential HR | US$1.25/user/month, billed annually | Includes time-off management; advanced rules depend on the edition. |
| BambooHR Core | From $10/employee/month | Final pricing varies with employee count and the HR package. |
| Jibble Free | $0 entry plan for unlimited users | Free time tracking is not evidence that advanced PTO accrual and balances are included. |
| Breathe Core HR | Employee-band pricing | A UK HR package, not a like-for-like per-user leave-only quote. |
| Vacation Tracker Core / Complete | Per-user pricing with minimum charges and annual user tiers | Use the live calculator: hourly leave and accrual are Complete features. |
| Leave Dates | Current team quote not verified in this comparison | Check the vendor’s current team price; no estimated figure is substituted. |
| Timetastic Business / Pro | $1.50 / $2.50 per user/month displayed during review | Confirm regional currency and whether Pro or the separate rota product is needed. |
| Gusto | Required payroll/HR package | Leave is part of a wider purchase; check the plan for your policy types. |
| actiPLANS | Limited free edition for 1–3 users; annual 1–40-user band $1.50/user/month | The free edition has reduced functionality, not the full paid workflow. |
Prices are the figures displayed by the linked official pages when reviewed. Billing interval, region, taxes, minimums, and package changes can alter the total. No comparison here is a binding quote.
For illustration, 20 Business seats at Jodoo’s listed annual-billing rate equal $240 per month before tax. This is platform-seat arithmetic, not a quote for every leave feature. If a simple planner covers your whole requirement, a configurable platform may not be the lowest-cost choice.
For a zero-budget shortlist, compare Jibble’s entry plan, actiPLANS’ limited 1–3-user edition and Jodoo’s 5-user platform plan against the exact functions you need. A free account, a temporary full-feature evaluation and a free spreadsheet download are different offers.
Compare the rule, not just the feature name
- “Balance tracking”
- Ask whether pending requests reduce availability, when approvals post, and what a canceled booking restores. A displayed total can use a different definition from your policy.
- “Accrual”
- Check the earning schedule, service-date treatment, caps, proration, carryover, and expiry that you actually need. A manually entered annual allocation is not automatic accrual.
- “Calendar”
- Distinguish a dated availability list, a shared calendar, a synchronized calendar feed, and a shift planner with coverage constraints.
- “Approval workflow”
- Try a return for correction, an absent approver, a rejected cancellation, and a balance shortfall. These cases reveal more than one successful approval.
- “Employee access”
- Use separate employee, manager and HR logins. Check that each can see the right requests and cannot change another person’s allowance or approval.
Choose Jodoo when changing the process is the difficult part
A handover requirement changes
Suppose customer-support leave needs a named handover contact and the deadline for briefing them. A basic leave calendar can show the date, but it may not represent this additional decision in the way your team needs.
Keep the process connected
The Jodoo example includes this change: critical-work requests require a handover contact and a deadline no later than the leave start. Missing details or a late deadline prevent submission; the manager then sees the handover in the approval task. An administrator can adapt those fields and rules while keeping the same linked request, account, and booking process.
This flexibility comes with setup responsibility. The supplied app does not contain automatic accrual, a holiday engine, payroll posting, or statutory leave administration. Choose a specialist when those prebuilt capabilities are more important than adapting the surrounding work.
Explore the actual request and cancellation process →Price the complete process your team needs
- Count the right users
- Check employee, manager, administrator, minimum-seat, and inactive-user rules. A low per-user rate can still carry a minimum monthly charge.
- Match features to the plan
- Include hourly leave, accrual, substitute reviewers, integrations, exports, and any advanced calculation or automation capacity.
- Include the setup work
- Someone must reconcile opening balances, configure policy periods and members, review access, and run the exceptional cases before rollout.
If your immediate need is a simple register, start with the free Excel leave tracker →
Choosing leave management software
Which leave management software is best for a small team?
Start with the main difficulty. A dedicated planner is often a sensible shortlist when requests, balances, and a calendar cover the job. An HR suite fits when employee administration is part of the same purchase. Jodoo fits when the request, handover, and exception process needs your own fields and steps.
Is there free leave or PTO tracking software?
Some listed vendors offer free plans, but the user and feature limits differ. Jibble promotes a free entry plan, actiPLANS documents a limited one-to-three-user version, and Jodoo has a free platform plan. Do not assume any free plan includes every advanced policy, calculation, or automation shown in a demo.
Should I buy leave software separately from payroll?
If approved leave must flow directly into payroll, a native payroll connection may be decisive. If the immediate problem is collecting requests and coordinating decisions around an existing payroll system, a separate tool can still fit. Define which system owns the final paid hours and how corrections reach it.
What should I try before replacing a spreadsheet?
Use a part-day request, a wrong-period request, a returned correction, a rejected request, and both outcomes of a cancellation. Reconcile the resulting balance and check access with separate employee and manager accounts.
When is Jodoo not the strongest fit?
When automatic accrual, holiday calendars, statutory leave case management, medical certification, or payroll posting must work out of the box. The supplied Jodoo example focuses on configurable requests, decisions, balances from posted records, and the work around time away.