Rostering software for Australian cafés: what it actually costs

Most rostering tools in Australia charge per person. RosterPilot charges one flat price for a staff band. That difference shows up in summer, when a café puts more people on and wage cost is already the scary number.

Published prices, as of 23 August 2026

These are the figures the vendors published on that date. They are not a quote, they exclude extras such as SMS, and they can change. Open the source before you decide.

Product How it is billed Published figure
RosterPilot Flat monthly band 1–5 staff $10 · 6–15 $25 · 16–50 $35 · 51–100 $99 · 101+ contact us
Tanda All-in-One Per user / month $12.80 + GST per user, as published on 23 August 2026. Individual modules: request pricing.
RosterElf Core Per employee / month $8 monthly, or $6 billed annually, as published on 23 August 2026. GST extra. Monthly plans have a 3-staff minimum.
Deputy Core Per user / month $8.75 as published on 23 August 2026, excluding tax. AUD $30 monthly minimum on Lite, Core and Pro.
Deputy Core + published add-ons Per user / month Payroll $5 + HR $3.50 + Messaging+ $2.75 + Analytics+ $2.00, on top of Core $8.75, totals $22.00, as published on 23 August 2026.

Sources: Tanda pricing, RosterElf pricing, Deputy pricing. RosterPilot bands are the same figures checkout uses.

What a café actually pays at 5, 10 and 20 staff

Amounts below use the published monthly rates above, with no annual discount and no extras. Deputy Core uses $8.75. RosterElf Core uses $8. Tanda uses the All-in-One $12.80. RosterPilot uses the matching band.

Staff on the books RosterPilot RosterElf Core ($8) Deputy Core ($8.75) Tanda All-in-One ($12.80)
5 $10 $40 $43.75 $64
10 $25 $80 $87.50 $128
20 $35 $160 $175 $256

AUD per month. Deputy’s $30 minimum would lift a very small team on Core. RosterElf’s 3-staff monthly minimum does not change the 5-staff row.

Winter 8, summer 15

A café often carries about eight people through winter and fifteen over summer, plus a junior on a Saturday. On a per-person plan every extra name is billable, so the software bill rises in the same months wage cost is already high.

On RosterPilot both 8 and 15 sit in the 6–15 band, so the bill stays $25. Deputy Core at the published $8.75 moves from $70 to $131.25. RosterElf Core at $8 moves from $64 to $120. Tanda All-in-One at $12.80 moves from $102.40 to $192.

That is the whole argument. The software should not get more expensive because the café got busier.

What RosterPilot does not do

RosterPilot does not interpret the Award. It shows estimated wage cost from the pay rates you enter. If you need automatic Award interpretation, the tools above do that and RosterPilot does not.

Try the numbers with your own headcount

The cost calculator uses the same bands as checkout. RosterPilot has a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Start the free trial →

MRS KIM'S BBQ PTY LTD · ABN 90 613 150 708 · 179-181 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia · support@getrosterpilot.com