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Comparison · HR

Deputy vs Envoy

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Deputy and Envoy — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Deputy vs Envoy: at a glance

FeatureDeputyEnvoy
SectorHRHR
Velocity score0.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themespermissions, payroll-compliance, workforce-scheduling, access-controlworkplace-safety, threat-monitoring, hris-sync, duty-of-care
Last editorial update1d ago3d ago
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What is Deputy?

Deputy is hardening pay-data permissions while Australian super rules claim release slots.

Deputy's recent work splits between access control and Australian payroll compliance. A rebuilt access-level system in late April introduced custom roles with finer-grained control over what people can see and do, followed in June by permissions that restrict visibility of pay rates and labour costs. July's release adapted Deputy Payroll to PayDay Super, the Australian employer reporting requirement. Scheduling picked up one visible change: the open/empty shift row can be pinned while managers scroll.

Read the full Deputy trajectory →

What is Envoy?

Envoy moves from managing who enters the office to tracking what threatens the people inside it.

Envoy's core is still workplace operations — visitor sign-in, desks, badge printing, floor plans — and the recent window kept widening the inputs to it: HRIS directory sync with Workday, BambooHR, ADP and Paylocity, Deliveries in the Developer API, exportable floor plans. On August 7 it shipped three releases at once under a new Response line: Threat Intelligence, remote worker safety, and executive/VIP protection. The directory sync it built three weeks earlier is what makes that line function, since employee addresses are the data the threat map runs on.

Read the full Envoy trajectory →

Deputy vs Envoy: editorial side-by-side

Deputy logo0.0

Deputy is hardening pay-data permissions while Australian super rules claim release slots.

◆ Current state

Deputy's recent work splits between access control and Australian payroll compliance. A rebuilt access-level system in late April introduced custom roles with finer-grained control over what people can see and do, followed in June by permissions that restrict visibility of pay rates and labour costs. July's release adapted Deputy Payroll to PayDay Super, the Australian employer reporting requirement. Scheduling picked up one visible change: the open/empty shift row can be pinned while managers scroll.

◆ Where it's heading

Permissions are the throughline — custom roles first, then sensitive pay data placed behind them — which is the shape of a product answering harder questions from larger, multi-site customers. Compliance work anchors Deputy to the Australian market its payroll product serves, and that regulatory calendar will keep taking release capacity. Scheduling itself, the core surface, is getting refinement rather than rethinking. The feed also carries the same release twice under slightly different titles, so apparent cadence runs ahead of actual shipping.

◆ Prediction

Expect further permission scoping across cost and pay surfaces, and follow-up work as PayDay Super reporting beds in. The entries show nothing about roadmap outside Australia and scheduling.

E6.3

Envoy moves from managing who enters the office to tracking what threatens the people inside it.

◆ Current state

Envoy's core is still workplace operations — visitor sign-in, desks, badge printing, floor plans — and the recent window kept widening the inputs to it: HRIS directory sync with Workday, BambooHR, ADP and Paylocity, Deliveries in the Developer API, exportable floor plans. On August 7 it shipped three releases at once under a new Response line: Threat Intelligence, remote worker safety, and executive/VIP protection. The directory sync it built three weeks earlier is what makes that line function, since employee addresses are the data the threat map runs on.

◆ Where it's heading

The through-line is Envoy converting the workplace record it already holds — who works here, where they sit, which building they badge into — into an operational safety layer. Each integration release widens the input side; the Response launch is the first product built to consume it. The Developer API additions point the same way, positioning Envoy as the system of record other tools query rather than a kiosk app.

◆ Prediction

Expect Response to deepen before it broadens: the entries describe monitoring, mapping, and notification but not escalation, so alerting rules and follow-through workflows are the obvious next additions. How it is packaged and priced against the core workplace product is not visible in these releases.

Alternatives to Deputy and Envoy

Other HR products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Deputy or Envoy.

See all Deputy alternatives → · See all Envoy alternatives →

Recent activity from Deputy and Envoy

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 4d agoEnvoyExecutive/VIP protection
  2. 4d agoEnvoyRemote worker safety
  3. 4d agoEnvoyThreat intelligence
  4. 15d agoEnvoyManage Deliveries with new endpoints in the Developer API
  5. 25d agoEnvoyTroubleshoot your Wi-Fi connected printer
  6. 25d agoEnvoyConnect HR software to Envoy & power your employee directory
  7. 1mo agoDeputyPayDay Super for Deputy Payroll
  8. 2mo agoDeputySensitive Data Permissions for Pay Rates
  9. 3mo agoDeputyCustom Access Levels
  10. 3mo agoDeputyCustom access levels
  11. 3mo agoDeputyFreeze Empty/Open Shift Row in Schedule Employee Views
  12. 4mo agoDeputyOpen/empty shift row can be pinned in schedule views

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Deputy and Envoy?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Envoy is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Deputy better than Envoy?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Envoy is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other HR products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Deputy?

Top Deputy alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Deputy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/deputy for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Envoy?

Top Envoy alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Envoy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/envoy for the full list with editorial commentary on each.