# Deputy vs Connecteam: which do AI models recommend for workforce scheduling, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Workforce scheduling. Five of twelve models named Deputy first on the direct prompt; zero named Connecteam. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/core/workforce-scheduling/deputy-vs-connecteam/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy | 26% | #1 of 9 | 0% | 26 | 11 of 12 |
| Connecteam | 9% | #4 of 9 | 4% | 25 | 10 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Perplexity Sonar: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Rippling, Workforce.com)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Connecteam, Jobber, When I Work, Workforce.com)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Humanity, Rippling, TimeTrex)
- Kimi K2: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Humanity, When I Work)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Connecteam, Humanity, TimeTrex, When I Work, Workforce.com, Zoho People)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: Connecteam, Homebase, When I Work)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Assembled) (alternatives: Calendly, Chili Piper, Deputy, Float, RevenueHero, Rippling, Runn)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: ADP Workforce Now, Rippling) (alternatives: Connecteam, Deputy)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Paycor, TimeTrex) (alternatives: 7shifts, Buddy Punch, Connecteam)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: TimeTrex) (alternatives: Deputy, Humanity, ScheduleAnywhere, When I Work)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Paycor) (alternatives: Buddy Punch, Sling, UKG Pro)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: TimeTrex)

## What the models said about Deputy

- "1. Deputy (Best Overall Balance) ... Deputy strikes the best balance between sophisticated feature sets (like AI forecasting) and user-friendly design." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend Deputy if you have multiple locations or compliance needs, or Connecteam if you have deskless/field workers" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Look at Homebase, Deputy, or When I Work\u2014these are entirely different tools from the booking apps above." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Connecteam

- "strongest for deskless, field, or mobile-heavy teams, but it may be more than you need if your workforce is not frontline-heavy" (Perplexity Sonar, direct prompt, soft negative)
- "or Connecteam if you have deskless/field workers and want an all-in-one solution. Both are specifically rated highly for mid-market companies" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.