Overview

Day Off is leave and PTO administration software for organizations that want employee requests, balances and approval rules in one system. It is a strong fit for teams standardizing leave policies across common workplace tools, but not for employers whose requirements depend on industry-specific compliance.

Its central advantage is the combination of configurable accruals, approval routing and an API, with a free tier for small teams and paid plans that scale by seat. The main trade-off is that the lowest paid tier has a $20 monthly minimum, even though its per-seat price is modest.

Key features

Employee profiles, leave balances, requests and approvals share a central workspace, while employee self-service gives staff a route to submit and manage leave requests. That makes Day Off relevant to HR teams replacing fragmented tracking, though the value depends on whether its policy controls match the organization’s rules.

Leave policies support automated accrual and carryover, with weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly schedules. Administrators can assign multiple approvers; one-step approvals can be handled instantly. The combination supports routine policy administration without requiring every request to follow the same approval path.

Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations connect leave workflows to familiar tools. A public API can retrieve and manage employee, leave and company data using custom API keys with names and expiration dates. That is a useful option for teams connecting internal systems, while API access alone does not establish that a particular integration is already available.

Day Off says it encrypts data in transit and at rest, and that its web and mobile apps use HTTPS/SSL with 256-bit encryption. Its hosting provider is described as AICPA, SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 Type II certified. Daily encrypted backups across diverse locations have a stated 24-hour recovery point objective. The company also says it follows PCI DSS for payments and uses Stripe to encrypt payment data. These measures may matter to security reviews, but the service terms say it is not tailored to industry-specific regulations such as HIPAA and FISMA.

Pricing

The Basic Forever free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and is capped at 10 users and 10 employees. It includes calendar view, customizable leave types, one-step approval and management reports. It is a practical starting point for a small team with straightforward approval needs, but it does not include the advanced leave types, work schedules or integrations specified for Pro.

Pro costs 2.00 USD per seat per month, with a $20/month minimum, and unlimited employees. It adds advanced leave types and work schedules, bulk actions and integrations. The 30-day free trial applies to Pro, and annual payment saves 17%. The minimum means teams with fewer than 10 paid seats still face a $20 monthly floor.

Pro + Time Tracker costs 3.00 USD per seat per month, with a $30/month minimum. It includes task tracking, clock in/out, projects, tasks and clients, detailed and summary reports, and attendance review; annual payment saves 17%. This is the relevant tier when teams need time and attendance functions alongside leave management, rather than a separate time-tracking product.

Platforms

Day Off is available on web, Android and iOS, and offers an API. Mobile access gives employees and administrators a way to work beyond the desktop, while the API supports custom connections. Support resources include a knowledge base, FAQ and contact support.

Who it's for

Day Off suits HR teams that need shared leave records, configurable accrual schedules and flexible approvals, particularly when calendar and collaboration integrations or API access matter. The free plan is sized for small teams; organizations needing unlimited employees and advanced policies should compare Pro’s monthly minimum against their paid-seat count. Employers with HIPAA, FISMA or comparable industry-specific compliance requirements should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: Automated accrual and carryover schedules accommodate several common policy cycles, reducing the need to track each cycle manually.
Pros: Multiple approvers and one-step approvals support both routed review and quick decisions.
Pros: Calendar, Slack and Teams integrations plus a public API give teams multiple ways to connect leave data to existing workflows.
Cons: The free plan stops at 10 users and 10 employees, so growing teams must move to a paid tier.
Cons: Pro and Pro + Time Tracker have $20 and $30 monthly minimums, respectively, which can outweigh the per-seat rate for small paid teams.
Cons: The service is not tailored to industry-specific regulations such as HIPAA and FISMA, ruling it out for some regulated use cases.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Leave Management Software.

BookYourPTO is another freemium leave-management option with a free plan and API, iOS and web support. Choose it when that platform is a better fit for your team’s requirements.

OtisIO offers Android, iOS, web and API access, with a free plan for up to 10 users, one site and 1 GB of storage that includes rotas, time clock and tasks. It is a better match when those scheduling and time tools are the priority.

Passman is free and open source, with self-hosted and extension options alongside web and mobile platforms. Consider it when those deployment and licensing characteristics fit better.

Shiftbase has a free plan for up to 15 employees, one department and five teams. It may suit a team whose free-tier employee allowance and department structure are a closer match.

Keka combines core HR, time tracking, payroll and employee self-service in its Foundation plan. Consider it when a broader HRMS and payroll scope matters more than a leave-focused tool.

Calamari is a paid leave-management option with a yearly Time Off rate of 2.50 USD per month and a 10-seat minimum. It may fit teams prepared for a paid-only service and that seat threshold.

Deltek Maconomy is an enterprise ERP for professional services firms, with pricing by demo request. It is the more relevant direction when an enterprise services ERP is the requirement.

Vacation Tracker offers paid Core and Complete plans billed yearly. Compare it when its plan structure better fits your leave-management needs.

Verdict

Day Off is a compelling choice for HR teams that want configurable leave administration, multiple approval paths and practical integration options, with a free starting tier and a separate time-tracking plan. Its API and accrual controls are the strongest reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if the paid minimums do not suit a small team or if industry-specific compliance is essential.

	Day Off	PurelyHR
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	$2/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	—
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	2 /user/mo	—
Approval workflows	Yes	Yes
Accrual rules	custom	custom
Mobile apps	Yes	No
Payroll integrations	Yes	Yes
Employee self-service	Yes	Yes

Day Off vs PurelyHR

Day Off

PurelyHR