TimeOff vs Calamari
Manage PTO accruals, approval steps and team coverage in one place—with personal help getting started.
Every TimeOff feature. $1.50 per user / month. Compare pricing
No annual commitment. No minimum seat purchase.
People on leave report
TimeOff vs Calamari
From requesting PTO and checking balances to viewing team availability and reporting on leave, both TimeOff and Calamari’s Time Off module cover these everyday tasks.
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
| Core leave-management feature | TimeOff. | Calamari Time Off module Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked |
|---|---|---|
| Employee leave requests and manager approvals | Included | Included |
| Employee PTO balances | Included | Included |
| Custom leave types Vacation, sick and unpaid leave | Included | Included |
| Shared team calendar showing who is away | Included | Included |
| PTO accruals and carry-over | Included | Included |
| Leave measured in hours or days | Included | Included |
| Public holiday calendars | Included | Included |
| Leave reporting and data export | Included CSV exports | Included Excel / PDF exports |
“Included” confirms that the capability is available. Configuration options, workflows and integrations differ between products. Calamari’s Time Off module is available separately; the wider HR suite is not required.
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
Next, test your accruals, working schedules, coverage limits and approval steps. Then compare the workflow and subscription that suit your team.
Different people. Different PTO policies.
Not everyone receives PTO in the same way. One employee group may receive its annual balance upfront, while another accrues it through scheduled releases.
TimeOff supports both approaches. Set a release schedule for the relevant employees and let them see what is available to book.
When a correction is needed, record an individual adjustment with a comment explaining it. For example, an employee could receive the equivalent of 10 hours of PTO each month, with each release recorded in their schedule.
See how PTO becomes available
Illustrative example22 available − 2 requested = 20 hours remaining
Two illustrative 120-hour annual policies: 1.25 days (10 hours) released monthly, or 15 days (120 hours) upfront. Eight-hour standard day; 8 hours already used; no carry-over or adjustments. This is a preview, not a real request.
Released PTO and the remaining balance, together.
Explore hourly PTOCount working time, not calendar days
A standard Monday-to-Friday calendar does not describe every employee’s working pattern.
TimeOff supports individual weekly schedules and repeating day-based cycles, such as four days on, four days off. Add a new pattern from its effective date when someone’s schedule changes.
A request spanning working and non-working days uses PTO for the scheduled working time, not every calendar day. The PTO allowance is set separately; the schedule determines how much a request deducts.
Leave follows the working pattern
Illustrative exampleRequested range: all 8 calendar days
Deducted from allowance
32 hours
Illustrative calculation: eight-hour standard day, four eight-hour workdays then four days off, no public holidays. This calculates usage, not entitlement.
Workdays count. Days off do not.
Working schedule guideProtect the roles your team relies on
Set a maximum number of people who can be away or a minimum number who must remain. Apply coverage rules to departments, locations, tagged groups or named employees.
For example, require at least two senior customer support specialists to remain available across departments. With blocking enabled, a request that would take the group below that minimum is automatically blocked before approval.
Pending requests count towards the limit too. Prefer a warning? Let the request proceed with a note for the approver instead.
Check coverage before approval
Illustrative exampleAll four tagged employees work on the same example day, across two departments. This is an employee booking.
Pending requests count towards the limit.
View coverage settingsOne request. Two decisions.
Keep routine vacation requests with the manager, and add HR review for selected leave types.
TimeOff’s two-tier approval lets you choose whether the manager or the second reviewer goes first. For example, vacation could need one decision, while unpaid leave needs both the manager and HR.
A request with two reviewers
Illustrative exampleTry the example: the request needs both decisions.
One request. Two decisions. A clear order.
View approval optionsA real workflow difference
Choose how employees will check balances, make requests and review them—not only which features appear on a list.
TimeOff.Management
Balances, requests and approvals stay together in TimeOff. Calendar subscriptions can display leave in Google Calendar and Outlook.
Calendar feeds display leave; requests and approvals remain in TimeOff.
Calamari
Calamari supports time-off requests, approvals and leave-status updates directly in Slack. That is a meaningful advantage when your team wants to stay in Slack.
Calamari also provides web access and native Android and iOS apps. Slack is an option, not a requirement.
Sources: Slack integration (opens in a new tab) · web and mobile access (opens in a new tab) · checked
Personal help, from the start
Bring your current policies to a demo. Work through the accrual schedule, approval order and coverage rules with someone who knows TimeOff, then test the setup during your trial.
“I appreciate the rapid response of your support team at TimeOff. They were knowledgeable and polite.”
Talk through when PTO is released, who reviews requests and which coverage rules matter.
Explore the settings with someone who knows TimeOff.
Check typical requests and balances during your 30-day trial.
One plan. Every TimeOff feature.
$1.50 per user
per month
Accruals, repeating work schedules, two-tier approvals and coverage rules. Every TimeOff feature, with monthly billing.
A smaller team?
For five employees, TimeOff is $7.50 per month. Calamari’s minimum is $25 on monthly billing, or $240 paid yearly ($20 per month equivalent).
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
Calamari also offers monthly billing. Its 10-seat minimum is a minimum charge, not a requirement to employ 10 people. This comparison covers its Time Off module, not the full HR suite.
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
Your team’s comparison
USD · both billing optionsInteractive examples need JavaScript. The pricing shown below is the comparison for 50 paid users.
$50 less per month
with TimeOff than Calamari Time Off billed monthly, for 50 paid users.
Compared with Calamari’s annual option, which is paid yearly, TimeOff is $25 less per month on an equivalent basis.
Standard USD rates before applicable taxes, optional add-ons or discounts. Same headcount; selected PTO requirements, not identical product packages.
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
Calamari’s annual rate is $2 per user per month equivalent, billed as a yearly payment, with a 10-seat minimum charge. Include active administrators and managers in its paid-user count.
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
Common questions
Calamari’s pricing page lists its Time Off module at $2.50 per user per month billed monthly, or $2 per user per month billed yearly, with a minimum charge equal to 10 seats (checked 30 September 2026). TimeOff costs $1.50 per user per month, billed monthly, with no minimum and every feature included.
Source: Calamari pricing (opens in a new tab) · checked
Yes. An allowance can be available in full from the start of the leave year, or released in instalments, such as monthly, by an accrued allowance schedule assigned to selected employees. Employees see what is available to book, and an individual adjustment corrects one person’s balance.
Yes. Give an employee a weekly schedule or a repeating cycle of days, starting from the date it takes effect. A request is deducted for the scheduled working time it covers, so the days off in the cycle cost nothing.
Yes. A Restrict leave overlap policy sets a minimum number present, or a maximum number away, for a department, location, tag or named employees. Pending requests count, and you choose whether a request over the limit is blocked or allowed with a warning for the approver.
No. TimeOff is a web app, on desktop or mobile. Calendar feeds show approved leave in Google Calendar or Outlook, while requests and approvals stay in TimeOff. If requesting and approving leave inside Slack matters most to your team, Calamari offers that, according to its Slack integration page (checked 30 September 2026).
Source: Calamari Slack integration (opens in a new tab) · checked
Check a balance release, book time off against a rotating schedule and test a coverage limit. See how TimeOff handles your requirements before deciding whether to switch.
Full feature access. No credit card required. Cancel anytime.
Calamari refers to Calamari.io. This page compares selected PTO capabilities with Calamari’s standalone Time Off module, not its full HR offering. Prices are standard USD rates before taxes, add-ons or discounts; Calamari’s monthly and annual billing are both shown, and an annual monthly-equivalent figure is not a monthly payment. Features, plans and prices may change. The interactive examples use fictitious data and are illustrations of the stated rules, not exact reproductions of the application. The customer review is general feedback about TimeOff, not evidence of a switch from Calamari.
Calamari’s published documentation
TimeOff documentation
