Deputy pricing teardown

Tier structure

Psychological anchors

• Recommended plan badge — Core is labeled 'Most popular' in the verified data and page text, acting as the decoy/anchor to push users away from Lite and toward the mid-tier.
• Annual discount toggle — A 'Save 10%' annual/monthly toggle is prominently displayed at the top of the pricing section, with annual prices shown by default to make plans appear cheaper.
• Charm pricing — Prices use non-round figures ($5, $6.50, $9) that feel calculated and competitive rather than premium-rounded, signaling value orientation.
• Add-on upsell layer — Four paid add-ons (Payroll, HR, Messaging+, Analytics+) are listed with their own pricing, extending revenue potential beyond the base seat price and creating expansion anchors.
• Minimum monthly spend floor — A $30/month minimum spend (from Sept 2025) is disclosed in the FAQ, acting as a soft floor that nudges very small teams toward committing to a meaningful spend level.
• Enterprise/custom tier as soft anchor — A 'Contact us' option for additional customization is present below the three tiers, implying a higher-priced tier exists without publishing a price, anchoring Pro as the visible ceiling.
• Free trial as entry anchor — Both Lite and Core offer 'Start free trial' CTAs with no credit card required, lowering the barrier to entry and anchoring the funnel at the product experience.
• Social proof volume anchor — '390,000 happy customers' and '#1 workforce management solution' claims are used near the CTA section to reduce purchase anxiety.

What this page is optimizing for

This page is primarily optimized for self-serve conversion among SMB and mid-market buyers, evidenced by free trial CTAs on two of three tiers, transparent per-seat pricing, and a detailed feature comparison table. A secondary enterprise lead-gen motion exists via the 'Contact us' CTA on Pro and the custom solutions prompt, but it feels bolted on rather than architecturally intentional.

Red flags

• The price range from Lite ($5) to Pro ($9) is less than 2x, which creates weak financial upgrade urgency — users have little monetary incentive to stay on Lite vs. jumping to Pro.
• Pro tier uses a 'Contact us' CTA instead of 'Start free trial,' which breaks the self-serve flow and may cause drop-off for buyers who expect instant access at this price point.
• The annual discount is only 10%, below the 17–20% industry norm, reducing the incentive to commit annually and potentially hurting cash flow predictability.
• The minimum monthly spend of $30 (disclosed only in the FAQ) is a hidden friction point that could surprise very small teams and erode trust if discovered post-signup.
• Billing edge cases (full-month charges for mid-month adds/archives, no refunds on annual cancellations) are buried in the FAQ and could create negative surprises that damage retention.
• No user/seat minimums are stated on the plan cards themselves, making it hard for buyers to self-qualify without reading the FAQ.
• The add-on pricing layer (4 add-ons with separate per-user fees plus a $49 base fee for Payroll) adds complexity that could confuse buyers trying to estimate total cost.

Best-practices scorecard