Brandwave

Deputy vs Xero:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Xero had more branded searches than Deputy among rostering and payroll software in Australia. Xero had about 1,900 branded searches, while Deputy had 1,600. Xero made up 0.85% of all rostering and payroll software searches we track, and Deputy accounted for 0.71%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about rostering and payroll software, Xero appeared in all five answers and Deputy in four. Deputy was mentioned before Xero in four out of five answers.

Among rostering and payroll software in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Xero, about 19% more searches than Deputy

Xero 1.9K searchesDeputy 1.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Xero, mentioned in every answer we collected

Xero in 5 of 5Deputy in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Deputy, named ahead of Xero in 4 of 5 answers

Deputy first in 4Xero first in 1

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Top rostering and payroll software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Xero appeared in all five answers. Deputy was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Deputy was listed before Xero in four out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Deputy1st
  2. Tanda2nd
  3. Employment Hero3rd
  4. RosterElf4th
  5. Xero5th
  6. MYOB6th
  7. Payroller7th
  8. Connecteam8th
  9. Humanforce–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Xero5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • MYOB5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Employment Hero4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tanda4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • RosterElf4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Deputy4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Payroller2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Connecteam1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Humanforce0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about rostering and payroll software

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 22, 2026.

Is Deputy or Xero more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Deputy and Xero by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine rostering and payroll software we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Deputy and Xero among rostering and payroll software in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Xero, Deputy. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthEmployment HeroTandaPayrollerConnecteamHumanforceRosterElfXeroDeputyMYOB
Oct 202551.8%27.3%8%4.4%5.3%1.3%0.71%0.83%0.39%
Nov 202552%27.4%8%5.4%4.4%1.1%0.71%0.83%0.26%
Dec 202551.7%27%7.9%5.3%5.3%1.3%0.69%0.78%0.25%
Jan 202651.9%27.2%8%5.4%4.4%1.3%0.84%0.76%0.26%
Feb 202651.9%27.2%8%5.4%4.4%1.3%0.71%0.76%0.32%
Mar 202656%24.2%7.1%4.7%4.7%1.4%0.74%0.78%0.34%
Apr 202652.3%27.5%8.1%4.4%4.4%1.3%0.72%0.84%0.32%
May 202656.2%24.2%7.1%4.8%4.8%1.1%0.75%0.74%0.28%
Jun 202655.4%23.8%8.6%4.7%4.7%0.93%0.93%0.68%0.34%
Jul 202654.4%23.4%10.3%4.6%4.6%0.91%0.72%0.61%0.34%
Aug 202655.4%24%8.6%4.7%4.7%1.1%0.62%0.62%0.28%
Sep 202652.5%27.4%8.1%4.4%4.4%1.3%0.85%0.71%0.26%

Xero sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “xero payroll”.

How has the Deputy and Xero comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Xero took it in January 2026, Deputy took it in February 2026, Xero took it in May 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Deputy’s share of searches among rostering and payroll software in Australia moved from 0.83% to 0.71%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.9K to 1.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xero’s share of searches among rostering and payroll software in Australia moved from 0.71% to 0.85%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.6K to 1.9K.

How did search popularity change for Australia rostering and payroll software in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Xero rose from 8th to 7th among rostering and payroll software in Australia.

  2. In September 2026, Deputy fell from 7th to 8th among rostering and payroll software in Australia.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Deputy’s and Xero’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Deputy

3 branded search terms

  • deputy app
  • deputy roster
  • deputy rostering

Xero

1 branded search term

  • xero payroll

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among rostering and payroll software

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