Tanda vs RosterElf: two Australian platforms, different centres of gravity
Both are Australian-built, both interpret modern awards and both sync to Xero — which rules out most of the usual comparison points. What actually separates them is which half of the job each was designed around.
Quick summary
Tanda is a time-and-attendance product that also rosters. RosterElf is a rostering product that also captures time. Both do the other half competently; the difference shows up in which half feels effortless.
- Choose Tanda if fixed time clocks and clock-in precision drive your payroll.
- Choose RosterElf if building and changing rosters is the daily work, and you want to trial it without a sales call.
- Both interpret Australian modern awards and sync natively to Xero and MYOB.
- Xero App Store: RosterElf 4.9/5 (93 reviews), Tanda 4.5/5 (51 reviews).
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| RosterElf Core | $8.00/user/month ($6.00 annual) |
| RosterElf Full Suite | $10.00/user/month ($7.00 annual) |
| Tanda Bundle (HR + Payroll + Workforce Management) | $12.80/user/month |
Tanda note: Only the bundled price is published. Individual module pricing for Payroll, Workforce Management and HR is quote-on-request. Tanda pricing last checked 2026-08-25. Software pricing moves, so confirm against Tanda's pricing page and ours before you decide.
The more useful question than headline rate is what you have to add to reach a working setup. Both vendors quote per user per month, so the unit is comparable — but check the GST basis before you compare the numbers directly, because Tanda's published bundle price is quoted plus GST.
Scores side by side
Our assessment across the five areas that matter most to shift-based employers. These are our reviewers' scores, not a vendor-neutral benchmark:
| Area | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Rostering & scheduling | 9.5/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Time & attendance | 9/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Timesheets & payroll | 9.5/10 | 7.6/10 |
| Communication | 8.5/10 | 6/10 |
| Mobile apps | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 |
| HR tools | 8.5/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics & reporting | 8/10 | 8.3/10 |
Where they actually differ
Most of the feature list is identical — both platforms roster, clock staff in, interpret awards and export to payroll. Below are the 3 assessed features where one platform has something the other does not. Everything else is a tie, and a tie is not a reason to switch.
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Unfilled shift alerts Rostering & scheduling features | Dashboard alerts for unfilled shifts | Limited unfilled shift visibility |
| Read receipts Communication features | See when messages have been read | No read receipts |
| Manager-only channels Communication features | Manager-only communication channels | Limited manager-only channels |
Full feature comparison
The complete assessment behind the scores above. Same criteria we apply to every platform we review, so these rows are comparable with our Deputy, Connecteam and Employment Hero comparisons.
Rostering & scheduling features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop roster builder | Full drag-and-drop roster builder with calendar view | Team-based roster view with drag-and-drop |
| Staff availability rules | Staff availability shown inline on roster | Staff availability tracking available |
| Shift conflict warnings | Automatic conflict detection with visual alerts | Some conflict detection |
| Unfilled shift alerts | Dashboard alerts for unfilled shifts | Limited unfilled shift visibility |
| Multi-location support | Full multi-location support with location views | Multi-location support via teams |
| Shift templates | Save and reuse shift templates | Shift templates available |
| Publish and notify staff | One-click publish with push/SMS/email notifications | Publish rosters with notifications |
| Manager override | Manager can override all rules when needed | Manager controls available |
Time & attendance features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| GPS clock-in | GPS location verification on clock-in | Strong GPS and geofencing clock-in |
| Photo verification | Optional photo verification to prevent buddy punching | Photo verification available |
| Tablet kiosk mode | Dedicated tablet kiosk mode for shared devices | Time clock kiosk mode |
| Device restrictions | Lock clock-ins to specific devices/locations | Device lockdown options |
| Unscheduled clock-in detection | Alerts when staff clock in for unrostered shifts | Detects unscheduled clock-ins |
| Timesheet approval workflow | Manager approval workflow before payroll | Manager timesheet approval workflow |
| Break enforcement | Award-based break rules automatically enforced | Break enforcement rules |
Timesheets & payroll features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Timesheets from clock data | Timesheets auto-generated from clock data | Timesheets from clock data |
| Xero integration | Native Xero integration with pay item mapping | Native Xero integration |
| MYOB integration | Native MYOB integration | MYOB integration available |
| Australian award interpretation | Built-in Australian award interpretation | Australian award interpretation |
| Overtime & penalty rates | Automatic penalty rate calculations | Penalty rate configuration |
| Payroll export | Export-ready files for any payroll system | Payroll export options |
| Pay run preview | Preview pay calculations before finalising | Pay preview available |
Communication features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| In-app messaging | Direct and group messaging in app | Basic messaging available |
| Shift notifications | Automatic notifications for all shift changes | Shift notifications |
| Read receipts | See when messages have been read | No read receipts |
| Announcements | Company-wide broadcast messages | Announcements available |
| Manager-only channels | Manager-only communication channels | Limited manager-only channels |
Mobile app features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| iOS app | Native iOS app for iPhone | Tanda iOS app |
| Android app | Native Android app | Tanda Android app |
| Employee self-service | Full self-service for rosters, leave, swaps | Self-service via app |
| Mobile manager approvals | Approve timesheets and requests on mobile | Mobile approvals |
| Offline clock-in | Requires internet connection for clock-in | Requires internet connection |
HR features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Digital employment contracts | Send and sign contracts digitally (HR Hub) | HR onboarding on higher plans |
| Policy acknowledgements | Track policy sign-offs (HR Hub) | Policy management on higher plans |
| Certificate & licence tracking | Track licence/cert expiry dates (HR Hub) | Qualification tracking |
| Compliance reminders | Automatic expiry reminders (HR Hub) | Compliance notifications |
| Document storage | Secure employee document storage (HR Hub) | Employee document storage |
| No payroll lock-in | Use any payroll provider | Works with various payroll systems |
Analytics & reporting features
| Feature | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Labour cost reporting | Track costs by location/department | Labour cost reporting |
| Attendance reports | Punctuality and attendance analysis | Attendance analytics |
| Overtime analysis | Overtime and penalty rate analysis | Overtime reporting |
| CSV export | Export all reports to CSV/Excel | Data export options |
| Custom filters | Filter by date, location, department, employee | Strong report filtering |
Rostering & scheduling
Tanda rosters by team with drag-and-drop, availability tracking, shift templates and publish notifications — a complete set. The gap we found is unfilled-shift visibility: Tanda gives limited warning when a published roster still has holes, which is exactly the failure that costs you on the day.
RosterElf surfaces unfilled shifts and conflicts as first-class alerts because rostering is the primary product surface rather than a companion to the time clock. If you rebuild your roster weekly against changing availability, that difference compounds. See rostering software for how it works in practice.
Time & attendance
This is Tanda's strongest area, and the narrowest gap between the two platforms in our assessment — 8.5/10 against RosterElf's 9/10. Geofenced clock-in, photo verification, device lockdown, unscheduled clock-in detection and break enforcement are all present and mature. If you are choosing Tanda, this is why.
RosterElf covers the same ground — GPS, photo, kiosk, device restrictions, approval and break enforcement — and scores marginally higher overall in our assessment. Neither platform offers offline clock-in, so if your sites have unreliable connectivity, test that scenario on both before committing. Our time and attendance page covers the detail.
Awards & payroll
Both interpret Australian modern awards and both export natively to Xero and MYOB — which, again, rules out the comparison most articles lead with. What differs is depth of published evidence: RosterElf publishes public pay-rate guides for 36 modern awards, with live rate tables on 35 of them sourced from the Fair Work pay guides, so you can check the figures against your own before you buy. Start with the award rate guides.
On the Xero side specifically, see our Xero integration and the rostering software buying guide, which puts both platforms against the same criteria.
User ratings
| Platform | RosterElf | Tanda |
|---|---|---|
| Xero App Store | 4.9/5 (93) | 4.5/5 (51) |
| 4.8/5 (180) | 4/5 (100) | |
| Capterra | 4.3/5 (30) | 4.6/5 (100) |
Read the Xero row as the most relevant one for this decision — every reviewer there was rating the product specifically as a Xero integration. Our full Tanda review goes deeper on where its users report friction.
Our review methodology
Learn how we evaluate workforce management platforms through hands-on testing and verified user feedback.
Feature comparisons are checked against each vendor's public documentation at the time of writing. Assessments of usability, fit and value are our reviewers' opinions, not statements of fact, and products change often. We'd encourage you to trial both platforms and judge for yourself. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it .
Which should you choose?
Pick Tanda if
- Clock-in precision across fixed sites is what drives your pay run
- You want exception-based timesheet approval rather than reviewing every shift
- You are comfortable with a sales-led onboarding process
Pick RosterElf if
- Building and reshuffling rosters is the daily job
- You need unfilled-shift alerts, read receipts or manager-only channels — the three assessed features Tanda lacks
- You want to trial it yourself for 15 days without booking a demo
Test it against one real pay period
The only comparison that settles this is running your own roster and one pay period through both. RosterElf's trial takes minutes to start and needs no sales call.
Start free trialSee the difference on your own roster
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Tanda vs RosterElf FAQ
- Both interpret Australian modern awards, which already puts them ahead of most international platforms. Tanda scores well and is a genuinely capable award engine. RosterElf is built narrowly around award-covered shift work and publishes its own pay-rate guides for 36 modern awards, so award accuracy is the product rather than a module within it. If awards are the reason you are shopping, trial both against one real pay period.
- Tanda publishes Bundle (HR + Payroll + Workforce Management) at $12.8/user/month. RosterElf is $8.00 per user per month on Core and $10.00 on Full Suite, dropping to $6.00 and $7.00 on annual billing. Check both vendors' current pricing pages before deciding — published figures move.
- Yes. Tanda is Australian-founded and Australian-based, as is RosterElf. For award-covered employers that matters more than it sounds — it means both vendors build against Fair Work instruments as a first-class concern rather than retrofitting them, and both offer support inside Australian hours.
- Yes, natively, and it is well rated for it — 4.5/5 across 51 reviews on the Xero App Store. RosterElf sits at 4.9/5 across 93 reviews. If Xero is central to your decision, our Xero integration page sets out what actually reaches Xero Payroll.