RosterMate vs Connecteam
Connecteam is the "everything app" for deskless teams — and its free plan is genuinely brilliant for micro teams. But once you're past 10 staff, its per-hub USD pricing adds up fast for NZ businesses. Here's an honest, side-by-side look at pricing, NZ payroll and features, so you can pick the right tool for your team.
Feature and pricing comparison for New Zealand businesses, from each company's public pages as of July 2026.
| RosterMate | Connecteam | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $8 NZD flat per employee — all features included | Per hub: base fee per hub/month (Basic US$29 · Advanced US$49 · Expert US$99 annual) for first 30 users, extra users on top |
| Billing currency | NZD | USD — NZD cost moves with the exchange rate |
| Free tier | No free tier — 30-day free trial | Genuinely free up to 10 users, all features — Connecteam wins here |
| All features for one price | Yes — no modules or hubs | Scheduling, chat and HR are 3 separate hubs, each with its own base fee |
| Roster builder & templates | Yes | Yes |
| AI auto-rostering | Yes — AI Auto-Roster | Yes — true auto-scheduling |
| GPS clock-in with geofencing | Yes, incl. facial verification — every plan | Yes, but live GPS tracking beyond 10 users needs Expert (US$99+/mo) |
| Leave management | NZ Holidays Act native, incl. alternative & family violence leave | Time-off yes; no NZ Holidays Act engine |
| NZ payroll integrations | Xero NZ, PayHero, Smartly, Crystal + iPayroll export | Xero only — no allowances support (manual in pay run); others US-centric |
| IRD payday filing & NZ bank batch files | Built in | No — no native payroll |
| Training courses & employee recognition | No — Connecteam wins here | Yes — courses, recognition, documents (HR & Skills hub) |
| Event staffing with shift bidding & waitlists | Yes | No |
| NZ-based support | Yes — phone answered directly, free setup & training | Global support teams; no NZ office |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | 14 days, no credit card (plus free plan ≤10 users) |
| Reviews | — | Capterra 4.7/5 (review counts vary by region, as of Jul 2026) |
Connecteam pricing and features from connecteam.com public pages and third-party reviews as of 5 July 2026 (USD pricing shown; annual per-hub base fees for the first 30 users, extra users charged on top; NZD conversions approximate and move with the exchange rate). Connecteam is a trademark of its owner. Always confirm current pricing with the vendor.
Example: a café, retail store or trades crew with 20 rostered staff, needing scheduling, a time clock and team chat. (Under 10 users? Connecteam is free — genuinely.)
No product is best for everyone. Here's where Connecteam is strong, and where RosterMate makes more sense.
Choose Connecteam if…
- You have 10 or fewer staff — the free Small Business Plan includes all hubs and features, and it's genuinely one of the best free deals in the category
- You want an "everything app" — training courses, employee recognition, document storage and checklists on top of scheduling and chat
- You value a polished, highly-rated mobile app — Connecteam sits at 4.7/5 on Capterra with a huge global review base
- You need a true auto-scheduling engine and don't need NZ payroll depth or IRD filing
Choose RosterMate if…
- You're past 10 staff and don't want to buy 2–3 separate hubs in USD — one flat NZD price covers everything
- You want NZ payroll done properly: Xero NZ, PayHero, Smartly, Crystal and built-in IRD payday filing with NZ bank batch files
- You need leave handled under the Holidays Act — alternative leave, family violence leave, NZ public holiday rates on rosters and timesheets
- You value local support — a Kiwi answers the phone, and setup & training are free
- You staff events — capacity-based shift bidding with waitlists is unique to RosterMate
Our verdict
Connecteam is an impressive product with real breadth — and if you're a micro team of 10 or fewer, its free plan is genuinely hard to argue with. But the pricing model changes character the moment you grow: scheduling, chat and HR live in separate hubs, each with its own USD base fee, and the Advanced Operations hub alone lands around NZ$80+ a month before you've added a second hub or crossed 30 users. For NZ payroll, the story is thinner still — a Xero sync with no allowances support, no PayHero, Smartly or Crystal, and no IRD payday filing.
RosterMate takes the opposite approach: one product, one flat $8 NZD per employee, every feature included — rostering, time clock, leave under the Holidays Act, messaging, events, forms, and the only built-in IRD payday filing in this category — built and supported in New Zealand. Try both: Connecteam's trial is 14 days, ours is 30. We think you'll stay.
Try RosterMate FreeCommon questions from teams comparing the two.