SquadBear vs Timetastic
SquadBear is leave plus time, health and an assistant. Timetastic is a focused holiday wallchart. Here's how they compare.
Comparison last reviewed 2026-09.
TL;DR: Timetastic is the simple staff holiday planner with the wallchart everyone understands. SquadBear is leave that already knows about timesheets, health checks and the employee record, and you can book Friday by asking Claude. If leave is the only job forever, they are cheaper and clearer. If leave is the first job, we are the suite you will not outgrow next quarter.
At a glance
| Capability | SquadBear | Timetastic |
|---|---|---|
| Operate from your AI assistant | Yes. Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor over MCP | No. Web and mobile app |
| Leave | Policies, coverage risk, auto-reroute, Slack /timeoff and /whos-out | Holidays and absence, approvals, wallchart |
| Multi-country holidays | 25 country presets, part-time proration | Multi-country public holidays |
| Time tracking | Projects, Jira / Linear / GitHub, leave-aware weeks, submit and approve, CapEx / OpEx | Not offered |
| Team health | Live health checks, eNPS, trends, actions, retros | Not offered |
| Core HR | Directory, custom fields, processes on hire, sign-the-handbook | Profiles for leave |
| Integrations | Slack, iCal (Google / Outlook / Apple), Google Calendar app, Jira, Linear, GitHub, Asana, MCP, REST | Slack, Teams, Google Calendar, Outlook, iCal, Zapier |
| Permanent free tier | Free for 5 people, same product | Free trial only |
| Price | Team $4 / active person / month, all modules | Business ~£1.20 / user / month; Pro ~£2 (as of early 2026) |
Where SquadBear is the stronger choice
Leave is the start, not the ceiling. Book Friday. Expected hours on the timesheet go to zero. Coverage warns Tomasz before he approves. Health sits on the same roster. Timetastic stops at the wallchart.
Ask Claude. "Book Friday off and check if anyone else on Design is away." Policy checks, cover, submit. You are not logging into a second dashboard for a day off.
Engineers can log the rest of the week. Hours on a Jira issue, CapEx vs OpEx for R&D credits, no Harvest on the side. Hide time tracking if you do not need it. It is still there when the accountant asks.
Free for five, then $4. Early teams get the real product, not a 14-day tour of a wallchart.
Where Timetastic is the stronger choice
- One job, done. If you will never track time, never run a health check, never store a handbook, they are simpler to roll out.
- The wallchart. Instantly readable for office managers who think in grids.
- Leave-only price. About £1.20 a head. Hard to beat if that is all you will ever buy.
- Native mobile aimed at booking leave on a phone.
Who should pick which
- Pick SquadBear if you are a tech team or agency that wants leave now and time, health or records without buying the next three tools, plus an assistant that can book the day.
- Pick Timetastic if you strictly want a holiday wallchart and you do not need timesheets, documents, health checks or Claude.
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Frequently asked questions
Is SquadBear a Timetastic alternative?
Yes, if you want leave that lives with time tracking, team health and employee records, and you want Claude to book the day. If you only want a holiday wallchart and nothing else, Timetastic is dedicated to exactly that.
What is the main difference?
Scope. Timetastic is leave. SquadBear is leave, issue-linked time, attendance if you want it, health checks, and core HR, operable from Claude, ChatGPT or Slack.
Does SquadBear have a free plan like Timetastic?
Timetastic offers a free trial, not a permanent free tier. SquadBear is free for up to 5 people, same product, including the assistant.
Can SquadBear handle multi-country public holidays?
Yes. Prepared calendars for 25 countries (2026 and 2027 nationwide dates), and part-time schedules prorate leave automatically. Regional days (German Länder, Swiss cantons) you add by hand.
Try SquadBear on your own team
Free for up to 5 people, the full product on every plan. Connect Claude or ChatGPT and see the AI-native workflow for yourself.
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