Ever Gauzy
Ever Gauzy patches registration UX and table polish while a full payroll module lands beneath the release noise.
Comparison · HR
Deputy vs Ashby
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Deputy and Ashby — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Deputy vs Ashby: at a glance
What is Deputy?
Deputy is hardening pay-data permissions while Australian super rules claim release slots.
Deputy's recent work splits between access control and Australian payroll compliance. A rebuilt access-level system in late April introduced custom roles with finer-grained control over what people can see and do, followed in June by permissions that restrict visibility of pay rates and labour costs. July's release adapted Deputy Payroll to PayDay Super, the Australian employer reporting requirement. Scheduling picked up one visible change: the open/empty shift row can be pinned while managers scroll.
What is Ashby?
Ashby adds native WhatsApp messaging as its recruiting communication stack goes omnichannel.
Ashby is a modern ATS consolidating scheduling intelligence and AI-assisted interviewing into a single platform. The WhatsApp integration is its most directional recent move: candidates in most of the world prefer WhatsApp to email, and building it natively—with templates, automated reminders, and full conversation history—closes a real gap. The platform is also adding enterprise governance scaffolding: document libraries, retention controls for AI Notetaker, and reapproval workflows signal a push into compliance-sensitive accounts.
Deputy vs Ashby: editorial side-by-side
Deputy
0.0HR
Deputy is hardening pay-data permissions while Australian super rules claim release slots.
◆ Current state
Deputy's recent work splits between access control and Australian payroll compliance. A rebuilt access-level system in late April introduced custom roles with finer-grained control over what people can see and do, followed in June by permissions that restrict visibility of pay rates and labour costs. July's release adapted Deputy Payroll to PayDay Super, the Australian employer reporting requirement. Scheduling picked up one visible change: the open/empty shift row can be pinned while managers scroll.
◆ Where it's heading
Permissions are the throughline — custom roles first, then sensitive pay data placed behind them — which is the shape of a product answering harder questions from larger, multi-site customers. Compliance work anchors Deputy to the Australian market its payroll product serves, and that regulatory calendar will keep taking release capacity. Scheduling itself, the core surface, is getting refinement rather than rethinking. The feed also carries the same release twice under slightly different titles, so apparent cadence runs ahead of actual shipping.
◆ Prediction
Expect further permission scoping across cost and pay surfaces, and follow-up work as PayDay Super reporting beds in. The entries show nothing about roadmap outside Australia and scheduling.
Ashby
6.3HR
Ashby adds native WhatsApp messaging as its recruiting communication stack goes omnichannel.
◆ Current state
Ashby is a modern ATS consolidating scheduling intelligence and AI-assisted interviewing into a single platform. The WhatsApp integration is its most directional recent move: candidates in most of the world prefer WhatsApp to email, and building it natively—with templates, automated reminders, and full conversation history—closes a real gap. The platform is also adding enterprise governance scaffolding: document libraries, retention controls for AI Notetaker, and reapproval workflows signal a push into compliance-sensitive accounts.
◆ Where it's heading
Two tracks are compounding: AI-enhanced interviewing (AI Notetaker getting sharing, retention rules, and likely more structured outputs) and operationally tight scheduling (panel room booking, unavailability UI). WhatsApp opens a third track—omnichannel candidate communication—that could extend to scheduling confirmations and automated outreach. The governance additions suggest Ashby is targeting larger enterprise deals that require auditability before committing to an ATS.
◆ Prediction
Ashby will extend WhatsApp to automated scheduling confirmations and two-way template flows. Expect AI Notetaker to move from recording/sharing toward structured post-interview outputs—scoring, follow-up drafts, or scorecard pre-fills derived from transcript content.
Alternatives to Deputy and Ashby
Other HR products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Deputy or Ashby.
HavaHR
HavaHR ships a one-step MCP install, putting Malaysia payroll data inside any AI agent.
TriNet
TriNet is automating HR data flows with steady integration additions — Salesforce, Voya, and Slack — reducing manual updates for SMB customers.
Tanda
Tanda ships a dense cluster of payroll accuracy and reporting improvements aimed at Australian compliance depth.
Teamtailor
Teamtailor's Co-pilot is quietly automating the full recruiting pipeline, one trigger at a time.
Lever
Lever leans into AI recruiting features while its changelog reads more like a blog feed than a release log.
See all Deputy alternatives → · See all Ashby alternatives →
Recent activity from Deputy and Ashby
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 20h agoAshbyReapproval for Openings after approval
- 7d agoAshbyText candidates on WhatsApp, natively in Ashby ⚡
- 11d agoAshbySelect a meeting room for your entire panel in one step
- 13d agoAshbyCompany Document Library
- 13d agoAshbyTranscript and notes retention for AI Notetaker
- 19d agoAshbyUI update for unavailable time
- 2mo agoDeputyPayDay Super for Deputy Payroll
- 3mo agoDeputySensitive Data Permissions for Pay Rates
- 4mo agoDeputyCustom Access Levels
- 4mo agoDeputyCustom access levels
- 5mo agoDeputyFreeze Empty/Open Shift Row in Schedule Employee Views
- 5mo agoDeputyOpen/empty shift row can be pinned in schedule views
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Deputy and Ashby?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Ashby is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Deputy better than Ashby?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Ashby is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other HR products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Deputy?
Top Deputy alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Deputy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/deputy for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Ashby?
Top Ashby alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Ashby alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ashby for the full list with editorial commentary on each.