Zotrack vs BambooHR vs Calamari: Head-to-Head Comparison
Choosing leave management software depends on what else your team needs beyond time-off tracking. This comparison evaluates three tools — Zotrack, BambooHR, and Calamari — based on their actual documented features, pricing models, and rollout effort.
TL;DR Answer
If you mainly need time-off requests, approvals, and public-holiday handling, Calamari is a focused leave tool with strong integrations. If you want a broader HR platform (employee records, HR workflows) with built-in time off, BambooHR is the bigger HR suite option. If you want a flat-fee, unlimited-employee approach that combines leave with broader small-team ops (like invoicing/expenses), Zotrack is designed for consolidation — use the tables and checklist below to pick based on your team's actual workflow.
Q: What's the real difference between these three tools (in one minute)?
A: Each tool solves a different problem scope:
- Zotrack [R1]: An operations platform combining leave management, expense tracking, and invoicing. Designed for small teams wanting consolidation. Uses
flat fee, unlimited employees
pricing. Not a full HR suite (no employee records, payroll). - BambooHR [R2–R4]: A broader HR platform with employee records, onboarding, time off, and reporting. Uses
Pay per employee, per month
pricing [R3]. Best for teams wanting HR beyond just leave. Not a lightweight, leave-only tool. - Calamari [R5–R8]: A focused leave and attendance tool with strong Slack/Teams integrations.
Supports over 110 holiday calendars
[R5]. Best for teams wanting best-of-breed leave with integrations. Not a broader HR or ops suite.
Q: What baseline should your leave system support (UK entitlement + records)?
A: Any tool you evaluate must support your statutory obligations:
- Holiday entitlement: ACAS confirms workers are entitled to
5.6 weeks' statutory paid holiday per year
[R9]. GOV.UK specifies this asat least 28 days' paid annual leave
for someone working five days a week [R10]. - Records retention: Under ACAS working time rules, employers must keep working time records for at least 2 years [R11].
Important: This is not legal advice. Confirm local requirements with your accountant or employment law advisor.
Q: Why leave tracking becomes a delivery risk faster than founders expect
A: Simple capacity math shows the impact:
- 1 person off in a 10-person team = 10% capacity reduction
- 1 person off in a 20-person team = 5% capacity reduction
- 1 person off in a 30-person team = 3.3% capacity reduction
Unplanned absence compounds this. The ONS reports that in 2024, around 2.0% of all working hours
were lost to sickness absence, totaling 148.9 million working days lost
with an average of 4.4 days per worker
[R12]. When you combine planned holiday with unplanned sickness without a shared 2–4 week view, overlaps become delivery risks.
Q: Head-to-head comparison table (quick read)
A: This table summarises who each tool fits best:
| Tool | Best for | Strengths (leave) | Strengths (beyond leave) | Pricing model | Setup effort | Watch-outs / verify | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zotrack | Small teams wanting leave + ops consolidation | Requests, approvals, calendar, flat-fee | Invoicing, expenses, employee directory | Flat-fee, unlimited employees | Low (1–3 hours) | Not a full HR suite (no payroll, onboarding workflows) | [R1] |
| BambooHR | Growing teams wanting HR platform + time off | Time off requests, approvals, reporting | Employee records, onboarding, performance, payroll (add-on) | Per-employee, per-month | Medium (3–8 hours) | Plan-dependent features; verify current pricing | [R2–R4] |
| Calamari | Teams wanting best-of-breed leave + integrations | Leave requests, 110+ holiday calendars, Slack/Teams approvals | Clock-in/out (separate module) | Modular (leave + clock-in priced separately) | Low (1–3 hours) | Pricing per module; verify current rates | [R5–R8] |
Q: Feature matrix — time off workflows, approvals, calendars, reporting
A: This matrix compares documented leave management features. For any cell not explicitly confirmed on official pages, we mark "Plan-dependent / verify".
| Feature area | Zotrack | BambooHR | Calamari | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requests & approvals workflow | Yes | Yes | Yes (Slack/Teams/email/app) | [R1], [R2], [R7] |
| Shared "who's out" view / calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | [R1], [R2], [R5] |
| Balance tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | [R1], [R2], [R5] |
| Carry-over rules | Yes | Plan-dependent / verify | Yes | [R1], [R5] |
| Public holiday calendars (multi-country) | Yes (configurable) | Plan-dependent / verify | Yes (110+ calendars) | [R1], [R5] |
| Notifications/reminders | Yes (email/in-app) | Yes | Yes (Slack/email) | [R1], [R2], [R8] |
| Mobile experience | Responsive web | Mobile app | Mobile app | [R2], [R5] |
| Reporting (used/balance/schedule) | Yes (export) | Yes (reports) | Yes (reports) | [R1], [R2], [R5] |
| Audit trail / approval history | Yes | Plan-dependent / verify | Yes | [R1], [R5] |
| Integrations (Slack/Teams/email approvals) | Email notifications | Plan-dependent / verify | Yes (Slack/Teams native) | [R7], [R8] |
Q: Pricing models — what you can compare fairly (and what you can't)
A: Pricing models shape adoption behaviour and total cost. Here's what you can compare:
| Tool | Model type | Predictability as headcount grows | When it's cost-efficient | Hidden-cost risks | Published pricing | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zotrack | Flat-fee, unlimited employees | Very high (fixed cost) | Company-wide adoption; growing teams | May overpay if only few users needed | See Zotrack pricing | [R1] |
| BambooHR | Per-employee, per-month | Medium (scales with headcount) | Smaller teams; manager-only access | Add-ons (payroll, performance); seat rationing | Verify current rates [R3] | [R3] |
| Calamari | Modular (leave + clock-in priced separately) | Medium (depends on modules) | Teams needing leave only; flexible add-ons | Multiple modules can add up | Verify current rates [R6] | [R6] |
Illustrative break-even example (not vendor-specific):
Example: €120/month flat ÷ €4/user = 30 employees
(This is illustrative only. Check each vendor's current pricing page before making decisions.)
Q: Implementation & rollout — how fast can you go live?
A: Rollout effort varies by tool scope:
| Tool | Typical rollout path | Time to first value | Data you need | Training/adoption risk | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zotrack | Sign up → configure leave types → invite team | 1–3 hours + 1–2 week pilot | Leave policy, employee list, approvers | Low (focused UI) | [R1] |
| BambooHR | Sign up → configure HR + time off → import employees | 3–8 hours + 2–4 week pilot | Employee records, leave policy, org structure | Medium (more features to configure) | [R2–R4] |
| Calamari | Sign up → configure leave module → connect Slack/Teams | 1–3 hours + 1–2 week pilot | Leave policy, employee list, integrations | Low (focused on leave) | [R5–R8] |
Pilot in 2 weeks outline:
- Week 1, Day 1–2: Configure policy, leave types, public holidays.
- Week 1, Day 3–4: Add approvers, import pilot team (5–10 people).
- Week 1, Day 5–7: Test requests, approvals, calendar view.
- Week 2, Day 1–3: Gather feedback, adjust settings.
- Week 2, Day 4–7: Run reports, validate audit trail, decide on rollout.
Q: Spreadsheet risk (why teams upgrade) — what the evidence says
A: Spreadsheets can work for very early stage teams, but error risk compounds as complexity grows. Research by Panko found that spreadsheets contain errors in one percent or more of all formula cells
[R14]. The Dartmouth literature review [R15] similarly documents that errors are prevalent and risks are often under-recognised.
For leave tracking, this means:
- Wrong balance calculations (formula errors)
- Missed updates (version confusion)
- Lost audit trail (no timestamps)
- Inconsistent pro-rating logic
Practical advice: Spreadsheets work at 5–10 people. Risk rises significantly by 20–30 people, especially with part-timers, carry-over, and multi-location teams.
Q: Before vs after — what changes when leave is run through a real workflow?
A: Here are measurable outcomes when teams move from ad-hoc tracking to a real workflow:
| Scenario | Before (ad-hoc/spreadsheet) | After (tool-based workflow) | Outcome (measurable) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approval time | 3–5 days (Slack/email lost) | 2–4 hours (notification + 1-click) | 80%+ faster; employees can plan |
| Overlap surprises | 2+ per month discovered last-minute | Flagged at request time | Near-zero surprise conflicts |
| Balance disputes | "I thought I had 3 days" — no evidence | Live balance + timestamped history | Zero balance disputes |
| Planning accuracy | Ask HR "who's off next week?" | Self-service team calendar | Managers plan with confidence |
| Admin time | 45+ minutes/week | 10 minutes/week for exceptions | 70–80% time saving |
Quick Pick (60 seconds) — which should you choose?
- If you want a broader HR suite + employee records → BambooHR.
Trade-off: More setup time; verify plan includes needed features. [R2–R4] - If you want best-of-breed leave tool + Slack/Teams integrations → Calamari.
Trade-off: Leave-focused only; clock-in is a separate module. [R5–R8] - If you want flat-fee consolidation (leave + ops like invoicing/expenses) → Zotrack.
Trade-off: Not a full HR suite (no payroll, onboarding workflows). [R1]
Pilot Checklist (copy/paste) — run a fair evaluation in 14 days
- Confirm leave year + statutory baseline: Document your leave year dates, entitlement (5.6 weeks UK), and 2-year record requirements.
- Define approval flow: Decide whether managers or HR handle approvals.
- Set public holiday calendars: Configure per-location calendars for your team locations.
- Define part-time/pro-rating and carry-over: Document how you handle part-time schedules and carry-over rules.
- Create 3 absence types: Holiday, sick, unpaid leave at minimum.
- Add 2 approvers and a small team: Start with 5–10 people for the pilot.
- Test request → approve → calendar visibility: Run the full workflow end-to-end.
- Export/report (balances + schedule): Verify you can get data out for compliance.
- Validate audit trail: Check who approved/rejected requests and when.
- Measure success: Track time-to-approve, adoption %, overlap surprises.
Q: A PR-ready angle (credible, not salesy)
A: If you're writing about this topic for press or content, here are factual anchor points:
- Micro businesses dominate: House of Commons Library data shows 95% of UK businesses are micro (0–9 employees) [R13]. For these teams, tools must be simple enough to adopt without dedicated HR staff.
- Statutory baseline is clear: ACAS confirms workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory paid holiday per year, with 2-year record retention requirements [R9, R11].
- Unplanned absence is real: The ONS reports 2.0% of working hours lost to sickness in 2024, totaling 148.9 million days, averaging 4.4 days per worker [R12].
"For small teams, operational clarity comes from simple workflows — request, approve, see who's out. The best tool is the one your team will actually use, not the one with the most features."
Q: FAQ
1) Which is best for a 10–30 person startup team?
It depends on what else you need. Calamari is a focused leave tool with strong integrations. BambooHR adds broader HR features. Zotrack offers flat-fee consolidation (leave + invoicing/expenses). Run a 2-week pilot on the tool that matches your workflow priorities.
2) Do BambooHR and Calamari both support approvals and a shared "who's out" view?
Yes, both support request/approval workflows and shared calendar views. BambooHR includes this in its Time Off module. Calamari offers approvals via Slack, Teams, email, or in-app. Verify current plan features on their official pages.
3) How should we compare flat-fee vs per-employee pricing fairly?
Calculate break-even headcount: flatFee / perUserPrice. Flat-fee is better for company-wide adoption; per-user can be cheaper if only managers need access. Factor in hidden costs (add-ons, admin time, adoption friction).
4) What's the fastest way to pilot leave software without disrupting the team?
Start with one team or department for 2 weeks. Test the full workflow: request, approve, calendar view, report. Get feedback from both requesters and approvers before rolling out company-wide.
5) What evidence should we ask for (audit trail, reporting, public holidays)?
Ask for: (1) audit log sample showing who approved/when, (2) sample export file, (3) list of supported public holiday calendars, (4) part-time/pro-rating example. If a vendor cannot provide these, that is a red flag.
6) When is a spreadsheet no longer "good enough" for leave tracking?
Upgrade when you hit triggers: 20%+ approvals outside the system, 2+ overlap surprises per month, balance disputes, or admin time exceeds 30-45 minutes per week. Research shows spreadsheet error rates rise with complexity.
A simple option if you want leave + visibility without per-seat pricing
For teams that want company-wide adoption without worrying about seat costs, Zotrack offers a flat-fee model covering leave management, expense tracking, and invoicing in one place. It's designed for predictable budgeting and full team visibility from day one. Check our transparent pricing to see if it fits your needs.
References
- [R1] Zotrack official overview
- [R2] BambooHR Time Off feature
- [R3] BambooHR UK Pricing
- [R4] BambooHR Time & Attendance overview
- [R5] Calamari Leave Management
- [R6] Calamari Pricing
- [R7] Calamari approvals options (Slack/Teams/email/app)
- [R8] Calamari Slack integration page
- [R9] ACAS statutory holiday entitlement
- [R10] GOV.UK holiday entitlement rights
- [R11] ACAS working time rules (records 2 years)
- [R12] ONS sickness absence (2023 and 2024)
- [R13] UK business size stats (Parliament briefing)
- [R14] Spreadsheet errors evidence (Panko)
- [R15] Spreadsheet errors literature review (Powell et al.)