absence.io alternative: one €1.30 plan with SSO and API included, radically simpler
Looking for an absence.io alternative? An honest side-by-side on pricing (modular plans from €2.99 against €1.30 all-in), languages, country leave rules and GDPR. Checked September 2026.
absence.io is a German HR platform from Munich: absence management, time tracking, digital personnel files and expense management, with native iOS and Android apps and servers in Germany. On GDPR it is genuinely credible, and this page will say so more than once. So why do teams go looking for an absence.io alternative? Usually three discoveries: it is a modular platform, so leave tracking alone starts at €2.99 per user and things you might expect included sit in higher plans (SSO at €4.99, API access at €7.99); the interface speaks German, English and Spanish but not Italian or French; and leave policies are generic configuration, so statutory mechanics like Italian ROL hours, French RTT or Spanish convenio extras are yours to model by hand. Here is the honest, point-by-point case for the alternative.
The short answer: Bueggio HR is the absence.io alternative for teams that want leave tracking and nothing else: one plan at €1.30 per user per month with everything included (SSO, API, webhooks, calendar sync, Slack and Teams approvals), an interface in English, Italian, French and Spanish, and statutory country rules for Italy, France and Spain already built in. On GDPR the two are honestly close: absence.io hosts in Germany and offers a DPA, Bueggio HR hosts in Frankfurt with a published DPA and self-serve export and erasure. The real differences are price, scope and languages.
At a glance
| Bueggio HR | absence.io | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Staff leave tracking for small teams | HR platform: absences, time tracking, personnel files, expenses (see absence.io) |
| Price | €1.30 per user/month, everything included (−15% billed yearly) | Starter €2.99 (absences only), Pro €4.99 (+ time tracking, SSO), Complete €7.99 (+ expenses, API), per user/month (−10% billed yearly) |
| Free trial | 1 month, no card | 14 days, no card |
| Languages | English, Italian, French, Spanish | German, English, Spanish; no Italian, no French |
| Data hosting | EU only · Frankfurt, Germany · EU company | ISO-certified servers in Germany · German company (Munich) |
| Best for | Teams that want dead-simple leave tracking with country rules built in | Companies (especially German ones) that want an HR suite with time tracking and DATEV payroll |
Pricing: one plan against a plan matrix
Credit first: absence.io's pricing is transparent and fair in its mechanics. It is billed in euros, only active licences are charged, there is no setup fee and no user minimum. The catch is the matrix: the Starter plan at €2.99 per user per month covers absence management only; single sign-on requires Pro at €4.99, and API access requires Complete at €7.99, plans whose main content (time tracking, personnel files, expenses) a leave-tracking team does not need. Bueggio HR has one plan: €1.30 per user per month with every feature included (calendar sync, Slack and Teams approvals, API, webhooks, SSO), €1.105 with yearly billing. For pure leave tracking that is less than half of absence.io's entry price; matching SSO and API makes the gap much wider.
And Starter has no SSO and no API: matching what Bueggio HR includes at €22.10 means the Complete plan, which for the same 20 people costs €143.82 a month on yearly billing, six and a half times as much. The extra buys time tracking, personnel files and expenses; if you need those, see the "genuinely strong" section below.
Feature comparison
| Bueggio HR | absence.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Wall chart / team calendar | ✓ | ✓ shared team calendar |
| Half-day bookings | ✓ | Not documented |
| Interface languages | EN · IT · FR · ES, per user | DE · EN · ES, no Italian or French |
| Slack integration | ✓ slash command, interactive approvals, daily summaries, auto OOO status | ✓ daily absence overview, slash commands, approve/decline in Slack |
| Microsoft Teams integration | ✓ one-click approvals | Microsoft 365 for calendar and sign-in; Teams approvals not advertised |
| One-click approvals from email, no login | ✓ | Approval emails link into the app |
| Google / Outlook calendar sync | ✓ push sync + iCal feeds, included | ✓ Google, Outlook and iCal |
| Country leave rules: Italian ROL, French RTT, Spanish convenios | ✓ built in | Generic configuration; DATEV payroll shows the German-market focus |
| Public holidays | ✓ 45+ countries, per-person country | ✓ country and regional calendars |
| Department absence caps & blackout dates | ✓ included | — |
| SSO | ✓ Google and Microsoft, included | ✓ from the Pro plan at €4.99 per user |
| API & webhooks | ✓ REST API + signed webhooks, included | API on the Complete plan at €7.99 per user; webhooks not advertised |
| AI assistant connection (MCP) | ✓ | — |
| GDPR export & right-to-erasure tooling | ✓ self-serve, built in | DPA offered; in-product tooling not advertised |
| Time tracking, personnel files, expenses | Deliberately not: leave tracking only | ✓ as the Pro and Complete modules |
| Mobile | Installable web app (PWA) + push notifications | ✓ native iOS and Android apps |
Five reasons the alternative wins for small teams
1. One price with everything inside it
absence.io's pricing is honest, but it is a matrix: €2.99 for absences, €4.99 if you want SSO, €7.99 if you want the API, and the higher plans are mostly modules (time tracking, personnel files, expenses) that a team shopping for a leave tracker does not need. Bueggio HR is one number: €1.30 per user per month, SSO, API, webhooks, calendar sync and every integration included. You should not need a plan comparison table to track who is on holiday.
2. Statutory country rules, already built
absence.io lets you configure absence types, work schedules and holiday calendars, and does it well for its home market: the flagship payroll integration is DATEV, which is German. Italian ROL and ex-festività hour balances, French RTT and jours ouvrables counting, Spanish convenio extras and regional calendars are all yours to model, test and maintain by hand. Bueggio HR ships those mechanics implemented and applies them automatically from your country at signup. If you employ people in Italy, France or Spain, that is the difference between configuring policies and switching something on.
3. An interface in Italian and French
absence.io's interface comes in German, English and Spanish. Italian and French are not on the list, which is a hard stop if your team books leave in Milan or Lyon. Bueggio HR ships in English, Italian, French and Spanish, and the language is per user: the manager in Lyon and the developer in Milan each get the app in their own language, from the same account.
4. Approvals with fewer steps
absence.io's Slack app is genuinely good: daily absence overviews, slash commands, and approving or declining right inside Slack. Bueggio HR matches that and removes more steps elsewhere: one-click approve or decline straight from the notification email with no login, Microsoft Teams approvals (absence.io advertises Microsoft 365 for calendars and sign-in, not Teams approvals), and an automatic out-of-office status in Slack while someone is away. The fewer steps an approval takes, the faster your team gets an answer.
5. A tool, not a platform
absence.io is four products in one: absences, time tracking, personnel files, expenses. That is a real value if you want the suite, and a cost you carry in complexity and price if you do not. Bueggio HR does one thing: request, approve, wall chart, on purpose. Admins configure it in an afternoon, employees book from their phones without training, and there is no module catalogue to manage. If simplicity is why you are leaving your current tool, do not replace it with a platform.
Where absence.io is genuinely strong
An honest comparison cuts both ways, and absence.io deserves more credit than most competitors on this hub. It is a German company with ten-plus years in HR software, ISO-certified servers in Germany, a data processing agreement on offer and a real privacy posture: on GDPR, treat it as a peer, not a laggard. The suite is real: time tracking with a digital clock and terminals, automatic overtime, digital personnel files with document management, expense scanning, and DATEV integration for German payroll. It has native iOS and Android apps, speaks German, bills fairly (only active licences, no setup fees) and users rate it well (4.7 on Capterra from 38 reviews). If you are a German company that wants absences, time tracking and payroll export in one place, absence.io is a legitimate, maybe the obvious, pick.
Switching to the alternative takes an afternoon
- Export your people from absence.io (reports and downloads are included in every plan) and import them into Bueggio HR with a CSV, or just invite everyone by email.
- Set your leave types and allowances. Country defaults (including public holidays for 45+ countries and the statutory rules for Italy, France and Spain) are applied at signup; carry-over balances can be set per person.
- Book from day one. Your team requests time off from their phones and managers approve in one click from email, Slack or Teams. The first month is free, no card required.
Want the wider market view first? Read our ranking of the best leave tracking apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best absence.io alternative for leave tracking only?
Bueggio HR: one plan at €1.30 per user per month with SSO, API, webhooks, calendar sync and Slack and Teams approvals all included, an interface in English, Italian, French and Spanish, and statutory leave rules for Italy, France and Spain built in. absence.io stays the better pick if you also need time tracking, personnel files or DATEV payroll.
How much does absence.io cost?
Three plans, per user per month: Starter at €2.99 (absence management only), Pro at €4.99 (adds time tracking, personnel files and SSO) and Complete at €7.99 (adds expenses, DATEV and API access). Yearly billing saves 10%, only active licences are billed, and the trial is 14 days without a card. Bueggio HR has one everything-included plan at €1.30 per user per month (€1.105 billed yearly) and a 1-month free trial without a card.
Is absence.io GDPR compliant?
Yes, credibly so: absence.io is a German company with ISO-certified servers in Germany and a data processing agreement on offer. Bueggio HR matches that posture: an EU company with data hosted in Frankfurt and nowhere else, a published DPA, and self-serve GDPR export and erasure built into the product. Between these two, choose on price, languages and country rules rather than on GDPR.