Spock is built entirely around Slack. Employees request leave in Slack, managers approve in Slack, and the whole team sees daily absence notifications in Slack — without anyone logging into a separate HR system. If your company runs on Slack, this is what makes Spock interesting: there is nothing new to learn and no login to set up for your team.
The product is developed by IdeoWorks and available at spockoffice.com. This Spock review covers Spock pricing, what the tool does, where it falls short, and how it compares to actiPLANS — a web-based leave management platform that works with or without Slack.
Quick verdict
| Dimension | Score | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of setup | 5/5 | One-click Slack install; team members added automatically |
| Slack integration depth | 5/5 | Native — everything happens inside Slack |
| Feature depth | 3/5 | Leave tracking essentials; no HR records or time tracking |
| Pricing value | 4/5 | Free tier is generous; Professional is flat-rate for 20+ users |
| Non-Slack usability | 2/5 | Web dashboard exists but the product is Slack-first |
| Mobile | 4/5 | Works via Slack mobile app |
What Spock is
Spock describes itself as ‘user-friendly leave management for your company’ — but that undersells its defining characteristic: it lives entirely inside Slack. Installation is one click from the Slack App Directory. Every member of the workspace is added automatically; no manual user imports, no email invitations, no separate login to create.
From there, employees request leave in the Slack Home tab, view their balances, and see approvals in real time. Managers receive notifications and approve with a click. On the Professional plan, daily morning notifications tell the whole team who is out that day.
Spock also recognizes birthdays and work anniversaries automatically on the Professional plan — a small touch that several reviewers specifically mention.
A web dashboard is available for reporting, calendar subscriptions (including Google Calendar, available on all plans), and admin configuration. The dashboard is where HR sets up leave types, allowances, approvers, and policies. But day-to-day use happens entirely in Slack.
Feature breakdown
Core leave management
- Leave requests and approvals inside Slack (Slack Home tab) — approvals require Professional plan
- Leave balance visibility per employee
- Custom leave types — 3 on Free, unlimited on Professional
- Yearly carryover and monthly limits per leave type (Professional)
- Multi-team approver assignment (Professional)
- Allowances and accruals (Professional)
- Hourly tracking (Professional)
- Bulk requests and leave on behalf (Professional)
- Substitutes (Professional)
Notifications and visibility
- Daily 9 a.m. Slack channel notification: who is out today (Professional)
- Real-time approval notifications (Professional)
- Birthday and work anniversary recognition (Professional)
- Slack status update when on leave (Professional)
Reporting and admin
- Web dashboard with leave summary and calendar — all plans
- Calendar integration (Google Calendar, iCal) — all plans
- Monthly and yearly absence reports — all plans
- Admin panel for policy configuration
- REST API access and outgoing webhooks (Professional)
- Teams and departments (Professional)
No time tracking, no HR records, no expense management. Spock is a focused leave tracker. If you need those features, you need a different tool.
Spock pricing
Spock has three tiers. New accounts get a 14-day unlimited trial before settling into the Free or Professional plan. The Free plan is permanent but limited. The Professional plan uses a base fee with the first 20 users included. Enterprise pricing is custom.
| Plan | Price | User limit | Key notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited members | 3 leave types, 1 location; no approvals, allowances, or channel notifications |
| Professional | $19.90/month base + $1/user/month | First 20 users included in base fee | All features, unlimited leave types, multiple locations, approvals, allowances, accruals, notifications |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Custom policies, dedicated support, custom integrations |
For a team of 20: $19.90/month (~$1/user). For a team of 30: $29.90/month (~$1/user). Annual billing is available with extra savings — contact Spock for the annual rate. NGO discounts are also available.
Spock vs. actiPLANS: how they compare
| Feature | Spock | actiPLANS |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes — unlimited members, 3 leave types (limited features) | Yes — up to 3 users, full features, no time limit |
| Paid entry price | $19.90/month + $1/user (20 included) | From $1.20/user/month (yearly, 41–200 users) |
| Cost at 20 users | $19.90/month (~$1/user) | $38/month ($1.90/user) |
| Cost at 30 users | $29.90/month (~$1/user) | $57/month ($1.90/user) |
| Requires Slack | Yes | No |
| Slack integration | Yes — native | No |
| Web interface | Admin/reporting only | Full web app |
| Mobile app | Via Slack mobile | Native iOS and Android |
| Calendar sync | Yes — all plans | Yes |
| Leave types | Yes | Yes |
| Birthdays / anniversaries | Yes — Professional only | No |
| Time tracking | No | Via actiTIME integration |
Spock is cheaper than actiPLANS for teams of 13 or more on the Professional plan — $19.90/month covers up to 20 users versus $38/month for 20 users in actiPLANS. The fundamental difference is architecture: actiPLANS is a full web app with Slack as an optional add-on; Spock is Slack with a web admin panel attached. If your team is not on Slack, Spock is not the right choice.
Who Spock is for and who it is not for
Ideal users
- Teams that run on Slack and want zero onboarding friction — no new logins, no user imports
- Companies where leave visibility in the daily communication channel matters more than a dedicated HR dashboard
- Remote and hybrid teams that rely on Slack’s daily notifications to know who is available
- Teams of 13 or more where Spock’s flat-rate pricing undercuts per-user tools
- Organizations that want birthday and anniversary recognition built in without a separate tool
Less ideal users
- Teams that are not on Slack — Spock is not practical without it
- Organizations that need a standalone web interface for all users, not just admins
- Teams that need time tracking, payroll, or HR records alongside leave management
- Companies that want a mobile app independent of Slack
- Very small teams (under 5) who need approvals and allowances but cannot justify the $19.90/month Professional base fee
Bottom line: should you use Spock?
Spock is the best leave management tool available for Slack-first teams. One-click install, automatic user setup, and daily absence notifications make it uniquely frictionless. The constraint is obvious: Spock only makes sense if Slack is your primary communication platform. Take that away and the product loses most of its value proposition. Note also that key features — approvals, allowances, accruals, and daily notifications — require the Professional plan; the Free plan is a starting point, not a working HR tool.
For teams looking for a Spock alternative without a hard Slack dependency — or that need a full web interface for all employees — actiPLANS from $1.20/user/month (billed yearly) covers those cases with native iOS and Android apps, calendar integrations, and a standalone web experience.
