# absence.io — Absence Management

absence.io by absence.io GmbH holds a panel rating of 1.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 1.5/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: EU-Made; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: absence.io GmbH (https://www.absence.io)
- Category: [Absence Management](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): EU-Made
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/absence-io
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/absence-io/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/absence-io/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-21 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-01

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: absence.io GmbH
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Default not stated; pages mention Germany [S4]
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Starting price: “Die Preise starten bei 2,99 € pro Nutzer und Monat im Starter-Paket.” (vendor’s words) [S1]

## The panel's verdict

absence.io, an absence-management product from absence.io GmbH, Munich, comes out strongest on the everyday approval workflow and weakest on regulated detail. Requests and approvals score 4 to 6: approvals in Slack and Microsoft Teams, native iOS and Android apps, a real-time team calendar and ICS sync are on the record, while substitutes, multi-level chains and blackout rules are not. Payroll handover scores 4 to 5, helped by a documented REST API at version 2 but held back by a direct DATEV connection scoped to expenses and travel cost reports. Sick leave and the eAU and absence data protection sit at 2, with no public information on eAU retrieval, the six-week continued-pay count, BEM or visibility of sickness reasons. Pricing transparency ranges 0 to 2: tier contents and a 14-day free trial are published, but no price figures appear. The split is sovereignty, 2 to 5 — the data protection officer at 5 credits the vendor's stated storage exclusively on servers in Germany; the skeptic at 2 weighs the unconfirmed contracting entity, residency and subprocessor exposure.

**Speaks for it:**
- Approvals handled directly in Slack and Microsoft Teams, with native iOS and Android apps
- Real-time team calendar with daily absence broadcasts and ICS sync to Google, Outlook and iCal
- Documented open REST API at version 2 with JSON and OAuth 2.0 and Hawk authentication, part of the Complete plan
- Vendor states data is stored exclusively on servers in Germany, with servers described as ISO-certified
- Tier contents published across Starter, Pro and Complete, with a 14-day free trial

**Held against it:**
- No price figures on the captured pricing pages, so an annual invoice cannot be computed from what is published
- No public information on eAU retrieval, counting towards the six-week continued-pay limit, or BEM
- Direct DATEV connection documented for expenses and travel cost reports only, with absences and time tracking exported and connected individually via the open API
- No public information on who may see a sickness reason or certificate, or on a data processing agreement
- No public information on part-time proration, carry-over expiry or public holidays per federal state

**Best for:**
- You want fast leave requests and approvals, including approvals directly in Slack or Microsoft Teams, for the 10 to 50 employees the vendor recommends itself for
- You run Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or Okta and want single sign-on with automated SCIM provisioning, available from the Pro plan onward
- You have development capacity to build against the documented open REST API and map absence exports to your payroll codes yourself
- You want a vendor that states data is stored exclusively on servers in Germany

**Avoid if:**
- You need absence data flowing directly into DATEV, since the direct connection is documented for expenses and travel cost reports only, with absences exported and connected individually via the open API
- You must compute your annual cost before a sales conversation, since the captured pricing pages publish tier contents but no price figures
- You run a regulated German sick-leave process, since sick leave and the eAU scores sit at 2 with no public information on eAU retrieval, the six-week continued-pay count or BEM
- You must document who may see sickness reasons or certificates before rollout, since absence data protection scores sit at 2

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The Team Lead | The Managing Director | The Payroll Accountant | The Data Protection Officer | The HR IT Integrator | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Entitlements & German leave rules | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| Requests, approvals & team calendar | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Sick leave, eAU & continued pay | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Payroll handover, time tracking & API | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Health data, access & works council | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| European sovereignty | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 0.5/5 | 0/5 | 1/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **1.5/5** | **1.5/5** | **1.5/5** | **1.5/5** | **2/5** | **1.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Team Lead** (v1.0): Approves leave for twelve people across two shifts and finds out about clashes too late. Wants requests and approvals on the phone, a named substitute on every request, minimum-staffing warnings before approval, and a team calendar that shows who is away without showing why.
- **The Managing Director** (v1.0): Runs a forty-person company in two federal states without an HR department and is liable when leave is calculated wrong. Wants part-time entitlements prorated correctly, the right public holidays per site, carry-over that lapses only after employees were told, and the eAU handled without a phone call to every health insurer.
- **The Payroll Accountant** (v1.0): Closes payroll in DATEV every month and corrects whatever arrived late. Wants absences exported with the right payroll codes, the eAU result attached to the sick day, the six-week continued-pay limit counted per illness, and past months locked once they are paid.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Treats every sick day as special-category data, because the law does. Asks who can see a reason or a certificate, how long absence records are kept and deleted, whether access is logged, where the data is hosted, and which subprocessors send the push notification that says someone is ill.
- **The HR IT Integrator** (v1.0): Wires the absence tool to payroll, time tracking, the identity provider and the calendar. Wants a documented API and webhooks, maintained connectors for the named German payroll systems rather than a CSV, SSO, and balances that agree with the time-tracking system on both sides.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Knows "eAU supported" can mean a photo upload, "DATEV integration" can mean a CSV, and "GDPR-compliant" can mean every manager sees every diagnosis-adjacent note. Reads for who actually retrieves the certificate, which leave rules are computed rather than typed in, and whether the carry-over expiry notice exists at all.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Ownership | Not determined | — | — |
| Data residency | Not determined | — | — |
| Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Automated decision making: yes · Interessenten-Kategorisierung / Nurturing im Probemonat [S8]
- Consent management: Usercentrics · cookie_einwilligung [S4]
- Consent minors: 16 [S4]
- DPA: yes [S4]
- DPA: Auftragsdatenverarbeitung/AVV · yes [S8]
- GDPR: yes [S1]
- GDPR: yes [S4]
- GDPR: absence.io fulfils GDPR requirements [S1]
- GDPR: yes [S8]
- GDPR effort: yes [S8]
- Ip anonymization: yes [S8]
- ISO certified servers germany: yes · Deutschland [S2]
- ISO servers: Germany only · yes [S2]
- ISO servers: yes · yes [S1]
- Ssl: yes [S2]
- Ssl encryption: yes · yes · yes [S6]
- Ssl encryption: yes [S2]
- Supervisory authority: Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (BayLDA) [S4]
- Third country transfer basis: Standarddatenschutzklauseln nach Art. 46 Abs. 2 lit. c DSGVO [S8]

**Data**
- Analytics retention: 9 · 18 [S8]
- Application retention: 6 [S4]
- Backup: yes · yes [S1]
- Backup: yes · yes [S2]
- Backup: yes · yes [S1]
- Backups: daily · yes [S6]
- Categories absence: Abwesenheitstage, Arbeitstage, Resturlaub, Krankheitstage inkl. Kategorisierung mit/ohne Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung [S8]
- Categories expenses: Reisekostenverwaltung [S8]
- Categories personal file: Personalakte · Stammdaten · Personalabrechnung · Gehalt [S8]
- Categories time tracking: Zeiterfassung · Schichtplanung · Überstunden [S8]
- Cookie types: Spracheinstellungen · Log-In-Informationen · yes [S4]
- Daily backup: täglich · yes [S2]
- Deletion contact email: datenschutz@absence.io [S4]
- Deletion policy: yes [S4]
- Deletion request contact: support@absence.io [S8]
- Deletion request contact: support@absence.io · yes [S8]
- Google analytics retention: 9 · 18 [S8]
- Legal retention: 10 [S8]
- Log retention: 7 [S4]
- Newsletter opt out: yes [S4]
- Registration collection: Emailadresse · Name · Vorname · IP-Adresse · Datum und Uhrzeit der Registrierung · no [S4]
- Retention: 90 [S8]
- Retention contact: 90 [S8]
- Sources third parties: Capterra · Trustpilot · eKomi · Bonitätsunternehmen · Auskunfteien (Sanktionslisten, VIES) · LinkedIn · Kontakt Listen von Dienstleistern [S8]

**Hosting**
- Log access: yes · no [S4]
- Region: Deutschland · yes [S1]
- Server location: Deutschland · yes [S4]
- Server location: Germany · ISO [S6]
- Server location: Deutschland [S8]
- Server location: Deutschland [S8]
- Servers: Germany · yes · yes [S1]
- Website server location: Deutschland [S4]

**Integrations**
- API: yes [S2]
- API: yes [S5]
- API: yes [S5]
- API details: OAuth 2.0 · Hawk · JSON · v2 [S6]
- API offered: yes [S8]
- API rest: REST API v2 · yes [S6]
- Application platform: Softgarden GmbH · bewerbungen · Muttergesellschaft [S4]
- Calendar sync: yes · Google · Outlook [S6]
- Data import: Import of existing data from Excel or other software possible [S1]
- Datev: yes · expenses · travel cost reports [S6]
- Google workspace: yes · yes · yes [S6]
- Included: Microsoft · Google · Slack [S2]
- List: yes · Microsoft 365 · Google Workspace · Slack [S1]
- Microsoft365: yes · yes · yes [S6]
- Microsoft teams: yes · yes [S6]
- Multiple simultaneous: 1 [S6]
- Named: Microsoft 365 · Google Workspace · Slack · Offene API [S1]
- Newsletter provider: Mailjet · newsletter_versand [S4]
- No extra cost: no [S6]
- Okta: yes · yes [S6]
- Plan inclusion: Complete · Pro · Microsoft · Google · Slack [S6]
- Providers: Microsoft · Google · Slack [S2]
- Slack: yes · yes · yes [S6]
- Social presence: LinkedIn · Bewerbungen · Informationen/PR · Active Sourcing [S4]
- SSO providers: Microsoft 365 · Google Workspace · Okta [S6]
- User management: yes · yes [S6]

**Legal**
- Address: München · Landshuter Allee 49 · Deutschland · 80637 [S5]
- Address: 80637 · München · Landshuter Allee 49 · Deutschland [S5]
- Company: 80637 · München · absence.io GmbH · Landshuter Allee 49 [S2]
- Controller: absence.io GmbH · Ridlerstraße 31, 80339 Deutschland [S8]
- Dpg support: DataGuard [S8]
- Entity: absence.io GmbH · Landshuter Allee 49, 80637 München [S1]
- Entity: absence.io GmbH · Landshuter Allee 49, 80637 München [S2]
- Entity: absence.io GmbH · Landshuter Allee 49, 80637 Munich [S6]
- Entity: 80637 · München · absence.io GmbH · Landshuter Allee 49 [S1]
- Entity name: absence.io GmbH [S5]
- Entity name: absence.io GmbH [S5]
- Helpcenter: https://absenceio.zendesk.com/hc/de/articles/360004902153-Data-Security-General-Data-Protection-Regulation-GDPR- · Zendesk [S4]
- Hq address: Landshuter Allee 49, 80637 München [S8]
- Ownership: Softgarden GmbH [S8]
- Ownership: Softgarden GmbH [S8]
- Policy date: Februar 2024 [S4]
- Privacy policy provider: DataGuard [S8]
- Register: Amtsgericht München · HRB 211629 [S5]
- Register: HRB 211629 · Handelsregister · Amtsgericht München [S5]
- Supervisory authority: Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (BayLDA) [S8]
- Supervisory authority: Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (BayLDA) [S8]
- VAT id: DE294808323 [S5]
- VAT id: DE294808323 [S5]

**Pricing**
- Additional users: yes [S2]
- Additional users auto billed: yes [S2]
- Annual discount: no · 10 [S1]
- Annual discount: 10 [S2]
- Annual discount: 10 [S2]
- Billing model: per user per month, only for active licenses [S2]
- Billing model: per user per month [S2]
- Billing terms: yes · 10 [S1]
- Cancellation: no · yes [S2]
- Cancellation: no · yes [S2]
- Complete: user/month · 7.99 [S2]
- Complete price: Complete · month · EUR · 7.99 [S1]
- Complete price: Complete · 7.99 · month · EUR · yes · yes [S1]
- Complete price: Complete · 7.99 [S2]
- Free trial: yes · no [S1]
- Net prices: yes · yes [S2]
- Net prices: yes [S2]
- Nonprofit: special conditions for non-profits & NGOs [S2]
- Nonprofit conditions: spezielle Konditionen für NGOs & Non-Profits [S2]
- Payment methods: Visa · Master Card · American Express · SEPA-Lastschrift [S2]
- Payment methods: Visa · Master Card · American Express · europäisches Lastschriftverfahren [S2]
- Plan change: yes [S2]
- Plan changeable: yes [S2]
- Pro: user/month · 4.99 [S2]
- Pro price: Pro · 4.99 [S2]
- Starter: user/month · 2.99 [S2]
- Starter price: Starter · month · EUR · 2.99 [S1]

**Product**
- Absence data: Abwesenheitstage · Erwartete Arbeitstage · Resturlaubstage · Zusätzliche Urlaubstage · Krankheitstage · Kategorisierung Krankheitstage [S8]
- Absence features: Urlaubsantrag · Teamkalender · Resturlaub [S1]
- Absence management: Absence management is the base of every plan since 2014 [S1]
- API: yes [S2]
- Automated decisionmaking: Interessenten / Probemonat Inhaltsgestaltung · yes [S8]
- Complete features: Pro-Funktionen plus Reisekosten, Spesenmanagement, API-Anbindung [S2]
- Complete features: Reisekosten, Spesenmanagement, API-Anbindung [S2]
- Customer count: 3000 · more_than [S3]
- Customer count: 3.000+ Unternehmen [S2]
- Data categories: Abwesenheitsanfragen, Krankheitstage, Geburtstage, Personalfragebogen, Termine, Benutzer, Abteilung, Lohnbuchhaltung, Bankverbindung, Notfallkontakt, Bonus, Team, Standorte, Kontingente, Arbeitspläne, Arbeitszeiten [S4]
- Data import: yes [S1]
- Description: Slim GDPR-compliant HR software (Mini-HCM) combining time tracking, absence management and digital personnel file; expenses and travel expense accounting as add-on [S1]
- Digital services: Zeiterfassung · Abwesenheitsverwaltung · Personalakte · Terminals [S8]
- Expense features: Spesenabrechnung · Reisekostenabrechnung [S2]
- Expenses travel: Expense and travel expense accounting (add-on / Complete plan) [S1]
- Founded 2014: 2014 [S1]
- Founding: 2014 · yes · München · Berlin [S1]
- Languages: 7 · Deutsch · Englisch · Spanisch · Französisch · Portugiesisch · Türkisch · Polnisch [S1]
- Languages: 7 · Deutsch · Englisch · Spanisch · Französisch · Portugiesisch · Türkisch · Polnisch [S1]
- Mobile apps: yes · yes · yes [S1]
- Mobile apps: yes · iOS · Android [S1]
- Modules: Zeiterfassung · Abwesenheitsmanagement · Personalakte · Spesen [S1]
- Modules: Urlaubsplaner · Digitale Personalakte · Zeiterfassung · Spesen- und Reisekostenabrechnung [S2]
- Modules: Urlaubsplaner · Digitale Personalakte · Zeiterfassung · Spesen- und Reisekostenabrechnung [S5]
- Modules: Urlaubsplaner, Digitale Personalakte, Zeiterfassung, Digitale Stempeluhr, Spesen- und Reisekostenabrechnung [S5]
- Modules: Urlaubsplaner · Digitale Personalakte · Zeiterfassung · Digitale Stempeluhr · Spesen- und Reisekostenabrechnung [S8]

**Support**
- Channels: E-Mail · Chat · Telefon [S1]
- Channels: E-Mail · Chat · Telefon [S1]
- Hours: Mo-Fr · 9:00-17:00 [S1]
- Hours: Mo-Fr 9:00-17:00 [S2]
- Hours: Mo-Fr · 9:00 - 17:00 [S5]
- Hours: Mon-Fri · 9:00-19:00 CET [S6]
- Hours: Mo-Fr: 9:00 - 17:00 Uhr [S8]
- Hours: Mo-Fr · 9:00-17:00 [S1]
- Hours: Mo-Fr · 9:00 - 17:00 [S5]
- Hours: Mo-Fr · 9:00 - 17:00 [S2]
- Hours: Mo-Fr 9:00-17:00 [S8]
- Onboarding: yes [S1]
- Onboarding: Personal support during onboarding available [S1]
- Response time nonprofit contact: Antwort in der Regel innerhalb weniger Stunden [S2]
- Setup assistance: yes [S2]
- Setup assistance: yes [S2]
- Ticket system: E-Mail · Mobilfunk · Festnetz · Zendesk · Zendesk [S8]

27 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/absence-io

## Questions

### Is absence.io European?

Yes. whats-best.ai classifies absence.io as EU-Made.

### Where does absence.io store data?

The default storage location for customer data is not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026. The vendor’s pages mention Germany as hosting location, per [the vendor’s page captured 13 Oct 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/5551).

### Does absence.io have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to absence.io?

As of 15 Oct 2026, the panel rates [Kenjo (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/kenjo), [flair (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/flair-hr) and [HRlab (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/hrlab) highest among the other 16 Absence Management products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Kenjo](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/kenjo) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [absence.io alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/absence-io/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 51 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 10 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 9 subprocessors facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 6 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 5 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 5 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 4 data facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 support facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 hosting fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown.
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://www.absence.io/de/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S2] Pricing page: https://www.absence.io/de/preise-pakete/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S3] Leave planner: https://www.absence.io/de/funktionen/urlaubsplaner/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S4] Privacy policy: https://www.absence.io/de/datenschutz/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S5] Legal notice: https://www.absence.io/de/impressum/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S6] Payroll handover, time tracking & API — found from sitemap: https://www.absence.io/en/features/integrations/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S7] Payroll handover, time tracking & API — found from sitemap: https://www.absence.io/de/funktionen/digitale-zeiterfassung/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S8] Health data, access & works council — found from sitemap: https://www.absence.io/de/datenschutzhinweise/ (checked 2026-10-13)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "absence.io — Absence Management", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-21. https://whats-best.ai/software/absence-management/absence-io

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/535?target=page