Deska vs Seatsurfing

Deska is desk-booking software for hybrid offices. Employees reserve specific desks on an interactive office map and can set recurring weekly schedules. Administrators upload SVG floor plans and place desk markers with a drag-and-drop editor. Booking controls include windows, maximum consecutive days, release times, and per-office access rules. A Telegram bot lets employees check availability, book, or cancel without another Deska app or login. Admin dashboards show real-time and historical attendance, with CSV export for facilities planning, HR reporting, and lease decisions. Deska is available on the web and iOS; the iOS app can scan desk QR codes, processing camera images on the device without storing or uploading them. The product is aimed at hybrid or flexible-work organizations, typically with 20 to 500 employees, including technology companies, agencies, professional services firms, and coworking operators. The Simple plan is free forever at free for one office, two desks, and two users. Paid plans start at $99 a month, with larger limits and added controls. A free trial is advertised, but no duration is stated.

Seatsurfing helps organizations manage bookings for desks, rooms, parking lots and other shared spaces. Employees use a mobile-ready progressive web app to choose spaces from a floor plan or list. Administrators can upload floor plans, position spaces by drag and drop, set booking limits and review utilization statistics. Bookings can recur and sync one way to CalDAV calendars; the personal CalDAV integration does not support Google Calendar or Microsoft Exchange. Integrations with Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Exchange and Atlassian Confluence vary by plan or plugin. Authentication can use a password or an external OAuth2 identity provider, with MFA through TOTP or passkeys. A REST API checks roles and organization membership. The Free cloud plan supports up to 10 users, while free Self-Hosted supports unlimited users. Professional costs €0.90/user/mo; Enterprise pricing is available for 500 or more users. The product is intended for organizations providing free seats to employees, not commercial space rental.