Software Alternatives & Startups

Absently VS Opalstack

Compare Absently VS Opalstack and see what are their differences

Absently

Absently is the simplest way to manage staff leave for small UK businesses - no spreadsheets, no confusion, just clarity. 30-day free trial, no credit card needed.

Absently The leave calendar
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial £1 / Monthly (Per user)
Opalstack

Managed Hosting for developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses like yours

Opalstack Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Absently
Opalstack
Website absently.io opalstack.com
Pricing
Freemium Free trial £1 / Monthly (Per user) Official pricing
Platforms
Web
Company Startup from the United Kingdom · 1 - 9 employees
Listed in

About Absently and Opalstack

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Absently
Opalstack

Absently is leave and absence management software built specifically for small UK businesses. If you're still tracking staff holidays on a spreadsheet, chasing people for holiday requests over WhatsApp, or just never quite sure who's in and who's off - Absently was built for you. It's simple by...

Read more about Absently

No description of Opalstack yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Absently 9 features
Opalstack 5 features
  • Holiday and leave tracking
    A clear, visual calendar showing who's off and when - no more digging through spreadsheets or chasing people on WhatsApp.
  • Leave requests and approvals
    Staff submit requests in seconds, managers approve or decline with one click, and everyone gets notified automatically.
  • Multiple leave types
    Supports annual leave, sick leave, parental leave, compassionate leave, TOIL, unpaid leave and more - all tracked separately and clearly.
  • Sickness tracking
    Log and monitor staff sickness absences separately from holiday, so you always have an accurate picture of attendance.
  • Team calendar view
    See your whole team's leave at a glance - perfect for spotting clashes and planning ahead with confidence.
  • Customisable leave allowances
    Set individual leave entitlements per employee, including part-time staff with pro-rata calculations handled automatically.
  • Bank holiday management
    UK bank holidays built in, with the flexibility to assign different schedules to different employees or locations.
  • Simple onboarding
    Get your whole team set up in minutes - no training, no IT support, no complicated configuration required.
  • Affordable flat pricing
    Just £1 per person per month, with a 30-day free trial and no credit card needed to get started.
  • Developer-Friendly Hosting
    Opalstack is designed with developers in mind, offering SSH access, Git integration, and support for multiple programming languages and frameworks including Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP, giving developers granular control over their hosting environment.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Opalstack offers competitive pricing for shared and managed hosting plans, making it an accessible option for small businesses, freelancers, and individual developers who need robust features without enterprise-level costs.
  • Modern Control Panel
    Opalstack provides a clean, modern, and intuitive web-based dashboard for managing sites, applications, databases, and email accounts, which is a significant improvement over older-style hosting control panels like cPanel.
  • Strong Support for Multiple Applications
    The platform supports a wide variety of application types including WordPress, Django, Flask, Express, static sites, and more, allowing users to host diverse projects on a single account with easy deployment.
  • Reliable Infrastructure and Support
    Opalstack is built by former WebFaction team members, bringing experienced hosting expertise. They offer responsive customer support and a reputation for stable, well-managed server infrastructure with good uptime.

Possible disadvantages

  • Smaller Community and Ecosystem
    Compared to major hosting providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or even shared hosts like SiteGround, Opalstack has a smaller user base, which means fewer community tutorials, third-party guides, and forum discussions available for troubleshooting.
  • Limited Scalability Options
    Opalstack is primarily a shared hosting provider, which means it may not be the best choice for high-traffic applications or projects that require rapid, on-demand scaling of resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
  • Not Ideal for Beginners
    While developer-friendly, Opalstack's approach can be intimidating for non-technical users. Setting up applications often requires familiarity with the command line and server configuration, which may not suit those looking for simple one-click solutions.
  • Limited Data Center Locations
    Opalstack offers a relatively small number of data center locations compared to major cloud providers, which may result in higher latency for users targeting audiences in regions not well-served by the available server locations.
  • Fewer Managed Services and Add-ons
    Unlike larger hosting platforms, Opalstack lacks a wide range of managed add-on services such as built-in CDN integration, managed backups with granular restore options, or one-click SSL management that more mainstream providers offer out of the box.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Absently
Opalstack

Overall verdict

  • Absently (absently.io) appears to be a solid absence and leave management tool designed to simplify tracking employee time off, though prospective users should verify current features and pricing directly on the official site before committing.

Why this product is good

  • Streamlines employee absence and leave tracking in one centralized platform
  • Reduces administrative overhead by automating leave requests and approvals
  • Provides clear visibility into team availability and time-off calendars
  • Typically offers self-service options that empower employees to manage their own requests
  • Can improve compliance and record-keeping for HR teams

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized businesses looking to modernize leave management
  • HR teams seeking to reduce manual tracking of absences
  • Remote or distributed teams needing shared visibility into availability
  • Managers who want a simple approval workflow for time-off requests
  • Growing companies transitioning away from spreadsheets for absence tracking

Overall verdict

  • Opalstack is a solid choice for developers and tech-savvy users seeking an affordable, flexible control panel hosting solution with good performance and transparent pricing, though it may require more technical know-how than mainstream cPanel hosts.

Why this product is good

  • Uses a custom lightweight control panel that's fast and efficient compared to resource-heavy alternatives like cPanel
  • Offers straightforward, transparent pricing without hidden fees or aggressive upselling
  • Provides SSD storage and solid server performance for the price point
  • Supports multiple app types including Python, Node.js, and various frameworks beyond typical PHP hosting
  • Founded by the original creators of WebFaction, bringing significant hosting industry experience
  • Good for running multiple websites/apps under one account with granular resource control
  • Responsive customer support with a knowledgeable team
  • No long-term contracts required, allowing flexibility

Recommended for

  • Developers who need support for Python, Node.js, or other non-PHP applications
  • Users comfortable with a more technical, non-cPanel control panel interface
  • Small businesses or freelancers hosting multiple websites who want granular control
  • Former WebFaction users looking for a similar service after its shutdown
  • Budget-conscious users who want VPS-like flexibility without full server management
  • Users who prioritize transparent pricing over bundled marketing extras

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Absently
Opalstack
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
HR
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Absently and Opalstack.

What makes your product unique?

Absently's answer

Absently is built from the ground up for small UK businesses - not an enterprise tool scaled down, but a product designed specifically for teams of 5 to 50 who just need a simple, reliable way to manage staff leave without the complexity or the cost. At £1 per person per month, with no setup required and no features you'll never use, it's the straightforward alternative to the spreadsheet that's been causing you headaches for years.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Absently's answer

Most leave management tools are built for bigger businesses and priced accordingly - Absently is different. It's designed specifically for small UK teams, costs just £1 per person per month, and works from day one without any setup, training, or technical know-how. Where competitors add complexity, Absently strips it back to exactly what a small business actually needs - and nothing it doesn't.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Absently's answer

Small UK businesses with 5 to 50 employees - typically managed by an office manager, operations lead, or the business owner themselves - who are currently tracking staff leave on a spreadsheet or through informal group chats, and are looking for a simpler, more reliable solution that the whole team can use without any training.

What's the story behind your product?

Absently's answer

Absently was born out of a simple belief - that the best software does one thing really well, without the bloat that comes from trying to please everyone. Having used leave management tools before and watched them grow more complicated over time, the idea was straightforward: build something small UK businesses could set up in minutes, use without training, and actually enjoy. No unnecessary features, no enterprise pricing, just a tool that solves a real problem cleanly.

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When comparing Absently and Opalstack, you can also consider the following products.