What it does inside Google Chat
No extra password. Add your people in Book Time Off with the same email they use in Google Workspace, and the app knows who is who.
Message the app, choose book, and fill in a short form. The request is created with the same checks as the web app, without opening another tab.
Ask the bot who is away today and over the next week, so nobody is caught out by an empty desk before a deadline.
A quick message shows your allowance, the days you have booked or taken, and how many you have left.
Run /whosoff to see who is away, or /help to get started. Message the bot in a space or a DM and it always answers.
Add a webhook to a space and Book Time Off posts who is off that day, so the whole team can see it in one place.
When someone books leave in Google Chat, whoever approves it gets a one-click Approve or Decline email straight away, so nothing sits waiting. The decision happens in that email or in the web app · there is no separate approve button inside Google Chat itself.
Book Time Off sends the replies and posts the digest. It never reads your conversations, and it matches people only by their work email.
Adding it to your workspace
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Install from the Marketplace
Add Book Time Off from the Google Workspace Marketplace so your team can message it in Chat. If your company is new to Book Time Off, start a free trial on the website first.
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Bring your team in
Add your people in Book Time Off with the same Google email they use in Workspace. That email is how the app matches everyone up.
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Choose your digest space
In Settings, add the incoming webhook for the Chat space where you want the daily who's-off summary, and set the time. That is the space sorted.
Install the app from the Marketplace and add the digest webhook in Settings · Integrations · Google Chat. Nothing about your existing account changes, and people are still matched by their Google email.
How the price compares
The Google Chat experience is included in the flat £1, where other tools either charge a higher tier for the chat features or sell them per seat on top.
| Book Time Off | Timetastic | Vacation Tracker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1 / user / month (flat) | £1.20 Basic / £2 Pro | Per-user, billed separately |
| Google Chat app | Included | Not offered | Included |
| Book leave in Chat | Included | Not offered | Included |
| Who's off & /whosoff in Chat | Included | Not offered | Included |
| Daily who's-off to a space | Included | Not offered | Included |
| Separate balance per leave type | No · one shared allowance | Yes | Yes |
Two honest differences to weigh. Book Time Off records leave types such as sickness or unpaid leave as categories on one shared allowance, with annual leave drawing down the balance; if you need a separate pot and approval flow per leave type, that is a real difference, though for most small teams the simpler model is part of why the price stays flat. And approvals from a Chat booking happen by one-click email rather than a button inside Chat. Google Chat shows the day-to-day summaries; the full calendar and wallchart live in the web app, and the bot's messages are in English.
Frequently asked questions
No. Message the Book Time Off app, choose book, fill in the short form, and the request is created with the same checks as the web app. Approvals then arrive by email: the approver gets a one-click Approve or Decline email straight away, so nothing sits in an inbox waiting.
Yes. An admin adds an incoming webhook to a Chat space, and Book Time Off posts a daily who's-off summary there. Anyone can also type /whosoff in a direct message to see who is away today and in the next week, plus how many days they have left.
By their Google email. Add your team in Book Time Off with the same email they use in Google Workspace, and the app knows who is who. There is no separate password to set up.
It is included in the flat price of £1 per user per month. There is no separate Google Chat tier and no add-on fee. Booking, balances, who's off, /whosoff and the space digest all come in the one price, with a 30-day free trial and no card required.
Yes. Book Time Off is published and public on the Google Workspace Marketplace, so any Google Workspace company can install it. The app's messages are in English.