A spreadsheet is where most teams start, and for a few people it's fine. But it doesn't stop clashes, it miscounts when a formula breaks, and before long there are 15 versions saved in a folder. Book Time Off is a simple, effective annual leave tracker that fixes all three for a flat €1 per user a month: one shared calendar, one-click approvals, days left worked out for you, and Malta's public holidays built in. If your spreadsheet keeps breaking, this is the easy step up.
Where the spreadsheet breaks
- Clashes. Two people book the same week and nobody notices. A spreadsheet won't warn you; Book Time Off does.
- Miscounts. One broken formula and everyone's days-left is wrong. Book Time Off works the balance out for you.
- Versions. The file gets copied and emailed until no one knows which is right. Book Time Off is one shared record.
- Approvals by email. Requests get lost in inboxes. Book Time Off gives you one-click approve or decline, with a record.
- Private data on a shared drive. Names, dates and reasons in an open file is a risk. Book Time Off keeps it controlled.
What Book Time Off does
Book Time Off handles annual leave and nothing else, which is what makes it simple. Staff request time off and managers approve it in a click. Everyone sees the same calendar and wallchart, so two people don't book the same week by accident. You set each person's allowance and the rules around it, and the balance updates itself. Malta's 14 public holidays load in automatically and never come off anyone's allowance. It works with Outlook, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Calendar, and it's a flat €1 per user a month with a 30-day free trial and no card.
Side by side
Book Time Off is the highlighted column.
| Feature | Book Time Off €1 / user / mo | A leave spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|
| See who's off at a glance | Yes | Squint at tabs |
| Stop two people booking the same week | Yes · capacity limits | Hope someone spots it |
| Request & approve | Yes · one-click | Email threads |
| Days left worked out for you | Yes | Manual formulas |
| Malta public holidays built in | Yes · 14 days | Type them in yearly |
| Works on a phone | Yes | Painful |
| One shared, safe record | Yes | 15 versions in a folder |
| Cost | ||
| Price | €1 / user / mo | Free, plus your time |
Set the allowance in days
In Malta the statutory minimum works out to about 27 days a year for a full-timer, and day to day that is how most teams plan and talk about leave. Book Time Off tracks it in days and half-days, so you set each person's allowance in days and book against it. The hours side is a payroll job; our Malta leave calculator converts between days and hours if you ever need the exact figure. (General guidance, not legal advice.)
When a spreadsheet is still fine
Straight answer: if you're two or three people who never clash and never forget, a spreadsheet costs nothing and works. The moment you're chasing approvals, fixing totals or squinting at tabs to see who's off, a €1 tracker pays for itself. There's a 30-day free trial, so you can feel the difference before you decide. For a step-by-step, see how to track staff holidays without spreadsheets, or the Malta leave software guide for the wider field.
Questions people ask
For anything past a handful of people, yes. A spreadsheet is free but it won't warn you about clashes, it miscounts when a formula breaks, and it sprawls into versions. Book Time Off fixes those for €1 per user a month: one shared calendar, clash warnings, days left worked out for you, one-click approvals, and Malta's public holidays built in. There's a 30-day free trial.
There's no spreadsheet importer: you set people up with their allowance and go, which takes a few minutes for a small team. (If you're moving from Timetastic, that has a full export Book Time Off can bring in.) Most teams start fresh, since balances are worked out automatically from then on.
Yes. It loads Malta's 14 public holidays automatically and marks them as days off, so you don't type them into a spreadsheet each year. It tracks leave in days and half-days, the way most Maltese teams plan holidays, and leaves the hours side to payroll. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
A flat €1 per user a month, in euro, with no minimum. Five people is €5 a month; 12 people is €12. There's a 30-day free trial with no card.
Sources, checked 21 July 2026: Book Time Off from the live product; Malta leave from DIER and S.L. 452.87 under the Employment and Industrial Relations Act (Cap. 452). Not legal advice.