Cala HQ
Leave planner for small teams with a permanent free plan and every feature on every plan
Quick Overview
| Company | JULY17 SIA (Latvian commercial register no. 40203446485), trading as Cala HQ |
|---|---|
| Category | Absence Management Software |
| Headquarters | Riga, Latvia |
| EU Presence | EU (Latvia) |
| Data Location | The vendor states in its submission to us that the app and backups run in Frankfurt, Germany; its public privacy policy only says data may be processed in the EU or in countries where its providers operate, with Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers outside the EU/EEA, and names no hosting provider |
| Open Source | No |
| Compliance | None published; the site says traffic is protected with SSL and that Cala follows GDPR principles |
| Pricing | As of November 2026, in EUR: Free up to 5 users; Team 10 EUR 15/month (EUR 12/month billed EUR 144 annually); Team 25 EUR 35 (EUR 29, EUR 348 annually); Team 50 EUR 60 (EUR 49, EUR 588 annually); prices exclude VAT; larger teams on request; every plan has every feature |
| Free Option | Permanent free plan for up to 5 users, no credit card required |
| Replaces | Spreadsheet leave trackers, Vacation Tracker, BambooHR time off |
Detailed Review
Cala HQ is a deliberately narrow leave planner: employees file time-off requests, a named leave manager approves them, balances update on their own, and a shared calendar shows who is away.
It is operated by JULY17 SIA of Latvia and aimed at owner-led and remote teams that have outgrown an Excel sheet but have no use for a full HR suite.
Policies can be fixed, accrued or unlimited, with pro-rating for people who join mid-year, carry-over limits that expire, and maximum balance caps. Built-in public holiday calendars cover more than 50 countries, and approved leave can be copied to Google Calendar or Outlook. A weekly digest, minimum-notice rules, leave reminders and an audit log round it out.
The pricing is the simplest in this category. Every plan carries the same features and only the user limit changes: free for up to five users, then EUR 15 a month for ten, EUR 35 for twenty-five and EUR 60 for fifty on monthly billing, or EUR 12, EUR 29 and EUR 49 a month when billed yearly (as of November 2026, excluding VAT).
That makes Cala HQ the only tool on this page with a permanent free tier that includes its full feature set.
Its flat plans are cheaper than per-seat rivals for small teams, but they step up in blocks, so a team of eleven pays for twenty-five seats.
JULY17 SIA is registered in the Latvian commercial register under number 40203446485, in business since December 2022. The register lists a Jelgava address while the site imprint gives Gustava Zemgala gatve 74 in Riga; the Terms and Privacy Policy name the same company.
The founder told us the app and its backups sit in Frankfurt, but the public privacy policy does not name a hosting provider or a country, so ask for that in the data processing agreement, which the Terms say will be made available. No security certification is published, and the vendor home page cites 200+ teams, a small base next to the established names above.
What Cala HQ does well
- Free for up to five users with every feature included, no card needed
- Flat plans from EUR 12 a month for ten users on annual billing, with no per-module add-ons
- Accrual, pro-rating, carry-over expiry and balance caps handled inside the policy engine
- Public holiday calendars for more than 50 countries next to approved leave
- Latvian company with a verifiable commercial register entry and a named EU data protection authority
Where Cala HQ falls short
- Young product with roughly 200 customer teams, so a short track record
- No ISO 27001 or other certificate published, and no hosting provider named on the public site
- Frankfurt hosting rests on the founder's statement rather than the privacy policy
- Managers sign in to approve; there is no approval inside Slack or Teams on the pages we read
- Plans stop at 50 users on the public price list, with larger teams handled by contacting sales
Standout feature. A permanent free plan that includes every feature, which no other European tool in this category matches.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free for up to five users with every feature included, no card needed
- Flat plans from EUR 12 a month for ten users on annual billing, with no per-module add-ons
- Accrual, pro-rating, carry-over expiry and balance caps handled inside the policy engine
- Public holiday calendars for more than 50 countries next to approved leave
- Latvian company with a verifiable commercial register entry and a named EU data protection authority
Cons
- Young product with roughly 200 customer teams, so a short track record
- No ISO 27001 or other certificate published, and no hosting provider named on the public site
- Frankfurt hosting rests on the founder's statement rather than the privacy policy
- Managers sign in to approve; there is no approval inside Slack or Teams on the pages we read
- Plans stop at 50 users on the public price list, with larger teams handled by contacting sales
Alternatives to Cala HQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cala HQ?
Cala HQ is a deliberately narrow leave planner: employees file time-off requests, a named leave manager approves them, balances update on their own, and a shared calendar shows who is away.
It is operated by JULY17 SIA of Latvia and aimed at owner-led and remote teams that have outgrown an Excel sheet but have no use for a full HR suite.
Policies can be fixed, accrued or unlimited, with pro-rating for people who join mid-year, carry-over limits that expire, and maximum balance caps. Built-in public holiday calendars cover more than 50 countries, and approved leave can be copied to Google Calendar or Outlook. A weekly digest, minimum-notice rules, leave reminders and an audit log round it out.
Where is Cala HQ based?
Cala HQ operates from Riga, Latvia, which places it under EU (Latvia). Compliance: None published; the site says traffic is protected with SSL and that Cala follows GDPR principles.
What does Cala HQ cost?
As of November 2026, in EUR: Free up to 5 users; Team 10 EUR 15/month (EUR 12/month billed EUR 144 annually); Team 25 EUR 35 (EUR 29, EUR 348 annually); Team 50 EUR 60 (EUR 49, EUR 588 annually); prices exclude VAT; larger teams on request; every plan has every feature. Permanent free plan for up to 5 users, no credit card required.
Who is Cala HQ best for?
Small teams of up to five people that want a free leave tracker instead of a spreadsheet. A permanent free plan that includes every feature, which no other European tool in this category matches.
What are the drawbacks of Cala HQ?
Young product with roughly 200 customer teams, so a short track record. No ISO 27001 or other certificate published, and no hosting provider named on the public site. Frankfurt hosting rests on the founder's statement rather than the privacy policy. Managers sign in to approve; there is no approval inside Slack or Teams on the pages we read. Plans stop at 50 users on the public price list, with larger teams handled by contacting sales.
Is Cala HQ a good alternative to Spreadsheet leave trackers?
Cala HQ is built as a European alternative to Spreadsheet leave trackers: Leave planner for small teams with a permanent free plan and every feature on every plan. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
How does Cala HQ compare to other Absence Management Software?
Cala HQ is one of several European Absence Management Software we cover. It is most often compared with Spreadsheet leave trackers, Vacation Tracker, BambooHR time off.