Best Employee Scheduling Software for Small Business in 2025
Our guide to the best employee scheduling software is the product of extensive research conducted by our HR experts coupled with external insights from across the industry. Find pricing, pros & cons, best practices and more below.
Best Employee Scheduling Software for SMBs
The best employee scheduling software solutions help organizations plan their labor needs, assign jobs to the right employees, and ensure that the total available working hours are being optimally utilized.
We spent hours researching, evaluating, and comparing the best employee scheduling software for small businesses.
Our focus has been the same as if we were in your shoes, on the market for an employee scheduling tool. We looked at their features, user experience, and main strengths and weaknesses.
However, finding the most suitable employee scheduling tool for your business is as much about understanding your business as it is about the product. Depending on how you’re set up, ‘the best’ product will vary.
For that reason, we’ve tried to put together a list with sufficient variety in industries, types of tech, and pricing styles. That being said, all of these are good bets for businesses with less than 1,500 employees.
Sounds good? Let’s dive in and take a closer look at each tool’s strengths and weaknesses.
To find the ideal employee scheduling software tools for small businesses, we conducted an exhaustive evaluation of over 30 products. We carefully considered numerous factors, including what we believe are four key criteria for these products: ease of use, customization, pricing, and integrations with payroll tools.
Our editorial team, consisting of seasoned HR professionals guided by insights from industry leaders, spearheaded the research. Additionally, we collected valuable data through hands-on user research.
- Ease of Use: Small businesses often need more time and resources for extensive software training. Therefore, we prioritized employee scheduling software that boasts user-friendly interfaces and intuitive navigation.
- Customization: We focused on scheduling solutions that provide a high degree of customization. Our selections offer flexible shift templates, customizable scheduling rules, and the ability to cater to different workforce arrangements, such as part-time, full-time, and seasonal employees.
- Pricing: The selected solutions offer subscription plans suitable for SMB budgets, with pricing tiers based on the number of employees or schedule complexity. Additionally, we highlight software that provides free trial periods or freemium versions.
- Integrations with Payroll Tools: We sought out software options that seamlessly integrate with popular payroll systems, accounting software, and HR platforms. These integrations facilitate seamless data transfer, reducing manual work and minimizing the risk of errors.
For more insights into our comprehensive evaluation process and to explore our selection of the best HR tech, we invite you to read our piece on how we select the best HR tech.
Connecteam
Homebase
When I Work
Rippling
Humanity Schedule by TCP Software
Deputy
Shiftboard
7shifts
QuickBooks Time
OpenSimSim
Need Help? Talk to an HR Software Advisor!
Tell us more about your company & an HR Software Advisor will help you find the right software
Connecteam
You can enjoy using all three of Connecteam’s hubs (Operations, Communications, and HR & Skills) for free for up to 10 users.
PROS
- Reach staff instantly with native team communication tools.
- Forms and checklists provide workers with necessary job information.
- Track employee hours with a user-friendly time clock.
- Geofencing and automated timesheets for payroll.
- Offers auto-scheduling, error-flagging, and scheduling templates.
- Competitive pricing. Free plan and free trial available.
- One of the only fully-mobile HR tech tools for deskless workers
- Very adequately-priced for all it entails, SMB-friendly
- Quite open to feedback, having implemented user suggestions as features in the past.
CONS
- Limited native integration options. API access for Enterprise plan only.
- No phone support.
- In the communication hub, the app offers no confirmation that messages were sent and/or seen.
- Certain features that some teams consider essential, such as GPS-tracking, are only available in the higher-tier pricing plans.
Creating shifts on Connecteam is designed to be flexible and accommodating. You have the option to create single or multiple shifts, import from Excel, provide open spots for your workers to claim, or set up repeating shifts. Further, given that small businesses often function on shift-based models rather than specific job roles, the platform's adaptability in enabling users to approve individuals for shifts independently is truly a plus.
Connecteam has a clear interface that worked well despite the devices we used: laptop, tablet, and phone. The help center has easy-to-digest video tutorials and articles and a search function that, during our testing, made it easy for us to find what we needed. Plus, we like that the platform keeps everything current and in three languages.
Pricing-wise, we were impressed with Connecteam’s transparency and flexibility. There’s a free-for-life plan for teams with no more than 10 users and a couple of paid options that could be of good use for these businesses as they expand.
Our main concern about Connecteam, though, is its integration limitations: It can natively connect with very few HR tools, while API access is restricted to the Enterprise plan.
We love the thorough Help Center, but it’s a shame there is no phone support. In our experience, being able to engage with support immediately over the phone when required is greatly appreciated by many businesses.
36,000+ companies, including Eco-Moving, Cage Free Voices, and UGS Private Security.
Connecteam offers a free plan for SMBs with up to 10 employees. The platform’s paid plans start at $29 per user per month billed annually.
Best For
SMBs with no more than 30 employees and which do not need extensive integration choices.
Homebase
There’s a lot to like about Homebase. Its central scheduling interface is its biggest strength, which gives employers and employees a clear view of the company-wide schedule. We also love the fact that it offers a free version which is sufficient for most small businesses.
PROS
- Provides a fully integrated employee scheduling system with separate interfaces for managers and employees.
- Instant messaging feature to directly communicate with team members and make schedule changes on the go.
- Makes requesting time off a breeze.
- Allows you to create schedule templates.
- Has desktop, android, and iPhone applications.
- Separate dashboards for managers and employees
- Real-time communication features allow for schedule changes on the move
- Requesting and approving paid time off is easy
- Great scheduling templates help managers streamline work
CONS
- It doesn’t have the most intuitive user interface, making it hard to navigate the product.
- Offers limited third-party integrations
- The tool offers very little room for customization
- Limited third-party integration support
- Additional features are somewhat expensive
Homebase is among the best employee scheduling applications with thousands of customers worldwide. It provides organizations with an integrated system to manage their team’s schedule and instantly notify the relevant employees of any changes.
Its mobile apps allow employees to access their schedule on the go, coordinate with team members, and stay updated on any changes.
Similarly, it allows managers to assign work shifts and instantly notify employees of their schedules.
Try Homebase For Free
Homebase offers the following subscription plans (billed annually)
- Basic - Free
- Essentials - $14/month per location [most suitable plans for employee scheduling features]
- Plus - $35/month per location
- All-in-one - $70/month per location
Best For
I utilize Homebase as a comprehensive scheduling solution for managing cleanings for my LLC's short-term rentals. The platform allows me to create and organize cleaning shifts for each property, ensuring that our units are consistently maintained to high standards and ready for guests' arrival.
With Homebase, we start by signing in and adding "Open Shifts" on any days we have turnovers for a given property. Then, based on each cleaning team member's availability (availability is shown within the app), we assign the shifts to prospective team members.
Homebase's user-friendly interface simplifies the scheduling process, allowing us to quickly make adjustments or reschedule shifts as needed.
- It is free! The free version of the app provides everything we need to solve our scheduling challenges.
- It is user-friendly. The web app is great for monthly scheduling, and the mobile app works for our team to view their shifts, etc.
- It was great that I could begin using it right away. There was no complicated onboarding process or steep learning curve.
I stumbled upon Homebase after a Google search looking for a scheduling tool. It has proven to be invaluable for coordinating the cleanings for my LLC's short-term rentals. Prior to using Homebase, we experienced significant challenges in efficiently managing and organizing the cleaning schedule for multiple properties with multiple members of our cleaning team. It was a time-consuming and error-prone process, resulting in delays and dissatisfaction among the team. We have used it for over three months now and have thoroughly enjoyed using the tool.
- The system sends a lot of automated notifications (app alerts, emails, text messages).
- There is a lot more functionality than we use it for, which is frustrating. We don't handle payroll, etc., through the app, but get notifications about these features all the time.
- Limited customization; I don't need an alert every time there is a scheduling "conflict" because oftentimes one employee will handle the turnover for multiple properties in a given day. I wish I could customize my views, alerts, etc., to better meet our needs.
I have never used other scheduling tools so I'm unsure how it compares.
One thing to think about is how you will handle communication and collaboration. Homebase's communication tools work adequately but aren't very robust. I sometimes get better responses from our team by just texting them, so consider how the tool facilitates communication and collaboration among team members. Look for features such as real-time notifications, messaging capabilities, and the ability to easily share schedule updates and changes.
No changes that I'm aware of.
It's hard to answer this, but it's worked great for us - a small team of people managing short-term rental properties with a small team of people handling the scheduled cleanings for these properties.
It's hard to answer this, but it probably would not be a good fit for an organization that does not have scheduling demands.
When I Work
When I Work is ideal for small businesses with limited budgets looking for a robust employee scheduling application. It’s not loaded with unnecessary features like many other HR tools but delivers excellent employee scheduling and time tracking capabilities.
PROS
- Easy shift scheduling for managers and employees.
- Global organization view of all employees.
- Minimizes absences and no-shows through shift confirmation messages and seen receipts.
- Allows managers to decide how much control employees get
CONS
- No way to track paid time off
- Limited reporting data
- Technical and user-experience issues with the mobile app
When I Work is a robust employee scheduling tool ideal for small businesses. It gives employers a bird’s eye view of their team’s work schedule and allows them to make changes on the go. It also empowers employees and makes their off-time more enjoyable by giving them control over their schedule and saving them from unplanned work.
When I Work offers the following subscription plans.
- Small Business - $2/user per month
- Enterprise - Custom quote
The Small Business plan comes with a 14-day trial, while Enterprise users can schedule a Demo before purchase.
Best For
- It gives employers the company-wide schedule dashboard simplifying decision making and saving countless hours.
- Allows users to track their work hours and update schedules anytime.
- Enables instant communication between employees and managers to improve coordination and minimize confusion.
I utilized it for 8 months. The primary function was schedule management - utilizing the platform to keep track of work schedules and shifts available to pick up. Additionally we utilized it for timekeeping purposes, generating reports from the system to pay 10-99 employees. The chat function was used, however sparingly due to preferred other platforms for this. We had users at multiple access levels, with leaders managing the schedules and reports.
- User-friendly interface in both the app and the web-based platform
- Easy to manage a high-volume of team members
- Solved our problems of needing a centralized scheduling system for multiple locations and a reliable time-keeping app
I utilized when-i-work while employed with JAG Physical Therapy. I have 8 months' experience utilizing the system. It was purchased to be a schedule management system to schedule, track time and attendance, and communicate with our hourly employees. The pain points leading to purchase included a need for an all-access central scheduling system that can accommodate multiple site locations. The key benefits included the ability to keep track of time off, employee availability, and manage shift swaps with a few clicks.
- The chat feature is clunky. We chose to utilized WhatsApp instead for security purposes
- Difficulty with integration into ADP payroll system
- Various aspects of the clock in/clock out logistics, with GPS tracking. This led to extra work when people forgot to clock in or out and had to manually enter
I preferred When-I-Work's App vs Deputy, however preferred the web-based interface of Deputy. It was easier to find settings for changes, easier to copy and duplicate shifts in a series with customization.
- Cost - When-I-Work is an affordable choice for what you get
- Other systems in your workplace - check for the ability to integrate
- Comparison of chat features vs other options - have to find what works best for you. Would be better if when-i-work was encrypted.
It became more user-friendly over the 8 months I utilized the app. The customer service team was helpful in solving challenges that arose.
Any multi-location entity
I cannot think of a situation where it wouldn't be helpful for tracking schedules and time cards.
Rippling
Rippling's employee scheduling product is a sophisticated solution for SMBs seeking deep automation and HR integration. Unlike standalone scheduling software, Rippling offers a unified platform that intelligently manages workforce scheduling, payroll, and compliance.
PROS
- Smart automation that flags understaffing and overstaffing based on labor plans
- Fully integrated with payroll, ensuring accurate payroll calculations
- An easy-to-use interface that allows quick adjustments to shifts
- Compliance tracking to prevent scheduling conflicts with labor laws
- Supports real-time labor cost tracking for better budget control
- All-in-one platform for employee management + PEO services offered, and even a suite of other IT products
- With 500 integrations, it’s very likely that they integrate with other key tools from your tech stack.
- Operates globally with any currency
- Workflow automation
- Analytics opportunities
- Provides a holistic view of company outflows—headcount costs included
CONS
- Custom pricing model with no public pricing details
- Rippling’s Payroll and Time & Attendance products are required for access to the Scheduling tool
- Limited free trial options compared to some competitors
- Total buy-in to Rippling is essential
- Very SMB-oriented, in case you’re a larger company.
- New features tend to be buggy in ways that tech teams are not accustomed to fixing
Rippling’s employee scheduling tool was built in response to the overwhelming demand for an integrated scheduling solution that avoids the fragmented workflows of standalone products. Many companies struggle with disconnected scheduling and HR systems, leading to compliance risks, time-off mismanagement, and overtime errors. Rippling directly addresses these pain points by offering a fully integrated solution that eliminates manual spreadsheets and inefficient workarounds.
Instead of relying on manual scheduling methods, Rippling’s platform provides labor planning capabilities, allowing businesses to map out necessary staffing levels and receive alerts when schedules do not align with labor needs. One of the standout features is its automated shift validation, which dynamically flags compliance and cost control issues in real-time.
Their attendance module also presents some novelty. You can set up automatic alerts that get triggered whenever a worker is constantly late or missing shifts. The module can support a points-based system so managers can automate consequences if employees are consistently missing shifts or coming in late.
Through our research, we found that mid-sized organizations leverage this kind of forward-thinking features to save time. We heard of a healthcare administrator who achieved a 70% reduction in scheduling conflicts within the first month of use.
Another key strength is payroll integration. Unlike many scheduling solutions that require third-party payroll software, Rippling automatically calculates wages based on actual hours worked, helping SMBs avoid payroll discrepancies. Real-time labor cost tracking further enhances visibility into workforce expenses, making it easier to manage budgets.
Despite these advantages, a remarkable drawback of Rippling’s scheduling tool is that it’s not a standalone product. Businesses must have Rippling Payroll and Time & Attendance to use Scheduling. Additionally, pricing remains undisclosed, requiring direct inquiries for quotes.
Pricing remains custom, but our recent quote requests for various business sizes indicate that companies should expect to invest $8-15 per user per month for the scheduling module, with the total cost varying based on which additional HR features are included.
Best For
Based on our comparative analysis and user interviews, we find Rippling's scheduling solution works best for growing companies with 50-500 employees who need sophisticated automation and can benefit from the broader HR integration. For organizations of this size, we've observed that the higher initial investment is typically offset by reduced administrative overhead within 4-6 months of implementation.
Humanity Schedule by TCP Software
Throughout our tech test, Humanity proved to be a solid tool for managing schedules, timekeeping, and compliance, particularly for U.S. companies with detailed operational requirements.
PROS
CONS
TCP has long been praised for its time and attendance software. After its acquisition of Humanity, we soon discovered that this vendor also has an impressive employee scheduling product.
There is a great deal of flexibility for both account-wide and employee-level customization in the employee scheduling tool.
From the ShiftPlanning settings, we could easily enable employees to trade or drop shifts, with or without managerial approval. This feature allows us to tailor policies based on team needs. Also, the ability to have custom leave types, such as Sick Days or Maternity Leave, and enable them at the employee level made it trouble-free to accommodate various leave policies across teams.
The vendor also knocked it out of the park with its employee availability management features. Employees are set to be available 24/7 by default, but they can update their specific availability via the Humanity app or desktop interface. They can also use the one-time availability feature to communicate temporary availability changes, like doctor appointments or picking up extra hours.
Not to mention, there’s an auto-fill schedule function that, in our test, helped us quickly fill shifts with available team members while also flagging potential conflicts with a red warning icon. With this feature in hand, we'd argue that there would be minimal scheduling conflicts.
We tested the Time Clock feature and loved it. It gives employees options for clocking in through the app or physical terminals and supports Geofencing.
Managing leave requests was straightforward. Employees could request partial or full days off, and before approving leave, we could easily see which shifts needed coverage and who was available to step in.
Manually double-checking each schedule to ensure we met specific labor requirements is indeed not an enjoyable task, so knowing that we could define the minimum and maximum hours our staff could work in a day or week right within Humanity by TCP Software was nothing short of impressive.
Despite its many features, we noticed a few drawbacks. Humanity keeps its user interface simple, but compared to competitors like Homebase or Deputy, it’s doesn’t feel as modern and intuitive.
This vendor's hyper-focus on US-based companies is, in some ways, double-edged. While it’s well respected in North America, it has limited capability in the global market. Also, we’re not a big fan of its lack of pricing transparency, especially considering that most good brands are upfront about their costs.
18,000+ companies, including Hilton, the University of Michigan, and iFLY Toronto.
Humanity by TCP Software pricing is not disclosed.
Best For
Small businesses in North America, particularly in healthcare, government, and education.
Deputy
Deputy makes employee scheduling a breeze. But what makes it different from other employee scheduling software is its AI capabilities. It does the heavy lifting for you by developing optimized employee schedules for departments, teams, or individual employees based on their workload and availability.
PROS
- Quickly create optimized employee schedules with AI assistance.
- Easily find replacements when an employee doesn’t show up.
- Accurately track breaks and unproductive time.
- Easily integrates with Google Calendar and other workforce management and scheduling apps.
- Create AI optimized employee schedules
- Eliminate no-shows with quick replacements
- Track unproductive time and breaks with precision
CONS
- Very limited reporting and analytics
- Average customer support in case of technical problems
- It has a complex user interface that makes editing shifts, and employee schedules unnecessarily complicated.
- Limited reporting functionality
- Once published, upcoming schedules can’t be changed
Deputy’s AI-powered employee scheduling features make it an ideal solution for busy small business owners. It takes the hassle out of employee scheduling by providing up-to-date workforce engagement details to managers and allowing employees to access their schedules online.
Deputy offers a full-featured free trial of up t0 31 days. After that, you can sign up for one of its paid plans.
Scheduling - $2.5/user per month (billed annually)
Premium - $4.5/user per month (billed annually)
The Premium plan includes scheduling and time & attendance features.
Best For
- Simplifies team communication and workload planning a breeze.
- It helps you identify underutilized and overburdened employees.
- Replaces spreadsheets and other manual work management methods with real-time dashboards.
I used Deputy daily for leave management and on a daily/weekly basis for schedules and rota management. We also used it for timesheets. The payroll export function made payroll processing more efficient, whether weekly or monthly. Additionally, we used some task management features, which gave us basic project management capabilities. The newsfeed function supported project communication and document sharing, which improved collaboration.
- Deputy effectively combines scheduling, time management, and leave management under one platform.
- The user interface is intuitive.
- The auto-scheduling feature works well and saves the company significant time.
- The pricing structure is flexible and reasonable.
Deputy was used for attendance, time, and leave management. We had been using separate tools for timesheets and holiday management, which proved inefficient. We wanted to combine these into one platform. We tried another tool before Deputy, but while it handled leave management well, it didn’t manage timesheets as effectively. We chose Deputy because it excelled at both timesheets and leave management. I used it for about a year with one of my clients.
- I found the mobile app a bit glitchy, though this isn’t unique to Deputy.
- The clock-in and clock-out functionality can be laggy and slow, which staff often mentioned.
- The task management tools could be more sophisticated, especially in terms of task reporting.
Deputy is a jack of all trades tool, combining the "golden triangle" of timesheets, leave management, and scheduling, and does all three well. Few other tools combine these related functions as effectively. Competitors tend to excel in one or two areas, but Deputy excels in all three.
The functionality and speed of the mobile app are key, especially if you have field or remote staff who rely on it. Automation is important these days, so auto-scheduling is a must—make sure to test how well it works. Additionally, look at the levels of automation and sophistication in clocking in and time tracking, as this can make or break the tool.
I'd also check what levels of automation and sophistication there is around clocking in and tracking time as this can be a gamechanger or dealbreaker.
I’ve noticed an improvement in customer service, and they have added more communication and collaboration features, particularly through the newsfeed. There’s a growing need for a social element in workflow tools, and they’ve responded well to that.
Deputy is ideal for customer-facing organizations or manufacturing operations that run with a structured, formal shift format.
Deputy wouldn’t suit more fluid organizations that don’t use a structured shift pattern or where most employees work a standard 9-to-5 schedule. In these cases, the advanced shift scheduling functionality would be unnecessary.
Shiftboard
ShiftBoard is ideal for large production-centric organizations looking to effectively schedule shifts and optimize labor costs. It makes life much easier for shift managers by giving employees access to their schedules and the option to trade hours.
PROS
- Offers two different products for production-centric companies and service providers.
- It’s a sophisticated employee scheduling solution that links directly with production plans, HR software, account, etc., to provide 360-degree resource management.
- It reduces absences and missed shifts resulting in lower labor costs and optimized production planning.
CONS
- Offers limited functionality to accommodate project-based employees.
- The user interface is clunky and hard to navigate.
- It has a learning curve due to its complex options.
Shiftboard is a robust employee scheduling platform that offers significantly more features and functions than the other software in this list. This is why 60,000+ manufacturing and service-oriented companies use it for employee scheduling.
But it isn’t very customizable and lacks several key features for small businesses and companies that operate with contractual employees.
ShiftBoard offers two different scheduling products for manufacturing and service-oriented organizations.
ScheduleFlex Pricing (Service Industry)
Basic - $3/month per user
Professional - $6/month per user (ideal for growing companies)
Enterprise - Custom Quote.
SchedulePro Pricing (Manufacturing Industry)
Enterprise and Enterprise Plus plans - Custom quotes
You can schedule a free demo of SchedulePro and ScheduleFlex from their respective pricing pages.
Best For
- Improves employee motivation and productivity by helping companies minimize overtime and unplanned shifts.
- Allows organizations to manage employees at multiple production facilities from a central dashboard.
- Minimizes communication gaps in large companies through group announcements and one-on-one chats.
We use Shiftboard for multiple purposes. Our program schedule for over 40 program site locations is housed in Shiftboard for our program schedulers to administer and adjust daily. This includes not only publishing available shifts but also narrowing down who can pick up shifts at various locations based on their credentials and training. We also use Shiftboard to communicate with our employees, as most of them utilize the Shiftboard app daily. We send announcements and reminders through Shiftboard. Our employees use Shiftboard to see their schedules, find available shifts, and clock in or out when they work. They also use Shiftboard to request time off and designate whether they'd like to use PTO.
Shiftboard is highly customizable and allows us to have multiple qualifiers for employees to accept shifts, such as credentials or specific training requirements. The platform is easy to use and understand for our employees. The "Tradeboard" feature allows employees to swap shifts if they qualify and meet the requirements, offering flexibility when they need time off. The support team is highly responsive when issues occur, which is not frequent.
My organization contracted with Shiftboard for scheduling over eight years ago. We needed a solution for scheduling 350+ employees in the healthcare industry working in various locations that were staffed 24/7. Our payroll provider had timekeeping and scheduling capabilities, but they were very limited and didn't operate well with 24-hour scheduling. We needed something that employees would find easy to navigate and use daily. We also wanted our employees to have more than one option for how they clock in and out for each shift that would update in real-time.
From an administrative standpoint, the system can be challenging for schedulers to learn. The training modules offered could be expanded to make this easier. The visual calendar is a bit rudimentary.
I find Shiftboard superior to its competitors. Prior to contracting with Shiftboard, I researched 6-7 other timekeeping/scheduling systems, and none of them were as customizable. I appreciate the added benefits of company announcements and communication features, and the price is highly competitive and affordable.
When considering timekeeping/scheduling software, first identify the goals you need it to achieve. The larger and more complex your needs, the more customizable the software should be. Do your employees have the same basic schedule? Do they work at the same location frequently? If so, you may not need much customization. If you have many employees and multiple locations, your scheduling needs will be complex, and you'll want the ability to mold the software to fit your exact specifications.
Shiftboard is proactive about contacting and meeting with their customers regularly to identify any pain points. Shiftboard has undergone multiple upgrades over time, each beneficial to our company. This includes a company dashboard for announcements to all employees, the ability to contact employees individually or by location, and the Tradeboard feature. Their support team responds well to feedback and requests.
Any sized company with complex scheduling needs will find Shiftboard to be a great fit. It is especially useful for healthcare companies, which have hundreds of employees in multiple locations.
Small companies with simple scheduling needs won’t need Shiftboard. If your employees generally work the same shifts at the same location, this may not be a necessary expense.
7shifts
7Shifts provides a wide range of scheduling features under one hood. They stand out for their AI-powered auto-scheduler, in-app messaging, time tracking, and even a basic ATS. Few software products that apply to the restaurant business combine many such functions.
PROS
- This software has a lot of integration options, making it easier to streamline aspects of your business like sales. You can, for example, connect to point of sale systems like Square and Toast so you can easily accept credit card and NFC payments as well as inventory and financing.
- A fully-featured software that helps you manage team schedules, timesheets, tasks, communications, and much more, within a mobile-friendly platform.
- Their free plan features basic scheduling and ATS functionalities to get your restaurant up and running, and it can accommodate as many as 30 users per location.
- This software has a lot of integration options, making it easier to streamline aspects of your business like sales. You can, for example, connect to point of sale systems like Square and Toast so you can easily accept credit card and NFC payments as well as inventory and financing.
- A fully-featured software that helps you manage team schedules, timesheets, tasks, communications, and much more, within a mobile-friendly platform.
- Their free plan features basic scheduling and ATS functionalities to get your restaurant up and running, and it can accommodate as many as 30 users per location.
CONS
- The platform’s scheduling can be a drag for teams with global remote workers because the shifts are only scheduled in CST timezone.
- The system, sometimes, does not synchronize employee’s mobile shift data with admin data. So shifts could be created and published on the manager’s end and the employees might not receive it.
- Doesn’t allow you to edit schedules before publishing. If a mistake is made, the schedule will have to be deleted and created again.
- The platform’s scheduling can be a drag for teams with global remote workers because the shifts are only scheduled in CST timezone.
- The system, sometimes, does not synchronize employee’s mobile shift data with admin data. So shifts could be created and published on the manager’s end and the employees might not receive it.
- Doesn’t allow you to edit schedules before publishing. If a mistake is made, the schedule will have to be deleted and created again.
7Shifts was built specifically to be a human resources software for the restaurant industry, offering a wide range of functionality including employee scheduling, time clocking, labor compliance, and team communication.
Although this software has a lot of moving parts, they all synchronize to streamline restaurant operations. Additionally, the software offers innovative tools like an AI-powered auto-scheduler and templates, to help managers keep up with the fast-paced nature of restaurant HR management.
Sambo’s, The Chopped Leaf, Andy’s Frozen Custard, National Coney Island.
7Shifts has four plans available, three with fixed pricing and one with customized pricing. Add-ons are also available for separate purchases. Here are the main plans:
- Comp: Free plan with basic scheduling and ATS features. It supports only 30 users per location.
- Entree: $34.99 per location per month, but you can save about 10% if you pay annually. It is a little upgrade from the comp plan with additional reporting and budgeting features. It also supports a max of 30 employees per location.
- The Works: This plan costs $76.99 per location per month ($69.99 when billed annually). It offers all 7Shifts features to give you an all-in-one restaurant team management platform.
- Gourmet: The Gourmet plan is their custom plan. What separates this plan for the previous ones is that it comes with a dedicated account manager.
As for the add-ons, these are priced as follows:
- Task management: $12.99/location/month
- Tip pooling: $24.99/location/month
- Operations overview: $6.99/location/month
- Manager logbook: $14.99/location/month
Best For
7Shifts is a great choice for restaurants that want a little bit of human resource management together with the scheduling.
7shifts was used for hiring, onboarding & scheduling. The hiring features helped us get a hold of more new employee information. It was easy to have them onboarded which cuts down on improperly filled out w-2s, i-9s, health insurance information, etc. The ability to use the time clock functions also has cut down on labor costs avoiding employees clocking in too early for their scheduled shift. It also had employees become responsible for shift changes and put it "in stone" versus a he-said-she-said circumstance. It also was great to create a black out date for time off requests such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. Having employees be able to mainstream their schedule also made for a better work environment with less phone calls/texts on their time off.
Labor costs were lowered. Hiring became a much smoother and easier process. Shift changes were documented. Schedules were not having to be posted and texted which has caused issues with staffing in the past. Holidays were able to be blacked out for time off requests.
Our restaurant purchased this with hopes of having a smoother way to communicate with scheduling. 7shifts enabled an easier way to share the shifts versus posting on a board and texting them to employees (who of course could say they never received the text). It also was a great way to request time off which we had by hanging a post it note which could easily be lost or removed by other employees wanting the same day off. It was also a great way to cut labor costs as each shift is entered in. Prior to this, employees could clock in and out as they pleased. The new hire paperwork being able to be stored online was also very beneficial and cut down on filing with the risk of misplacing the files. The hiring tool was beneficial as I was able to flag candidates to contact when the season began again.
It did take a few attempts to learn the program in the beginning. I would like to see an easier tutorial section.
7shifts is user friendly once learned and the ability to integrate hiring, managing applicants, payroll & scheduling was a smoother transition than other programs such as Pinnacle or Aloha.
They should consider putting effort into learning the application. It also should be taken into consideration having all employees onboard on one application so as to not have paperwork and e-files.
I feel it became quicker and has kept up with the changing times of technology by including the POS integration for example.
Restaurants would definitely benefit as well as retail locations.
Office atmospheres.
ScheduleBase
ScheduleBase does what it promises - simplifying employee scheduling. Its limited features make it an easy-to-use product for field staff and employers looking for a straightforward employee scheduling tool.
PROS
- ScheduleBase is an easy-to-use tool that takes users straight to employee scheduling without overwhelming them with features.
- It can be easily accessed from its website and mobile applications (iPhone and Android).
- It offers a generous free trial of 30 days during which you can test all its features.
- Automatically sends email and SMS alerts to employees when the employer modifies their schedules.
- ScheduleBase is an easy-to-use tool that takes users straight to employee scheduling without overwhelming them with features.
- It can be easily accessed from its website and mobile applications (iPhone and Android).
- It offers a generous free trial of 30 days during which you can test all its features.
- Automatically sends email and SMS alerts to employees when the employer modifies their schedules.
CONS
- ScheduleBase comes with very limited features and is only suitable for companies looking for basic employee software.
- It does not offer any third-party software integrations, which means you can’t connect it with your payroll or HR solutions.
- It has an outdated user interface that isn’t visually appealing and lacks the drag & drop functionalities that most modern employee scheduling tools offer these days.
- ScheduleBase comes with very limited features and is only suitable for companies looking for basic employee software.
- It does not offer any third-party software integrations, which means you can’t connect it with your payroll or HR solutions.
- It has an outdated user interface that isn’t visually appealing and lacks the drag & drop functionalities that most modern employee scheduling tools offer these days.
ScheduleBase has all the basic employee scheduling features that allow you to effectively create and manage your team’s schedules online. It provides you with an easy-to-use employee scheduler and instantly notifies your team of any changes to their shifts. However, you can’t call it an advanced tool since it lacks many additional features such as group chats, time tracking, etc., that the more expensive scheduling tools offer.
Subway, Orange Leaf, GoRun Wichita, Holiday Inn Express, Bell Bank, Randy’s Hardware
ScheduleBase has a straightforward pricing structure based on the number of users associated with a company account. You can start as low as $10/month for up to 20 users. If you’re unsure about getting a paid plan, ScheduleBase offers a full-featured one-month free trial to help you decide if the platform is right for your business.
Here are the different pricing ScheduleBase pricing slabs based on the number of users.
Best For
ScheduleBase is a versatile employee scheduling tool suitable for diverse industries, especially small to medium-sized businesses with shift-based teams like restaurants, call centers, retailers, and construction companies spanning multiple locations.
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time isn’t the most robust product on this list. But the overall feature package that comes with QuickBooks makes it worth using. It provides you a 360 solution for employee scheduling, time tracking, and costing, which saves you countless hours and a significant amount of money in the long run.
PROS
- Increases profitability with integrated time-tracking and employee scheduling features.
- It makes scheduling simpler by highlighting work windows and available employees.
- Provides accurate labor costing thanks to time-tracking, scheduling, and accounting features.
- This product offers promotions and discounts (up to 50%) from time to time.
- Their customer service is personalized. You get to reach them by scheduling a call and customers have commended the courteous, tailored responses to issues they have.
- Consolidated clock in/clock out system for central work locations.
CONS
- Not very user-friendly
- Limited customizations
- No features for scheduling sub-contractors
- The GPS technology is slow to catch up on current locations at times. Instead of live updates, the software shows the employee’s previous locations.
- While their customer support is very helpful, they don’t provide many options for you to contact them. You can only schedule a call.
QuickBooks is a global leader in accounting and HR software. QuickBooks Time is a part of its ecosystem and provides employers with time tracking and employee scheduling features. It isn’t as impressive as some of the other apps in this article. But the overall QuickBooks feature range enhances its employee scheduling capabilities and links it directly to your payroll software and HR systems resulting in more accurate costing and streamlined operations.
QuickBooks Time offers two subscription plans
Premium - $8/user per month + $20 base fee/month
Elite - $10/user per month
Both plans come with a 30-day free trial
Best For
- Helps in creating employee schedules and tracking employee activities in the same tool.
- Replaces the manual work in employee scheduling with a fully automated system with real-time shit tracking.
- Streamlines communication through notifications and email alerts.
I use QuickBooks Time almost daily to gather data from previous timesheets. One key workflow I rely on is calculating the time required to complete a client project. It also allows me to charge clients accurately for the time I spend on their projects. Since integrating the tool, I’ve been able to include detailed hours on my purchase orders. Finally, QuickBooks Time helps me optimize my time and stay within a client’s budget.
I like how the time-tracking tool integrates seamlessly with other QuickBooks tools, so I don’t need to manually transfer data. It helps me monitor my productivity, allowing me to improve processes and save time on future projects. I also appreciate the ability to generate reports, which help me market myself and build loyalty with clients who don’t use my services as frequently.
As a consultant who charges clients by the hour for most projects, I found myself estimating the time I spent on projects, which led to undercharging clients. Since I was already using QuickBooks to create invoices and track expenses, I discovered that they also offered a time-tracking tool. I purchased QuickBooks Time to help me accurately track the time spent on each client project. I’ve been using the tool for the past four months, which has allowed me to bill clients more accurately. Additionally, using QuickBooks Time has helped me estimate project durations more precisely when quoting clients.
The first downside that comes to mind is the cost of the platform. As a small business, I appreciate QuickBooks’ reputation and reliability, but it’s more expensive than other time-tracking tools on the market. I’ve also experienced issues with syncing between the desktop and mobile app, requiring me to re-enter timesheets manually. Lastly, the interface is a bit cluttered, with too much information displayed at once, making it visually overwhelming. I would prefer a simpler, more streamlined design and further automation of the tool’s functions.
The only other time management software I can compare QuickBooks Time to is Deltek. My previous employer used Deltek, and compared to QuickBooks, it’s not as user-friendly. QuickBooks’ interface is more modern and easier to navigate. It’s also less compartmentalized, with all time-related features readily available. I definitely prefer QuickBooks Time over Deltek because of its ease of use.
The first thing to consider is whether the benefits outweigh the cost. In my case, since I was already using QuickBooks for bookkeeping, it made sense to use their time-tracking tool to integrate all my business data. If you’re comfortable using different platforms for time tracking and bookkeeping, it may be worth exploring other options.
Additionally, consider whether you need a customizable tool or something simpler. If you prefer simplicity, another tool might be better, as QuickBooks Time offers many features that may be unnecessary for some users.
There has been an update to the interface for all QuickBooks tools, making it slightly more user-friendly. I haven’t used it long enough to provide further insight into how the company addresses customer needs.
I believe QuickBooks Time is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses with multiple employees to track. It’s also a great option for existing QuickBooks customers who want to streamline their financial and time-tracking processes in one integrated platform.
QuickBooks Time may not be a good fit for self-employed individuals due to its cost. Additionally, I’m unsure if the tool can effectively support large enterprises with thousands of employees. I also wouldn’t recommend it to users looking for a simple platform, as the additional features may be overwhelming for some.
OpenSimSim
SocialSchedules by OpenSimSim covers most (if not all) of the core features you need in a modern scheduling software tool: from scheduling to time off management, shift replacements, and in-app messaging. It even offers a free feature-rich plan for up to 10 employees.
PROS
- SocialSchedules is easier to use than other employee scheduling tools thanks to its drag & drop user interface and excellent user experience.
- Generous free plan with all core features: scheduling, in-app messaging, availability management, and time off requests.
- You can try all features in the premium plan for free for 14 days.
- The knowledge base provides in-depth help content.
- Includes time tracking, recruitment, and sales management modules to provide a fully integrated one-stop HR management solution.
- Unlimited chat history means your group chats can become a secondary knowledge base for your team to quickly refer to and find previously discussed information.
Easier to use compared to other employee scheduling tools thanks to its drag & drop user interface and excellent user experience.
- Offers a generous free plan, ideal for small teams, which includes all its core features with unlimited usage.
- Includes time tracking, recruitment, and sales management modules to provide a fully integrated one-stop HR management solution.
- Offers unlimited chat history which means your group chats can become a secondary knowledge base for your team to quickly refer to and find previously discussed information.
CONS
- The free plan is available for up to 10 scheduled workers. It also stores data for 28 days.
- Dedicated customer support, SLAs, API access, and custom reports are only available for the highest-tier plan.
- No features for auto-scheduling and labor cost forecasting.
- It can be quite confusing to see two websites: one with the former name Opensimsim and the other with the newly branded one SocialSchedules, co-exist separately.
- The iOS app hasn't been updated since Oct 2022, while the Android app gets several negative reviews for lacking certain features compared to the web version.
- Its knowledge base has in-depth help content, but its customer support is limited to Enterprise users.
There’s a lot to like about SocialSchedules’ employee scheduling capabilities. It offers an easy (drag & drop scheduling features) and inexpensive way (the free plan with all core scheduling features) to schedule shifts and keep track of your employees.
We like how simple it is to navigate the platform from managers’ perspectives. Upon sign-up, we got a virtual tour guide that walked us through the platform briefly, a help center with more details on how a feature works, and chat support in the right corner of the dashboard to get help when needed. As soon as we sent a schedule, assigned a new task, or updated shifts related to them, stakeholders got updated instantly. The platform gave us a bird’s-eye view of the team’s daily and weekly schedules, with individuals’ workloads and availability in different color codes. For the monthly view, we needed to switch to time cards. In the time cards section, you can also filter what you want to see by departments, positions, workers, and shift status. It simply worked well. However, filtering by status is locked for free users. Only paid users can access it, along with other cool features, such as advanced time tracking, certification tracking, and compliance.
Besides evaluating it from a manager’s perspective, we enjoyed testing the platform out as an employee too. Through SocialSchedules, we could see our assigned weekly schedule and the countdown until our next shift began. The ability to request time off and leave a note on reasons for the request was also a nice touch for both managers and employees. Our favorite feature was native messaging: we could contact managers and team members privately or via a group chat within the app. The only downside experienced was the mobile app. It underperformed compared to the platform version.
SocialSchedules integrations include Point of Sale Systems (POS) and payroll applications such as Heartland, ADP Workforce Now, and Square POS. However, POS integrations are only available for paid users. Custom API is also limited to the highest-priced plan.
SocialSchedules offers three different subscription plans along with a generous free plan that includes all the core product features for one location, one department, and up to 10 workers. Following is a summary of its paid plans when billed annually:
- Starter: $12.99 per month per location, 2 departments per location. Features include unlimited workers, shift confirmations, block time off on dates, overtime (daily/weekly), overtime report, and manager logbooks.
- Premium: $33.99 per month per location and comes with 5 departments per location, cloud storage (7 years), mobile time clock, POS integrations, certification management, auto break allocation, and advanced reporting.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing. The plan includes unlimited locations, departments, cloud storage (7 years), dedicated support contact, negotiated pricing, custom API integration, custom reports, and custom features.
Best For
SocialSchedules’ generous free plan makes it ideal for teams with 10 employees or fewer, whereas their paid plans with tools for compliance, certifications tracking, and labor budgeting make it a solid option for hospitality and service businesses.
Calendly
Calendly differentiates itself through a user-friendly interface, sleek design, and exceptional time-saving capabilities. Notably, it offers a rare indefinite free plan, setting it apart in the scheduling tool arena.
PROS
- Calendly’s simplicity is its biggest pro. It has an elegant user interface, it's very easy to navigate, it promptly gets the task done, and connects seamlessly with other applications.
- The reduction in back-and-forth emails. Your invitees can book a meeting slot, without reaching out to you multiple times. Calendly automatically sends them a confirmation and they can reschedule or cancel on their own. It’s even better for virtual meetings because once your invitees schedule a meeting with you, Calendly will automatically generate a meeting link based on your preferred video conferencing tool.
- The ability to set your own rules so that you can get complete control over your availability preferences. For example, you can decide how long a particular kind of meeting should be, buffer time between meetings, how many appointments can be booked per day, etc.
- Calendly seamlessly integrates with popular calendar and mailing tools. Meetings are automatically reflected on your personal calendar and video conferencing links with tools like Zoom or Google Meet are generated without any extra steps.
- Provides a bird’s eye view of your team’s availability for meetups and events.
- Calendly’s simplicity is its biggest pro. It has an elegant user interface, it's very easy to navigate, it promptly gets the task done, and connects seamlessly with other applications.
- The reduction in back-and-forth emails. Your invitees can book a meeting slot, without reaching out to you multiple times. Calendly automatically sends them a confirmation and they can reschedule or cancel on their own. It’s even better for virtual meetings because once your invitees schedule a meeting with you, Calendly will automatically generate a meeting link based on your preferred video conferencing tool.
- The ability to set your own rules so that you can get complete control over your availability preferences. For example, you can decide how long a particular kind of meeting should be, buffer time between meetings, how many appointments can be booked per day, etc.
- Calendly seamlessly integrates with popular calendar and mailing tools. Meetings are automatically reflected on your personal calendar and video conferencing links with tools like Zoom or Google Meet are generated without any extra steps.
CONS
- Doesn’t provide shift management features.
- Besides branding and the ability to choose different colors, Calendly does not offer a lot of options for customizations. This could be frustrating for users who want to embed Calendly in their website without making it seem like a completely different component.
- Calendly is not very mobile-friendly. You can’t perform all the functions on the mobile version.
- The payment collecting feature is not available in all currencies. Your invitees can only pay in the United States Dollar (USD), Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Pound Sterling (GBP), and Euro (EUR).
- You’ll be severely limited in terms of features if you choose the free plan or the cheaper ones. According to Craig, a Customer Success Manager at a small business, “All advanced functionality is locked behind higher subscription levels – We have the Professional level so that we can set up a team, but they locked the most obvious and useful meeting type for teams behind yet another upgrade to the sub level.”
- Besides branding and the ability to choose different colors, Calendly does not offer a lot of options for customizations. This could be frustrating for users who want to embed Calendly in their website without making it seem like a completely different component.
- Calendly is not very mobile-friendly. You can’t perform all the functions on the mobile version.
- The payment collecting feature is not available in all currencies. Your invitees can only pay in the United States Dollar (USD), Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Pound Sterling (GBP), and Euro (EUR).
- You’ll be severely limited in terms of features if you choose the free plan or the cheaper ones. According to Craig, a Customer Success Manager at a small business, “All advanced functionality is locked behind higher subscription levels – We have the Professional level so that we can set up a team, but they locked the most obvious and useful meeting type for teams behind yet another upgrade to the sub level.”
Calendly is a modern meeting scheduling platform designed for entrepreneurs, consultants, service-oriented companies, and businesses that frequently conduct meetings across time zones.
Businesses looking for an affordable solution can use it as a makeshift tool for assigning work slots to in-house and remote employees.
However, it isn’t an employee scheduling platform for managing shifts, employee communication, shift trading, or leave management.
Calendly has many big names in their customer base, such as eBay, Compass, Lyft, Dropbox, La-Z-Boy, Twilio, and Stack Overflow.
Calendly has five pricing plans that can be billed either monthly or annually. If you choose the latter, you’ll save 20%. Below are the prices you’ll pay per month per user, if you choose to get billed annually.
- Basic Plan: This is completely free of cost. However, as the name suggests, you’ll only have limited features to use.
- Essentials Plan: This plan costs $8 and is suitable when you need scheduling automation.
- Professional Plan: This plan costs $12 and is their most popular plan. Use it if you need customizations, integrations, and basic team features.
- Teams Plan: This plan costs $16 and is useful for teams that rely on collaboration and need to align on a scheduling process.
- Enterprise Plan: This plan has custom pricing and is suitable for teams with 30+ members and advanced needs. You’ll have to contact their sales team to get pricing.
All the paid plans come with a 14-day trial, at the end of which, you’ll automatically be downgraded to the free plan. They also offer special pricing for non-profit organizations. You’ll have to reach out to their customer support specialists for details.
Best For
Calendly suits businesses of varying scales seeking an economical and intuitive scheduling solution. Particularly advantageous for solo entrepreneurs and small enterprises, Calendly's inclusion of a free plan caters to individual professionals and modest business setups.
As a Recruiter and Business owner, Calendly has been beneficial in my business and profession. I used it for scheduling interviews with job candidates. I used it to book one-on-one meetings with prospects and clients, allowing me to specify the duration and location of each meeting. I also used it to coordinate events such as training, and coaching session with my mentees. That said, these key workflows, allow me to simplify the scheduling process to save time so I can focus on other important tasks.
What I like about Calendly is that it eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails. It makes it a simple and easy way for others to book time with me based on my availability. This process helps to schedule more effectively and efficiently thereby saving time and energy.
We use Calendly as it eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails. It makes it so easy for our candidates, clients, stakeholders, and others to book time with us based on our availability. This can save us a lot of time and energy and make scheduling a more efficient and effective process.
I have been using Calendly since 2018 and so far, I haven't come across anything I don't like about Calendly. That said, I am completely satisfied with Calendly and have no negative feedback to provide.
What I like about Calendly is that it is user-friendly making it so easy to navigate. It has customizable event types as it allows me to create various types of events and I can customize the details for each type. It has real-time availability. I don't need to check timebuddy.com anymore to ensure that the time and date are accurate as Calendly integrates with my calendar.
It has email and calendar integrations such as Gmail, Outlook, and Google Calendar too, making it easy to manage my appointments and meetings. Finally, it has an automated email reminder. I don't miss a single meeting since Calendly sends automated email reminders to me.
- User-friendly: This is the number priority that each has to consider. A tool that is easy to use and navigate will make your life easier and help you save time and energy.
- Customizability: The ability to customize events and appointments to meet your specific needs is also crucial.
- Integration: Look for a tool that integrates with your existing email and calendar tools. This will make it easier to manage your appointments and meetings.
- Multi-user support: If you are part of a team, it's crucial to find a tool that supports several users and makes it easy for everyone to coordinate their schedules in real time.
- Automated email reminders: Run the risk of missed appointments which will definitely affect your reputation as a professional. Automated email reminders can help reduce the risk and keep everyone on track.
- Pricing: Make sure you understand the pricing structure. Identify if the price is within your range.
By considering these criteria, you can ensure that you choose a scheduling tool that meets your needs and helps you streamline your processes.
Calendly has evolved through time and has added changes and additions. The goal is to ensure customer satisfaction and streamline the process. It has enhanced customization options. They also improved integration options and added a mobile app.
These are just some of the changes that have evolved and added through time showing their commitment to having a seamless scheduling process.
Calendly is ideal for Freelancers, Small Business Owners, Event Planners, Real Estate Agents, Sales Agents, and the like.
Large companies
What is Employee Scheduling?
Employee scheduling is the process of managing your employees' total available working hours and scheduling them properly to ensure the continuation of work with optimal productivity.
In easier words, an employee schedule outlines employee working hours across different work shifts so that everyone knows who’s working when.
Why is employee scheduling important?
A well-planned employee schedule means everyone in your workforce knows their working hours. This reduces miscommunication and allows managers and team leads to plan their work with more clarity.
In short, employee scheduling brings transparency to your workplace and leads to a more organized, satisfied, and motivated workforce.
On the contrary, the absence of staff scheduling can result in employees working overtime, losing interest in their jobs, and feeling burned out because of unplanned work and last-minute changes.
Research shows that frequent overtime poses a severe health risk to employees and directly impacts their productivity.
This is why it’s crucial for large organizations that operate across shifts to carefully plan their employee schedule and ensure that their workforce performs at the optimal level.
This is where employee scheduling software comes in.
What Is The Best Employee Scheduling Software For Your Business?
We’ve covered some of the world’s highest-ranked and most widely used employee scheduling software in this article.
Most of them offer similar features and benefits. However, they’re all different products with their unique strengths and weaknesses.
Which tool is right for your business depends ultimately on your specific scheduling needs. Since most of these software products offer free trials, free plans, or demos, we recommend using these options before finally choosing a product for your business.
About Us
- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
- Our site is free to use as some vendors will pay us for web traffic.
- SSR lists all companies we feel are top vendors - not just those who pay us - in our comprehensive directories full of the advice needed to make the right purchase decision for your HR team.
