The 9 best employee scheduling software, and which one fits your team.

What matters most to your team?

Pick one and the board lights up the tools that fit. Add up to three to compare.

All 9 tools

  1. 1. Deputy

    Best for hourly shift workforces

    You run hourly shifts across one or many sites and need labor rules and costs in view.

    • Built-in time clock
    • Large or multi-site teams
  2. 2. When I Work

    Best for easy shift swaps

    You want staff to manage swaps and availability themselves from their phones.

    • Built-in time clock
  3. 3. Homebase

    Best for small businesses on a budget

    You run a small hourly business with one location and want to start free.

    • Free plan
    • Built-in time clock
    • Payroll option
  4. 4. Connecteam

    Best all-in-one app for frontline teams

    Your staff work in the field or on the floor and you want one app for scheduling and communication.

    • Free plan
    • Built-in time clock
  5. 5. 7shifts

    Best for restaurants

    You run one or more restaurants and want scheduling tied to sales and labor targets.

    • Free plan
    • Built for restaurants
    • Built-in time clock
    • Payroll option
  6. 6. Sling

    Best low-cost scheduling

    You want scheduling for a growing team at a very low per-user cost.

    • Free plan
    • Built-in time clock
  7. 7. TCP Humanity

    Best for large shift-based organizations

    You schedule hundreds of employees across departments and want scheduling plus TCP timekeeping.

    • Large or multi-site teams
  8. 8. Shiftbase

    Best for European businesses

    You run shift teams in Europe and want scheduling, hours and leave in one tool.

    • Free plan
    • Built-in time clock
  9. 9. Planday

    Best for hospitality and retail in the UK and Europe

    You run hospitality or retail shifts in the UK or Europe and track labor cost closely.

    • Built-in time clock

Side by side

Press “Compare” on up to three tools above to see them side by side here.

The reviews

No feature dumps. For each tool: our verdict, who should pick it, and who should look elsewhere.

1. Deputy

Best for hourly shift workforces

Price
From $5/user/month ($30 minimum per invoice)
Trial
Free trial (up to 31 days)
Visit website: Deputy

Builds schedules around demand, availability and labor rules, then tracks attendance against them for shift-based teams of any size.

Choose it if

You run hourly shifts across one or many sites and need labor rules and costs in view.

Skip it if

You only need a simple shared rota for a handful of staff.

What stood out in testing

  • Auto-scheduling with labor rules
  • Time clock with facial verification
  • Payroll integrations

2. When I Work

Best for easy shift swaps

Price
From $2.50/user/month
Trial
14-day free trial
Visit website: When I Work

A straightforward schedule builder with a mobile app where staff swap shifts, pick up open shifts and message the team.

Choose it if

You want staff to manage swaps and availability themselves from their phones.

Skip it if

You need a free plan or deep HR features.

What stood out in testing

  • Shift swaps and open shifts
  • Team messaging
  • Time clock and attendance

3. Homebase

Best for small businesses on a budget

Price
Free plan; from $30/location/month
Trial
Free plan; 14-day free trial
Visit website: Homebase

A free plan for one location covers scheduling and a time clock, with payroll and hiring available as the business grows.

Choose it if

You run a small hourly business with one location and want to start free.

Skip it if

You have many locations and want per-user pricing.

What stood out in testing

  • Free plan for one location
  • Time clock and timesheets
  • Payroll add-on

4. Connecteam

Best all-in-one app for frontline teams

Price
Free up to 10 users; paid from $29/month
Trial
Free plan; 14-day free trial
Visit website: Connecteam

Scheduling sits in one mobile app with time clock, checklists, chat and training, which suits deskless teams that work from their phones.

Choose it if

Your staff work in the field or on the floor and you want one app for scheduling and communication.

Skip it if

You only need scheduling and would not use the other hubs.

What stood out in testing

  • Mobile app for deskless staff
  • Schedules, time clock and chat
  • Free plan up to 10 users

5. 7shifts

Best for restaurants

Price
Free plan; from $39.99/location/month
Trial
Free plan; free trial
Visit website: 7shifts

Built for restaurants, with POS-based labor forecasting, tip pooling and manager logbooks alongside scheduling.

Choose it if

You run one or more restaurants and want scheduling tied to sales and labor targets.

Skip it if

You are not in hospitality.

What stood out in testing

  • POS integrations and sales forecasting
  • Tip pooling and payouts
  • Manager logbook and tasks

6. Sling

Best low-cost scheduling

Price
Free plan; from $1.70/user/month, billed annually
Trial
Free plan; 15-day free trial
Visit website: Sling

A capable free plan and low per-user prices cover scheduling, shift trading and messaging for small and mid-sized teams.

Choose it if

You want scheduling for a growing team at a very low per-user cost.

Skip it if

You need advanced labor forecasting or many integrations.

What stood out in testing

  • Free plan up to 30 users
  • Shift trading and messaging
  • Labor cost tracking

7. TCP Humanity

Best for large shift-based organizations

Price
From $2.75/employee/month, billed annually
Trial
30-day free trial
Visit website: TCP Humanity

Handles complex scheduling for large organizations with forecasting and rules, as part of TCP's time and attendance suite.

Choose it if

You schedule hundreds of employees across departments and want scheduling plus TCP timekeeping.

Skip it if

You are a small team that wants a quick, self-serve setup.

What stood out in testing

  • AI-based demand forecasting
  • Rules for skills and certifications
  • Pairs with TCP timekeeping

8. Shiftbase

Best for European businesses

Price
Free plan; from €30/month for 6 users
Trial
Free plan; 14-day free trial
Visit website: Shiftbase

Combines scheduling, time tracking and absence management for European companies, with pricing in euros.

Choose it if

You run shift teams in Europe and want scheduling, hours and leave in one tool.

Skip it if

You want USD pricing or a US payroll integration.

What stood out in testing

  • Scheduling, hours and absence in one
  • Free plan up to 15 employees
  • Labor cost forecasting

9. Planday

Best for hospitality and retail in the UK and Europe

Price
From £2.99/user/month (min. 5 users)
Trial
30-day free trial
Visit website: Planday

Scheduling with labor cost tracking and payroll exports for hospitality and retail businesses, mainly in the UK and Europe.

Choose it if

You run hospitality or retail shifts in the UK or Europe and track labor cost closely.

Skip it if

You want a free plan or prices shown in USD.

What stood out in testing

  • Labor cost view while scheduling
  • Punch clock and timesheets
  • Payroll exports

How we tested

  • Schedule building

    Templates, auto-scheduling, availability, labor cost view

  • Shift changes

    Shift swaps, open shifts, approvals, notifications

  • Time clock

    Mobile or kiosk clock-in, breaks, overtime alerts

  • Employee app

    Schedules, requests and messages on the phone

  • Integrations

    Payroll, POS and HR system connections

  • Pricing

    Published prices, free plan or trial

Questions people ask

What is employee scheduling software?

A tool for building shift schedules, sharing them with staff and handling availability, time-off requests and shift swaps. Many also include a time clock so worked hours can be compared with the schedule.

Is there free employee scheduling software?

Yes. Homebase, Connecteam, 7shifts, Sling and Shiftbase list free plans on their pricing pages, usually limited by number of employees, locations or features.

How is scheduling software usually priced?

Most tools charge per user per month, while some, such as Homebase and 7shifts, charge per location. Annual billing is usually cheaper than monthly.

Do I need a time clock as well as scheduling?

If you pay staff by the hour, a built-in time clock lets you compare scheduled and actual hours and send approved timesheets to payroll without retyping them.