Time & Workforce
The Best Employee Scheduling Software of 2026
A shortlist of employee scheduling platforms ranked from verified product data, so you can compare shift rules, availability handling and labor-cost controls instead of vendor claims. Every score traces back to a fact we checked against vendor documentation and public sources.
- platforms ranked
- 13
- verified data points
- 312
- per employee per month
- $2–$9.50
LeadChange may earn a fee when you request pricing through our site or follow a sponsored link. Rankings are computed without knowing which vendors pay us.
How we make money
LeadChange may earn a fee when you request pricing through our site or follow a sponsored link. Rankings are computed without knowing which vendors pay us.
Our top picks
- Best overall
Highest LeadChange Score here (8.0/10), with 9 of 11 core employee scheduling capabilities verified.
From $5/employee/mo
- Best for small businesses
Highest score among products that list small businesses as a target segment, with pricing and fit weighted more.
From $2.50/employee/mo
- Best for enterprises
Planday
by Planday Ltd
Highest score among products that list enterprises as a target segment, with security and integrations weighted more.
- Best value
Lowest published list cost at 25 employees ($50/mo) among products scoring at or above the median.
From $2/employee/mo
Employee Scheduling Software ranked by LeadChange Score
Ranked by LeadChange Score from verified facts. Prices are published list prices, each linked to its source.
Deputy
Best for Shift-based teams in hospitality, retail and healthcare
Deputy suits shift-based businesses, from single locations to enterprises, that want scheduling and time clocking at published per-user prices starting at $5 per month. The main trade-off is that payroll, HR, messaging and analytics are paid add-ons, and SSO and a sandbox are limited to the Pro plan.
When I Work
Best for Hourly, shift-based teams in restaurants, retail and healthcare
When I Work is a mobile-first scheduling and time-tracking tool for hourly, shift-based teams, priced publicly from $2.50 per user per month with no setup fee or contract. It is focused on scheduling and time, so payroll runs through integrations, and there is no free plan.
Sling
Best for Shift-based teams in restaurants and retail
Scheduling, time tracking and team messaging for shift-based small and mid-sized businesses, with a free plan for up to 30 users. Paid tiers are $2 and $4 per user per month, and kiosk time tracking, reports and PTO management sit on the Business tier.
- Pricing model
- Per user
Planday
Best for Hospitality, retail, hotel and care teams running shift rotas across several sites
Planday is a London-founded scheduling and workforce platform for shift-based hospitality, retail and care teams, with a 30-day free trial and ISO 27001 certification. Its pricing page shows prices only in non-US currency, and the Pro tier is custom-priced.
- Pricing model
- Tiered plans
TCP Humanity
Best for Public-sector, education and healthcare employers needing scheduling plus time tracking
TCP Software offers TimeClock Plus for time and attendance and Humanity Schedule for scheduling, with public Humanity Schedule pricing from $2.75 per employee per month billed annually. SSO, compliance rules and labor budgeting start on the Professional plan.
- Pricing model
- Per employee
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
7shifts
Best for Independent restaurants and franchisees
7shifts is an HR platform built for restaurants, from independents to enterprise groups, with a free plan for single locations of up to 15 employees and per-location pricing rather than per-employee fees. Scheduling and time clocking are the core; payroll is US only and billed as a separate add-on.
- Pricing model
- Tiered plans
Homebase
Best for Small hourly teams in restaurants and retail
Homebase is built for small hourly businesses such as restaurants and retail that want scheduling, time tracking and payroll in one app, starting with a free plan. Pricing is per location, so cost rises with location count and add-ons.
- Pricing model
- Tiered plans
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
Connecteam
Best for Shift-based teams with GPS time clocks
Connecteam is an all-in-one app for deskless and shift-based teams, covering time clock, scheduling, communications and HR, with a free plan for up to 10 users. The trade-off is that pricing is per hub, and API access, SSO and HIPAA registration depend on higher tiers or extra fees.
- Pricing model
- Base fee + per employee
- SOC 2 Type II
- Yes
ZoomShift
Best for Small hourly teams replacing spreadsheet schedules
ZoomShift is a low-cost scheduling and time clock tool for small hourly teams, with a free plan up to 20 users and paid plans at $2 or $4 per active team member per month. Overtime warnings and geofenced clock-in sit on the $4 Premium plan.
- Pricing model
- Per user
Buddy Punch
Best for Small businesses with hourly staff across several sites who need GPS and photo punch controls
Buddy Punch is a small-business time clock and scheduling app with public pricing from $19 per month plus per-user rates, a 14-day no-card trial, and a paid add-on structure that gates some controls to Pro and Advanced.
- Pricing model
- Base fee + per employee
Find your fit
By price
By industry
Compare the top 8 side by side
| Product | Score | Starting price per employee | Pricing model | Free trial | Open API | SOC 2 Type II | Mobile apps | Webhooks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy | 8.0 | $5/employee/mo | Per user | IOS, Android | ||||
| When I Work | 7.3 | $2.50/employee/mo | Per user | IOS, Android | ||||
| Sling | 6.2 | $2/employee/mo | Per user | Not available | IOS, Android | Not available | ||
| Planday | 6.1 | Not available | Tiered plans | Not available | IOS, Android | Not available | ||
| TCP Humanity | 5.8 | $2.75/employee/mo | Per employee | IOS, Android | Not available | |||
| 7shifts | 5.7 | Not available | Tiered plans | Not available | Employee mobile app, Manager mobile app | |||
| Homebase | 5.7 | Not available | Tiered plans | Not available | IOS, Android | Not available | ||
| Connecteam | 5.6 | Not available | Base fee + per employee | Connecteam Team Management App (iOS) |
Pricing at a glance
Monthly list cost from each vendor’s published base and per-employee prices, before discounts.
10 employees
$20–$137/mo
Median $28/mo
Published list prices of 7 products at 10 employees
50 employees
$100–$517/mo
Median $138/mo
Published list prices of 7 products at 50 employees
200 employees
$400–$1,942/mo
Median $550/mo
Published list prices of 7 products at 200 employees
- Per user per month
- A monthly fee for each scheduled employee. It is the most common model and easy to estimate.
- Per location per month
- A flat fee for each site, with employee caps. It can be cheaper for large teams at few locations.
- Tiered plans3 of 13 products
- Packages that gate features such as forecasting, labor budgets and integrations. Compare tiers against your actual needs.
- Freemium
- A free plan with limits on users, locations or features. Check whether needed features sit in paid tiers.
- Custom quote1 of 13 products
- Enterprise pricing based on headcount, modules and implementation.
How to choose employee scheduling software
Scheduling software succeeds when managers actually use it and employees trust it. Choose for how fast a manager can build a compliant schedule and how easily staff handle swaps.
Build next week's real schedule in a trial, including availability conflicts, a minor employee and a swap request.
Availability and time-off handling
Schedules that ignore stated availability produce no-shows and swaps.
Overtime and labor-cost visibility
Overtime is owed above 40 hours in a fixed workweek, and scheduling is where it is created.
Fair workweek and advance-notice support
Some jurisdictions require advance schedule notice and pay for changes, and track those changes.
Minor work-hour limits
Federal rules limit hours for 14 and 15-year-olds, such as 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, and states can be stricter.
Shift swaps, open shifts and approvals
Employee-driven swaps cut manager workload, but need guardrails.
Mobile experience for staff
Adoption depends on the employee app, not the manager screen.
Red flags
- The vendor cannot state which advance-notice laws the product supports.
- The employee app is a web page without notifications.
- No warning appears when a schedule creates overtime or exceeds a minor's hour limits.
- Changes after publishing are not logged with a time and reason.
- Auto-scheduling is promised without any explanation of the inputs it uses.
Popular comparisons
Popular alternatives
Integrations for employee scheduling software
Apps with documented integrations across the products ranked on this page.
Most integrated apps
- Paychex8 of 13 products
- QuickBooks Online8 of 13 products
- Gusto7 of 13 products
- Square7 of 13 products
- Lightspeed6 of 13 products
- Xero5 of 13 products
- Zapier5 of 13 products
- ADP4 of 13 products
- ADP Workforce Now4 of 13 products
- Clover4 of 13 products
- Toast4 of 13 products
- BambooHR3 of 13 products
Related categories
- Time & Attendance Software
Time and attendance software records when employees start and stop work, applies pay rules such as overtime, rounding and breaks, and routes hours for approval before payroll.
17 products
- Workforce Management Software
Workforce management software coordinates when people work and what that labor costs.
13 products
- Payroll Software
Payroll software calculates gross-to-net pay, withholds and deposits payroll taxes, issues pay through direct deposit or checks, and produces the filings and records an employer must keep.
18 products
Frequently asked questions
What is employee scheduling software?
Employee scheduling software creates and publishes shift schedules, collects availability and time-off requests, and manages swaps and open shifts. It alerts managers to conflicts such as overtime and notifies employees through a mobile app. Many tools connect to time tracking and payroll.
What is the best employee scheduling software for small business?
Look for fast schedule building, availability and swap handling, a good employee app and simple pricing. Our small-business ranking weights those points with verified data. Compare the shortlist here against your headcount, number of locations and need for time tracking.
How much does employee scheduling software cost?
Most vendors charge a monthly per-user fee, and some charge per location or offer limited free plans. Costs rise with advanced features and integrations. Compare the full price including time tracking, setup and any minimum fees, not only the entry plan.
Do I need scheduling software or can I use a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet works for a small, stable team. Software pays off when availability, swaps and overtime need active management, or when jurisdictions require advance notice and logging of changes. If schedules change weekly and many people are involved, a spreadsheet becomes a risk.
What is predictive scheduling?
Predictive or fair workweek laws require employers in certain places and industries to give workers schedules in advance and to pay for late changes. New York City's law, for example, requires fast food employers to give 14 days' notice and retail employers 72 hours. Rules vary by city and state.
Does scheduling software track hours worked?
Some platforms include time clocks, while others only plan shifts and rely on a connected time system. Scheduled hours are not the same as hours worked, and pay depends on the latter. Confirm how scheduled and actual time are compared before you buy.
Employee scheduling software vs time and attendance software: what is the difference?
Scheduling plans who works when, while time and attendance records what was actually worked and applies pay rules. Many businesses need both, and some vendors bundle them. Check that the two share data so you can compare planned and actual labor cost.
Is employee scheduling software worth it?
It is worth it when managers spend hours building schedules, overtime is a surprise, or turnover is tied to unpredictable shifts. Estimate the manager hours saved and overtime avoided against the subscription cost. For stable teams with fixed rotas the gain is smaller.
How we research
Products are ranked by the LeadChange Score, computed only from verified facts: capability coverage (30%), pricing transparency and value (20%), integrations and API (15%), security and compliance (15%), fit and support (10%) and data confidence (10%), times a category fit that lowers products built for another job. Payment never changes a score or a position.
- verified data points
- 49
- sources
- 27
Facts, not impressions
Every input is a sourced fact with the date we last checked it.
Missing data scores zero
We never assume a feature; unverified items lower the confidence label.
Independent of revenue
Rankings are computed before and without knowing which vendors pay us.
Sources
NYC DCWP: Fair Workweek Law, Information for Fast Food Employers
DOL Fact Sheet 43: Child Labor Provisions for Nonagricultural Occupations
Data behind this page
- Deputy pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- When I Work pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Toast pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Deputy website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- When I Work website · primary source, checked Oct 6, 2026
- Planday Ltd pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- TimeClock Plus, LLC (TCP Software) pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- TimeClock Plus, LLC (TCP Software) website: Security · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- 7shifts pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Homebase pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Homebase website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Connecteam pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Connecteam website: Overview · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- ZoomShift pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Buddy Punch pricing page · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Deputy documentation: Getting started with the Deputy API · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Deputy website: Features · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Deputy app directory: Integrations · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- When I Work website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- When I Work website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Toast website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Toast documentation · primary source, checked Oct 6, 2026
- Planday Ltd website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- 7shifts documentation: Getting started · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- 7shifts website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Homebase website · primary source, checked Oct 5, 2026
- apps.apple.com/us/app/connecteam-team-management-app/id1121613912 · primary source, checked Oct 6, 2026
Changelog
First published.
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