Sling Scheduling Review
by Toast
Sling, now Sling by Toast, is employee scheduling, time tracking and team messaging software for shift-based teams, free for up to 30 users. Premium costs $2.00 and Business $4.00 per user per month, or $1.70 and $3.40 billed annually.
- Company size
- Small businesses, mid-market companies
- Pricing model
- Per user
- Free trial
- Yes
- Deployment
- Cloud, web, mobile
Best for
- Shift-based teams in restaurants, retail, hospitality and caregiving
- Small teams that want free scheduling for up to 30 users
- Restaurants on Toast, Square or Harbortouch point of sale
Not ideal for
- Teams that need kiosk clock-in, payroll reports or PTO management on the cheapest paid plan: they are on Business
- Businesses that want payroll processing in the same product: Sling exports timesheets to payroll
- Companies above a few hundred employees that need enterprise HR features
How we evaluated Sling
This review rests on 20 facts checked against Sling’s official pricing pages and documentation, most recently on . We did not test the product hands-on: the score and the pros and cons use only those verified facts, as our methodology explains, and third-party ratings are quoted, never scored.
Our verdict
Sling fits shift-based teams in restaurants, retail, hospitality and care that want scheduling and messaging free for up to 30 users, and time tracking and labor cost tools for a low per-user price: Premium is $2.00 and Business $4.00 per user a month, 15% less billed annually. Founded in 2015 and now part of Toast, it connects to Toast, Square and Harbortouch point of sale. It is less suited to teams that need a kiosk clock, payroll reports or PTO management on a budget plan, since those sit on Business.
Strengths
Free plan up to 30 users
The Free plan includes shift scheduling, time-off requests and private messaging.
Evidence: Free plan: Yes
Low per-user paid pricing
Premium is $2.00 and Business $4.00 per user per month, and annual billing saves 15%; you only pay for active users.
Evidence: Starting price per employee: $2/user/mo
POS integrations
Sling lists integrations with Toast, Shopify, Square, Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager and POSiTouch.
Evidence: Notable integrations: Toast, Shopify, Square, Harbortouch
Geofencing and kiosk clock-in
Staff can clock in with GPS geofencing or a kiosk, and timesheets export to payroll.
Evidence: Punch fraud controls: Yes
Labor rules while scheduling
Sling tracks labor costs against sales, warns about overtime and helps comply with mandated rest times between shifts (clopening).
Evidence: Key features: Shift scheduling, Shift trades and time-off requests, Mobile and desktop clock-in with geofencing, Real-time labor cost calculation, Overtime prevention, Newsfeed and messaging, Shift task assignment, Multi-location support
Weaknesses
Features split across tiers
Mobile time tracking starts at Premium, while kiosk time tracking, reports and PTO management require the $4.00 Business plan.
Free plan capped at 30 users
The Free plan is limited to 30 users and excludes time tracking.
Evidence: Free plan: Yes
Price at a glance
Starting base fee
$0/mo
Starting price per employee
$2/user/mo
Pricing model
Per user
Price transparency
Published
Free trial
Yes
Free plan
Yes
Sling cost at 10 to 100 employees
- Premium$2/user/mo
- Business$4/user/mo
| Employees | Premium | Business |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $20/mo | $40/mo |
| 25 | $50/mo | $100/mo |
| 50 | $100/mo | $200/mo |
| 100 | $200/mo | $400/mo |
Monthly list price before discounts, add-ons and taxes, from the published price model of each plan.
Quick answers
- Is Sling free?
- Yes, for up to 30 users. The Free plan covers shift scheduling, time-off requests and private messaging; paid plans start at $2.00 per user per month.Based on Free plan: Yes
- How much does Sling cost?
- Free for up to 30 users; Premium $2.00 and Business $4.00 per user per month billed monthly, or $1.70 and $3.40 billed annually.Based on Price transparency: Published
- Does Sling have time tracking?
- Yes. Mobile time tracking is on Premium and kiosk time tracking is on Business.Based on Punch capture methods: Yes
- Does Sling integrate with Toast?
- Yes. Sling is owned by Toast and lists a native Toast integration, along with Shopify, Square and Harbortouch.Based on Parent company: Toast
Coverage of core employee scheduling software capabilities
Each core capability we evaluate in Employee Scheduling Software, checked against Sling’s own documentation. “Not verified yet” means we have not confirmed it either way, not that it is missing.
9 verified of 11 core capabilities
Employee Scheduling Software
- Shift scheduling
- Availability and time off
- Open shifts and swaps
- Overtime and labor cost view
- Fair workweek support · not verified yet
- Minor work-hour limits · not verified yet
- Mobile app for staff
- Time and payroll integration
- Templates and auto-scheduling
- Team messaging
- Schedule history
Specifications
Fit
- Industry focus
- Restaurants, Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare, Call centers, Entertainment, Education, Nonprofits
Product
- Modules
- Employee scheduling, Time tracking, Team communication, Labor cost management, Task management, PTO management, Reporting
- Mobile apps
- iOS, Android
Integrations
- Open API
- Yes
Sling integrations
Native integrations
Sling integration coverage
The 10 apps that employee scheduling software products document most often, and whether Sling documents each.
1 of the 10 most-connected apps documented by Sling; median of the 12 products compared: 5.5
- QuickBooks · documented by 11 of 12
- Paychex · documented by 8 of 12
- Gusto · documented by 7 of 12
- Square · documented by 7 of 12
- Lightspeed · documented by 6 of 12
- Clover · documented by 5 of 12
- Xero · documented by 5 of 12
- Zapier · documented by 5 of 12
- ADP · documented by 4 of 12
- ADP Workforce Now · documented by 4 of 12
Integrations each vendor documents (native, marketplace, Zapier or API), 12 live employee scheduling software products. Not documented does not mean not possible.
Where it ranks
- #3 of 10 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software
- #5 of 11 scoredTime & Attendance Software
- #1 of 1 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Education
- #2 of 4 scoredFree Employee Scheduling Software
- #2 of 5 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Healthcare
- #3 of 4 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Hospitality
- #3 of 5 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Mid-Sized Companies
- #1 of 1 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Nonprofits
- #2 of 5 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Restaurants
- #3 of 7 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Retail
- #3 of 10 scoredEmployee Scheduling Software for Small Business
- #1 of 3 scoredTime & Attendance Software for Education
Sling alternatives
Compare Sling
About Sling
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- Boston, Massachusetts, US
- Ownership
- Subsidiary
- Parent company
- Toast
Official profiles
Frequently asked questions
Is Sling legit?
Sling is part of Toast. Sling was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, US.
Does Sling have a mobile app?
Yes, for iOS and Android.
Is Sling owned by Toast?
Yes. Sling is now Sling by Toast; it was founded in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2015.
What is Sling used for?
Sling is an employee scheduling software product built for small businesses and mid-market companies. Its modules include Employee scheduling, Time tracking, Team communication, Labor cost management, and 3 more.
What are the best alternatives to Sling?
In our employee scheduling software ranking, the highest-scored products other than Sling are Deputy, When I Work, and Homebase. Compared side by side, by reason to switch: Sling alternatives.
Which is better, Sling or 7shifts?
It depends on the team. Choose Sling if: you have up to 30 users and want scheduling for free. Choose 7shifts if: you run restaurants: 7shifts is built for them and used by over 55,000. The full comparison: Sling vs 7shifts.
What are the pros and cons of Sling?
Strengths documented on the vendor’s own pages: free plan up to 30 users, low per-user paid pricing, and POS integrations. It is less suited to teams that need kiosk clock-in, payroll reports or PTO management on the cheapest paid plan: they are on Business and businesses that want payroll processing in the same product: Sling exports timesheets to payroll.
Does Sling have an API?
Yes. Sling offers an open API to customers.
Is Sling good for small businesses?
Sling lists small businesses among the company sizes it is built for (small businesses and mid-market companies); for 10 employees its lowest published plan comes to $20 a month. It ranks #3 of 10 in our employee scheduling software for small businesses.
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