5 Best Employee Scheduling Software for Small Businesses

There are a ton of scheduling software options for small businesses. It can be hard to navigate the process of finding one that’s best for your business and works within your budget. That being said, some apps are better than others at providing you with everything you need or want in an employee scheduling program.

Employee scheduling software that is simple to use and economical, with compliance features and an auto-scheduler to assist automate the process, is the ideal option. It should feature mobile applications to assist managers to save time while giving workers self-service options for seeking schedule swaps and seeing work shifts online, in addition to an easy schedule creator.

We analyzed ten companies in order to uncover the best staff scheduling software for small businesses, and we cut it down to our top five in this post.

• Homebase: Best (overall) option for retail and food organizations that need unrestricted free staff shift scheduling.
• SocialSchedules (previously OpenSimSim): Ideal for hospitality firms that must adhere to rigorous labor laws.
• 7shifts: Best for handling complicated staff work shifts in big restaurant companies.
• Deputy: Ideal for firms with several locations that share staff across multiple working sites.
• When I’m at Work: Best for startups.

How Did We Pick the Top 5 Employee Scheduling Apps?

We looked into and analyzed a number of staff scheduling apps that provide affordable plans—some even have free plans (we gave more consideration to these). We also looked at features like auto-scheduling, labor forecasts, overtime and break management, reporting, the convenience of use, and customer assistance when it came to staff scheduling.

We propose Homebase as the finest staff scheduling software for small companies after a thorough review. It offers time clocks, timesheets, team communication, recruiting, onboarding, and labor compliance capabilities in addition to free employee scheduling. It’s ideal for organizations that use hourly labor, such as restaurants, retail, healthcare, home and repair, and professional services.

30% of the overall score

We investigated the free choices provided by the majority of the applications on our list. Aside from clear pricing, suppliers that charge $5 or less per user each month and enable you to buy the scheduling system independently from the time and attendance tool were given consideration. Given its upfront pricing, free tiers, and moderately priced plans, Homebase and SocialSchedules scored good marks in this category.

25% of the overall score

Auto-scheduling, labor forecasting, multi-location scheduling, shift shifting, overtime, break, and paid-time-off (PTO) planning software received good grades. Mobile applications and a self-service site for checking schedules, logging in/out, and engaging with the team were also granted bonus points. Except for 7shifts and SocialSchedules, which provide a multi-location scheduling functionality accessible only at higher tiers, several of the apps on this list scored flawless marks.

25% of the overall score

It’s critical to have an employee scheduling tool that’s straightforward to use, understand, and set up. We also looked at live phone assistance, new user training, and video tutorials as options. Multiple third-party integrations are advantageous, as is having an offline alternative when the internet is unavailable. While most of the software on this list is user-friendly and has easy controls When I Work and Deputy’s ratings were lowered due to the absence of live phone help and the fact that they include a Time and Attendance module that charges extra (others offer this for free).

10% of the overall score

Users should be able to modify reports in addition to having access to basic and pre-built reports. When I Work is the only program that did not get a perfect grade since its reports are restricted in customizability.

10% of the overall score

On a 5-star scale, we analyzed user evaluations, including those of our rivals; any choice with an average of 4+ stars is optimal. In addition, any program having 1,000 or more reviews on a third-party website is preferable. All of the apps we rated received high marks in the popularity category.

Homebase

PROS

• Employee scheduling and time clock are both available for free.
• Features that allow for flexible scheduling
• There is no limit to the number of workers who may be served.
• Customer service that is quick to respond

CONS

• Only one location and administrator are supported in the free version.
• There is a learning curve.
• Integration difficulties and mobile app malfunctions occur from time to time.

Total Points 4.40 OUT OF 5

Homebase is our top selection for small companies, in part because it offers a free scheduling plan for those that just have one physical location. It’s particularly useful for small merchants and restaurateurs since these businesses employ a large number of hourly employees with constantly changing schedules that must be managed. If you have an hourly staff, overtime is a big compliance and financial worry. Homebase’s labor cost and overtime hour forecasting tools may help you manage this.

Homebase’s schedule builder, which has a 4.40 out of 5 ratings, allows you to effortlessly establish work shifts for an infinite number of workers using automated scheduling tools. It should be noted that it has a learning curve (due to its many capabilities) and that its mobile applications might be glitchy at times. Users, on the other hand, find the schedule creator to be simple to use. Several others praised the company’s prompt customer service crew.

You may build and publish schedules from your computer, tablet, or smartphone using Homebase.

Apart from staff scheduling, Homebase includes good time tracking features, including an offline mode that records clock-ins and outs even when the internet connection is unavailable. It even came in first place on our ranking of the best small company time and attendance software.

Pricing

• Basic plan: The Basic plan, which is free for companies with one location, covers unlimited workers and gives you the tools you need to create, manage, and publish online employee schedules. It includes time clock apps for computers, POS systems, and Android/iOS devices, as well as automated timesheets, PTO requests, shift swaps, team messaging, third-party software integration, job postings, applicant tracking, onboarding, reports, and time clock apps for computers, POS systems, and third-party software integration. You may also save past timesheets and reports in the cloud for 90 days.
• The Essentials tier includes all of the Basic capabilities plus geofencing, auto-scheduling, late employee notifications, management approvals, automatic employee reminders, and four-year cloud storage of historical timesheets and reports for $19.95 per site monthly.
• Plus option: For $49.95 per month per site, this package includes extra capabilities for managing PTO rules and balances, budgets and labor cost predictions, and advance labor cost.
• All-in-one solution: Premium features such as API access, online onboarding, employee documentation, and an electronic signing tool, and expert assistance from HR specialists are included in the $99.95 per location monthly fee.
• Add-on services: You must pay extra to access its “HR Pro” experts and resources ($99 per month) unless you subscribe to its All-in-One subscription. Homebase can also help you market job ads on ZipRecruiter and Craigslist (fees begin at $79 per post).

Features

• Homebase does not charge per employee, and its price levels do not include schedule or personnel constraints, unlike the other applications on this list. For as many workers as you have, you may establish as many work shifts as you desire. Furthermore, if your company expands, you won’t have to worry about having to pay extra for additional user seats if all of your workers work in the same office.
• It also provides recruiting, job advertising, onboarding, and team communications tools, in addition to time tracking and scheduling. It’s worth noting that the other software on this list lacks recruiting and onboarding features.
• Homebase has a wide range of customizable reports that can help you gain insight into work shifts, labor expenses and percentages, attendance-related performance, and sales, in addition to its drag-and-drop online scheduler builder, shift swaps requests, auto-scheduler tool, automated alerts, and mobile apps (for iOS and Android devices) (if synced with a POS). When I Work, on the other hand, lacks report customization, whereas Deputy, on the other hand, provides sophisticated labor cost reporting options as part of its top tier.
• Compliance tools: When you use Homebase, the standard breaks and overtime settings for the state where your firm works are immediately applied. For either 90 days or four years, the program saves and maintains schedule update histories, including previously ran timesheets and reports (Deputy, 7shifts, and When I Work do not provide long-term cloud storage for these). This makes complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act and recordkeeping standards a breeze.

SocialSchedules

PROS

• User-friendly, with a straightforward and attractive UI
• Compliance tools that are robust
• Its free tier gives you access to candidate search tools tailored to restaurants.

CONS

• Only ten scheduled staff and one department in one location are covered under the free plan.
• Paid options feature overtime reporting; the top-level include multi-location scheduling and specialized customer assistance.
• Its mobile app is buggy, and the PC and mobile applications do not always sync well.

Total Points 4.21 OUT OF 5

SocialSchedules (previously OpenSimSim) is an employee scheduling software with options to help hospitality-based organizations with many divisions and locations decrease compliance issues. It has a 4.21 out of 5-star rating for allowing you to develop compliance guidelines that will guide your scheduling decisions and help you avoid fines. It also sends out SMS and mobile alerts when employees violate state and municipal labor regulations by working overtime or taking unpaid breaks.

Its free tier features staff scheduling and applicant search capabilities, similar to Homebase. It also has a mobile app that enables you to post available shifts and receive time-off and shift replacement requests. It can manage multi-location and limitless personnel scheduling, as well as overtime reporting, but you must subscribe to one of its expensive plans to use these features.

SocialSchedules also doesn’t provide phone help; instead, if you upgrade to the top tier, you’ll receive a dedicated support contact. Nonetheless, people praised the company’s customer service, praising its support team’s quickness and professionalism. Many others like its user-friendly features and straightforward UI.

Pricing

• Basic plan: The free Basic tier allows you to create schedules for up to ten workers who operate in the same department and at the same location. It includes PTO requests, shift availability, digital timecards, in-app chat, and a time clock kiosk, in addition to basic scheduling and labor law compliance capabilities (through its iOS and Android apps for tablets). You also receive cloud report storage for up to 28 days and a candidate search solution powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
• Starter tier: For $12.99 per month per location, you may create schedules for an infinite number of workers in two departments at the same location. Shift confirmations, daily and weekly overtime compliance settings, one-year cloud report storage, overtime reports, and the ability to see candidate profiles and block workdays from PTO requests are all included in this package.
• Premium option: For $39.99 per month per location, you have access to other services including POS connections, auto-break allocations, extensive reporting, and mobile time clock apps with GPS. It also comes with up to seven years of cloud storage, a free recruitment credit, and a five-department scheduling limit.
• This custom-priced package includes an unlimited number of workers, departments, and locations. All of the Premium features are included, as well as specialized support, API access, personalized reports, and up to three free recruitment credits.
• Add-ons: If you need more recruitment credits, you’ll have to spend $49.99. This add-on may only be purchased if you have a paid subscription to the service.

Features

• Smart shift management: Unlike the other tools on this list, SocialSchedules allows your staff to skip shifts if they need to (in addition to seeking shift swaps). Your managers, on the other hand, may lock essential workdays to prevent them from being switched and dropped.
• Compliance with labor laws: SocialSchedules provides more sophisticated compliance capabilities than the majority of the software on this list. It assigns paid/unpaid breaks based on real working hours, assesses fines for missing meal breaks, and prevents schedules from being sent out if compliance is violated. It also offers up to seven years of cloud storage for editing history and reports. You may also include certification-related scheduling and time-tracking restrictions, allowing you to impose work shifts that need certain qualifications.
• Several employee availabilities set: Unlike the other applications in this post, SocialSchedules enables your workers to establish multiple availability sets that indicate when they are available and unable to work. Each set has a start and finish date, and it may be repeated monthly or biweekly.
• Certification management: The only scheduling system on our list that includes a certification management element is SocialSchedules. This feature is only accessible in the upper levels, but it allows you to keep track of the training sessions that workers must attend as well as the expiry dates of certification programs (if applicable).
• Unlike Homebase, which allows you to list available positions on partner employment sites, SocialSchedules has its own talent pool, which is mostly made up of restaurant employees. It uses artificial intelligence to assist you in locating and hiring people whose skills and availability fit your staffing needs.

7shifts

PROS

• An interface that is easy to use
• A machine learning auto-scheduler tool is available.
• Reports and POS connection options are available.

CONS

• The free plan only allows for 10 people and one location to be scheduled; it excludes auto-scheduling, POS integrations, and customer service.
• There is no phone assistance; there is live chat and email help, but only on subscription programs.
• Occasionally, there are difficulties in the mobile app and challenges with integration.

Total Points4.07 OUT OF 5

7shifts is restaurant-specific cloud-based scheduling software. We suggest it for restaurants with significant operations in several locations and complicated scheduling demands, scoring 4.07 out of 5 stars. 7shifts features sophisticated reporting that lets you monitor how all of your company locations are doing in terms of revenue and labor expenditures, in addition to its easy-to-use drag-and-drop schedule builder and restaurant-friendly time tracking capabilities.

It does not, however, provide phone help, and even if you upgrade to a premium tier, you will only get an email and live chat assistance. While it contains an auto-scheduler and can interact with a variety of payroll and POS systems, these features are only available to those that subscribe to the higher levels.

Many reviews remarked that the software’s user-friendly functions made scheduling and time monitoring simple for them. Meanwhile, a few individuals complained of mobile app malfunctions, poor loading times, and integration troubles on occasion.

Pricing

• Comp package: For one company location with up to ten workers, this free plan includes basic scheduling and time tracking facilities. PTO requests, staff availability, shift swaps, calendar alerts, rudimentary reporting, team communications, mobile applications (for iOS and Android devices), and a simple online time clock are just a few of the features available.
• Appetizer tier: For $19.99 per month per location, this includes a 20-employee limit, all of the capabilities of Comp, as well as POS connectors, personalized employee health checks, and SMS alerts.
• Option 1: For $43.99 per month per location, you may establish timetables and monitor the actual work hours of up to 30 workers. You receive schedule templates, mobile clock-ins/outs, basic compliance tools, sophisticated reporting, and events management in addition to Appetizer’s features to assist keep workers and managers informed about restaurant events.
• The Works package: For $76.99 per month per location, you may create and manage an infinite number of staff schedules across numerous restaurants. Advanced time clocks and compliance controls, geofencing and picture verifications when clocking in, payroll software connection, audit logs, shift feedback, and labor forecasting tools are all included.
• Gourmet tier: This custom-priced tier includes advanced scheduling, time tracking, compliance, and reporting capabilities. You get training assistance, best-in-class business system security, and a dedicated account manager in addition to a machine-learning auto-scheduler.
• Account setup assistance ($150 one-time fee), sales data imported directly into 7shifts ($100 one-time fee), detailed task lists included in employee shifts ($12.99 per location monthly), and tracking of multiple restaurants’ sales, labor, and employee engagement performances ($6.99 per location monthly) are all available as add-on services.

Features

• 7shifts’ machine-learning employee scheduling tool automatically creates work shifts based on your restaurant’s workforce demands, labor cost and sales forecasts, and overtime compliance requirements, including your employees’ skills, schedule availability, and approved PTOs, despite being included in the Gourmet tier. This is in contrast to Homebase, SocialSchedules, and When I Work, which have less sophisticated auto-schedulers.
• Restaurant-friendly equipment includes: In addition to tip reporting, 7shifts offers real-time labor reports and restaurant performance dashboards, which give you a bird’s-eye view of your entire business operations (via the Enterprise Dashboard), including how all of your restaurants are performing and which ones may require additional attention (through the Location Overview). Other solutions on this list either don’t provide this sort of reporting or don’t have as many restaurant-specific reports.
• Efficient task management: While this is a premium tool, it may assist boost employee productivity by allowing you to add work assignments that your employees must complete throughout a shift. You may create recurring and one-time projects, as well as establish completion dates, plan when they will show for relevant personnel, and keep track of who has done them. Simply Homebase and SocialSchedules allow you to add reminders to shifts, while the rest of the tools in this post only allows you to manage tasks to a limited extent.
• 7shifts connects with more than 20 POS solutions, including Aloha, Micros, Dinnerware, Square POS, Revel, POSitouch, Squirrel Systems, and Heartland Restaurant POS, compared to Homebase and SocialSchedules (who offer up to 10 partner POS systems).
• 7shifts can assist you to avoid assigning “clopen” shifts, in addition to audit logs, automatic alarms, break and overtime settings, and early clock-in prevention (Homebase, SocialSchedules, and When I Work don’t have this functionality). This guarantees that workers have enough rest in between shifts rather than doing a closing shift and then an opening shift the next day.

Deputy

PROS

• Tools for scheduling that are simple to use
• Plans that are both affordable and include distinct packages for time monitoring and staff scheduling are available.
• Customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CONS

• There is no free tier, and monthly subscriptions demand a minimum purchase.
• Third-party integration issues
• Occasionally, there are issues with mobile apps.

Total Points 3.98 OUT OF 5

Deputy is an excellent scheduling solution for companies with several locations and shared hourly and shift employees. You may either manually establish shifts that allocate staff to various work locations and departments or utilize its AI-powered scheduler to produce demand-based and labor-optimized work shifts, earning it a 3.98 out of 5-star rating. Furthermore, if your workers submit swap shift requests online, the system transmits their department and workplace data immediately after the requests are granted.

While it features effective scheduling capabilities that are simple to understand and use, it does not have a free tier (unlike most of the software on our list), and its subscription plans need a monthly minimum expenditure of $10 per invoice. You must also deal with mobile app malfunctions, login failures, and integration issues on a regular basis. Many customers, however, find its system to be simple to use and its plans to be competitively priced.

Its auto-scheduler forecasts your staffing needs based on sales information, labor percentages, staff availability, and demand patterns.

Pricing

• Standalone packages: Deputy provides a Scheduling plan and a separate Time and Attendance option, both of which cost $2.50 per employee monthly, in comparison to the other software we analyzed in this article. With the former, you get an online scheduler with auto-scheduling and shift shifting options; with the latter, you get timesheets, payroll connections, and time clock applications (for iOS and Android). PTO management, food and rest break planning, POS connectivity, unlimited 24/7 assistance, and a news feed are all included in both. These two programs, however, lack reporting capabilities.
• Paid options that provide full-time monitoring and scheduling capabilities: A Premium tier ($4.50 per employee monthly) and an Enterprise option are available with Deputy (custom priced). Both options provide reporting capabilities in addition to all of the features of the solo scheduling option and time and attendance package. If you want extra features such as specific roles and permissions, extensive demand planning, and specialized support, the Enterprise tier may be worth considering.
• Flexible weekly option: Deputy’s “Flexi Weekly” plan includes all of the Premium tier’s features but at a reduced cost. It costs $2 per employee, each week and is designed for organizations that change personnel on a weekly basis.

The Scheduling, Time and Attendance, and Premium levels of Deputy all demand a monthly minimum expenditure of $10 per invoice. Consider the Flexi option or an annual Premium plan to bypass this need (however this subscription type isn’t available for the Scheduling and Time and Attendance packages).

Features

• Employee scheduling at an inexpensive price: For firms that merely need scheduling tools, Deputy’s mobile applications provide an economical and simple solution for establishing, maintaining, and sharing employee work shifts (for iOS and Android devices). Drag and drop shifts or use the AI-powered scheduler to create demand-based work shifts with a single click.
• Labor compliance features: Deputy includes sophisticated wage and hour compliance capabilities (albeit not as powerful as SocialSchedules) to assist you to stay in line with labor regulations and safeguard your company from possible hazards. Meal and rest break settings, fair workweek standards, “clopen” scheduling notifications, and compliance alerts are among the features.
• You receive time clock applications that enable you to check staff attendance and manage your personnel from any mobile device, including the Apple Watch, in addition to scheduling options. Touchless clock-ins are also supported by its tablet applications, allowing your staff to start and terminate shifts using face recognition and voice instructions. Voice command clock-ins/outs and time tracking via the Apple Watch are not supported by the other applications on this list.

When I Work

PROS

• It’s simple to set up and use, with a user-friendly interface.
• Cost-effective; includes a separate scheduling and messaging plan.
• Location-based scheduling using GPS

CONS

• Report customization is limited, and there is no live phone help.
• The paid Time and Attendance add-on include overtime alarms, labor reports, POS/payroll connections, and mobile clock-ins with GPS enforcement.
• From time to time, the software is slow.

Total Points3.72 OUT OF 5

When I Work is a reliable staff scheduling tool for small businesses. It offers low-cost shift planning and scheduling solutions that may be used on a variety of platforms, including PCs, laptops, and mobile iOS and Android smartphones. It also includes a paid time and attendance module that you can add to your plan, as well as team chat, task management, and online document solutions. When I Work has a 3.72 out of 5-star rating.

Despite this, people raved about how easy it is to use, how affordable it is, and how useful the scheduling features are. However, although it allows them to simply schedule work shifts for workers, several reviewers remarked that the scheduling features of When I Work’s mobile applications aren’t as robust as those of the desktop version.

With the drag-and-drop functionality of When I Work’s online schedule builder, you can easily assign shifts to employees.

Pricing

• Small Business plan: This plan is ideal for businesses with up to 100 employees and costs $2 per employee per month. It only has scheduling and messaging features; if you want to add time and attendance features, you’ll have to pay an extra $2 per employee per month.
• Enterprise tier: For companies with 100 to 10,000 workers, this custom-priced option is ideal. It includes all of the features of Small businesses, as well as implementation assistance and API access for custom integrations.

Features

• Scheduling tools that are simple to use: When I Work, like Deputy, is a stand-alone scheduling application that is straightforward and simple to use. You can set shifts, communicate work plans with your team, measure real work hours, and message staff with just a few easy clicks. However, unlike most of the software on our list, you will have to pay extra to use its time tracking features.
• When I Work allows you to add GPS details of job sites to shifts so that employees know where they should report for work (Homebase does not have this feature). Then, using its mobile time clock applications, you can keep track of whether or not your workers on the job site are clocking in at the place you set.
• When I Work has a few automated reports that provide insight into your business and workforce, unlike Deputy’s standalone scheduling solution. Real-time labor distribution data, for example, enable managers to compare their anticipated labor budget to actual labor expenditures (including overtime).

Conclusion

Small businesses can save time and money by sticking to a schedule. You’ll need to think about your budget so you know how much you can spend.

We discovered that Homebase has all of the features that a typical small business owner would require when scheduling their employees. It’s simple to use, economical, and reliable when compared to other providers, plus it has a time clock and other capabilities that you may add on later.