Managing work schedules might be tough, particularly with regards to balancing enterprise calls for with worker wants. However with work schedule apps, managers can discover a resolution that matches comfortably of their again pocket.
The one query is which app to decide on when there are such a lot of choices on the market. Each small enterprise is exclusive, which suggests some instruments will fit your wants higher than others.
This text will overview the highest seven work schedule apps based mostly on their options, pricing, and consumer expertise. So, whether or not you might want to streamline your scheduling or get higher oversight of who’s working and when, we’ll discover the very best platform for you.
Key options to search for in work schedule apps
Earlier than we discover the highest work schedule apps, let’s define what options they need to embrace. That method you’ll discover it simpler to identify the very best one for you.
- Workforce availability: You may’t write a schedule with out realizing when your group can work, however gathering this data is time-consuming. Good apps reduce this job out by gathering workers availability and utilizing the knowledge that can assist you create a sensible schedule.
- Automations: The highest apps allow you to immediately create schedules based mostly on every worker’s availability, position, and seniority.
- Templates: While you’ve obtained a timetable that works for everybody, you most likely need to reuse it week over week. So, your work schedule app ought to allow you to save schedule templates to a library and simply entry them every time you might want to.
- Self-scheduling instruments: You may scale back the period of time you spend on scheduling by giving staff extra management over their hours. Which means you want options that allow your group organize swaps or covers and declare open shifts.
- Reminders and notifications: To assist staff stick with their schedules, you possibly can immediate them about upcoming shifts. Alerts for points like late arrivals and missed breaks will help you resolve points instantly as an alternative of last-minute, whenever you’re making an attempt to calculate payroll.
- Shared capabilities with the desktop model: It’s no use having a piece schedule app that’s lacking important options on cellular. That’s why you want a platform that provides the identical performance in your telephone and pill.
- Knowledge and analytics: Most apps accumulate your gross sales and wage information that can assist you forecast your labor necessities. Some additionally monitor attendance, late arrivals, and no-shows to point out you the way completely different group members are performing.
- Interconnected worker administration instruments: Moreover scheduling, small companies typically require different HR options like time monitoring and payroll. It’s finest to decide on software program that features all of the necessities so you possibly can share information seamlessly throughout the platform as an alternative of multitasking with varied apps.
- A variety of integrations: No apps are ‘one dimension matches all’ and also you’ll want integrations to unravel a few of your challenges. For example, eating places and bars settle for suggestions so they may want software program like Toast to handle these further funds. By selecting an app that connects to all of the niche software program you may want, you’ll save time juggling completely different instruments.
- Reasonably priced pricing: The perfect app shouldn’t pressure your finances or make you pay for too many options you don’t want.
Our high decide for work schedule apps in 2023 (+ the remaining ranked)
With its inexpensive pricing and versatile vary of options, Homebase is the clear alternative for many small companies. You may entry fundamental scheduling and time monitoring without cost, and entry extra superior options, like shift trades, time without work requests, and shift reminders, for simply $24.95 per thirty days. Plus, you get entry to time monitoring and accounting instruments so you might have all the pieces you want in a single place.
However Homebase may not be for everybody. For bigger and extra complicated companies, you could discover Connecteam gives extra customization. And Humanity is good for these within the healthcare business because it solves lots of their distinctive challenges.
- Homebase: Finest all-in-one resolution
- Sling: Finest for time zone variations
- Connecteam: Finest for personalisation
- After I Work: Finest for a number of admins
- Humanity: Finest for Apple Watch compatibility
- HotSchedules powered by Fourth: Finest for worker suggestions
- Calendly: Finest for scheduling appointments
Comparability chart: Prime 6 work schedule apps in 2023
| Title | Pricing | App Retailer Ranking | Notable Options |
 |
Plans vary from free to $99.95 per location per thirty days.
Customers get a 20% low cost with an annual dedication. |
4.8 |
• Automation, template, and self-scheduling instruments • Workforce availability • Strong communication options • Labor forecasting instruments • Constructed-in time monitoring and accounting instruments |
 Sling |
Plans vary from free to $4 per consumer per thirty days. | 4.7 |
• View throughout completely different time zones • Versatile self-scheduling options • Scheduling by the point of the day |
 Connecteam |
Plans vary from free to $297 per thirty days. | 4.2 |
• Sub-jobs • Admin permissions filters • Process checklists and administration |
 After I Work |
Plans vary from $2.50 to $8 per consumer per thirty days. | 4.8 |
• Autoscheduling • Template instruments • Labor forecasting |
 Humanity |
A alternative of three plans with customized pricing. | 4.9 |
• Self-scheduling instruments • Compatibility with the Apple Watch • Scheduling based mostly on key efficiency indicators (KPIs) |
 HotSchedules by Fourth |
Costs aren’t available. | 4.6 |
• Finish-of-shift surveys • Compliance notifications and alerts • Messaging and announcement options |
 Calendly |
Costs vary from free to $16 per consumer per thirty days and there’s additionally the choice of a customized pricing plan. | 4.9 |
• Assembly polls • Availability settings • Reporting and analytics |
A breakdown of the 6 finest work schedule apps
1. Finest all-in-one resolution: Homebase
Designed with small companies in thoughts, Homebase gives all of the important options that you simply’re prone to want. You may sync information throughout our scheduling, time monitoring, and payroll instruments. Then, you need to use its built-in options to coordinate all of your group processes.
Prime options
- Autopopulation based mostly on workers roles and availability
- Clock-in on tablets, computer systems, and POS gadgets — together with location-based clock in and the flexibility to seize group images
- A limiteless template library
- Workforce availability that collects which days workers can and may’t work
- Worker self-scheduling for trades, covers, and open shifts
- Customized additional time and break preferences
- Automated, real-time reminders and notifications for workers
- Labor forecasting by roles, days, and extra
- Versatile communication options like shift notes and group messaging
- A spread of different HR instruments like a GPS time clock, timesheets, and payroll
Professionals and cons
Homebase has a strong set of scheduling instruments to streamline creating timetables, scale back errors, and preserve your group joyful. You may autopopulate shifts utilizing your group’s availability, reuse templates out of your library, and let workers modify their hours utilizing swaps and covers. All these can be found in both the free or lowest-cost plan.
However as Homebase targets small companies like retailers and cafes particularly, we’re not well-suited to some setups. For instance, we don’t provide assembly schedule instruments or help timetables for giant, complicated organizations.
Pricing
Homebase has a free plan for as much as twenty customers that gives fundamental scheduling instruments. For extra management and adaptability, listed below are our paid plans:
- Necessities for $24.95 per thirty days per location for superior scheduling and time monitoring options, like group availability, shift notes, and self-scheduling instruments.
- Plus for $59.95 per thirty days per location, which has all the pieces in Necessities plus depart administration and customized permissions.
- All-in-one for $99.95 per thirty days per location for labor forecasting and reporting.
It can save you 20% off all plans by making an annual dedication.
2. Sling: Finest for time zone variations
Some small companies function in several time zones which provides an additional layer of complexity to scheduling workers. You must assign hours that swimsuit the enterprise, the worker, and the client. To keep away from confusion, Sling permits you to schedule and monitor shifts in everybody’s native occasions.
Prime options
- Scheduling with a view of the enterprise and the worker’s native time zone
- Open shifts with the choice to let workers assign themselves on a primary come first serve foundation or to select from the volunteers
- The flexibility to phase days into morning, afternoon, and night shifts
Professionals and cons
The primary upside of Sling is the free plan with limitless customers. This implies in the event you simply want the essential instruments, you don’t have to pay a cent.
However the draw back is in the event you want extra performance, Sling doesn’t provide as many instruments on its paid plans as some opponents. It additionally fees per worker. So, you possibly can find yourself paying a excessive charge although you don’t get accounting or HR options.
Pricing
There are three Sling plans:
- Free for limitless staff, managers, and areas which gives fundamental scheduling instruments.
- Premium at $2 per consumer per thirty days so as to add availability administration and self-scheduling instruments.
- Enterprise at $4 per consumer per thirty days for all the pieces in Premium plus autoscheduling.
3. Connecteam: Finest for personalisation
Relying on the complexity of your small business, you could want a excessive degree of customization. Connecteam’s granular settings will help you obtain this. There are instruments like sub-jobs that allow you to categorize shifts and filters to find out who can entry what. The platform additionally has a wealth of different built-in options like programs and messengers you can add to your plan.
Prime options
- Sub-jobs to allow you to categorize shifts in superb element — for instance, which restaurant areas they’re accountable for
- Permission filters so you possibly can management what different managers or staff can do and see
- Process checklists so you possibly can assign work in addition to hours
Professionals and cons
Like Homebase and Sling, Connecteam has a free plan. You should use all of the options you want offered you don’t exceed the restrict of ten customers.
The issue is when you have a bigger group, Connecteam requires many upgrades to entry all of the options. For instance, the communication instruments are in a separate hub and the compliance instruments are solely within the two highest-cost plans.
Pricing
Apart from the free plan for the ten customers we talked about, Connecteam has 4 plans:
- Fundamental at $29 per thirty days (plus 60 cents for each consumer over the restrict of 30) which has fundamental scheduling and self-scheduling instruments.
- Superior at $49 (plus $1.80 cents for each consumer over the restrict of 30) for all the pieces in Fundamental plus template instruments and customized notifications.
- Professional at $99 (plus $3.60 cents for each consumer over the restrict of 30) so as to add the compliance instruments.
- Enterprise with a customized value for all of the options from the earlier plans and limitless sub-jobs.
4. After I Work: Finest for a number of admins
In contrast to many different work schedule apps, After I Work provides you three admins from the bottom price plan. This implies you possibly can share scheduling duties simply with different managers. If a couple of supervisor can log in concurrently, this additionally will increase the probabilities of one among you receiving an pressing message and responding rapidly.
Prime options
- Autoscheduling to create prompt timetables based mostly on availability
- Template instruments that allow you to create reusable schedules
- Labor forecasting to foretell what number of workers you want per shift
Professionals and cons
After I Work’s greatest draw is the vary of instruments it contains in its lowest price plan. You should use autoscheduling, templates, and labor forecasting with out upgrading.
Nonetheless, After I Work lacks important options like payroll and HR instruments and doesn’t combine with many different enterprise apps. This implies you could find yourself having to manually enter schedule information within the different platforms you utilize.
Pricing
After I Work has two plans at $2.50 and $4 per consumer per thirty days. The upper-cost plan has superior scheduling instruments like customized reporting and guidelines. It’s also possible to add time monitoring and early pay entry to every plan for $1.50 and $2.00 per consumer respectively.
5. Humanity: Finest for Apple Watch compatibility
A lot of Humanity’s options make it a great possibility for on-the-go staff. First, it’s appropriate with Apple Watch so staff can see alerts as they’re working. And secondly, you possibly can schedule in response to particular abilities and {qualifications} which makes it simpler to assign workers based mostly on their particular experience.
Prime options
- Scheduling based mostly on what abilities and {qualifications} you want for every shift
- Chance to make use of the app with Apple Watch
- Importing exterior KPIs into the platform to forecast future scheduling wants
Professionals and cons
If you happen to’re contemplating an app for an on-the-go group, you want one thing that may work with telephones, tablets, and even the Apple Watch. And Humanity customers say the software program is “easy” and “straightforward to make use of”. However it’s price noting in addition they report “hassle saving” schedules and infrequently should recreate them.
Pricing
Humanity gives customized pricing so that they don’t promote their charges. There are three plans out there:
- Starter for fundamental scheduling instruments and entry to the cellular app.
- Traditional for all the pieces in Starter plus autoscheduling and analytics instruments.
- Enterprise which has all the pieces from the earlier two plans and labor forecasting.
6. HotSchedules powered by Fourth: Finest for worker suggestions
Whereas labor and gross sales figures are helpful, they’ll’t inform you all the pieces. For example, demanding prospects who don’t purchase many merchandise can masks how difficult a selected shift actually is. So, HotSchedules’ end-of-shift survey lets staff depart extra in-depth suggestions. Which means you possibly can accumulate extra qualitative information for a well-rounded thought of whether or not you’re adequately staffed or teaming the suitable individuals collectively.
Prime options
- Finish of shift surveys to let group members share considerations
- Alerts for compliance points whereas schedule constructing
- Selection of messaging people or broadcasting messages to the whole group
Professionals and cons
As Fourth owns HotSchedules, you might have the choice so as to add their different HR merchandise like time monitoring, payroll, and stock administration. Which means you’re extra doubtless to have the ability to run all of your duties from one platform fairly than switching between a number of. You must put apart a while to be taught HotSchedules, although — customers warn the app is “sophisticated” and “takes getting used to”.
Pricing
Fourth doesn’t promote its pricing plans.
7. Calendly: Finest for scheduling appointments
Some companies base their schedules round assembly occasions fairly than opening hours. That is perhaps as a result of they’ve freelance workers who handle their very own timetables or as a result of they cost purchasers per appointment. If that’s you, you then may just like the sound of Calendly. This scheduling app permits you to discover the optimum time for conferences rapidly and integrates with in style chat instruments together with Zoom and Google Meet.
Prime options
- Assembly polls to find out the very best time to speak effectively
- Availability settings so staff can point out once they’re free
- Analytics on in style assembly varieties and occasions
Professionals and cons
The largest professional to Calendly is the selection of 5 plans together with a free one and a customized pricing one. Which means you’ll find the precise pricing to fit your finances. However Calendly’s lack of options for scheduling hourly staff makes it unsuitable for a lot of sorts of small companies like retailers and cafes.
Pricing
As talked about above, Calendly has 5 plans:
- Fundamental which is free and offers one calendar, limitless conferences, and integrations to software program like Slack and Microsoft Groups.
- Necessities at $8 per consumer per thirty days for a second calendar, reminders, and follow-ups.
- Skilled at $12 per consumer per thirty days so as to add workflows, analytic instruments, and branding.
- Groups at $16 per consumer per thirty days for all the pieces in Skilled plus syncing occasions throughout your group.
- Enterprise with customized pricing for compliance instruments and devoted help personnel. Calendly recommends this for groups of over 30 individuals.
Homebase makes scheduling straightforward
In terms of selecting a piece schedule app for your small business, there are a lot of nice choices on the market. However Homebase stands out as the only option.
Homebase understands that small companies have to make each expense rely. So, we pack rather a lot into our app and don’t add pointless extras. We offer options to streamline scheduling, be sure you keep inside your labor finances, and provides staff extra management over their hours. That method it can save you time on scheduling and make your group joyful with out reducing into your income.
**The knowledge above is predicated on our analysis on work schedule apps. All consumer suggestions referenced within the textual content has been sourced from unbiased software program overview platforms, comparable to G2 and Capterra, in April 2023.
