10 greatest shift schedule makers in 2023

When you have worker shifts to handle, you recognize you want a sturdy schedule maker. Digital platforms save time, scale back errors, and allow you to schedule many workers without delay.

Plus, some even combine with different core capabilities like time monitoring, communication, payroll, and compliance, making scheduling extra correct and workers coordination easy.

However with so many schedulers on the market, it may be difficult and time-consuming to know which is able to work greatest for your enterprise. Evaluating their options, pricing, and strengths — and even figuring out what to search for — could be a full-time job in itself.

So we’ve achieved the laborious be just right for you. On this publish, we cowl:

• The important thing options to search for in shift schedule makers, so you recognize what to bear in mind
• Our high 10 shift schedule makers (and our decide for the perfect all-in-one choice)
• What to contemplate when shopping for a shift schedule maker
• And customary pitfalls to keep away from when utilizing the device, to get optimum outcomes

Key options to search for in shift schedule makers

We suggest searching for the next options when selecting a shift schedule maker for your enterprise.

• Worker availability monitoring — It’s essential to have a scheduler that may hold monitor of group members’ availability and set shifts accordingly. It must also provide you with a warning in the event you by accident attempt to schedule a shift for an worker at a time after they’re not out there.
• Shift swapping and commerce administration — Enabling workers to simply commerce shifts offers them autonomy and lets them determine last-minute modifications to their availability with out requiring you to alter up the schedule for them. This avoids no-shows or last-minute lack of workers.
• Automated schedule era — It can save you hours of time with a device that allows you to save templates and create schedules routinely, making an allowance for availability and the workers members you want.
• Cell accessibility — A should for managers and group members who could not work from computer systems or laptops, or want entry to their schedule on the go. This additionally permits you to ship alerts and updates through textual content or app notifications, to make sure that everybody sees the schedule.
• Integration with time and attendance monitoring — A scheduler device that additionally tracks time and attendance will aid you see who’s working and when, whereas offering a transparent image of availability. It additionally ensures you keep away from costly time beyond regulation shifts and keep legally compliant on hours per employee.

Our high shift schedule maker decide in 2023 (+ the perfect of the remainder)

After all, we’re biased, however we consider Homebase is among the greatest shift schedulers on the market as a result of it gives an all-in-one dashboard that allows you to handle scheduling in addition to time monitoring, availability, and group communication.

However no device is strictly proper for everybody, and there are others out there that might work higher for your enterprise, relying on what you want. Let’s have a look.

1. Greatest all-in-one resolution: Homebase
2. Greatest for simplicity: After I Work
3. Greatest for bigger groups: Shiftboard
4. Greatest for employees communication: 7shifts
5. Greatest for time clocks: Deputy
6. Greatest for ease of use: Connecteam
7. Greatest without cost options: Clockify
8. Greatest for scheduling alone: ZoomShift
9. Greatest for hourly groups: Sling
10. Greatest for automation: Humanity

Comparability chart: Prime 10 shift schedule makers in 2023

A breakdown of the ten greatest shift schedule makers

1. Greatest all-in-one resolution: Homebase

Supply: https://joinhomebase.com/employee-scheduling/

Caption: Homebase makes it simple to see shifts for every employee, and integrates with different key employer duties.

Homebase’s schedule maker not solely permits you to add workers availability, and allow shift buying and selling, group communication, and time monitoring. It additionally integrates with different native instruments for important worker administration duties, like hiring and onboarding, HR and compliance, payroll, and worker perks.

This makes it a one-stop store in your hourly worker wants, with optimized and sensible scheduling only one cog in your wider administration machine.

Prime options

• New schedule notifications for group members by textual content, app notification, and e mail.
• App functionality for iOS and Android.
• Templates and automation for easy-to-build schedules and optimized shifts.
• Integration with workers availability and PTO to keep away from clashes.
• Alerts to keep away from costly time beyond regulation or breaches of working time compliance.
• Crew communication for straightforward shift swapping.
• Integration with time clocking to maintain shut monitor of worker hours.
• Integration with Payroll to trace hours and scheduling, and pay precisely.

Execs and cons

• Execs: All-in-one, with scheduling simply considered one of a variety of worker administration instruments.
• Cons: Chances are you’ll not want all the instruments in the event you’re searching for a scheduling platform solely.

Customers reward how “simple it’s to construct a schedule,” with additional options for different duties like hiring and interviewing “comparable to way more costly software program.”. Reviewers also love the “clean design,” cell app that’s simple for workers to make use of day-after-day.

Pricing

• Primary: Free. Observe hours and handle schedules. Contains messaging. One location, limitless workers.
• Necessities: $20 per 30 days, per location. All the pieces in Primary, plus efficiency monitoring and group communication.
• Plus: $48 per 30 days, per location. All the pieces in Important, plus PTO monitoring and finances instruments.
• All In One: $80 per 30 days, per location. All the pieces in Plus, in addition to HR, and onboarding instruments.

2. Greatest for simplicity: When I Work

Supply: https://wheniwork.com/features/employee-scheduling-software

Caption: After I Work has a color-coded calendar view.

After I Work describes its product as “scheduling and extra”, and it focuses on the important thing duties of scheduling creation, time monitoring, and group messaging. With color-coded schedules, simple notification settings, and a cell app, it’s easy and easy, and designed with hourly workers in thoughts.

Prime options

• Worker scheduling, with easy-to-build calendars and instantaneous sharing capabilities.
• Crew messaging, for straightforward in-platform communication, with out the sharing of non-public numbers.
• Time clock, to trace attendance, breaks, and PTO and incorporate it into your schedule.
• Timesheets, to make sure correct monitoring of worker hours and shifts labored.

Execs and cons

• Execs: What it does, it does properly — specializing in a number of scheduling duties for simplicity and performance.
• Cons: Focuses primarily on scheduling and time monitoring, in contrast to some extra all-in-one instruments.

Customers of After I Work reward it for being “easy to navigate” and straightforward,” and constructive “mobile app experience.”

Pricing

• Commonplace: $4 per consumer per 30 days. Contains normal scheduling, and time and attendance instruments.
• Superior: $8 per consumer per 30 days. Contains superior scheduling with extra dynamic and customizable options, plus time and attendance instruments.

3. Greatest for bigger groups: Shiftboard

Supply: www.shiftboard.com

Caption: Shiftboard gives a variety of choices designed to handle massive groups.

Shiftboard focuses on automation-driven scheduling for giant groups and permits managers to optimize shifts, handle timesheets, plan labor wants, and have interaction employees, all inside the similar platform.

Prime options

• Scheduling automation, for adaptive schedules that routinely take availability under consideration.
• Employee engagement, to make sure schedules are worker-friendly and don’t require extra time beyond regulation.
• Labor demand planning, to allow managers to make use of information to plan forward.
• Timesheet and PTO administration, to precisely monitor hours and availability.
• Cell app, for on-the-go administration.
• SMS notifications for alerts wherever workers are.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Sturdy software program with data-driven automations for quick scheduling in complicated conditions.
• Cons: Steep studying curve, designed for enterprise-level firms, and could also be too cumbersome for small companies. Pricing not out there with out a demo.

Reviewers say that enabling workers to log in themselves “takes the administrative burden off our group”, one praised its skill to maintain “over 500 of our employees in a single place,” and one other stated they like that they will “see all of my staff in a single place.”

Pricing

Shiftboard doesn’t publish pricing publicly, however its plans comprise:

• Enterprise: Most main scheduling and compliance instruments, plus reporting.
• Enterprise Plus: All the pieces in Enterprise, plus extra superior compliance and reporting instruments.

4. Greatest for employees communication: 7shifts

Supply: 7shifts.com

Caption: 7Shifts is favored significantly by the restaurant trade for hourly employees.

7Shifts goals to make hourly work, significantly in eating places, simpler to schedule. Its scheduling perform is only one of its suite of instruments, which additionally consists of assist for hiring, coaching, operational effectivity, payroll, and worker retention.

Prime options

• Scheduling with finances monitoring and compliance integrations.
• Integration with hiring instruments to get new group members into the schedule rapidly and simply.
• Pay integrations to simply calculate hours labored, PTO, and suggestions, for correct pay.
• Employees attendance reporting, and employee suggestions functionality for a happier workforce.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Easy to arrange, with additional instruments for hiring, coaching, and pay.
• Cons: Designed particularly for eating places, so may fit much less properly for different industries.

Customers report that 7shifts makes “communicating with everyone” simple, and reward the “communication alerts” and “easy app access for staff.”

Pricing

• Comp: Free, for one location and as much as 30 workers. Scheduling, time clock, and hiring.
• Entrée: $29.99 per 30 days per location, for as much as 30 workers, All the pieces in Comp, plus templates, budgeting, and day without work monitoring.
• The Works: $69.99 per 30 days per location, for limitless workers. All the pieces in Entrée, plus payroll integration and state-based compliance instruments.
• Connoisseur: $135 per 30 days per location. All the pieces in The Works, plus onboarding, labor forecasting, and nearer assist.

7Shifts additionally gives a free 14-day trial.

5. Greatest for time clocks: Deputy

Supply: Deputy.com

Caption: Deputy makes time monitoring and scheduling, plus workers communication, simpler.

Priding itself on ease of use, Deputy goals to make scheduling quick and offers an summary of workers attendance. It additionally has instruments for managing timesheets and payroll, onboarding, and retention. It additionally helps managers to foretell labor wants and minimize down on pointless prices.

Prime options

• Scheduling, to share shifts with group members in a number of clicks.
• Employees attendance, to maintain monitor of hours, last-minute shift modifications, and worker communication.
• Timesheets, for insights into finances, time beyond regulation, and correct payroll.
• Onboarding and retention instruments, for the seamless addition of recent hires, and happier workers.
• Cell app for on-the-go entry for managers and group members.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Contains all the things wanted for scheduling, plus payroll and time monitoring.
• Cons: Some users say that they’d a less-than-positive onboarding expertise.

Opinions reward the convenience of scheduling shifts, and the “visibility of employee time cards”, and like how “useful [it is] for timekeeping.”

Pricing

• Starter: Free, for 100 shifts per 30 days.
• Scheduling: $3.50 per consumer per 30 days. Scheduling with group communication, however no payroll or time clocking.
• Time & Attendance: $3.50 per consumer per 30 days. Scheduling with attendance monitoring, and timesheet administration, however no automation, reporting, SMS alerts; and fewer group communication instruments.
• Premium: $4.90 per consumer per 30 days. All scheduling, time, attendance, and reporting instruments.
• Enterprise: Value on request. For companies with 250+ workers. All the pieces in Premium, plus customized options.

Deputy additionally gives a free 31-day trial.

6. Greatest for ease of use: Connecteam

Supply: Connecteam.com

Caption: Connecteam is designed for employees who’re on the go.

Connecteam is a beautiful, colourful app designed for a “non-desk workforce”, that means it’s designed with hourly workers (who could also be consistently on the go) in thoughts. It goals to supply all the things you might want for enterprise administration, inside a single cell platform.

Prime options

• Worker communication, with easy and colourful messaging, chat, and suggestions instruments.
• Worker time clock, to maintain monitor of hours and absences.
• Worker scheduling, for easy workers group and shift administration.
• Checklists and varieties, for straightforward doc administration.
• Worker job administration, so workers at all times know what’s anticipated of them.
• HR & folks administration, to maintain workers motivated and professionally compliant.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Designed for employees on the go, mobile-friendly, and full of helpful options.
• Cons: Cell-only, so not as relevant to managers who wish to schedule on a desktop.

Opinions persistently mention its “user-friendliness” and customizability, “intuitiveness,” performance and ease of navigating.

Pricing

Operations hub (consists of time clock, scheduling, varieties, and job task):

• Small Enterprise: Free, for as much as 10 customers.
• Primary: $29 per 30 days for as much as 30 customers. Additional customers $0.50 per 30 days.
• Superior: $49 per 30 days for 30 customers. Additional customers $1.50 per 30 days. All the pieces in Primary, plus additional options together with time clock duties.
• Professional: $99 per 30 days for 30 customers. Additional customers $3 per 30 days. All the pieces in Superior, plus GPS options and automation.

Connecteam additionally gives different packages beneath the banners of Communications, and HR & Abilities, however these don’t embrace scheduling options.

7. Greatest without cost options: Clockify

Supply: Clockify.me

Caption: Clockify focuses on monitoring and allows you to schedule visually.

Clockify focuses on time monitoring and timesheets, and its calendar and scheduling options all revolve round that core mission. This makes it easy and user-friendly. It additionally has a kiosk function that lets workers clock out and in simply.

Prime options

• Timekeeping, together with time monitoring, timesheets, and a visible calendar.
• Reporting, together with exercise monitoring, and a knowledge dashboard.
• Administration, together with day without work monitoring, bills, and invoicing instruments.
• Cloud-based with on-line syncing, and works on all browsers, in addition to Linux programs.
• Has iOS and Android-compatible apps.

Execs and cons

• Execs: It’s free for limitless customers, for entry to all of its options.
• Cons: It focuses on time monitoring and timesheets solely, so could not work in the event you’re searching for a extra all-in-one device.

One user praised how “simple to make use of” it’s, and the way “customers don’t want many tutorials to know how Clockify works”, whereas another said it has the “greatest time monitoring” performance with a “clear interface.”

Pricing

• Free for all options, to obtain, and to make use of the apps.

8. Greatest for scheduling alone: ZoomShift

Supply: Zoomshift.com

Caption: ZoomShift options goal to make monitoring and scheduling as correct as doable.

ZoomShift focuses on monitoring time, making it simple for workers to clock out and in from wherever, and preserve correct timesheets and streamlined payroll runs. It goals to assist managers save on labor prices, and scale back timesheet and payroll errors.

Prime options

• Time monitoring, together with net and mobile-enabled clocks, GPS, and IP tackle recognition.
• Timesheet administration, together with the blocking of early clock-ins and time beyond regulation, and error fixing.
• Payroll working, together with simple exports of timesheets and easy-to-see hour administration.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Tremendous-simple and user-friendly, with devoted options that do what they promise.
• Cons: Makes a speciality of a number of core options solely.

ZoomShift customers particularly like how “organized and simple to make use of” the platform is, “versatile and functional.”

Pricing

• Starter: $2 per 30 days per group member, limitless group members. Contains scheduling, shifts, PTO, timesheet, and payroll reporting instruments.
• Premium: $4 per 30 days per group member. All the pieces in Starter, plus time beyond regulation alerts, geofencing, and extra superior timesheet instruments.
• Customized: Value on request, for firms with 100+ workers. All the pieces in Premium, plus onboarding, personalised assist, and coaching.

9. Greatest for hourly groups: Sling

Supply: Getsling.com/

Caption: Sling makes communication between workers simple in relation to scheduling.

Sling consists of scheduling and communication instruments to make shift planning, and alerting workers, simple and quick. It goals to assist managers scale back absenteeism, keep away from going over finances, and allow last-minute modifications with out stress.

Prime options

• Worker scheduling, together with day without work, time monitoring, and time beyond regulation administration.
• Crew communication with group messaging and new schedule alerts.
• Time and attendance, for hour and labor monitoring, with GPS geofencing.
• Reporting together with monitoring for day without work allowance.
• Desktop and app functionality for on-the-go administration.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Designed for every type of trade, together with eating places, retail, and hospitality.
• Cons: Some customers have discovered that the app has “glitches”, which might solely be fastened by deleting it and re-installing, and some say that the platform can typically be sluggish.

Customers like the “instantaneous” updates that present modifications instantly, and its “easy-to-use type” that helps with “planning on the fly.” They also praise the ability to filter schedule views (for instance, solely seeing a sure group of workers).

Pricing

• Primary: Free. Contains shift scheduling and long-term scheduling.
• Premium: $1.70 per consumer per 30 days. All the pieces in Primary, plus instruments for monitoring time and optimizing labor prices.
• Enterprise: $3.40 per consumer per 30 days. All the pieces in Premium, plus information and experiences.

10. Greatest for automation: Humanity

Supply: Humanity.tcpsoftware.com

Caption: Humanity is a cloud-based platform that may work on desktop, tablets, telephones, and smartwatch.

Humanity is a cloud-based platform that focuses on scheduling for hourly employees. It goals to be simply as helpful to managers as employers as it’s to workers, providing alerts to keep away from time beyond regulation, compliance breaches, and extra labor prices; in addition to simple workers communication for unbiased shift switching.

Prime options

• Scheduling, together with predictive labor forecasting for peak and lull intervals.
• Time clock, for correct monitoring and hours labored.
• Compliance, with customizable guidelines, automation, and alerts for clashes and time beyond regulation.
• Cell shift administration, for straightforward on-the-go coordination for employees and employers.
• Auto-scheduling to avoid wasting time and for sensible shift task.
• Flex scheduling to allow shift switching, and keep away from no-shows or staffing shortages.

Execs and cons

• Execs: Designed with each workers and employers in thoughts, for all types of industries.
• Cons: Greatest for bigger companies; might not be appropriate when you have a smaller operation.

Clients say that it saves “hours of time in scheduling,” and is “user-friendly and straightforward.”

Pricing

• Humanity doesn’t publish pricing publicly. It’s out there if you request a trial on the web site.

What to consider if you’re shopping for a shift schedule maker

With so many kinds of shift schedule instruments on the market, we suggest contemplating precisely what you need for your enterprise, so you’ll find a platform that aligns greatest along with your wants.

• Decide your enterprise’s scheduling wants — Contemplate why you want a digital scheduler. What duties do you battle with, or that are probably the most time-consuming? What duties do you wish to cease doing manually? What’s not working? This can supply clues to the options you want.
• Analysis and evaluate out there choices — Don’t simply go for the primary platform you discover. We’ve listed some nice choices above, however solely you recognize which could work greatest for your enterprise. Examine options, assist, value, and suitability in your firm’s dimension and desires.
• Contemplate the fee and pricing choices — The price of a platform isn’t the primary cause for selecting it — in any case, there’s no level having a device that’s low cost however doesn’t do what you want. However getting good worth continues to be key. Some instruments, like Homebase, supply helpful capabilities without cost.
• Consider the software program’s buyer assist and safety measures — You don’t wish to purchase a platform that leaves you excessive and dry in the event you need assistance. Before you purchase, try assist pages and take into account what assist is on supply, so that you received’t be left with a bit of software program you possibly can’t use.
• Decide and arrange the software program — When you’ve determined which platform to attempt, bounce in. The most effective platforms will goal to make onboarding as simple and fast as doable, and can present assist proper from the beginning. The extra you employ the software program, the better it ought to get to make use of.

Frequent pitfalls to keep away from when utilizing a shift schedule maker

Even the perfect shift schedulers can fall down if not used fastidiously. Listed below are a number of the pitfalls to keep away from to get the perfect out of your chosen scheduler.

• Not correctly organising worker info — Having workers in your platform with incorrect or incomplete info could cause points with correct monitoring, availability, and subsequently monitoring. Guarantee all pay, position, and availability is right for correct scheduling.
• Not frequently reviewing and updating worker availability — A scheduler can solely aid you automate correct worker shifts and provide you with a warning to clashes in case your workers’ availability is up-to-date and proper. You possibly can assessment this, and encourage workers to maintain it up to date too.
• Not correctly coaching workers on the software program — Any software program has a studying curve whereas managers and workers rise up to hurry with it. Coaching your workers to make use of no matter platform you select means you possibly can all use it most successfully and effectively.
• Not frequently backing up information — It’s good apply to frequently again up any digital product or information in order that in case your platform fails or you might have technical difficulties, you will get again up and working simply. This consists of templates, workers particulars, bills, and vital paperwork.

Shift schedule makers: An all-in-one stress-saver

Schedule shift makers can prevent hours of time and stress on organizing workers, and making certain you might have the fitting group members when and the place you want them. They actually pay dividends in comparison with figuring it out manually, printing schedules, or utilizing spreadsheets.

However not all platforms do all the things, and a few aren’t tailor-made to small companies — or supply the additional instruments you really want.

Homebase has an all-in-one platform that not solely makes scheduling shifts simpler, but in addition integrates seamlessly with a collection of different capabilities designed to assist small companies thrive — akin to payroll, group communication, and workers happiness.

So you possibly can streamline scheduling, hold monitor of hours and pay, let workers resolve scheduling conflicts themselves, and by no means spend hours stressing in entrance of a spreadsheet or printer once more.

References

**The knowledge above is predicated on our analysis on shift schedule-maker instruments. All consumer suggestions referenced within the textual content has been sourced from unbiased software program assessment platforms, akin to G2 and Capterra, in February 2023.