The best apps for scheduling employees are the ones that give you the most control over your employees’ schedules, while also being easy to use.
The first thing to look for in a scheduling app is whether it can handle multiple shifts at once. This is important because without it, you have to enter each shift one at a time—which takes forever!
Another important feature of an employee scheduling app is whether it allows for customization of shift times. You’ll want your employees to be able to swap shifts with each other as needed, so you need an app that makes this simple and efficient.
Finally, look for an app that offers features like alerts and reminders, so you know when shifts are coming up and what needs to happen next.
Best Apps For Scheduling Employees
Scheduling, leave management and attendance tracking are essential regardless of whether your employees work a fixed number of hours every day or enjoy flexible work arrangements.
For this purpose, it is possible to use such old-fashioned tools like Excel and Word or integrate scheduling modules and calendars into your HR and payroll systems. However, there are better ways to keep track of employee attendance and absence. Here’s our selection of scheduling tools for different areas of application.
- actiPLANS
actiPLANS is a perfect tool for employee scheduling – it supports the planning of time off and on duty both in the short and long term.
In the desktop version of actiPLANS, one may track their current and future PTO balance and then use this information to select and mark any period as vacation or another relevant type of leave. Besides, the mobile version lets users notify colleagues that they’re running late or leaving early and overview who is absent at the moment and why. This is great for staying in the know of current employee availability, both within regular and flexible work arrangements.
One more valuable feature of actiPLANS is the automatic leave request approval. It helps make the absence management process more streamlined, which not only saves a ton of time for managers but also contributes to higher employee satisfaction by giving team members more control over personal work schedules.
- ShiftNote
ShiftNote is an employee scheduling software and manager log book for any shift based industry like restaurants, retail stores and hotels. Its features include an easy-to-use scheduler, time off management, daily communication and KPI tracking via the manager log book, forecaster, checklist system, messaging and more.
ShiftNote allows managers to create schedules faster while also saving on labor costs by reducing overtime and improving communication by utilizing the log book every shift. It also includes free training and onboarding setup!
- Hot Schedules
Hot Schedules is an online scheduler for teams that work on a shift basis. By automating the scheduling process, it saves managers’ and regular employees’ time. Clients report that with Hot schedules, it is not only faster to create, communicate and manage work schedules, but also easier to save on labor costs and forecast future capabilities. What’s more, the tool helps control labor costs and budgets. - Humanity
One of the most popular solutions, Humanity offers scheduling, time clock and staff management features. It helps organize shifts and communicate schedule information to the employees quickly and easily, and also includes payroll and HR features. Humanity has mobile apps for viewing and managing team’s schedules from anywhere. - Snap Schedule
“Excel-like with more power,” as the authors call it. In fact, the interfaces of this tool are similar to the Excel’s, but it offers special features for schedule planning and publishing. It enables users to create and assign shifts, plan workloads and control overtime. Snap Schedule also allows to schedule breaks and define tasks to be performed during each shift. The app helps build up a mindful shift management process, reduce labor costs, prevent unexpected overtime and easily collect payroll data. - Sling
Sling combines schedule planning and absence management features, so it helps manage shift work and avoid conflicts with the team’s absence schedule. The tool allows you to copy shifts and schedules between days and weeks and create recurring shifts to eliminate repeated entries. A mobile app is provided so that you can stay on top of things and communicate with your colleagues from anywhere. What’s more, the app has a “social space” feature that allows to share updates and files, set up newsfeeds and interact with coworkers. - Calamari
Calamari contains two modules: leave management and clock-in and –out. Its leave management module offers an automated time off processing from request to approval and leave balance calculations. In it, you can create various leave types, see requests history and attach related documents to your requests.
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- Ximble Schedule Maker
Ximble offers a schedule planner that helps create shifts for teams of any size. In this app you can create schedules for teams, manage absence requests, control labor costs, communicate with colleagues and more. The tool allows to manage schedules for teams located in different offices: it supports multiple calendars for different locations and protects from double-booking of work time by a person who works at two locations.
Ximble Schedule Maker helps managers understand their employees’ availability for future workloads and sort them by job roles, if team’s capacity for specific work type needs to be checked.
- Shiftboard
Shiftboard is a scheduling tool for medium and large teams. It offers a complex approach to scheduling, attendance tracking, as well as performance and capacity analytics. Its scheduling features allow a simple setup process, avoiding schedule conflicts and unwanted overtime, and automating schedule creation. Managers can benefit from built-in reports and analytics that help in planning work ahead.
The tool includes a startup procedure for new employees that simplifies the onboarding process and ensures that all employees have taken necessary startup and training steps. For hiring managers, it also streamlines candidate data collection and organizes the entire hiring process.
- Homebase
According to the developers of this app, a thoughtful scheduling procedure can save up to five working hours each week. This is what the app offers: scheduling, shift management and labor cost control. Managers can create schedules and communicate them to the employees both from the desktop account and the mobile app easily and quickly. By automating work time calculation, Homebase also helps managers forecast labor costs and compare them to the planned budget figures.
As the developer emphasizes, using spreadsheets for leave management costs more than you expect. Up to 14000 minutes a year are spent on requesting leaves and getting them approved in a team of 200 employees, and this is the amount of time that can be used more efficiently with a special leave management tool.
free employee scheduling app
est for Single Location/Many Employees
- Homebase Free Version
BOTTOM LINE
Homebase offers an amazing array of features that are simple to navigate. As long as you operate from one location, you won’t find a better free product on the market. This is more than just a free schedule maker; Homebase also helps you stay compliant with local labor regulations. Since it integrates with major POS and payroll systems, other parts of your business will run more smoothly once you start using this software. If you want to upgrade to a paid version, you won’t pay per user, but per additional location. This makes Homebase’s paid plan extremely affordable for business owners with a robust workforce.
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⦿Open shifts, shift trades, and covers
⦿Labor cost forecasts and reports
⦿Scheduling compliance alerts
PRICE STARTS AT
$0/month
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Unlimited
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
1
MOBILE APP
Free for all employees
TIME CLOCK
Included
TIMESHEETS
Included
Sling Free Version Logo
FREE SIGN UP
Best for Long-Term Scheduling - Sling Free Version
BOTTOM LINE
Sling delivers a feature-rich scheduling system free of charge. You can use this free online employee scheduling program to plan workloads for as many workers as you need. Apart from reducing the time managers spend planning, it also makes swapping shifts a painless process. Your whole business will feel the benefits of this app, which facilitates team communication and reduces absenteeism. Even though Sling offers advanced scheduling features for free, attendance tracking and timesheets require a plan upgrade.
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⦿Long-term scheduling
⦿Private and group messaging
⦿Shift notifications
PRICE STARTS AT
$0/month
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Unlimited
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
Unlimited
MOBILE APP
Free for all employees
TIME CLOCK
Starting at $2/user/month
TIMESHEETS
Starting at $2/user/month
7shifts Free Version Logo
GET STARTED
Best for Restaurant Businesses - 7shifts Free Version
BOTTOM LINE
7shifts is a robust free shift scheduler specifically designed for restaurants. The platform makes it easy to create weekly schedules, with employees instantly notified whenever a schedule is published or updated. It also comes with a free health checker to survey employees for COVID-19 symptoms, shift trading, time-off requests, and much more. While the free version is capable of meeting your basic scheduling needs, it limits you to ten employees and a single location.
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⦿Tailored for restaurants
⦿Free version has all core functionalities
⦿Employee Health Checks
PRICE STARTS AT
$0/month
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
10
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
1
MOBILE APP
Free for all employees
TIME CLOCK
Free basic version
TIMESHEETS
Free
When I Work Logo
GET STARTED - When I Work
BOTTOM LINE
When I Work is one of the most comprehensive choices for an employee scheduling app, and covers all aspects of employee schedule management, regardless of team size. You can supervise your employee’s shifts, availability, tasks, and time-off requests with a couple of clicks on your mobile device. You can also integrate it with the time clock, and manage everything – labor costs, budgeting, payroll, overtime, and breaks – from one place.
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⦿Unlimited number of employees
⦿Extensive tracking
⦿Built-in GPS
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Unlimited
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS:
Unlimited
MOBILE APP:
$2 per month per user
TIME CLOCK:
Additional $2 per month per user
TIMESHEETS:
Additional $2 per month per user
Connecteam Logo
START FOR FREE - Connecteam
BOTTOM LINE
Connecteam is an excellent solution if you need to organize your employees without investing a lot of money upfront. Its free version provides you with a real-time clock in and out and excellent communication with your employees. It allows you more than enough options to manage and schedule employees and provide them with all the information they need to stay on top of their shifts and tasks. The paid tiers unlock even more options, though: salary and hourly pay, time tracking, and much more.
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⦿Excellent free plan
⦿Pre-made templates for scheduling
⦿Intuitive mobile interface
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Unlimited
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS:
Unlimited
MOBILE APP:
free for all employees
TIME CLOCK:
free for all
TIMESHEETS:
$39
Shiftboard Basic Version Logo - Shiftboard Basic Version
BOTTOM LINE
Shiftboard isn’t a free work schedule software provider, but its affordability and advanced features make it an ideal solution for businesses of all sizes. This is one of the most advanced scheduling software that allows you to assign and filter locations and employees based on numerous parameters. Capable of sorting employees into teams, the software optimizes complex workforce operations while helping you reduce labor costs.
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⦿Inexpensive
⦿Plethora of scheduling and database filtering options
⦿Employee Teams
PRICE STARTS AT
$3/month
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Unlimited
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
Unlimited
MOBILE APP
Free for all employees
TIME CLOCK
From $4/user/month
TIMESHEETS
Free
OpenSimSim Free Version Logo - OpenSimSim Free Version
BOTTOM LINE
OpenSimSim is an excellent free employee schedule app for managers who need to produce timetables for workers in both the main job location and off-site. It has no limitations regarding the number of users or locations, nor how far in advance you can plan. Communication among employees is streamlined by the free app and managers can use the software to keep each other informed about what’s happening with each shift. This simple employee scheduling software can help you manage labor costs, too.
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⦿Shift instructions
⦿Manager logbook
⦿Labor cost budgeting
PRICE STARTS AT
$0/month
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Unlimited
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
Unlimited
MOBILE APP
Free for all employees
TIME CLOCK
Starting at $3/user/month
TIMESHEETS
Starting at $3/user/month
Findmyshift Free Version Logo - Findmyshift Free Version
BOTTOM LINE
Findmyshift is an employee scheduler that’s free for teams of no more than five people. This web application allows you to plan workers’ shifts in as many locations as your business takes you, which makes it a great fit for a small teams of caregivers, or other workers who travel on a daily basis. You can also track employees’ attendance and export timesheets into your payroll system. Findmyshift is an industry leader when it comes to third-party integrations and sets the standard for customer care.
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⦿More than 10 integrations with small business tools
⦿Extensive customer support
⦿Tracks time off
PRICE STARTS AT
$0/month
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Up to 5
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
Unlimited
MOBILE APP
Free for all employees
TIME CLOCK
Starting at $2/user/month
TIMESHEETS
Starting at $2/user/month
Related Product Categories
Best Time Tracking Software
Best Payroll Software
Free Payroll Software
Why You Need Employee Scheduling Software
When you sit down to make a schedule for the coming week, you need to take so many things into consideration. Kelly’s kid’s recital on Tuesday, John’s dentist appointment on Thursday, the fact that tips are better in the afternoon and Marcus asked for more of those shifts… And of course, there are state labor regulations you need to abide by. So you can’t give too many hours to Jane, even though she needs the money and is your best worker.
The worst thing about this grueling task is that, no matter how hard you try, something will always come up. People get sick or need time off for unpredictable personal reasons. When that happens, you need to get back to your Excel sheet and start all over again. But before you go and spend another hour tweaking the timetable, you should consider trying employee scheduling software for free.
It won’t cost you anything and will save you hours every week. Not to mention it will transform the way you communicate with your team. Instead of chasing employees down to inform them of a new schedule, you can send all the important information to the whole team in an email or text. Shift swapping, time-off management, and labor-regulation compliance will be so simple that you no longer have to worry about it at all. You’ll just get notifications in the scheduling app and take it from there.
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THE 5 BEST FREE EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING APPS
Homebase
Sling
7shifts
When I Work
Connecteam
Our Criteria for Evaluating Free Employee Scheduling Tools
Scheduling Method
Different industries have different scheduling demands. For example, while skill and experience are always important considerations, workers’ qualifications play a less important role in retail than they do in, say, caregiving. If you manage a team of nurses and caretakers, you need to know their exact work experience and training so you can assign the right professional to each patient. While qualifications matter in retail, too, lives are not at stake. That’s why one of the factors we consider when evaluating scheduling apps is the abundance of parameters you can set when managing your team.
Number of Locations
Some free shift scheduling software solutions allow you to organize workers by location as well as by shift. If you have a chain of restaurants or you manage volunteers who work in several different places, multiple-location scheduling is a must. That’s why we look for work scheduling programs that cater to the needs of business owners who work from more than one location.
Ease Of Use
If you’re going to abandon your tried and tested scheduling method for an employee scheduling software that’s free, it had better be simple to navigate. Staff scheduling is an everyday task, so you can’t afford to invest a lot of time in learning how to use the software. It has to be intuitive and easy to use right off the bat.
Team Communication
One of the challenges of employee rostering is delivering the most up-to-date schedule to your workers. Even when you make a great schedule that works for everyone, it’s no good if some people don’t get access to it. The best scheduling software programs let you share the schedule with your employees via text and email as soon as you create it. This eliminates any miscommunication.
Attendance Monitoring
Managing a workforce is more complex than simply determining working hours. You also need to keep track of whether your employees actually work the hours you assign them. That’s why a shift planner that also tracks attendance is a huge plus. It basically means that one free app takes care of two important tasks.
Third-Party Integrations
Since apps for work scheduling collect a lot of valuable data about your employees’ workload, it’s possible to use that information for payroll or accounting purposes as well. We evaluate each app based on whether it includes any useful third-party integrations that can also help you run your business efficiently.
Price
All the scheduling programs on our list are free solutions. However, if your small business isn’t all that small, you might need to pay for an upgrade. Some workforce scheduling software providers charge extra once you surpass a certain number of users. Others require you to switch to a paid plan if you want to coordinate shifts in multiple locations. In our search for the best solutions on the market, we always take pricing models into account.
Customer Support
When you use Software as a Service (SaaS), there’s every chance you’ll come across a bug. No matter how good the technological solution, errors happen. When you hit a roadblock, you’ll appreciate an explanation and helpful tips from customer service representatives. We take this into account when writing our reviews.
Reviews of Free Employee Schedulers
Homebase Review Logo
FREE SIGN UP
Homebase Review
Ease of use
EXCELLENT
Communication tools
EXCELLENT
Third-party Integrations
GOOD
⦿ Unlimited number of users in a single location
⦿ Timesheets for payroll
⦿ Option to save timesheets and reports for 90 days
⦿ POS and payroll software integrations
Homebase is one of the best free employee scheduling software solutions on the market. From retailers to caterers, it helps business owners come up with schedules that work both for them and their employees. With a simple drop-and-drag interface, you can quickly create a timetable for the following week or a specific employee.
Team communication is made easy with the free app, which lets you send unlimited texts and emails without paying a dime. Homebase also boasts a time-tracker that will further help you manage your staff. This feature will come in handy at the end of the month when it’s time to pay your employees. The software is available in three languages: English, Spanish and French.
Homebase Scheduling
Conclusion
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