14 Best Employee Shift Scheduling Software for 2023

The 14 Best Employee Shift Scheduling Softwares of 2023

1. 

   Best for: All-in-one employee shift scheduling software

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   When scheduling employees, Connecteam is the perfect all-in-one solution for employee shift scheduling software. From a real-time overview of your operations to secure communication solutions, Connecteam offers everything you need and more. 

   Connecteam’s workforce management tools allow you to oversee your employees from anywhere effectively, whether they are staff or management employees. This app was designed explicitly with non-desk employees in mind and supports businesses in all industries, from hospitality to manufacturing. 

   The solutions available include a built-in time clock, allowing employees to use any mobile device to clock in and out of shifts, as well as drag-and-drop scheduling features and task management tools. These make Connecteam the perfect tool to help you manage your employees and plan their work schedules. 

   Connecteam also offers multiple communication solutions in one app, such as a secure chat function and a personalized announcement tool, allowing you to communicate with everyone in your remote team simultaneously. The HR and people management solutions will enable you to communicate policy changes and training tools easily and 100% paper free to support an environmentally friendly workplace. 

   With all of these features and benefits, Connecteam is the perfect solution to manage your employee’s time effectively and keep communication flowing.

   Key Features

   • Drag-and-drop employee scheduling
   • Built-in time clock
   • Secure chat function
   • Time and attendance monitoring
   • Easy shift swapping
   • Digital forms and checklists

   Pros

   • Cloud-based backup
   • Easy-to-use mobile app
   • Built-in task management
   • Multiple communication solutions in one app

   Cons

   • No built-in video conferencing tool

   Pricing

   Starts at Free 14-day trial Free plan available

   14-day free trial, no credit card required

   Start your free trial
2. 

   Good for: Easy shift swapping
   

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Deputy helps your employees swap their shifts quickly through a mobile app and allows managers to find replacements for sick employees at the touch of a button. They have a drag-and-drop shift scheduling feature and quick communication functions to keep your employees updated with shift changes. 

   Unfortunately, they don’t have a color-coding option or comments section in their schedule planning software. However, Deputy’s tools can help you streamline communication and manage employees’ time off in one place, and their easy-to-use mobile app gives them the edge when it comes to shift swapping facilities.

   Learn more about Deputy

   Key Features

   • Built-in time clock
   • Payroll integrations
   • Easy-to-use mobile app
   • Automated pay calculations

   Pros

   • Easy-to-use app
   • Includes labor compliance tools

   Cons

   • Lacks digital employee organization tools, such as digital forms and checklists
   • Difficult to change your payment type

   Pricing

   $2.50 per user, per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

3. 

   Good for: Helping control labor costs

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Humanity is a great tool to help you control labour costs in your organization. This software offers robust time-tracking capabilities through a built-in time clock that allows you to track your employees’ time effectively. 

   You can also minimize unnecessary payroll costs and save your business money through Humanity’s integrated payroll solution. You will easily be able to spot any costly errors in your payroll processing and correct them before you lose any money. Humanity also includes a built-in compliance tracker so you can make sure your employees do not work over 40 hours as per FLSA guidelines. If you do breach any working time legislations, Humanity’s handy pop-up window will let you know. This built-in compliance tracker is especially useful during the holiday season when lots of employees want to work overtime.

   Humanity also offers an in-depth user interface that allows you to make data-driven staffing decisions for busy periods. Through this, you can increase your team’s productivity and only schedule employees when you really need them. 

   Learn more about Humanity

   Key Features

   • Built-in time clock
   • Payroll integrations
   • Workforce compliance pop-ups
   • Demand-driven scheduling

   Pros

   • Cloud-based solution
   • Mobile shift management

   Cons

   • Interfaces can appear confusing at first glance
   • No built-in communication platform

   Pricing

   Custom pricing for individual clients. Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

4. 

   Good for: Improving schedule efficiency

   Available on

   • iOS
   • Mac

   

   Shiftboard aims to optimize workforce capacity and make your employee schedules more efficient. They specialize in working with largely shift-based industries such as retail and manufacturing and use data to help you make intelligent decisions about your workforce. 

   Shiftboard’s software has a security focus, so you can be confident that your employee’s data will remain safe even if your industry is at risk of cyber attacks. This is especially important in public sector or government industries. 

   Shiftboard is a useful shift scheduling tool; however, when it comes to more complex Human Resources Management (HRM) tools, Shiftboard falls short owing to a lack of HRM or communication tools. This can make communicating mass schedule changes or policy changes difficult. 

   In addition, Shiftboard doesn’t have any integrated payroll tools, such as an automatic payroll calculator. This can cause issues when you are processing payroll as you may find yourself needing to input the same data into two different systems. However, you can integrate Shiftboard with several other payroll and HRM systems to overcome this. 

   Learn more about Shiftboard

   Key Features

   • Schedule automation
   • Compliance checker
   • Leave management tracker
   • Dedicated customer support line

   Pros

   • Security focused
   • Dedicated customer support line

   Cons

   • No built-in communication tool
   • No HR management tool

   Pricing

   Starts at $3 per employee per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

5. 

   Good for: Producing schedules quickly

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Zoho aims to provide an easy-to-use platform that allows you to schedule shifts quickly. They offer features that will enable you to manage your team’s availability and easily swap shifts, such as drag-and-drop shift scheduling tools and one-click shift assignment. Zoho also offers a time off request tracker so you can quickly approve employees’ PTO requests.

   They have a quick and easy setup system, and you can sync your Outlook or Gmail calendar with Zoho. While Zoho has strengths, they are strictly a shift scheduling and time tracking software, meaning that if you want other HRM tools, you will need to use another system which will cost more.

   Learn more about Zoho Shifts

   Key Features

   • Schedule templates
   • Clear scheduling interface
   • Availability tracker
   • Shift notifications

   Pros

   • Easy setup
   • Manage multiple schedules

   Cons

   • No built-in communication system
   • Lack of other HRM features

   Pricing

   Starts at $1 per user, per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

6. 

   Good for: Scheduling call center agents

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   injixo helps you find your optimal employee schedule through a suite of employee scheduling tools for managers and employees working in a call center. injixo offers reporting and analytics, real-time staff management, forecasting, and integration options with other HRM systems. injixo specializes in helping you find the inefficiencies in fixed schedules and supports you in devising the most optimal schedule through their data and analytics tools. While injixo has many schedule optimization tools, they will require integration with other HR or payroll systems to utilize tools like one-click communication and a built-in time clock.

   Learn more about injixo

   Key Features

   • Call demand forecasting tools
   • Reporting and analytics
   • Employee self-service portal
   • Real-time management

   Pros

   • Specifically designed with call centers in mind
   • Call forecasting tools

   Cons

   • Expensive
   • Lacks digital organization tools like online forms and checklists

   Pricing

   Starts at $299 per month for 15 users—an additional $9 per user, per month after this. Free trial available: No Free plan: No

7. 

   Good for: Retailers and small businesses

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Zoomshift helps you plan your employee schedule in minutes instead of hours. Zoomshift offers a cost-effective starter plan which is great for retailers and small businesses just getting started with shift scheduling software. They offer a drag-and-drop shift scheduling interface and the option to export your schedule for speedy payroll processing. 

   These tools are perfect for small businesses and retailers as they will help you effectively manage your payroll costs. Zoomshift also offers a tool that will allow you to block overpayments and block overtime, meaning you always stay within your payroll budget. 

   While these tools are useful for small businesses, Zoomshift lacks the insight of any data and analytics tools. While you could perform analytical calculations manually, as a busy small business owner or startup founder you may not have time for this. As a result, you might want to consider integrating Zoomshift with an external payroll provider to support you with these insights. In addition, Zoomshift does not offer any internal communications tools which makes communicating shift changes to your employees more challenging.

   Learn more about Zoomshift

   Key Features

   • Payroll export options
   • Integrated PTO tracking
   • Block overpayments
   • Built-in time clock

   Pros

   • Easy-to-use interface
   • Copy past schedules

   Cons

   • No internal communication tools
   • No reporting or analytics tools

   Pricing

   $2 per employee per month for the starter pack Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

8. 

   Good for: Mobile time tracking

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   QuickBooks Time focuses primarily on employees’ time and how to save money by optimizing that time. This software utilizes employee time clocks, time tracking, and optimal shift scheduling to save your business money. In addition, QuickBooks Time includes a project tracker to help you stay up to date with any workplace tasks or projects. 

   QuickBooks Time’s mobile app helps employees track their time through a portable time clock, and the software offers full integration with the most popular payroll softwares to allow for easy payroll processing. This app also includes drag-and-drop shift scheduling software to help reduce the time it takes to plan a schedule from hours to minutes. 

   The drawbacks of QuickBooks Time lie in their lack of other features. There is no internal communication tool and no data analytics section. This will result in you needing two systems to do the job that a different employee scheduling tool—such as Connecteam—can do.

   Learn more about QuickBooks Time

   Key Features

   • Project tracker
   • Time Tracking
   • Drag-and-drop shift scheduling
   • PTO tracker

   Pros

   • Payroll integration capabilities
   • Expert support line

   Cons

   • No data or analytics tools
   • No internal communication tools

   Pricing

   Starts at $20 per month and $8 per user Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

9. 

   Good for: Employee attendance tracking

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Shiftbase is a great shift scheduling option for small and medium-sized businesses. While they have options to support larger organizations, the personalization of their shift scheduling software can support smaller businesses or those new to shift scheduling software. 

   This platform offers a wide range of features, including a built-in communication feature that allows you to easily communicate shift changes and any other mass updates to your team. Through the mobile app your team will receive push notifications that let them know when you have sent them a message. They can also reply to these through the app.In addition, Shiftbase allows you to easily track paid time off (PTO) and vacation requests, allowing you to organize and work around planned absences. Employees can see how much PTO or vacation leave they have and request time off. This platform also facilitates on-the-go administration of your employees and includes a built-in communication tool to share updates and policy changes with your team.

   Learn more about Shiftbase

   Key Features

   • Support Center
   • Absence management
   • Easy shift swapping
   • Data and analytics capabilities

   Pros

   • Built-in communication feature
   • Free option available

   Cons

   • Lacks digital organization tools
   • Most HRM tools hidden behind paywall

   Pricing

   $3.25 per employee per month for the starter package Free trial available: Yes Free plan: Yes

10. 

    Good for: Forecasting demand

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android

    

    Workforce.com aims to simplify employee shift scheduling and help you optimize costs by forecasting workplace demand. These forecasting tools will help you understand when your workplace is busiest and quietest so you can schedule your employees accordingly. They offer a suite of data and analytics tools to help you get the most out of your shift scheduling and offer complete workforce visibility. 

    In addition, Workforce.com offers an in-app chat function so you can easily communicate shift changes and mass updates to your employees. These communication tools will also allow your employees to communicate their needs and availability with you.Workforce.com enables you to make shift scheduling smarter and helps you monitor your employee’s attendance or absence rates. While they have great options in demand forecasting and analytical tools, they do not offer the digital organisation checklists and forms provided by softwares like Connecteam.

    Learn more about Workforce.com

    Key Features

    • Full payroll integrations
    • Data and analytics insights
    • Drag-and-drop shift scheduling
    • Built-in communication feature

    Pros

    • Workplace demand forecasting tools
    • In-app learning resources available

    Cons

    • Lacks digital organization tools such as digital checklists
    • No free-to-use option

    Pricing

    Starts at $4 per user, per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

11. 

    Good for: Collaborative teams

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android

    

    Planday helps you build your employee schedule by considering PTO, staff availability, and budgets. Using Planday, you can easily collaborate with your team to help create the best schedule possible. Your team can request shift swaps, set shift templates, and change their availability through the mobile app. 

    Planday uses tools such as a built-in time clock and payroll integrations to help you manage payroll costs. These tools will help you ensure that your payroll costs don’t exceed your budget, and will also help your employees to own their working hours. A built-in time clock allows your employees to clock in and clock out from anywhere, making Planday a great option for remote teams.

    Planday has options for small, medium, and large businesses and has a built-in help centre for any customer questions. However, it is important to consider that Planday has no free-to-use option, and it doesn’t have any digital organization tools such as built-in forms or checklists to help you stay organized. This will make it more challenging to manoeuvre for users who aren’t accustomed to employee shift scheduling software. 

    Learn more about Planday

    Key Features

    • Built-in time clock
    • Reporting features
    • Mobile app
    • Full payroll integration

    Pros

    • Built-in communication tool
    • Drag and drop shift scheduling

    Cons

    • No free-to-use option
    • No digital organization tools like digital forms or checklists

    Pricing

    Starts at $1.99 per user, per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

12. 

    Good for: Hospitality industries

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android

    

    Fourth has been specifically designed with hospitality industries in mind, so the tools they offer are geared towards this sector. Fourth provide a comprehensive, data-driven shift scheduling software with full payroll integrations so you can make intelligent decisions about the shifts you schedule. Between the data and analytics tools and easy-to-read dashboards, Fourth is a great option for businesses who want more insight into their shift scheduling. 

    Fourth also has a great mobile app which will help your employees keep up to date with shift changes and manage their data. The app is available on iOS and Android and can be accessed from anywhere. 

    Despite the strengths of the mobile app, Fourth does not offer any internal communication tools which makes communicating shift changes to your employees difficult. In addition, Fourth does not offer any digital organization tools like online forms or checklists, meaning most of your HR process management will need to be manual. For example, your employees would have to request PTO using a form or email method, as opposed to using a digital organization feature. 

    Learn more about Fourth

    Key Features

    • Data and analytics tools
    • Easy-to-read dashboards
    • Mobile app
    • Payroll integration

    Pros

    • Full payroll integration
    • Dedicated customer support portal

    Cons

    • No digital organization tools
    • No built-in communication feature

    Pricing

    Cost unavailable (bespoke pricing) Free trial available: No Free plan: No

13. 

    Good for: Field service industries

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android

    

    Skedulo is a cloud-based shift scheduling software, making it perfect for any business that doesn’t want to keep an external drive on site. It was designed to manage field-based employees, such as in engineering industries, with its built-in messaging tool and internal virtual meetings platform. 

     

    Skedulo has a great mobile app with built-in productivity tools such as Skedulo Mastermind. This tool will help you predict travel times for your remote workforce so you can incorporate this time into their workday. It also offers task management tools to help you understand what your team is doing at any point.  

     

    Skedulo offers intelligent workforce management solutions and an in-app dynamic messaging service so you can always be in contact with your teams. The drawbacks of Skedulo lie in their lack of free-to-use option, as well as the overall cost of the system. Skedulo is one of the more expensive options on this list, and while it is a comprehensive software, this price point may not be suitable for start-ups or smaller businesses.

    Learn more about Skedulo

    Key Features

    • Built-in messaging tool
    • Virtual meetings
    • Data and analytics
    • Mobile app

    Pros

    • Cloud-based service
    • Built-in productivity tools

    Cons

    • Expensive
    • No free-to-use option

    Pricing

    Starts at $59 per user, per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No

14. 

    Good for: Customer support

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android

    

    The aptly named ScheduleAnywhere allows you to schedule your shifts from anywhere in the world via the web, android, or iOS. This tool offers a suite of options for small businesses or businesses new to using shift scheduling software including employee self-scheduling, automatic rota scheduling, and an internal communication function. This will support a collaborative environment between managers and employees to improve workplace culture and will help you keep your schedules fully staffed.

    ScheduleAnywhere also includes a built-in compliance checker to ensure your employees do not exceed 40 hours per week as per FLSA guidelines. ScheduleAnyhwere also includes communication tools, such as an option to include messages with assigned shifts so you can thank your employees for their hard work.

    The main drawback of ScheduleAnywhere is that the app is only currently available in the US market, making it unsuitable for multinational enterprises or businesses with sites in different countries. There is also no free plan or free trial, meaning you may have to make an upfront investment in ScheduleAnywhere to determine whether it is suitable for your business. 

    Learn more about ScheduleAnywhere

    Key Features

    • Built-in communication feature
    • Mobile App
    • Custom reporting
    • Payroll integration

    Pros

    • Built-in compliance checker
    • Allows self-scheduling to open shifts

    Cons

    • Only available in US markets
    • No free plan available

    Pricing

    Starts at $2 per employee per month Free trial available: Yes Free plan: No