With free employee scheduling software, you get web-based and mobile options that you can use to create, manage, and publish staff schedules. Aside from helping you keep costs down, these free solutions are designed to streamline and digitize scheduling processes, so you no longer have to maintain and print spreadsheets that contain your employees’ work shifts.
Most employee scheduling solutions offer time tracking, leave management, team messaging, shift swapping, and an online schedule builder. Some even provide artificial intelligence (AI)-powered auto-scheduling tools and mobile apps that allow employees to access the software from anywhere—provided internet connection is available.
Scheduling Software | Best For |
|---|---|
(Best overall) Small businesses with one location that need unlimited free scheduling and timekeeping tools | |
Restaurants looking for simple scheduling and time clocking solutions that are free to use | |
Companies in hospitality, retail, and service industries that assign shifts by position |
How We Evaluated the Best Free Employee Scheduling Software
We compared several reputable providers that offer free software for creating and managing employee work schedules. We looked for essential features like overtime planning, shift swapping, time tracking, and reporting tools. Then, we rated each based on the following criteria:
15% of Overall Score
Aside from looking at whether the provider has transparent pricing for its paid plans, we checked if its scheduling solution can be accessed or purchased separately from the provider’s other software products.
25% of Overall Score
The best scheduling software includes at least basic tools, such as shift swapping, overtime, break, and paid time-off planning. Plus, having access to team messaging, multi-location scheduling, mobile apps, and a self-service portal are also ideal.
15% of Overall Score
Geofencing, geolocation tracking, and multiple clock-in/out options (such as fingerprint, badge, and pin code) are just some of the essential functionalities that we checked for. We also verified whether or not the software has the capability to set up approvals and limit early clock-ins.
10% of Overall Score
Aside from having access to standard and pre-built reports, users should be able to customize reports.
25% of Overall Score
Having an employee scheduling platform that’s intuitive and easy to learn is a must. We looked at whether the provider offers live phone support, training, quick system implementations, and integration options with payroll, point-of-sale (POS), and timekeeping systems.
10% of Overall Score
We checked reviews that actual users left on third-party sites like G2 and Capterra.
Based on our evaluation criteria, we found Homebase to be the best option for small businesses. Its free option lets you create schedules and track time for unlimited employees, provided they work in a single location. Unlike other scheduling software, you also get hiring and team messaging tools, including POS and payroll software integration options—all at no cost.
Homebase
PROS
- The free plan includes employee scheduling, attendance monitoring, online time clocks, job postings, and applicant tracking
- User-friendly interface
- Can handle unlimited employees
CONS
- Free plan limited to one location only
- Geolocation tracking, geofencing, PTO accrual tracking, and overtime alerts are included in paid plans
- Software lags from time to time
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 0.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Scheduling Software Functionality | 4.88 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Popularity | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Reporting | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Reporting | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 4.75 | OUT OF | 5 |
What’s great about Homebase is that its free plan is feature-rich. Apart from scheduling and time tracking tools, you can use its platform to post jobs, track applicants, and communicate with team members. This is what makes Homebase a good option for small businesses, including retail stores and restaurants, as it provides basic recruiting features that other scheduling software don’t offer—all at no cost.
You can even integrate POS and payroll solutions to its platforms. For small businesses that want to streamline employee pay processing, this is helpful as it prevents manual uploading of time data for payroll runs. However, you have the option to download Homebase’s timesheets as CSV files, in case you’re using a payroll service that will upload this data.
While Homebase doesn’t have an employee limit, its free option covers only one location. So, if you have a multi-location business, you need to upgrade to one of Homebase’s paid plans. Note that its monthly fee (starts at $19.95) is charged on a per-location basis. Plus, you have to pay extra for premium services, such as job post boosts and expert advice from its “HR Pro” team.
Pricing
- Free plan: Covers one location and unlimited employees; comes with staff scheduling, time tracking, hiring tools, basic reports, PTO requests, payroll and POS integrations, mobile apps (for iOS and Android), and online time clock options (for smartphones, tablets, computer, and POS devices)
- Paid plans: Three plans (Essentials, Plus, and All-in-One); fees range from $19.95 to $99.95 per location monthly; premium tiers include budgeting and labor cost controls, PTO policies and accruals tracking, and onboarding tools
- Add-on services: Job posting boosts (starts at $79 per job post) and access to HR advisers and resources ($99 per month for non-All-in-One plan subscribers)
Homebase Features
- Online schedule builder with drag-and-drop functionality
- Open shifts, shift swaps, and shift covers
- Auto-scheduling, shift preferences and availability, and schedule templates
- PTO requests, policies, and accrual tracking (PTO requests included in free plan)
- Automatic standard breaks and overtime settings for your state
- Employee time tracking with digital time sheets
- Limits early time-ins (available in paid plans)
- Time clock apps for tablets, desktop computers, smartphones, and POS devices
- Pin code-based time-ins/outs
- Verified time entries via geofencing and geolocation tracking (available in paid plans)
- Health screening questions for employees who are clocking in
- Offline mode (in case Wi-Fi is down, Homebase will record the time-ins/outs and then sync these later to the virtual clock once the internet connection is restored)
- Applicant tracking, applicant screener questions, and job postings to top job boards
- New hire onboarding, electronic signatures, and document storage (available in premium tiers)
- Access to HR advisers and an HR resource library (available in premium tiers)
- Built-in messenger for sending group/individual messages
Third-Party Software Integrations
- POS systems: Square, Clover, Vend, Toast, Shopify, Revel Systems, and Lightspeed
- Payroll solutions: Paychex, Rippling, ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, and Square Payroll
- Job boards: Indeed, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter
- Other business apps: Restaurant365, Shopventory, Ctuit Software, and BevSpot
7shifts
PROS
- User-friendly interface
- Has all the basic scheduling and time tracking tools small restaurants need
- Offers a 14-day free trial for paid plans
CONS
- Free plan includes only one location and 10 employees
- Schedule templates, POS and payroll integrations, and shift data exports are available in paid plans
- Occasional software glitches
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 0.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Scheduling Software Functionality | 4.88 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Popularity | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Reporting | 4.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Security | 3.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 4.88 | OUT OF | 5 |
7shifts offers a cloud-based platform to help you efficiently manage staff schedules and track time. Designed specifically for businesses in the fast food and restaurant industries, it has robust scheduling and communication tools that both employees and managers can use even while on the go.
However, for its free “Comp” plan, you are granted access only to its simple scheduling and time clocking solutions. This includes staff scheduling notifications, shift trading, PTO requests, basic reporting, staff availability tools, and mobile app access. It is also limited to one location and 10 employees. You have to upgrade to a paid plan if you require multi-location scheduling and additional user seats.
The paid plans also come with additional features such as advanced reporting, payroll and POS integrations, overtime and break alerts, and employee clock ins/outs through the mobile apps (iOS and Android). In addition, you have to pay extra if you want account setup assistance, sales data import, a monthly operations overview report, and task management.
Pricing
- “Comp” plan: Free; covers one location and 10 employees; comes with basic scheduling and time tracking tools
- Paid plans: Four options (Appetizer, Entree, The Works, and Gourmet) with monthly fees that start at $19.99 for 20 up to unlimited employees
- Add-ons: Account setup ($150 one-time fee); sales data import ($100 one-time fee); task management ($12.99 per location, per month), operations overview ($6.00 per location, per month) to help you track and compare your multiple business locations’ sales, labor, and employee engagement data
7shifts Features
- Online schedule builder with drag-and-drop functionality
- Staff availability management
- Schedule templates, shift swaps, and notifications
- AI-powered auto-scheduling tool (included in highest tier)
- Employee time tracking with digital time sheets
- Limits early time-ins (included in highest tier)
- Time clock apps for tablets and smartphones
- Pin code-based time-ins/outs
- Mobile clock in/out with facial recognition time-in verifications (included in highest tier)
- Health screening questions for employees who are clocking in
- Custom health screening questions (included in highest tier)
- Individual and group messaging
Third-Party Software Integrations
- POS systems: Clover, Brink POS, Bypass, CAKE, Heartland Dinerware, Lightspeed, POSitouch, Revel Systems, Aloha, Square, Toast, TouchBistro, Squirrel Systems, SilverWare POS, and Micros (Micros 3700 and Micros Simphony)
- Payroll solutions: Gusto, Paychex, Paycor, Paycom, QuickBooks Payroll, Paylocity, Toast Payroll, Ultipro, Ceridian Powerpay, Wagepoint, and ADP (ADP Run and ADP Workforce Now)
- Other business apps: ExpandShare, HigherMe, and Speakap
SocialSchedules (formerly OpenSimSim)
PROS
- Easy to use
- Efficient scheduling and shift reminder tools
- Offers an online demo that’s free to access for 24 hours
CONS
- Free plan only covers one department, one location, and up to 10 employees
- Lacks live phone support
- Limited payroll integration options
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 0.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Scheduling Software Functionality | 4.88 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Popularity | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Reporting | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Security | 2.88 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
With SocialSchedules (formerly OpenSimSim), you get a cloud-based employee scheduling software that’s position-based. This means that you have to indicate the position each employee has before you can create and assign shifts.
However, its free plan has limited features. You can create schedules and track employee time for up to 10 staff—provided they belong in the same department and work in a single location. While you get free access to PTO management, time sheets, in-app messaging, and a tablet time clock, you have to subscribe to one of SocialSchedules’ paid plans if you want premium features (like shift confirmations, multi-location scheduling, POS integrations, advanced reporting, and a mobile time clock).
Pricing
- Basic: Free; includes one location, one department, up to 10 employees, and cloud storage of 28 days
- Starter: $15.99 per location, per month; includes two departments per location, unlimited employees, and cloud storage of seven years
- Premium: $39.99 per location, per month; includes five departments per location, unlimited employees, and cloud storage of seven years
- Enterprise: Custom priced; includes unlimited departments and employees plus cloud storage of seven years
- Setup assistance: Ruby package ($149 per location) includes system setup, employee data import, creation of company positions, and manual format and import of up to 12-weeks historical sales data; Sapphire package ($299 per location) has additional features like training sessions, configuration of compliance rules, and integration to support POS/payroll solutions
SocialSchedules Features
- Online schedule builder with drag-and-drop functionality
- Schedule planning by position
- Multi-location scheduling and shift confirmations (available in paid plans)
- Staff availability, schedule templates, and PTO management
- Shift swaps, open shifts, and schedule templates
- Create shifts for off-site address and remote staffs
- Employee time tracking with digital time sheets
- Limits early time-ins (available in higher tiers)
- Time clock apps for tablets and smartphones
- Clock-in and out disclaimers (available in higher tiers)
- Mobile clock in/out with geofencing and facial recognition time-in verifications (available in higher tiers)
- Offline mode for tablet time clock
- In-app messaging (private and group messages) with unlimited chat history
Third-Party Software Integrations
- POS systems: Square POS, Heartland Restaurant POS, Future POS, Restaurant Manager., Harbortouch, Heartland Retail POS, and POSitouch
- Payroll solutions: ADP Workforce Now, Coastal Payroll, Heartland Payroll, and Payroll Systems
Alternative Free Employee Scheduling Software
The three free employee scheduling software we recommended may provide you with all the essential tools you need to create and manage staff shifts with ease. However, if you’re looking for an online tool that schedules employees based on projects and clients, then you may want to consider Tick.
Tick is ideal for companies that do project-based work with multiple clients. It has time tracking capabilities that allow employees to clock in and out of tasks related to their assigned projects. It also comes with project budget tracking, timers, powerful reporting tools, and mobile apps (for iOS and Android).
Similar to the Homebase and the other employee scheduling software in this guide, Tick has a free plan that includes unlimited users and a single project limit. If you need to plan for more than one project, you have to upgrade to a paid subscription (fees start at $19 per month).
Bottom Line
Employee scheduling software helps you create and provide work schedules for your staff, ensuring that you’re well equipped during your business’ peak hours. Free cloud-based scheduling solutions often have communication and messaging tools to let employees swap work shifts and stay in touch. When determining which tool is right for you, you have to consider the size of your business, the number of employees, and any other factors that affect your scheduling needs.
