Employee Scheduling Software — Head-to-Head Comparisons
10 employee scheduling software comparisons. Each page shows side-by-side pricing, plan limits, and feature differences — verified daily against vendor pages.
How these employee scheduling software products compare
Employee scheduling software in 2026 splits into three pricing philosophies. Per-user (Deputy $5-$9, When I Work $2.50-$8, Sling $0-$4) scales with employee count — best for businesses with a small, consistent roster. Per-location (Homebase $0-$120/location, 7shifts $0-$69.99/location) scales with number of worksites — best for SMB multi-location brands (restaurants, retail, salons) where 'employees per location' is predictable. Freemium-first (Sling free up to 30 users, Homebase free for 1 location with 10 employees) lets very small operators get started at $0 and upgrade when needed. The category has converged on the same core feature set (scheduling + time clock + team messaging + payroll integration), meaning differentiation now comes from vertical focus: 7shifts is restaurant-first (tip pooling, POS integration), Homebase targets SMB retail/hospitality multi-location, Deputy serves enterprise mid-market with compliance focus, When I Work is the generalist mid-market leader, Sling goes down-market with generous free tier.
How to choose between employee scheduling software options
First: what's your industry? Restaurants with tip pooling and POS integration needs: 7shifts is purpose-built. Multi-location retail/hospitality SMB (5-50 locations): Homebase (per-location pricing scales clean). Complex compliance environments (healthcare, care, trades with break/labor laws): Deputy (labor law compliance is best-in-category). Generalist growing SMB (offices, small retail, service): When I Work or Sling. Very small operation (≤30 employees, 1 location): Sling free or Homebase Basic free. Second: per-user or per-location economics? If you have 10 employees at 3 locations: Deputy Lite = $50/mo (10 × $5), Homebase Essentials annual = $72/mo (3 × $24), 7shifts Entrée ≈ $90/mo (3 × $29.99). Per-user wins for few employees per location; per-location wins for many employees per location. Third: do you need integrated payroll? Homebase All-in-One ($96/loc annual) includes payroll that's actually good; Deputy Payroll ($8/user + $49/mo base) is Paycor-powered and solid; 7shifts Payroll integrated into The Works. Standalone payroll (Gusto, Justworks) is usually better quality but adds another vendor. Fourth: how complex is your scheduling? Simple shift rotation: Sling Premium ($1.70/user annual) or When I Work Essentials ($2.50/user). Advanced demand forecasting, auto-scheduling, wage budget optimization: Deputy Core ($6.50) or 7shifts The Works. AI-powered scheduling (reads historical patterns + sales data): Homebase Plus ($56/loc annual) and Deputy Pro ($9/user).
All 10 head-to-head comparisons
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons: