Use free employee scheduling software to improve efficiency without breaking the bank.
Manual scheduling can make it tricky to juggle multiple team members’ availability, desired shifts, and time-off requests. A reliable scheduling solution takes this task off your managers’ hands, but many of these platforms can get costly when adding multiple users. Thankfully, the following free employee scheduling software tools offer everything you need to manage scheduling confidently in a flash.
What To Look For in a Free Employee Scheduling Software
The best free scheduling software offers these key features that make it easier for your managers to create and distribute schedules.
- Drag-and-drop shift scheduling: Eliminates the need to manually enter team member data each week. You can plan and rearrange schedules with the click of a button.
- Shift templates: Customizable templates also make scheduling a breeze. Set up templates for recurring shifts and common schedule requests.
- Employee self-scheduling features: Look for a platform that allows employees to request time off, claim open shifts, and swap shifts in one place.
- Chat and messaging: Use in-app chat and messaging to facilitate communication between your staff and management team.
The Best Free Employee Scheduling Software for 2023
1. Sling – Good for Managing Payroll Expenses
Sling’s free employee scheduling software offers multiple tools that let you monitor and control overtime levels. You can set alerts notifying a manager when an employee is approaching overtime or if they are double booked.
With this tool, you can make it easy for employees to claim overtime shifts, helping ensure that overtime is distributed fairly. The in-app communication tool lets managers send personalized messages when distributing schedules, notify employees of open shifts, and approve shift swaps.
Sling’s scheduling features give you the ability to build a schedule based on employee skills and preferences, as well as data on who has worked recently. Avoid overscheduling your team with smarter scheduling.
Key Features
- Overtime alerts
- In-app messaging and chat
- Shift notifications
- Shift swapping
- Mobile-friendly platform
Pros
- Good value
- Responsive customer service team
Cons
- Notifications can be inconsistent
- Reporting capabilities are limited
Pricing
Starts at $1.70/month per user
Free Option: Yes
Free Trial: Yes
2. Connecteam – Best Overall Free Scheduling Software
Connecteam offers a robust free scheduling solution with multiple helpful features your managers can use to set, manage, and distribute schedules. Features like drag-and-drop scheduling, customizable templates, and automated conflict checkers allow your management team to create an effective schedule that balances your business needs with your employees.
With Connecteam, your employees can request time off, claim open shifts, and swap shifts in the app, and your managers can approve or deny requests from anywhere. Once a swap or other request is approved, affected team members are automatically notified through the app.
This platform also has in-app chat features, allowing your team to ask questions related to the schedule or simply check in with one another.
Key Features
- One-click employee request approval
- Real-time notifications
- In-app communication tools
- Customizable scheduling templates
- Automatic reports
Pros
- Offers multiple management tools in one app
- Makes it easy for employees to self-schedule
Cons
- More payroll integrations in the works
- The free option covers 10 users
Pricing
Free plan for up to 10 users
Paid plan starts at $29 a month for 30 users
Free Option: Yes
Free Trial: Yes
3. 7Shifts – Good for the Food and Beverage Industry
7Shifts was created for restaurants and bars, addressing the industry’s specific needs. Its features include drag-and-drop scheduling and an in-app time clock that allows employees to clock in from their mobile devices. Its geofencing feature sends notifications to a manager when an employee leaves the restaurant, which helps eliminate buddy punching and other money-wasting practices.
7Shifts also offers visual budgeting tools to forecast sales and ensure you always have the right number of staff on the floor. This feature takes the guesswork out of scheduling because you have a better idea of your peaks and valleys.
With the 7Shifts time-clocking feature, your team members can clock in and out using their mobile devices. The app features a health checklist feature, allowing your team members to stay compliant with food and beverage safety laws. Set task lists for front-of-house and back-of-house team members with cleaning duties and other tasks they can do to keep your restaurant in tip-top shape at all times.
Key Features
- Geofencing
- In-app clock in
- Labor forecasting
- Payroll and tip-splitting features
- Multiple integrations
Pros
- Integrated training tools
- In-app communication tools let team members connect
Cons
- The free plan doesn’t offer all features
- No dedicated customer support line
Pricing
Starts at $21.99 per month per location for up to 15 employees
Free Option: Yes, for one location with up to 15 employees
Free Trial: Yes
4. Homebase – Good for Accessibility
Homebase offers a streamlined scheduling tool that’s user-friendly and easy to learn. Its templates save managers from manually inputting data. However, your managers can also build schedules based on availability and labor forecasts. If you run a business such as a retail store or other service-oriented business, you can adjust your staffing levels for busier times.
Employees can request time off, share availability, and swap shifts in the app. Managers can access these requests when creating the schedule, helping eliminate double booking or scheduling someone when they’re unavailable. This app’s availability notifications allow your managers to cover shifts on the fly if someone calls out.
Use color-coding features so employees can see their schedules in a snap and receive alerts for potential scheduling errors. If you or your managers schedule someone for multiple close-open or double shifts, you can easily fix the mistake before publishing the schedule.
Homebase also offers a variety of human resources tools in the app. Its scheduling and time-tracking tools integrate with payroll, allowing you to have a more accurate record of employee hours. Set break and overtime alerts to keep your team members on track and compliant with regulations.
Key Features
- Alerts and shift notifications
- Applicant tracking tools
- Attendance tracking
- Labor forecasting
- Mobile app
Pros
- This app is easy to pick up, regardless of tech savviness
- Offers POS and payroll integrations
Cons
- Does not offer data analytics
- No video conferencing tools
Pricing
Starts at $20 per month per location
Free Option: Yes, for one location
Free Trial: Yes
5. Bitrix24 – Good for Business Operations
Bitrix24 goes beyond employee scheduling by offering multiple tools to manage a business. With this software, your managers receive overtime notifications, early clock-out alerts, and underworking alerts, allowing them to track trends that might help optimize schedules.
For example, if they notice that employees clock out early or work less efficiently during specific days of the week, you may look into scheduling fewer employees at those times. You might also use checklists to make your team members more productive when they’re not working with customers.
Employees can automate shift scheduling and approvals, freeing up your management team to focus on other responsibilities. Set parameters for time off requests, shift swapping, and overtime and let the system handle approvals.
Key Features
- Automated shift scheduling
- In-app time clock
- Set minimum or maximum hours for employees
- In-app communication and video conferencing tools
- Automated approvals
Pros
- Integrates with multiple business management platforms
- Feature-rich
Cons
- The free version does not offer all features
- Some businesses would not use all the features
Pricing
Starts at $49 a month for up to 5 users
Free Option: Yes
Free Trial: No
What Is Employee Shift Scheduling Software?
Free employee shift scheduling software is a computer-based tool your company can use to create, manage, and distribute work schedules without relying on paper notebooks or spreadsheets. With these platforms, your managers can access employee availability and time off requests in the platform, reducing scheduling conflicts.
Employees can easily access their schedules from an app instead of calling a manager or coming into the office to get their schedule for the week. With shift swapping and communication tools, you can get coverage faster when emergencies arise.
Benefits of Free Employee Scheduling Software
The best free employee scheduling software offers similar features to paid versions, saving you money without impacting your ability to optimize scheduling. Creating manual schedules often takes hours and can result in costly scheduling errors. With employee scheduling software, your managers receive alerts if they’re double booking or over-scheduling employees. They can quickly identify and rectify these errors before publishing the schedule.
Free employee scheduling software solves the issues arising from manual scheduling without impacting your company’s bottom line. With free software or low-cost software, your management team gets all the benefits of automated scheduling without setting you back hundreds of dollars a month.
Employees benefit from quickly covering their shifts when needed and optimizing their schedules for better work-life balance. Free up your managers to focus on other duties by taking manual scheduling off their hands.
