The best online employee scheduling apps save you time and money while reducing errors that cause employee dissatisfaction and low retention rates. Choose the staff scheduling app that is best for your needs and budget.
Manual job planning can cause confusion and high turnover because of staff dissatisfaction with scheduling errors. If you need a solution to easily create and manage optimal schedules for your teams, check out the five best online employee scheduling apps below to find the one matching your business needs and budget.
What To Look For in the Best Employee Scheduling Software
The best employee scheduling apps function differently from average products by offering essential features and an intuitive dashboard. Look for:
- Functions to customize & save templates, utilize drag & drop, and send alert notifications.
- Pricing that enables you to save money, not waste more. Fixed pricing is more affordable than a per-user model.
- Scalability supporting growth without expensive, time-consuming operational changes.
- Easy integration in an intuitive, all-in-one app with everything you need in one place.
- Customer support that’s always reachable and has top customer reviews ratings.
Employee Scheduling Software Mini-Reviews
Here are mini-reviews of the top five employee scheduling apps to help you pick the features best suited to your business and budget.
mHelpDesk — Best for Service Appointment Scheduling
Available on the Web, iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
mHelpDesk resembles Google Calendar and Outlook but is focused on the field service business. This work schedule app’s features make it easy to see everyone’s availability quickly, then easily schedule and notify field technicians and customers.
It’s easy to track your team’s location, status, and progress in real time while you create, assign, and update jobs in the mobile app. Other valuable features are:
- View job and customer details.
- Send automated assignments, reminders, and notifications to your customers and staff.
- Generate invoices and accept payments online with a few clicks.
- Integrate with Google Calendar, Outlook, Home Advisor, and QuickBooks.
- Customize your workflows and forms to suit your business needs.
With mHelpDesk’s cloud-based storage, you can access data and reports anytime, anywhere. You can also eliminate overbooking and underbooking.
mHelpDesk at a Glance
Key Features
- Quick reference employee availability
- Useful integrations
- Automated features
- Appointment scheduling
Pros
- User friendly
- Customer service responsive
- Billing and invoicing simplified
Cons
- Slow loading times
- Some integrations work poorly
- Old users cannot be removed
Pricing
Contact vendor for price
Free trial available
No free plan
Shiftboard — Best for Hourly Worker Calendar Management
Available on the Web, iOS, and Android.
If you’re scheduling hourly workers, the Shiftboard cloud-based app for employee scheduling has some highly beneficial features to help you save time and money, improve productivity and quality, and enhance employee satisfaction and retention.
Shiftboard makes it easy to do:
- Automated scheduling
- Schedule distribution
- Shift swapping
- Push notifications
- Two-way texting
- Mobile clock in and out
In addition, Shiftboard can integrate with many software solutions like Oracle, Dropbox, ADP, Paycor, and more. Shiftboard’s design can meet the needs of various industries and organizations in healthcare, hospitality, education, events, and more.
Shiftboard at a Glance
Key Features
- Automated scheduling
- Budgeting and budget forecasting
- Calendar management
- Applicant and candidate management
Pros
- Good selection of features and tools
- Works well for managing complex employee schedules
Cons
- Hard to use, requiring training
- No training material or tutorials
- User complaints about the outdated appearance
Pricing
Contact vendor for price
No trial
No free plan
Connecteam — Best Overall Employee Scheduling App
Available on the Web, iOS, and Android.
Connecteam’s all-in-one employee scheduling app gives you everything needed to create and manage optimum employee schedules easily and efficiently, even on the go. You’ll enjoy superb customer support, an intuitive user experience, and highly customizable tools to adjust to your business requirements.
The impressive scheduling features include time-savers and automation that improves your workforce management:
- Shift Creation: Build single or multiple shifts, copy, or set shifts as recurring. Use customizable templates for individual jobs, shifts, or entire weeks. Assign shifts and jobs based on employee qualifications and availability. Publish open shifts for users to claim.
- Shift Instructions: Add information to shifts, like location, notes, tasks, and attachments to give employees needed information.
- Self-Service Employee Shift Replacement: Enable employees to swap shifts without admin approval, saving time and effort.
- Notifications: Customize notifications for scheduling updates, changes, or requests. Receive instant notifications when users accept or reject a shift, complete shift tasks, or fail to check in or out from shifts.
- Time Clock: Clock in and out from shifts with a single click.
- In-App Chat: Maintain a direct line of communication from any location. Access chat anywhere within the platform to instantly contact the right people.
- Inconsistency Flagging: Avoid scheduling mistakes by highlighting inconsistencies and scheduling conflicts.
With Connecteam, employee scheduling becomes easy, clear, and reliable. Your team can access everything right from their mobile devices.
Connecteam at a Glance
Key Features
- Intuitive scheduler
- Drag & drop functionality
- Customizable templates
- Recurring shifts
- Shift notes & attachments
- Overtime notifications
- In-app chat
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
Cons
Additional integrations are in development
Pricing
The free-for-life plan is available
Premium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
QuickBooks Time — Best for Flexible Scheduling in Small Businesses
Available on Web. iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
Although similar to most employee scheduling apps, QuickBooks Time focuses more on managing projects, invoices, and payroll. It does employee scheduling for small businesses well.
You can schedule by shift or job, use drag & drop, copy previous schedules, send notifications about shift changes, and more. Receiving alerts about overtime or missed shifts enables you to reduce confusion and labor expenses. The cool “Who’s Working” feature lets you immediately see who is available.
Because QuickBooks Time syncs with QuickBooks Online, it’s easy to:
- Streamline your payroll process by automatically calculating overtime, taxes, and deductions based on tracked time and pay rates.
- Create and send professional invoices with your tracked time and expenses.
- Accept online payments from your clients.
The QuickBooks Time app is compatible with numerous devices, like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smartwatches. GPS tracking, geofencing, and facial recognition features enable accurate and secure time tracking.
QuickBooks Time at a Glance
Key Features
- Accounting integrations
- Simple employee scheduling
- Budget tracking and forecasting
- Asset management and tracking
Pros
- Easy to use
- Good selection of features
Cons
- Customer support is lacking
- Users report numerous bugs
- Difficult to get up and running
- Large teams can get expensive
Pricing
Starts at $10/month + $8/user/month
Free trial for 30 days
No free plan
Homebase — Good Pre-Made Scheduling Templates
Available on the Web, iOS, and Android.
The Homebase employee scheduling app allows you to manage shifts, breaks, availability, and payroll. Easily drag & drop team schedules, make changes on the go with your mobile phone, copy last week’s schedule fast, or use automatic scheduling that considers team availability and roles. Other valuable features include:
- Tracking time and attendance and calculating overtime.
- Employees can update availability or request shift trades subject to management approval.
- Totaling hours and overtime while subtracting break times.
- Integrating sales data from Clover, Toast, Square, and more.
- Integrations with popular payroll providers like QuickBooks, ADP, and Gusto.
You can create and edit schedules online, smartphone, or tablet and instantly share them with staff. You may reduce labor costs, avert compliance issues, and boost employee satisfaction and retention.
Homebase at a Glance
Key Features
- Schedule templates
- Automated scheduling
- Overtime alerts
- Availability tracking
Pros
- Easy to use
- Easy to track employee hours
Cons
- Less expensive plans lack important features
- Requires some training before use
- Setting availability is problematic
Pricing
Starts at $20/location/month
14-day free trial
Free plan for a single location
What Is an Employee Scheduling App?
Hourly workforce managers can quickly create, manage, and update employee schedules using employee scheduling software with features like:
- Shift planning and assignment
- Time tracking and payroll integration
- Leave and absence management
- Communication and collaboration
- Reporting and analytics
Employee scheduling apps benefit employers and employees by:
- Producing consistent results
- Reducing errors and conflicts
- Managing labor costs
- Enhancing employee satisfaction and engagement
Using a staff scheduling app on a digital device simplifies and improves the work experience of business owners, managers, and employees. There are four more significant benefits.
Four Benefits of Employee Scheduling Apps
Increase Productivity and Efficiency
Businesses can easily and quickly create a schedule. You can speedily find substitutes for absent employees and fill places in multiple locations or teams.
Streamline Communication
Advanced notifications and alerts enable managers to reach staff promptly about schedule changes or extra shifts, reducing confusion and delays.
Reduce Administrative Cost
Save money by reducing administrative costs associated with manual scheduling processes. You don’t need to pay wages and paper expenses to post schedules.
Increase Scheduling Accuracy
By using automated tools to consider employee availability, preferences, and skill sets, businesses can ensure that the right people work at the correct times.
Staff scheduling apps take the hard work out of employee scheduling and remove errors that can cost you time, money, and valuable customers and employees.
