Top 7shifts Alternatives
7shifts is a team management software for the restaurant industry. It’s designed to help managers handle the daily operations of a restaurant by providing a number of features such as employee scheduling, payroll, and time tracking. Since it’s designed for the restaurant industry, it also provides features geared towards restaurants, such as tip pooling and Point Of Sale (POS) integrations.
That being said, 7shifts is not without its flaws. Users have noted that its app has a buggy interface on Android, on top of providing basic time clocking features. There’s also the simple fact that 7shifts—despite being a very good platform for its niche—is not ideal for other industries because it’s explicitly designed for the restaurant industry.
This is where alternatives come in. If you’re someone who needs software similar to 7shifts, but for other types of businesses or other reasons, then you’ve come to the right place because we’ve compiled a list of alternatives. For each software, we’re going to cover:
- Who the software’s ideal for
- Pros and cons
- Cost/Pricing
TL;DR: What’s the best alternative for 7shifts? While opinions are divided, it seems that many users prefer either Sling or Schedule Fly as they provide cheaper alternative solutions.
Our Top 7 7shifts Alternative Recommendations
1. Sling
Best for: Employees who work on a shift schedule
Overall Rating: 4.5
Free Trial: Yes
Sling software is a popular employee scheduling platform that provides a host of features such as time tracking, shift planning, and payroll processing. Unlike 7shifts, it’s not just designed for restaurants—it caters to a wide variety of industries such as retail, hospitality, healthcare, banking, etc.
In addition, the software provides certain unique features that 7shifts does not, like a kiosk mode for time tracking. Its relative affordability is another feather in its cap, making it an attractive option for anyone who’s looking for an alternative to 7shifts.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Sling?
Pros | Cons |
Simplifies time-off management Employees can easily communicate and share documents Provides flexibility in terms of shift creation | Mobile app can be clunky and difficult to navigate, according to some users Doesn’t keep a tally of PTO |
How Much Does Sling Cost?
Sling offers a tiered pricing model designed to accommodate businesses across various sectors. They are:
- Free - $0 (for up to 30 users)
- Premium - $2/user/month
- Business - $4/user/month
The software also offers a 15-day free trial.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
2. Schedulefly
Best for: Restaurant employees
Overall Rating: -
Free Trial: Yes
Schedulefly is a restaurant staff scheduling and communication software. Designed to be ‘fast, easy and fun’, it aims to reduce tedium and take the hassle out of administrative work. As such, it provides features such as staff scheduling, time-off requests, text message alerts, job posting, etc.
The rub here is that Schedulefly is very easy to use—it allows its users to automatically send schedules via text and provides a message board for uploading messages for the team. While it lacks the versatility of software such as Sling, it more than makes up for it with its easy, no-frills approach. As such, it’s a great alternative for 7shifts.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Schedulefly?
Pros | Cons |
Simple and user-friendly Shift transfers and time-off requests take no time Quick and thorough customer support | Currently offers a few integrations Schedule can be difficult to read for larger teams |
How Much Does Schedulefly Cost?
Schedulefly offers four price tiers, each intended for a restaurant business with a certain number of employees. They are:
- 19 or less staff - $30/month
- 20-39 staff - $40/month
- 40-59 staff - $50/month
- 60-79 staff - $60/month
If a restaurant exceeds 80 staff members, it can try contacting the company directly for a customized price quote. In addition, the software also offers a free trial.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
3. Homebase
Best for: Hourly teams
Overall Rating: 4.7
Free Trial: Yes
Homebase is a workforce management platform built for hourly work teams (restaurants, retail, caregiving, hospitality, etc.). It combines several tools into one app so small business owners don’t have to juggle separate systems for scheduling, time tracking, payroll, HR, and team communication.
Its employee scheduling module provides a variety of features such as notes, notifications, etc. It also utilizes templates and auto-scheduling to automate the entire process, while also allowing for any last-minute adjustments to be made. This enables many businesses to build smarter schedules on the fly.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Homebase?
Pros | Cons |
Centralizes payroll, scheduling and messaging in one system Can message all employees at once Ease in tracking employee time-off | Payroll is not integrated within the mobile app Doesn’t allow clocking-in or out a few feet away from the company location |
How Much Does Homebase Cost?
Homebase offers four price tiers. They are:
- Basic - $0/month
- Essentials - $30/month
- Plus - $70/month
- All-In-One - $120/month
The software also offers a 14-day free trial for its All-In-One plan.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
4. Connecteam
Best for: Deskless or field teams
Overall Rating: 4.8
Free Trial: Yes
Connecteam is an all-in-one employee management platform built for deskless teams. It consolidates tools for time tracking, scheduling, communication, and operations in a single mobile-first app so that companies don’t have to juggle multiple systems.
The software’s primarily used by workers in retail, construction, cleaning, field services, hospitality, etc. In addition, it also supports small businesses, allowing them to open a free account, as long as they only have 10 users.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Connecteam?
Pros | Cons |
Sleek and easy to read Accessible from multiple devices Employees can quickly request edits for clocking-in and out, proving greater flexibility | Some notifications don’t display properly Forces phone numbers to be linked to accounts |
How Much Does Connecteam Cost?
Connecteam offers three pricing tiers, which include Operations, Communication, and HR & Skills. The plans include:
- Basic - $35/month
- Advanced - $59/month
- Expert - $119/month
- Enterprise – Custom pricing
In addition to all this, the software offers a 14-day free trial.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
5. Deputy
Best for: Businesses of various sizes
Overall Rating: 4.2
Free Trial: Yes
Deputy software is a workforce management platform that provides tools for shift scheduling, compliance, and analytics. It focuses on helping businesses with hourly and shift-based employees streamline scheduling, time tracking, HR, and compliance.
The software provides a mobile app that allows managers and employees to manage their shifts. It doesn’t end there, however—Deputy also provides an auto-scheduling tool (powered by AI) and a built-in analytics tool that eliminates the need for spreadsheets. With these features, businesses can drive down costs, reduce fatigue, and simplify wage compliance.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Deputy?
Pros | Cons |
Helps with the coordination of schedules, shifts and total hours worked Allows for accurate time tracking Its detailed functionality makes it ideal for managing staff | Integration with software such as Xero was limited Limited functionality besides scheduling, according to users |
How Much Does Deputy Cost?
Deputy offers three pricing tiers. They are:
- Lite - $5.5/user/month
- Core - $7.25/user/month
- Pro - $10/user/month
The platform also offers a free trial.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
6. When I Work
Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses
Overall Rating: 4.3
Free Trial: Yes
When I Work is a time tracking and scheduling platform that’s designed to simplify employee scheduling and team communication. Unlike other software, it's laser-focused on what it does best, and provides four core offerings: employee scheduling, time clock, team messaging, and integrations.
Due to its strong functionality and focused approach, When I Work is used primarily by teams in small to medium-sized businesses across industries such as hospitality, healthcare, education, etc.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of When I Work?
Pros | Cons |
Intuitive enough that even non-technical users can understand the software Simplicity of layout Calendar view helps people stay organized | Limited feature set can be detriment for other businesses Cannot see provider’s schedule |
How Much Does When I Work Cost?
When I Work offers two pricing tiers, alongside a 14-day free trial. They are:
- Single Location or Schedule - $2.5/user/month
- Multiple Locations & Schedules - $5/user/month
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
7. Clockify
Best for: Hybrid teams and remote workforces
Overall Rating: 4.2
Free Trial: Yes
Clockify is a time-tracking and productivity platform designed to help teams and individuals monitor how they spend their working hours, manage projects, and ensure accurate billing. It offers tools for tracking time via timers or timesheets, generating reports, handling attendance and overtime, managing invoicing and expenses, and visualizing project progress.
It’s used by freelancers, agencies, consultants, accountants, construction teams, startups, and more. It scales from single users to large teams.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Clockify?
Pros | Cons |
Customizable reports make billing and productivity much easier Employees can set timers when starting tasks Provides a browser extension, making time tracking even more simple | Requires some training to use it, especially for older personnel Sometimes the website and app keep tracking time even after you’ve stopped it |
How Much Does Clockify Cost?
Clockify offers a number of pricing tiers. They are:
- Free - $0
- Basic - $4.99/month/seat
- Standard - $6.99/month/seat
- Pro - $9.99/month/seat
- Enterprise - $14.99/month/seat
- cake.com bundle - $15.99/month/seat
The software also offers a 7-day free trial.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
How Did We Choose Our 7shifts Alternatives?
In selecting the best alternatives to 7Shifts, we evaluated each platform against a set of practical criteria that matter most to businesses managing hourly and shift-based teams. Our goal was to highlight solutions that not only rival 7Shifts but also provide added flexibility, scalability, or affordability, depending on business needs. The key factors we considered include:
- Core workforce management features such as scheduling, time tracking, and payroll
- Ease of use and mobile accessibility for both managers and employees
- Whether the software could integrate with third-party software
- Industry applicability for sectors like hospitality, retail, healthcare, and restaurants
- Pricing transparency and value, including free tiers or flexible plans
- Reviews and opinions from sites such as Reddit
Selecting The Best 7shifts Alternative
As you may have figured out by now, there is no one-size-fits-all solution here. Every alternative offers something different; it’s up to you to see which one fits best with your business needs.
Restaurants and hospitality teams may prioritize advanced scheduling, tip management, and labor compliance, while retail or healthcare organizations might look for robust time tracking, multi-location support, or strong integrations with payroll and POS systems. Budget also plays a significant role—some businesses prefer free or low-cost options for small teams, while others invest in feature-rich solutions that scale with growth.
Whatever choice you end up with, it ought to balance every consideration so that you end up with software that lasts for a long time.