Homebase Reviews

“Switching shifts is not a problem

Pros

Putting together schedules, handling time cards, letting the crew clock in or out and chatting with the whole team all happen in one spot which cuts down a lot of confusion. It also makes it simple for everyone to manage their preferred hours and find someone to switch shifts with.

Cons

I've noticed they tuck certain features behind pricier subscriptions. I don't need the entire fancy package but paying a whole tier higher just for one specific tool feels excessive. I really wish they'd let people pay a small add-on fee for individual features instead of forcing big bundles.

“free version meets all our needs

Pros

I've stuck with the free version for years. Even though some tools were removed over time, what remained still covered everything my small team needed. Letting workers swap shifts themselves saved me so much time. Since I hired a lot of college students, having them add their class schedules directly into the system meant fewer surprises and way less stress for me when building the weekly calendar.

Cons

I wasn't a fan of losing features over time but I also get that I was using the free plan. If I really needed the extras, I could've upgraded but my small team managed fine without them.

“complicated setup and reports

Pros

I guess the biggest plus for me is how the scheduler doesn't overcomplicate things.

Cons

Setting everything up gave me headaches because sales numbers wouldn't always import from Square. The reports felt complicated and creating groups or assigning roles was more chaotic than it should've been. Getting someone on the phone was difficult and they didn't offer simple breakdowns like daily labor percentages.

“Efficient reporting

Pros

We track hours and manage projects with ease thanks to effective reports on sales and labor.

Cons

The entry-level plan doesn't have features I assumed would be included like checking in based on location.

“simple to understand

Pros

I rely a lot on being able to view the entire team's schedule at once. It's simple to pick up and doesn't take a long time to understand.

Cons

It frustrates me that I can't set my preferred hours and unavailable hours on the same day. Sometimes I'm free for part of a day and busy for the rest and there's no clean way to mark that.

“easy on the eyes

Pros

I find it pleasant to use because it works well and has a look that's easy on the eyes.

Cons

The mobile app occasionally glitches and shows the wrong details, which throws things off.

“Shows me everything

Pros

Appreciate having everything about my employees stored in one place. Uploading I?9s, hiring directly through the system, keeping manager logs and accessing detailed reports all help things run smoother. The team can update availability, trade shifts and request covers easily. The chat and shoutout tools add a nice personal touch and the employee summary helps me review punctuality, roles and work history quickly.

Cons

I've seen a few features that still feel pretty limited because they're still being developed but I do like that they keep making progress and improving them.

“gives an estimate of upcoming paycheck

Pros

I've found it really useful for keeping track of my workdays and checking when my coworkers are scheduled too, which helps a lot when we need to switch or cover shifts. Seeing an estimate of my upcoming paycheck based on my scheduled hours is a nice extra touch and clocking in or out through the app has always been simple.

Cons

After they updated things I had to adjust to the new layout and it changed the way my team views their schedule and dashboard which took some explaining.

“Saves time when creating schedules

Pros

Creating schedules, clocking in and out and reviewing timesheets all happen fast without any fuss.

Cons

Haven't found anything major that bothers me.

“difficult to find certain things

Pros

This tool makes it simple to see who's on shift and when. Swapping shifts and picking up open ones works smoothly once I approve them.

Cons

I often catch myself going in circles trying to find certain tools in the app. The part that bothers me most is how availability can only be set week by week so anyone with changing schedules has to redo it constantly. Letting people set their availability day by day for the whole month would make things so much easier for both workers and managers.

“easy to manage

Pros

I've found it easy to update, manage and use whether I'm handling it as an employee or running the place.

Cons

Don't like that not all POS systems connect to it which makes things harder for businesses using different setups.

“Can do a lot with shifts

Pros

Being able to move shifts around, copy them and build templates makes scheduling easier on me.

Cons

I wish creating departments didn't require paying for a higher-tier plan.

“an improvement on our previous software

Pros

Our old system constantly caused clock?in drama but Homebase barely gives us issues. The team logs in smoothly on their phones and I get alerts when someone forgets to clock out.

Cons

Don't really use the scheduling part but I'm stuck with it anyway since there's no way to switch it off. The web sign-in system could also be smoother. The team kept forgetting their PINs so we stopped using it and stuck with the phone app instead.

“the free version has become limited

Pros

I find it helpful that the staff can clock in themselves and I can update things if someone makes a mistake.

Cons

I feel the free option doesn't offer much anymore and I keep wishing they'd include more basics without charging extra.

“it's free!

Pros

One of the biggest wins for me is that it doesn't cost anything and once everyone finally gets through the sign?up steps, the whole system becomes simple to work with. After registration, scheduling and keeping track of hours for payroll feels pretty smooth.

Cons

Adding a new person to my team feels tricky unless I follow the exact order they expect and the whole sign?up flow starts off slower than I'd prefer which makes the setup stage drag a bit.

“I rely on app a lot

Pros

I use the phone app constantly because I can adjust my availability whenever something changes and I can check how much break time I still have left without asking anyone.

Cons

I get frustrated that the mobile app won't let me clock in especially on busy mornings when I'm already trying to get settled.

“shows details of everyone's schedule

Pros

It's cool being able to see the full schedule for the entire workplace at once. It's easy to figure out who's assigned where, what hours they're working and it only takes a moment to request a shift swap or pick up an open one from the dedicated tab.

Cons

The messaging part feels like I'm juggling a second phone's text inbox and it gets overwhelming when I'm already texting coworkers outside the app for regular conversations.

“visually attractive

Pros

The attractive look caught my attention right away and moving around inside the app feels natural and doesn't take much effort.

Cons

I needed a little time to settle into how everything works because the setup doesn't instantly feel familiar.

“Ability to clock in from anywhere

Pros

Appreciate being able to let the team clock in and out even when they're not physically at the main site. Uploading schedules and managing little tasks inside the app makes day?to?day operations easier for me.

Cons

Seen no downsides.

“simple to get the hang of

Pros

I barely need help figuring things out because everything looks natural and makes it simple to request time off whenever I need to.

Cons

I'd find it really helpful if shifts could be viewed by time blocks so I could see where overlap happens without having to piece it together manually.