Scheduling mishaps, last-minute shift changes, and scattered team communication can derail even the best-run service operations. For businesses aiming to reduce labor costs and boost team productivity, choosing the right employee scheduling software is no longer optional—it’s strategic.
Sling and 7shifts have emerged as two leading solutions built to tackle these operational headaches. While Sling offers versatile scheduling and communication tools for various industries, 7shifts focuses exclusively on optimizing workforce management for restaurants.
In this blog, we’ll compare both platforms—exploring their core features, unique advantages, and which business types they serve best.
Sling Vs 7shifts: At A Glance
Features
Sling
7shifts
Time Tracking
Allows employees to clock-in and out using their phones or any device acting as a kiosk
Offers 7punches, a time clocking app specifically tailored for the restaurant industry
Employee Scheduling
Provides features like customizable shift templates, real-time conflict alerts, and multi-location management
Allows employees to submit availability, request time off, and trade shifts
Task Management
Allows incorporation of checklists with subtasks and reminders
Supports various task completion methods, such as photos, value entries, and temperature readings
Communication
Includes a newsfeed, multimedia messaging, private and group messaging
Offers a Team Chat app that centralizes group chats, announcements, and shout-outs
Pricing
Free version for up to 30 users
Free version for up to 20 employees
What Is Sling?
Sling is an employee scheduling and workforce management platform designed to streamline shift planning, time tracking, and internal communication. It empowers businesses to efficiently manage employee schedules, track labor costs, and facilitate team collaboration—all from a single, user-friendly interface. With features such as shift scheduling, time-off management, task assignments, and real-time messaging, Sling aims to reduce administrative burdens and enhance operational efficiency.
Sling caters to a diverse range of industries, including restaurants, retail, healthcare, hospitality, education, and nonprofit organizations. This flexibility makes it suitable for businesses of all sizes, from small teams to large enterprises operating across multiple locations.
Unique Sling Features
Color-Coded Shifts: Provides color-coded shifts for quick visual recognition of roles, time blocks, or responsibilities on the calendar
Kiosk Mode: Offers both a shared kiosk mode and mobile-based time tracking with photo capture and geolocation
Sling Pros And Cons:
Pros:
Simplifies scheduling and time-off requests
User-friendly and accessible for employees
Allows users to view upcoming schedules and plan accordingly
Cons:
Mobile app can be clunky and difficult to navigate, according to users
Cannot view any deleted messages
What Is 7shifts?
7shifts is a cloud-based team management platform tailored specifically for the restaurant industry. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline employee scheduling, time tracking, payroll, tip management, and team communication. By automating these processes, 7shifts helps restaurant managers reduce labor costs, improve compliance, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
Currently, 7shifts serves over 50,000 restaurants and more than 1.5 million restaurant professionals worldwide. The platform is utilized across various types of establishments, including quick-service restaurants, full-service dining, cafes, bars, bakeries, and catering services.
Unique 7shifts Features
Overtime Warning Alerts: Showcases real-time alerts when staff are nearing or exceeding allowable work hours
Tip Pooling: Built-in tools to manage and automate tip distribution based on hours, roles, or percentages
7shifts Pros And Cons
Pros:
Simple and easy to use, according to many users
Centralizes all team communication in one place
Offers templates that help in planning for weekly schedules
Cons:
Cannot edit time punches within the app
Notifications sometimes fail to alert employees about upcoming shifts
Sling Vs 7shifts – Features Comparison
Time Tracking
Patriot Accounting software offers essential features like invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting in a user-friendly interface. With both cash-basis and accrual accounting options, businesses can tailor the software to their preferred method. Furthermore, features like unlimited payment entries, 1099 contractor tracking, and real-time dashboards provide full financial visibility without requiring accounting expertise.
Sling's time tracking functionality is designed to accommodate a wide range of industries. To this end, the platform transforms any smartphone into a time clock, allowing employees to clock in and out from their mobile devices. For fixed locations, Sling offers a kiosk mode that turns any device into a shared time clock terminal.
Other key features include geofencing to ensure employees clock in at designated locations, prevention of early clock-ins, automatic clock-outs before overtime as per labor laws, and real-time timesheet adjustments. Finally, Sling provides reminders for employees to clock in or out and monitors break times to help businesses adhere to labor laws.
On the other hand, 7shifts offers ‘7punches’, a time clocking app specifically tailored for the restaurant industry. This tool integrates seamlessly with 7shifts' scheduling system, ensuring that only scheduled employees can clock in, thereby reducing unauthorized labor costs.
7punches supports both stationary devices and mobile punching, with optional features like photo capture and geofencing to prevent buddy punching and ensure employees are on-site. Like Sling, 7punches also includes compliance features such as tracking mandatory breaks, monitoring overtime risks, and providing alerts for missed punches.
Winner: Sling’s kiosk mode puts it slightly ahead of 7shifts, making it the winner here. However, if you require time tracking that’s geared towards restaurants, 7shifts is the better choice.
Employee Scheduling
Sling provides a versatile scheduling platform for all its user’s needs. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface allows managers to create and adjust schedules efficiently. Features like customizable shift templates, real-time conflict alerts, and multi-location management streamline the scheduling process.
Employees can also easily request time off, swap shifts, and access their schedules via mobile devices, enhancing overall communication and reducing scheduling errors.
Meanwhile, 7shifts offers scheduling tools that address the unique challenges of foodservice operations. As such, managers can build schedules quickly using templates and adjust them on the go with the mobile app.
The platform also enables employees to submit availability, request time off, and trade shifts seamlessly. Integration with POS systems allows for labor forecasting based on sales data, helping to optimize staffing levels and control labor costs
Winner: While both Sling and 7shifts offer adequate scheduling solutions, Sling's flexibility makes it suitable for a broad range of industries as compared to 7shifts’ specialized features. Therefore, Sling wins this category.
Task Management
Sling’s task management system allows managers to delegate important tasks more efficiently. They can do this by assigning tasks to specific employees or shifts. In addition, they can also incorporate checklists with subtasks and set reminders to ensure timely completion. The platform also allows for the creation and reuse of task templates, streamlining recurring assignments and promoting efficiency.
Conversely, 7shifts offers a task management feature tailored specifically for the restaurant industry. Managers can create daily, weekly, or one-time tasks linked to scheduled shifts, enhancing operational consistency. The platform supports various task completion methods, including photo uploads, value entries, and temperature readings, providing tangible proof of task completion.
Completion instructions for the tasks can also be edited to ensure that tasks are done correctly. Thus, this real-time tracking of task progress, coupled with built-in team communication, ensures that managers can monitor and follow up on assignments effectively.
Winner: It’s a tie as Sling offers a more conventional mode of task management. However, 7shifts offers more in terms of task completion methods. Despite that, it's ultimately geared towards the restaurant industry. Therefore, the final choice is up to the user.
Communication
Sling offers private and group messaging, allowing teams to communicate instantly without relying on external apps. Features like BCC messaging, the ability to mark messages as unread, and support for images, GIFs, and emojis enhance user engagement.
The platform also includes a newsfeed for sharing updates with specific employee groups, roles, or departments to ensure critical information reaches all employees. These tools are integrated within the scheduling and time-tracking system, leading to effortless communication across all aspects of workforce management.
Similarly, 7shifts’ Team Chat app centralizes group chats, announcements, and shout-outs, promoting stronger relationships between team members and management. The platform also supports real-time messaging to individuals, departments, or the entire team, with options to create group chats and send attachments.
One-way announcements with read receipts ensure important messages are acknowledged. Additionally, 7shifts includes automated reminders for upcoming shifts, breaks, and tasks, enhancing team accountability. The integrated ‘Manager Log book’ allows managers to stay informed about daily operations, even when off-site.
Winner: Both software are tied once again, as they both offer comparable features for communication.
Pricing
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 ‘Free’ plan includes essential features like shift scheduling and time-off requests for up to 30 users. The ‘Premium’ plan adds functionalities such as mobile time tracking and labor cost management. However, for more complicated requirements, the ‘Business’ plan offers advanced features like kiosk time tracking, reports and paid time off (PTO) management.
In a similar fashion, 7shifts provides a pricing structure specifically tailored for the restaurant industry, with plans billed per location. These plans are:
Comp - $0 (for up to 20 employees)
Entrée - $34.99/month/location (up to 30 employees)
The Works - $76.99/month/location (unlimited employees)
The ‘Comp’ plan is free for single-location restaurants with up to 20 employees, offering basic scheduling and communication tools. The ‘Entrée’ plan includes advanced scheduling templates and advanced team communication features. For more requirements, the ‘The Works’ plan adds labor compliance tools, performance management, and retention tools. Finally, the ‘Gourmet’ plan offers advanced business insights and compliance features.
This per-location pricing model allows restaurants to choose a plan that aligns with their operational complexity and size.
Winner: Sling wins this category in terms of affordability. However, users looking for a solution in the restaurant industry may still find ‘7shifts’s per-location pricing model’ more suited to their needs.
Which One To Choose – Sling Or 7shifts?
Both Sling and 7shifts deliver effective workforce management solutions, but they serve different business priorities.
Sling is ideal for businesses across various industries—like retail, healthcare, and hospitality—offering flexible scheduling, messaging, and time and attendance tools with a user-based pricing model.
7shifts, on the other hand, is purpose-built for restaurants, providing shift-linked features, compliance-focused tools, and proof-based task tracking with pricing based on location.
Therefore, the best fit depends on your business type, industry demands, and whether you need a general scheduling tool or a restaurant-specific solution. That being said, if neither software are what you need right now, try looking at other alternatives such as Hubstaff or Buddy Punch Time Clock.
