Best Shift Schedule Makers

Creating an effective shift schedule is crucial for maintaining productivity and ensuring smooth operations in any workplace. A well-organized shift schedule not only helps in balancing workloads but also ensures that employees are engaged and satisfied with their work hours. In this article, we’ll explore how to create a shift schedule that meets the needs of your team and business, the benefits of using a shift schedule maker, and tips for optimizing your scheduling process to maximize efficiency.

Key Features of Shift Schedule Makers

• 🕒 Customizable scheduling options: Employee schedule makers offer flexibility in creating schedules that fit your team’s specific needs, allowing you to customize shifts, break times, and rotation patterns.
• 📊 Real-time updates: These tools often provide real-time updates, ensuring that everyone is on the same page, even when last-minute changes are made.
• 📅 Integration with calendars: Many work schedule builders seamlessly integrate with popular calendar apps, making it easy for employees to access their schedules from any device.
• 💬 Communication features: Built-in messaging and notifications help keep everyone informed about their shifts, reducing the chances of missed shifts or miscommunication.
• 📈 Analytics and reporting: Advanced analytics tools help managers track labor costs, monitor attendance, and optimize scheduling decisions.
• 🔒 Data security: Ensuring the privacy and security of employee data is a priority, with many tools offering robust encryption and access controls.
• 🛠 User-friendly interface: A simple and intuitive interface ensures that both managers and employees can easily navigate the tool, making the scheduling process more efficient.
• 🔄 Automated shift rotation: Automate the process of rotating shifts to ensure fairness and avoid burnout among employees.

❗ Our recommendations are based solely on the quality and utility of the tools, with no paid promotions influencing our selections.

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📊 Quick Comparison: Best Shift Schedule Makers

Tool	Pricing	Best For	Free Trial
Shifts by Everhour	Free	Real-time shift planning	✅ Yes
Connecteam	From $29/user/mo	All-in-one workforce hub	✅ Yes
Sling	From $1.70/user/mo	Cost tracking & notifications	✅ Yes
Homebase	From $20/location/mo	Retail & restaurant teams	✅ Yes
Findmyshift	Free for 5 users	Time-off management	❌ No
Shiftboard	Custom Pricing	Enterprise operations	✅ Yes
When I Work	From $3/user/mo	Shift swaps & reminders	✅ Yes
Deputy	From $3.50/user/mo	Forecasting + self-service	✅ Yes
OnTheClock	Free for 1-2 users	Location-based tracking	✅ Yes

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Shifts by Everhour

The Best Free Shift Schedule Maker for 2025

Shifts by Everhour combines simplicity with powerful scheduling capabilities—designed to streamline workforce operations for any business, especially SMBs.

🔑 Key Features

• Real-time shift creation and editing
• Open shifts that staff can claim
• Mobile clock-in/out with tracking
• Instant notifications for any updates
• Attendance logs and labor analytics
• Role-based templates for recurring shift types

💸 Pricing

Free – ideal for growing teams and lean budgets

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Connecteam

A highly flexible solution, Connecteam combines task tracking, HR tools, communication, and shift management into one clean interface.

Key features

• Communication hub: Features like group chats, announcements, and feedback forms ensure effective communication within the organization.
• Task and project management: With features like task lists, checklists, and project timelines, Connecteam enhances productivity in a structured manner.
• Mobile workforce management: Mobile clock-in/out, location tracking, and scheduling flexibility empower businesses to manage remote or field employees effectively.
• Training and knowledge base: An integrated training module enables organizations to create and deliver training materials. Connecteam empowers businesses to build a knowledge base, ensuring employees have access to essential resources for skill development.

Pricing

Connecteam’s pricing starts at $29 per user per month when billed annually

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Sling

Sling is built with labor cost control in mind. Ideal for hospitality and healthcare.

Key features

• Shift planning: Create, edit, and manage shifts effortlessly, allowing you to set up regular schedules or customize shifts to meet specific business needs.
• Shift notifications: Sling sends automatic shift notifications to employees, reducing absenteeism and ensuring punctuality.
• Time clock functionality: Accurately track employee hours with built-in time clock features, supporting clock-in and clock-out capabilities.
• Time off requests: Employees can submit time off requests directly through the app, streamlining the request and approval process.
• Labor cost monitoring: Gain insights into labor costs with Sling’s reporting and analytics tools, helping you manage labor expenses effectively.

Pricing

• Free Plan
• Premium Plan: $1.70 per user per month
• Business Plan: $3.40 per user per month

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Homebase

A great option for restaurants, cafés, and shift-heavy service industries.

Key features

• Flexible shift creation: Create, assign, and manage shifts effortlessly. You can set regular schedules or create customized shifts to match your business’s unique requirements.
• Availability tracking: Employees can update their availability, helping managers schedule shifts that align with individual preferences and constraints.
• Shift reminders: Homebase sends automatic shift reminders to employees, reducing absenteeism and late arrivals.
• Time off requests: Employees can request time off directly through the app, streamlining the request and approval process.
• Shift swaps: Homebase enables employees to initiate shift swaps with their colleagues, reducing managerial workload and ensuring adequate shift coverage.

Pricing

• Basic Plan: Free
• Essentials Plan: $20 per month per location
• Plus Plan: $48 per month per location
• All-In-One Plan: $80 per month per location

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Findmyshift

Ideal for small teams with fewer than 6 people needing basic time-off and shift management.

Key features

• Flexible scheduling: Findmyshift allows you to create flexible schedules that can accommodate both full-time and part-time employees, making it suitable for businesses with diverse staffing needs.
• Shift patterns: Easily create recurring shift patterns and templates to save time when scheduling repeating shifts or rotations.
• Time-off management: Employees can request time off directly through the app, and managers can approve or deny requests with ease.
• Availability management: Employees can specify their availability, ensuring that schedules align with their preferences and constraints.
• Notifications and reminders: Stay organized with automated notifications and reminders for shift changes, upcoming schedules, and time-off requests.

Pricing

Free Plan: Includes essential features for 5 team members and 1 manager

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Shiftboard

An enterprise-grade scheduler built for compliance-heavy industries and large teams.

Key features

• Flexible scheduling: Shiftboard offers an intuitive interface for creating and managing work schedules. Customize schedules to match your organization’s unique needs, including shift rotations, split shifts, and on-call staffing.
• Labor forecasting: Use Shiftboard’s forecasting tools to predict staffing needs based on historical data and future demand. This helps ensure you have the right number of employees scheduled at any given time.
• Shift bidding: Implement a fair and transparent shift bidding process that allows employees to request and bid on shifts based on their availability and preferences. This increases employee engagement and satisfaction.
• Compliance and certifications: Ensure compliance with labor laws and industry regulations by tracking employee certifications and qualifications. Shiftboard sends automated alerts for expiring certifications, reducing compliance risks.

Pricing

Shiftboard often offers a free trial or demo. For more detailed pricing information, contact the team

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When I Work

Efficient and employee-friendly, When I Work is designed for managers who want more autonomy from staff.

Key features

• Employee availability: Easily track and manage employee availability and time-off requests. Ensure you’re scheduling the right people for the right shifts.
• Time and attendance: Accurately track employee work hours with the Time Clock feature. Employees can clock in and out using their mobile devices, helping reduce time theft and simplify payroll.
• Shift swapping and pickup: When I Work enables employees to swap shifts, request time off, and pick up available shifts through the mobile app. This fosters greater scheduling flexibility.
• Labor cost forecasting: Forecast labor costs based on your schedule, and keep your labor expenses in check. Understand your budget and manage labor expenses effectively.

Pricing

• Essentials: $3 per user per month
• Pro Plan: $5 per user per month
• Premium Plan: $7 per user per month

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Deputy

A very intuitive tool for both scheduling and communication, with strong automation features.

Key features

• Intuitive scheduling: Deputy’s user-friendly interface makes creating and managing schedules a breeze. Drag-and-drop shifts, assign tasks, and view schedules at a glance.
• Employee communication: Keep your team informed and engaged with the Deputy’s communication tools. Send messages, notifications, and updates directly through the platform.
• Forecasting and budgeting: Plan your labor costs effectively with Deputy’s forecasting and budgeting tools. Predict future labor needs and optimize schedules to meet your budget.
• Employee self-service: Empower your employees with self-service features. They can access schedules, request time off, and swap shifts using the Deputy mobile app or web portal.

Pricing

• Scheduling: $3.50 per user per month
• Time and Attendance: $3.50 per user per month
• Premium: $4.90 per user per month
• Enterprise: Customized pricing

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OnTheClock

Perfect for on-site workers or distributed field teams needing GPS + geofencing.

Key features

• Time tracking: Employees can clock in/out, record breaks, and track hours worked accurately.
• Scheduling: Create and manage employee schedules, ensuring proper coverage and adherence to labor laws.
• Overtime calculations: Automatically calculate overtime based on labor laws and policies.
• Time-off management: Manage time-off requests, accruals, and approvals within the app.
• Geofencing: Set location-based restrictions to ensure employees are at the designated worksite when clocking in/out.

Pricing

• Free Plan: Available for 1-2 employees
• Paid Plans: Competitively priced, with additional features like geofencing and payroll integrations

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❓ FAQs

What is a shift schedule maker?

A digital tool that helps you create, assign, and manage employee shifts easily and efficiently.

Is a shift schedule generator good for large teams?

Yes. Many tools like Everhour and Shiftboard are scalable across multiple teams and roles.

How do I choose the right one?

Pick based on your team size, budget, and feature needs like time tracking, labor forecasting, or mobile check-ins.

Can employees pick their own shifts?

Yes—tools like Everhour and Shiftboard allow open shift bidding for more autonomy.

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Conclusion: Shift Schedule Maker

If you want to simplify shift management, improve accountability, and save time, Shifts by Everhour is your best choice. It’s free, easy to use, and packed with the features you actually need.