Best 13 Free Employee Scheduling Apps: Manage Any Type of Schedules Effortlessly

While there are numerous employee scheduling software options available, not all of them require a substantial financial investment. In this article, we will explore the world of free employee scheduling apps for any business with shift work. These tools can help businesses streamline their workforce management without breaking the bank. Whether you’re looking for a scheduling app for a small business or trying to manage a large team, the right free employee scheduling app can simplify your scheduling processes and boost operational efficiency. here we’ll delve into the features, benefits, and options available to help you find the best free scheduling solution for your organization.

What Is the Best Free Employee Scheduling App?

If you’re wondering what is free employee scheduling software, the answer is pretty straightforward: free scheduling apps for employees are a digital solution designed to facilitate and automate the process of creating, managing, and maintaining employee work schedules without incurring additional costs.

These applications provide an accessible and cost-effective way for businesses to efficiently allocate work hours, ensuring that the right employees are scheduled at the right times.

At its core, a free employee scheduling program is engineered to simplify the often complex task of workforce management. It offers a range of features that enable businesses to create and adjust schedules, track employee availability, and manage shift changes seamlessly. This software plays a pivotal role in ensuring that workplaces are adequately staffed, minimizing labor costs, reducing scheduling conflicts, and enhancing overall operational productivity.

Shifts by Everhour provides an intuitive solution for managing employee schedules with ease. From flexible scheduling options to mobile accessibility, it’s the ideal solution for optimizing workforce management in any industry.

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TL;DR Comparison Table

	Essential Features	Ease of Use	Mobile Access	Support	Pros	Cons
Shifts by Everhour	Shift scheduling, shift planning, time-off management, attendance and payroll	Use-friendly	Yes	Help Docs, email	Flexible, free, no learning curve	Limited customization options
Homebase	Shift scheduling, labor cost management, self-service	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat, phone	Employee messaging	Additional features in paid plans
Sling	Shift scheduling, team performance insights, inventory management	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat, phone	Labor cost tracking	Complex pricing structure
7shifts	Shift scheduling, shift trading, availability and time-off management	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat	Integrates with POS systems	Some features in paid plans
Social Schedules	Shift scheduling, shift swap and request, labor compliance	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat	Task management	Limited customization options
Findmyshift	Shift scheduling, shift swapping, availability tracking	User-friendly	Yes	Email	Multiple user roles	Limited reporting capabilities
OpenSimSim	Shift scheduling, employee availability, time off management	User-friendly	Yes	Online help center	Free for unlimited users	Limited features in free version
Staffjoy	Shift scheduling	User-friendly	–	Email	Simple interface	Limited mobile support
Wrike	Task management, shift scheduling	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat, phone	Extensive feature list	May be complex for beginners
OnTheClock	Shift scheduling, time-off management	User-friendly	Yes	Email, phone	Geofencing feature	Limited scheduling features
TeamUltim	Shift scheduling, time-off management	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat, phone	HR management capabilities	Limited scalability
Inch	Shift scheduling, time-off management	User-friendly	Yes	Email, chat	Easy-to-use tool	Limited features in free version
ABC Roster	Shift scheduling, time-off management	User-friendly	–	Online help center	Designed for small businesses	Limited mobile access

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Selection Criteria

When evaluating free employee scheduling software, it’s crucial to consider various criteria and factors to ensure it aligns with your business needs. Here are the key aspects to keep in mind:

• Ease of use: Opt for intuitive and user-friendly software, making it easy for managers and employees to navigate and use.
• Features: Assess the features offered by the software, such as shift creation, employee availability tracking, notifications, and reporting capabilities. Choose software that caters to your specific scheduling requirements.
• Scalability: Consider whether the software can accommodate your business’s growth. It should be flexible enough to handle scheduling needs as your workforce expands.
• Customization: Look for software that allows you to tailor schedules to match your industry, business model, and employee preferences. Customization options ensure the software adapts to your unique needs.
• Integration: Check if the software can integrate with other tools and systems your business uses, such as payroll software, time-tracking apps, or HR management systems. Integration streamlines data sharing and reduces manual data entry.
• Mobile access: Ensure the software offers mobile access or has a dedicated mobile app. This allows employees to view their schedules and make shift requests conveniently.
• Support: Consider the level of customer support provided by the software vendor. Reliable customer support can be invaluable in addressing any issues or questions that may arise.
• Compliance: Verify that the software helps you adhere to labor laws, union agreements, and other regulations related to scheduling, breaks, and overtime.
• Cost: While the software itself may be free, assess any hidden costs, such as charges for additional features, premium versions, or support services. Calculate the overall cost to ensure it fits your budget.

❗ Remember our choices are fair, not influenced by payments. We aim to provide honest recommendations, earning your trust and putting your needs first as you explore effective solutions.

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Shifts by Everhour

If you’re seeking a robust and free scheduling app to streamline your employee management, Shifts by Everhour stands out as an excellent choice. This intuitive software offers a range of features designed to simplify scheduling tasks and optimize workforce management.

Key features

1. User-friendly interface: Shifts by Everhour boasts a user-friendly and visually appealing interface, making it easy for both managers and employees to grasp quickly.
2. Flexible shift creation: Create and manage shifts effortlessly. You can set schedules for individual employees or entire teams, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
3. Availability tracking: Employees can update their availability, making it simpler to assign shifts while accommodating their preferences and availability.
4. Shift reminders: The software sends automated shift reminders to employees, reducing no-shows and last-minute scheduling conflicts.
5. Time off requests: Allow employees to request time off directly through the app, streamlining the approval process.

Pricing

The best part? Shifts by Everhour offers these powerful scheduling features for free, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking to optimize workforce management without breaking the bank.

In summary, Shifts by Everhour is a feature-rich, user-friendly, and cost-effective solution for businesses in need of efficient scheduling software. Whether you run a small team or a larger workforce, Shifts by Everhour can help you streamline scheduling tasks and ensure your employees are well-organized and informed about their shifts.

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Homebase

When it comes to free scheduling apps, Homebase is a standout choice, offering a comprehensive set of features tailored to businesses of all sizes. This user-friendly software simplifies employee scheduling and management, helping you optimize your workforce efficiently.

Key features

1. 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.
2. Availability tracking: Employees can update their availability, helping managers schedule shifts that align with individual preferences and constraints.
3. Shift reminders: Homebase sends automatic shift reminders to employees, reducing absenteeism and late arrivals.
4. Time off requests: Employees can request time off directly through the app, streamlining the request and approval process.
5. Shift swaps: Homebase enables employees to initiate shift swaps with their colleagues, reducing managerial workload and ensuring adequate shift coverage.

Pricing

Homebase offers a free Basic Plan that includes essential scheduling and time clock features, making it a budget-friendly choice for businesses seeking efficient scheduling solutions. For those looking to unlock additional features, Homebase also offers premium plans at competitive pricing.

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Sling

Sling is a robust free scheduling app that provides a comprehensive suite of tools to streamline employee scheduling for businesses of all types and sizes. With its user-friendly platform, Sling simplifies workforce management, making it a top choice for businesses looking for efficient scheduling solutions.

Key features

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

Pricing

Sling offers a free plan that includes essential scheduling features. For those looking to access advanced features such as labor cost forecasting and compliance tracking, Sling also offers paid plans at competitive pricing.

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7shifts

7shifts is a free scheduling app that focuses on optimizing hospitality and restaurant scheduling and labor management. With its specialized features, 7shifts offers tailored solutions to the unique scheduling needs of the food and beverage industry.

Key features

1. Shift communication: 7shifts facilitates seamless communication between managers and employees, ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding shift assignments and changes.
2. Availability settings: Employees can set their availability and preferred shifts, helping managers create schedules that align with individual preferences.
3. Shift templates: Create and save shift templates for recurring schedules, reducing the time spent on repetitive scheduling tasks.
4. Labor compliance: 7shifts helps businesses stay compliant with labor laws and regulations by tracking and alerting managers to potential compliance issues.
5. Forecasting: Access demand forecasting tools to better predict staffing needs, ensuring optimal staffing levels during peak hours.

Pricing

7shifts offers a free Comp Plan with essential scheduling tailored to the restaurant industry. For businesses seeking more advanced capabilities, such as payroll integration and sales and labor reporting, they offer paid plans at competitive prices.

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Social Schedules

Social Schedules is a free scheduling app geared towards simplifying employee scheduling in the service industry, particularly for bars, clubs, and entertainment venues. It provides the necessary tools to efficiently manage shifts and keep businesses in the hospitality sector running smoothly.

Key features

1. Shift templates: Social Schedules allows you to create reusable shift templates, saving time when scheduling repetitive shifts or events.
2. Employee availability: Employees can input their availability and time-off requests, making creating schedules that accommodate individual preferences easier.
3. Time clock integration: Seamlessly tracks employee hours worked, manages overtime, and ensures accurate payroll with integrated time clock features.
4. Manager oversight: Gain insight into scheduling and labor costs through real-time reporting, helping managers make informed decisions.
5. Mobile accessibility: Both managers and employees can access Social Schedules on their mobile devices, ensuring they can view and adjust schedules on the go.

Pricing

Social Schedules offers a free Basic Plan with essential scheduling and communication features suitable for small to medium-sized businesses in the service industry. For advanced features like labor cost tracking and enhanced reporting, they offer competitively priced paid plans.

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Findmyshift

Findmyshift is a comprehensive and free scheduling app designed to meet the scheduling needs of various industries, from healthcare to retail. It offers a wide range of features that simplify workforce management and streamline scheduling processes.

Key features

1. 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.
2. Shift patterns: Easily create recurring shift patterns and templates to save time when scheduling repeating shifts or rotations.
3. Time-off management: Employees can request time off directly through the app, and managers can approve or deny requests with ease.
4. Availability management: Employees can specify their availability, ensuring that schedules align with their preferences and constraints.
5. Notifications and reminders: Stay organized with automated notifications and reminders for shift changes, upcoming schedules, and time-off requests.

Pricing

Findmyshift provides a free scheduling app with essential features for 5 team members ad 1 manager. They offer competitive pricing for advanced features such as labor cost tracking, integration with other software, and enhanced reporting.

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OpenSimSim

OpenSimSim is a straightforward and free scheduling app that aims to simplify employee scheduling and communication. It caters to small and medium-sized businesses that require an easy-to-use solution for managing their workforce efficiently.

Key features

1. Shift scheduling: OpenSimSim provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating schedules, allowing managers to quickly assign shifts and make adjustments as needed.
2. Employee availability: Employees can set their availability preferences, helping managers create schedules that align with individual constraints and preferences.
3. Time-off management: Streamline time-off requests and approvals through the app, reducing administrative overhead and ensuring compliance with employee requests.
4. Shift swapping: OpenSimSim allows employees to request shift swaps with colleagues, making it easier to accommodate changing availability.
5. Communication: Keep your team informed with built-in messaging and notifications for shift changes, time-off approvals, and other important updates.

Pricing

OpenSimSim offers a free Basic Plan that includes essential scheduling features for 1 location. For advanced features like labor cost tracking, integration options, and enhanced reporting, they offer a competitively priced paid plan.

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Staffjoy

Staffjoy is an innovative free scheduling app designed for businesses looking to automate and optimize their employee scheduling processes. It offers advanced features for businesses with more complex scheduling needs.

Key features

1. Automated scheduling: Staffjoy uses advanced algorithms to create optimized schedules based on employee availability, skill sets, and labor requirements.
2. Forecasting: Predict labor needs by analyzing historical data and trends, ensuring you have the right number of employees scheduled during peak times.
3. Employee preferences: Consider employee preferences and constraints when generating schedules to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover.
4. Labor cost tracking: Monitor labor costs in real-time, helping businesses stay within budget while maintaining efficient staffing levels.
5. Compliance: Ensure compliance with labor laws and regulations by using Staffjoy’s tools for managing breaks, overtime, and other labor-related requirements.

Pricing

Staffjoy is a free open-source tool that is absolutely free of charge to install.

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Wrike

Wrike is a comprehensive project management and workforce scheduling platform that suits businesses with complex scheduling requirements. While it offers a free plan, it’s important to note that its full capabilities may require a paid subscription.

Key features

1. Task management: Create and assign tasks to team members, with due dates and priority settings.
2. Project planning: Plan and manage projects, including timelines, milestones, and dependencies.
3. Gantt charts: Gantt chart visualization allows to view the pain points and progress in your scheduling process.
4. Resource allocation: Allocate resources efficiently across projects, ensuring optimal workforce scheduling.
5. Reporting and analytics: Access detailed reports and analytics to gain insights into project and workforce performance.

Pricing

Wrike offers a free plan with basic features for small teams. More advanced scheduling and workforce management features are available in their paid plans, which are competitively priced.

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OnTheClock

OnTheClock is a free scheduling app focused on time and attendance management, making it suitable for businesses that prioritize employee time tracking, clocking in/out, and scheduling.

Key features

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

Pricing

OnTheClock offers a free plan for 1-2 employees. For more advanced features like geofencing and payroll integrations, they provide competitively priced paid plans.

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TeamUltim

TeamUltim is a comprehensive free scheduling app that excels in shift scheduling and human resources management. It’s an ideal solution for businesses looking to streamline their workforce management processes.

Key features

1. Shift scheduling: Create and manage employee schedules, considering availability and shift preferences.
2. Leave management: Streamline time-off requests and approvals, making it easy to manage vacations, sick days, and other leave types.
3. Employee database: Maintain a central database of employee information, simplifying HR management.
4. Notifications and reminders: Send automated notifications and reminders to employees for shifts and time-off requests.
5. Reporting and analytics: Access detailed reports and analytics to gain insights into workforce performance and scheduling efficiency.

Pricing

TeamUltim offers a free version of its scheduling app with core features. For businesses with more advanced scheduling and HR needs, they offer competitively priced paid plans.

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Inch

Another user-friendly free scheduling app, Inch is perfect for businesses seeking simplicity in employee scheduling and shift management. It’s one of the best free employee scheduling apps for small businesses and startups.

Key features

1. Intuitive interface: Inch provides an easy-to-use interface for creating and managing employee schedules.
2. Shift templates: Save time by creating reusable shift templates for common scheduling patterns.
3. Shift swaps: Employees can request shift swaps and managers can approve them, ensuring flexible scheduling.
4. Availability tracking: Monitor employee availability and preferences to create conflict-free schedules.
5. Time-off requests: Handle time-off requests and approvals within the app, reducing administrative tasks.

Pricing

Inch offers a free plan with essential scheduling features. For businesses requiring more advanced capabilities or additional users, they offer competitively priced paid plans.

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ABC Roster

ABC Roster is a free scheduling app that specializes in employee shift scheduling for small businesses. It offers a range of features to streamline scheduling processes.

Key features

1. Shift planning: Create employee schedules based on availability, skills, and labor requirements.
2. Shift rotation: Easily set up shift rotations and patterns to cover all shifts efficiently.
3. Time-off management: Manage time-off requests and approvals, ensuring proper staffing.
4. Reporting: Access reports to analyze labor costs, scheduling efficiency, and compliance.
5. Export options: Export schedules and reports in various formats for easy sharing and integration.

Pricing

ABC Roster is entirely free to use, making it a budget-friendly choice for small businesses.

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Free Employee Scheduling App: Conclusion

Ultimately, the best free employee scheduling software for your business will depend on your specific needs and how well a particular tool aligns with your goals. When doing that, be sure to explore the options listed in the table above and take advantage of free trials or versions to determine which one best suits your organization’s scheduling and workforce management needs.