21 Best Free Employee Shift Scheduling Software Tools (2025 Guide)

When time is money, and teams are mobile, free employee shift scheduling software becomes more than a convenience—it becomes your secret weapon. Whether you’re managing a small cafe, a growing agency, or a retail store across multiple locations, getting schedules right is mission-critical.

In this guide, we break down the best free shift scheduling tools for 2025—so you can ditch spreadsheets, reduce no-shows, and give your team more control over their time. Most importantly, you’ll find zero-cost solutions with features that usually belong to premium plans.

🧪 Evaluation Criteria for Top Free Shift Scheduling Apps

Before diving into the tools, here’s what we evaluated:

• Ease of use: Clean interfaces with little to no training required.
• Mobile access: Apps that work on-the-go for managers and employees.
• Time tracking: Clock-in/out, geolocation, and real-time availability.
• Shift flexibility: Swap, bid, or pick-up shifts easily.
• Integrations: HR, payroll, Slack, Zapier—you name it.
• Scalability: Whether you’re 5 or 500 employees strong.

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📊 Best Free Employee Shift Scheduling Software (Quick Compare)

Tool	Free trial	Standout feature	Pricing
Shifts	Yes	Intuitive interface & easy scheduling	Free
Homebase	No	Automatic shift reminders	Free plan available
Connecteam	Yes	GPS tracking	Free trial only
Sling	Yes	Shift swapping	Free plan available
Acuity	No	Customizable booking pages	Free trial only
Findmyshift	No	Drag-and-drop scheduler	Free
OnTheClock	Yes	Overtime management	Free plan available
Inch	Yes	Shift templates	Free plan available
ABC Roster	No	Shift rotation	Free
TeamUltim	No	Shift scheduling	FFree plan available
ZoomShift	Yes	Mobile clock-in/out	Free trial only

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11 Best Free Employee Shift Scheduling Software

🥇 Shifts by Everhour – Best Overall for Simplicity & Reliability

If you’re looking for a no-fuss, plug-and-play scheduler, Shifts by Everhour delivers. It combines availability tracking, mobile punch-ins, and open shift management into one clean dashboard.

Key features

• Intuitive interface: Effortlessly create, edit, and distribute schedules with Shifts’ sleek and user-friendly interface.
• Real-time updates: Stay informed of schedule changes instantly with real-time updates and notifications.
• Mobile clock-in/out: Enhance flexibility and accuracy in attendance tracking with convenient mobile clock-in and out capabilities.

• Open shifts: Promote transparency and flexibility by managing open shifts and allowing employees to view and request available shifts.
• Reporting and analytics: Gain valuable insights into labor costs, employee performance, and scheduling efficiency through Shifts’ comprehensive reporting and analytics features.
• Attendance tracking: Monitor employee attendance and hours worked with ease using Shifts’ robust tracking functionalities.

Pricing

✅ Pricing: 100% Free

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Homebase

best for scheduling with GPS tracking

From auto-reminders to shift feedback, Homebase makes hourly team scheduling painless. Great for restaurants, retail, and local businesses.

Key features

• Flexible shift creation: Effortlessly create, assign, and manage shifts to match your business’s unique requirements.
• Availability tracking: Allow employees to update their availability, enabling managers to schedule shifts that align with individual preferences and constraints.
• Shift reminders: Reduce absenteeism and late arrivals with automatic shift reminders sent directly to employees.
• Time off requests: Streamline the time-off request and approval process by allowing employees to request time off directly through the app.
• Shift swaps: Empower employees to initiate shift swaps with their colleagues, reducing managerial workload and ensuring adequate shift coverage.

Pricing

✅ Free Plan for 1 location
💵 Paid from $20/location

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Connecteam

best for mobile workforce management

If your team is mostly mobile or remote, Connecteam offers a GPS-powered employee app that does more than just scheduling.

Key features

• Communication hub: Centrally manage team communication with group chats, announcements, and feedback forms, fostering seamless interaction and collaboration.
• Task and project management: Organize and prioritize assignments efficiently with task lists, checklists, and project timelines, empowering teams to excel in task and project management.
• Mobile workforce management: Cater to remote or field employees with mobile clock-in/out, location tracking, and scheduling flexibility, ensuring effective management of your mobile workforce.
• Training and knowledge base: Create and deliver training materials to your team, and build a knowledge base for skill development and resource access, enhancing employee growth and development.

Pricing

If your team is mostly mobile or remote, Connecteam offers a GPS-powered employee app that does more than just scheduling.

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Sling

best for big group scheduling

Sling shines when it comes to shift flexibility—swap requests, reminders, and labor cost monitoring make it a powerful free tool.

Key features

• Shift planning: Effortlessly create, edit, and manage shifts to set up regular schedules or customize shifts to meet specific business needs.
• Shift notifications: Reduce absenteeism and ensure punctuality with automatic shift notifications sent to employees, keeping everyone informed and on track.
• Time clock functionality: Accurately track employee hours with built-in time clock features, supporting clock-in and clock-out capabilities for seamless attendance tracking.
• Time off requests: Streamline the time off request and approval process with the ability for employees to submit requests directly through the app.
• Labor cost monitoring: Gain valuable insights into labor costs with Sling’s reporting and analytics tools, helping you effectively manage labor expenses.

Pricing

• Free Plan
• Premium Plan: $1.25 per user per month
• Business Plan: $3.40 per user per month

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Acuity Scheduling

best for customizable booking pages and automated reminders, for businesses offering appointment-based services

Acuity Scheduling is a solution for appointment scheduling, designed to simplify the booking process and enhance client engagement. With its intuitive platform and robust features, Acuity Scheduling empowers businesses to streamline their scheduling operations and provide a seamless experience for clients.

Key features

• Customizable booking pages: Tailor your booking pages to create a branded experience for clients. The user-friendly platform ensures a seamless booking process, reinforcing your business identity.
• Automated reminders: Reduce no-shows with email and SMS reminders that keep clients informed about upcoming appointments, enhancing client engagement.
• Time zone auto-adjustment: Simplify scheduling for a global clientele with auto-adjustment for different time zones.
• Video conferencing integrations: Effortlessly join online appointments with seamless integrations with popular video conferencing software.
• Payment integrations: Streamline the financial aspect of your services with integrations with Stripe, Square, and PayPal. Acuity Scheduling allows businesses to accept payments when customers book appointments, ensuring a seamless transaction process.

Pricing

• Emerging: $16 per month
• Growing: $27 per month
• Powerhouse: $49 per month

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Findmyshift

best for drag-and-drop scheduling

Findmyshift presents a holistic solution for businesses in search of flexible and efficient employee scheduling. With an array of features aimed at streamlining scheduling processes and improving workforce management, Findmyshift stands out as an ideal option for businesses of any size.

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 with essential features for 5 team members and 1 manager

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OnTheClock

best for overtime management

OnTheClock delivers a robust solution for both time tracking and employee scheduling, serving as a comprehensive toolset to optimize workforce management. With its suite of essential features, OnTheClock oversees employee schedules and tracks their time accurately. From managing shifts to monitoring attendance, OnTheClock equips businesses with the necessary tools to enhance operational efficiency and productivity.

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 for 1-2 employees

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Inch

best for simplifying shift scheduling for businesses of all sizes

Inch presents an intuitive employee scheduling software solution crafted to streamline workforce management and simplify scheduling procedures. From creating and managing employee schedules to facilitating shift swaps and managing time-off requests, Inch provides a comprehensive solution to meet the diverse needs of modern businesses.

Key features

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

Pricing

Free plan with essential scheduling features

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ABC Roster

best for intuitive scheduling

ABC Roster is free employee scheduling software for small business that can greatly help your business if you look for simplicity and no learning curve with functionality intact.

Key features

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

Pricing

Free

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TeamUltim

best for streamlining shift scheduling and human resources management for businesses of all sizes

TeamUltim simplifies workforce organization and enhances scheduling procedures, catering to the varying needs of businesses across different industries. From creating and managing employee schedules to facilitating leave management and centralizing employee information, TeamUltim offers a comprehensive solution to elevate workforce management efficiency.

Key features

• Shift scheduling: effortlessly create and manage employee schedules, taking into account availability and shift preferences.
• Leave management: simplify time-off requests and approvals, effectively managing vacations, sick days, and other leave types.
• Employee database: maintain a centralized database of employee information, facilitating HR management tasks.
• Notifications and reminders: send automated notifications and reminders to employees for shifts and time-off requests, ensuring timely communication.
• Reporting and analytics: access detailed reports and analytics to gain valuable insights into workforce performance and scheduling efficiency.

Pricing

Free plan with essential features only

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ZoomShift

best for restaurant scheduling

While ZoomShift is particularly adept at meeting the unique demands of the restaurant industry, its versatility extends far beyond this sector, catering to the scheduling needs of various businesses across different industries.

Key features

• Scheduling: Effortlessly create, edit, and assign shifts using ZoomShift’s intuitive scheduling tools.
• Mobile clock-in/out: Enable employees to conveniently clock in and out using the mobile app, ideal for remote or field workers.
• Communication: Foster collaboration among team members with built-in communication features for messaging and shift swapping.
• Reporting and analytics: Gain valuable insights into labor costs and workforce performance with ZoomShift’s reporting and analytics tools.

Pricing

Free trial or demo for users to evaluate the platform. Pricing starts at $2 per active team member per month

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10 More Scheduling Software Options

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💡 Why Use Free Employee Shift Scheduling Tools?

• 💰 Cost-effective: Ideal for startups and small businesses
• ⚙️ Automation: Cut manual spreadsheet errors
• 📲 Engagement: Let staff self-manage availability & swaps
• 🛡️ Compliance: Built-in legal safeguards
• 📈 Scalability: Grow from 5 to 500+ employees with no new systems

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❓ FAQs: Free Shift Scheduling Tools

Can I use these tools with my payroll system?

Yes—most tools offer integrations with QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, and more.

Do employees need to download an app?

Not always, but mobile apps improve communication and attendance tracking.

Are there hidden costs in “free” plans?

Some tools limit features, locations, or users. Always check the fine print.

Is Shifts by Everhour really free?

Yes! The core shift management features are free for teams of all sizes.

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🧭 Final Thoughts: Which Free Shift Scheduling Software Should You Use?

If you’re looking for clean design, robust scheduling, and reliable tracking—Shifts by Everhour is your best bet. It’s fully functional, easy to use, and built for growing teams.

But the best free shift scheduler depends on your industry and needs: