Free employee scheduling software helps you plan, publish, and manage your team’s schedules without any cost. In this guide, we cover the top 7 free employee scheduling software for 2023.
Without an easy, reliable employee scheduling solution, it can be difficult to manage last-minute schedule changes, monitor workers’ paid time off (PTO) requests, and communicate effectively with in-field staff. Fortunately, employee scheduling software can help with this and more.
These digital tools make it simple to organize employee shifts, keep track of changing schedules, and manage multiple work sites. They can also reduce time entry errors with built-in time clocks and improve employee communication with built-in chat features. Some tools even offer automatic shift scheduling and one-click shift swapping to support your team in managing their schedules.
Below, we round up the top 7 free employee scheduling apps for 2023 and explain how to pick the right option for your business.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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The best software solution for businesses to revolutionize your employee scheduling process
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Good for managing payroll spend
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Good for streamlining communication
What to Look For in Free Employee Scheduling Software
Here are some key features you should look for when selecting an employee scheduling software solution.
- Drag-and-drop scheduling can take planning from hours to minutes. You can easily plan upcoming shifts or rearrange whole schedules.
- Shift templates for common schedules and recurring shifts. Some software, like Connecteam, allows you to save your employees’ regular working patterns and can automatically alert you of scheduling conflicts.
- Shift swapping makes it easy for employees to trade shifts and get coverage for hours they can’t work. Your team can also assign themselves an open shift with one click, and managers can then approve them.
- Time off management features so you can track and manage your employees’ PTO and absence requests. You can approve employees’ PTO from anywhere, track employee absence levels, and ensure you’re fully staffed.
- Easy-to-use mobile app lets your team manage their schedule from anywhere, at any time.
- Chat features give your team an easy way to ask questions about tasks or projects, see important company updates, and more.
- Manager approvals allow you to accept or reject shift adjustments to maintain staffing levels.
- Advanced notifications and alerts will notify you when employees work overtime, clock in, request PTO, and more.
- GPS time clock with geofencing lets you check where your employees are clocking in and when.
- Reporting and analytics give you insights into the performance of your business, enabling you to make data-driven decisions to drive revenue.
- Payroll integrations allow you to easily export employee timesheets to your payroll provider for a simplified process.
- Integrations with compliance and human resources (HR) software ensure you’re meeting your businesses’ legal obligations, help you keep up with employee training, and streamline your HR processes.
The 7 Best Free Employee Scheduling Softwares of 2023
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one scheduling software
Connecteam is the best all-in-one free employee scheduling software —and a whole lot more.
With features for everything from team communication to human resource management and project management, Connecteam is the most comprehensive work management tool available today.
Let’s take a closer look at some of Connecteam’s features.
Drag-and-drop shift scheduler for quick and easy scheduling
Connecteam offers an intuitive drag-and-drop scheduling tool. Simply create shifts, then drag employees’ names to them.
Connecteam’s automatic shift scheduling and schedule templates further speed up planning. You can use pre-designed scheduling templates or create customizable shift templates based on days, weeks, projects, and more. You can also create and automatically assign recurring shifts.
With the automatic shift scheduler, you can automatically assign shifts based on employee qualifications, preferences, and availability.
Additionally, Connecteam has automatic conflict checkers to alert you of any overlaps between an employee’s PTO and scheduled shifts. This will allow you to manage labor costs by ensuring no shifts are duplicated and no shifts are overstaffed.
Did You Know?Connecteam integrates with Google Calendar so your employees can transfer their shifts right from the app into their personal calendars.
Shift swapping for seamless coverage
Connecteam allows your employees to trade shifts easily. They can request shift swaps right from within the Connecteam app, and you can approve or deny them with just a click.
After you approve a request, Connecteam will automatically update the schedule and send push notifications to anyone whose hours or days have changed.
Add tasks, forms, checklists, and descriptions to shifts
Connecteam allows you to add tasks, forms, checklists, and descriptions to employees’ shifts. This will help your employees understand exactly what’s expected of them. It also gives a full overview of your employees’ progress, which you can check throughout the day.
Using Connecteam’s mobile app, you can update employees’ tasks, forms, and checklists from anywhere. The cloud-based backup will update employees’ instructions in real time.
In-app chat to communicate with your team in real time
Connecteam’s in-app chat feature allows you to chat with your team in real time, from anywhere.
You can quickly and easily ask and answer questions, chat about tasks and projects, and even share files and snap photos to share.
Easily manage employee breaks and overtime
This free employee scheduling app will automatically notify employees when they need to take a break. You can also set the app to automatically notify you when an employee approaches overtime.
These tools lower the risk of non-compliance and help you reduce payroll spend by managing overtime payments.
Request or approve PTO with a single click
Connecteam’s built-in PTO management tools allow you to view PTO allowance and leave requests right from within the app. You can see your team’s time off, ensure you’re properly staffed when employees are away, and keep track of how much you’re spending on PTO.
Your team can easily request time off through the mobile app, too. Once you approve a request, Connecteam will automatically input PTO into your employee’s schedule.
These features help ensure you remain compliant with labor laws and promote a healthy work-life balance for your team.
Integrations with popular payroll solutions
Connecteam’s employee scheduling software directly integrates with Gusto and QuickBooks Online for seamless payroll.
You can also quickly and easily export employee hours and data from Connecteam into another payroll solution, then import data back into Connecteam for easy tracking and reporting.
Additionally, Connecteam offers tools to help automatically create employee timesheets. Your employees’ clock-ins are automatically recorded on their timesheets, which can be easily inputted into your preferred payroll solution.
GPS time clock and geofencing tools for better oversight
Connecteam’s GPS-enabled time clock lets employees clock in and out from their mobile phones with just one click, from wherever they’re working. Its GPS location tracking software captures your employees’ location when they clock in, and you can use Connecteam’s real-time location tracking feature to see where your workers are while they’re on the clock.
The platform’s geofencing software enables you to draw digital borders around job sites to restrict clock-in and clock-out to that area. You can receive a notification if a team member strays outside the work area and send employees reminders to be inside the geofence when clocking in and out.
Connecteam never records employees’ locations when they’re clocked out.
Detailed reports, smart notifications, HR tools, and so much more!
With Connecteam, you can generate detailed, customizable reports on everything from payroll spend and training completion rates to time spent on projects and employee attendance.
Connecteam also offers different push notifications that can alert you of employee overtime, clock-in times, PTO requests, sick leave and other absences, shift-swapping requests, and more.
Additionally, Connecteam has powerful HR tools to manage employee recognition, training and learning, employee milestones, documents, and more. You can also keep track of your employees’ training records, licensing expiry dates, qualifications, interview documents, and more. Plus, Connecteam integrates with a number of HR and compliance software to create the perfect combination of tools for your business.
Teams of up to 10 people can get Connecteam’s employee scheduling software free for life, and the platform’s paid plan starts at just $29/month for up to 30 users.
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Try Connecteam here!
Key Features
Pros
Add tasks, forms, checklists, and more to shifts
Integrates with popular payroll solutions
Automatic shift scheduling tools
One-click shift swapping
Cons
More payroll integrations to come
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
Sling — Good for controlling payroll spend
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Sling’s free plan offers employee scheduling tools to manage and reduce payroll spend. You can send overtime push notifications, track late clock-ins, and use a built-in conflict checker to monitor double-booked shifts.
Sling also has a tool that allows employees to sign up for available overtime shifts. You can let employees pick the shifts on a first-come, first-served basis, or approve the applicants yourself.
While Sling offers many features to streamline shift scheduling, some reviews state that notifications for schedule changes or updates are inconsistent and “did not work as reliably as wished for.”
Learn more about SlingKey Features
- Mobile app
- Shift scheduling
- Customizable shift templates
- Push notifications
Pros
- Overtime allocation tool
- Built-in conflict checker
Cons
- Reports of inconsistent notifications
- Limited reporting capabilities
Pricing
Starts at $1.70/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Homebase — Good for streamlining communication
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Homebase offers free scheduling software with a focus on employee communication. You can let employees know about schedule changes by sending push notifications or using the in-app chat or announcements feature. Additionally, Homebase’s cloud-based storage features update schedules in real-time.
You can also send individual or team shoutouts to employees, which can help support team culture and boost employee engagement.
Learn more about HomebaseKey Features
- Announcement feature
- In-app chat
- Shout-out feature
- Mobile app
Pros
- Real-time scheduling updates
- POS and payroll integrations
Cons
- No data and analytics features
- No video conferencing tools
Pricing
Starts at $20/location/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — For a single location
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7shifts — Good for restaurant and bar management
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
7Shifts has been designed with restaurant and bar managers in mind. The platform has drag-and-drop shift scheduling features and a time-clocking app employees can use on their mobile devices. 7Shifts also offers geofencing software that sends manager notifications to managers if employees leave the geofence.
Employees enter their punch ID (their unique passcode) when clocking in. Your team can edit punches and input break times to ensure they’re paid correctly for worked hours.
Learn more about 7shiftsKey Features
- Geofencing software
- Shift scheduling
- Individual employee punch-in codes
- Mobile app
Pros
- Integrated hiring and training tools
- Integrated employee engagement tools
Cons
- Free plan offers limited capabilities
- No dedicated support hotline
Pricing
Starts at $29.99/month/location, up to 30 employees Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — Up to 1 location and 15 employees
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Wrike — Good for scalability
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Wrike is a great option with a free plan that offers a customizable solution for businesses of all sizes. Wrike makes it easy to automatically log work hours, create and lock timesheets, create tasks, and manage projects. You can update project timelines with a drag-and-drop editor and collaborate with your entire team, allowing you to provide complete oversight of every project.
It also comes with built-in communication and messaging tools so you can stay in contact with your staff at all times, no matter where they are.
Learn more about WrikeKey Features
- Shared team calendars
- Absence request forms
- Schedule templates
- Automated scheduling
- Real-time chat
- Employee database
Pros
- Ideal for team collaboration
- Easy to use
Cons
- User interface is unattractive
- Poor customer support
Pricing
Starts at $9.80/user/month, for 2-25 users Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes
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Timecamp — Good for automatic time tracking
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Timecamp is an easy-to-use, automatic employee scheduling software that offers a great free plan. This time tracking tool has a desktop and mobile version that allow you to easily track projects and tasks to better manage your team’s work hours. Hours are logged seamlessly and efficiently, eliminating the need for manual input.
In addition to the time clock, TimeCamp comes with productivity-tracking tools, timesheets, invoicing capabilities, and a time clock kiosk. It helps teams work more collaboratively, saving time so they make less mistakes.
Learn more about TimecampKey Features
- Time tracker
- Productivity tracking
- Kanban boards
- Attendance tracking and time clock
Pros
- Easy to implement and use
- Lots of integrations
Cons
- No drag-and-drop employees scheduler
- Users report that the interface can be slow
Pricing
Starts at $6.99/user/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes
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findmyshift — Good for task management for deskless employees
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
FindMyShift offers free employee scheduling software for businesses with up to 5 employees and 1 manager. The app has the look and feel of an Excel spreadsheet with the addition of a drag and drop scheduling options, too. In addition to scheduling, you can track time and attendance, manage payroll and labor cost with real-time data, set custom reminders and notifications, and manage all things PTO.
Learn more about findmyshiftKey Features
- Employee scheduler
- Time-off management
- Reporting and analytics
- Time and attendance tracking
Pros
- Easy to navigate
- Accessible to everyone from mobile devices or desktop
Cons
- Templates can be difficult to customize
- Difficult to set up
Pricing
Starts at $25/team/month, for 20 team members Trial: Yes — 3-month Free Plan: Yes — for up to 5 team members
Compare the Best Free Employee Scheduling Softwares
| Topic |
Start for free
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $1.70/user/month
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Starts at $20/location/month
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Starts at $29.99/month/location, up to 30 employees
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Starts at $9.80/user/month, for 2-25 users
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Starts at $6.99/user/month
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Starts at $25/team/month, for 20 team members
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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yes
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yes
14-day
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yes
14-day
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yes
14-day
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yes
14-day
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yes
3-month
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| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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yes
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yes
For a single location
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yes
Up to 1 location and 15 employees
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yes
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yes
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yes
for up to 5 team members
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What is Free Employee Scheduling Software?
Free employee scheduling software allows businesses to create and publish employee schedules, manage time off and employee attendance, and track working hours.
These apps usually include built-in time clocks and an in-app chat so you can easily communicate with your team. Some have automatic checkers that flag scheduling conflicts, automated shift scheduling, and the ability to save favorite or recurring shift patterns.
Typically, this software is available on mobile and desktop devices, so you can access them no matter where you are. They are also usually cloud-based to allow for real-time syncing. This is especially beneficial for managers of teams who work across multiple job sites and don’t have regular access to computers.
How Does Free Employee Scheduling Software Work?
Free shift scheduling software solutions are typically available through web browsers, a web app, or a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. They allow managers to easily create, publish, and oversee employees’ work schedules and typically have tools to help communicate these changes to the team.
Using this software, employees can access their schedule from anywhere, clock in and out on their mobile devices, request time off and take open shifts, and more.
In addition to streamlined shift scheduling, employee scheduling software often provides features like:
- PTO request management allows employees to manage their work-life balance and ensures businesses remain compliant. Managers can quickly review, approve, or deny requests. If approved, PTO dates can be automatically added to an employee’s timesheet.
- A mobile app so your employees can manage their workdays from anywhere.
- A GPS-enabled time clock to record employees’ locations when they start their shifts, prevent employees from forgetting to clock in or out, and reduce time theft and payroll errors.
- Automated timesheets to export to your payroll provider. This reduces the time required to process payroll and streamlines business operations.
- An in-app chat to help you keep in contact with your employees.
The Benefits of Free Employee Scheduling Software
Cost savings
It eliminates the need to invest in upfront scheduling tools because the software is free to use. This is especially beneficial for small businesses and startups with limited budgets.
Time efficiency
Free scheduling software streamlines the scheduling process by automating shift assignments, availability tracking, and handling shift swaps or time-off requests. This frees up managers’ time to focus on more strategic aspects of their roles.
Accuracy and reduction of errors
Manual scheduling can lead to errors like double bookings. With software, shifts are assigned accurately, and automated notifications help avoid scheduling conflicts.
Improved employee satisfaction
Employees can access their schedules online and often through mobile apps. This allows them to view their shifts, request time off, and even swap shifts with colleagues, enhancing their work-life balance and satisfaction.
Real-time updates
Changes to schedules, whether due to unexpected absences or adjustments, can be communicated in real-time through the free scheduling software. This ensures that employees are always aware of the latest schedule information.
Visibility and transparency
Managers and employees can easily view schedules and upcoming shifts. This transparency fosters better communication and coordination among team members.
Compliance and labor regulations
The software helps businesses ensure they remain compliant with scheduling-related laws.
Data insights
Some software offers reporting and analytics features, allowing businesses to track employee hours, monitor labor costs, and identify trends in scheduling preferences.
Flexibility and adaptability
Free scheduling software can often be customized to suit the specific needs of different industries and businesses. This flexibility ensures that the software aligns with the unique requirements of each organization.
How Much Does Employee Scheduling Software Cost?
Prices vary, but usually, employee scheduling software is charged per employee, per month. However, some tools may charge per location or for a set number of employees, such as $80 per month for 10 employees.
Each solution included in this article offers a completely free option. However, some platforms have limited features in their free version. It’s important to research each app’s features before committing.
Connecteam offers powerful features in every plan. It’s the most versatile employee scheduling software, free of cost for businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Connecteam’s paid plan starts at just $29 per month for up to 30 users, plus only $0.50 for each additional user.
FAQs
What is the best free software to make a schedule?
Connecteam is the best free scheduling software and all-in-one work management solution. The platform offers HR management features, PTO tracking features, and automatic shift scheduling tools. It also has one-click clock-in and clock-out, absence management tools, streamlined payroll processing, and much more.
Is there a free app for scheduling employees?
Connecteam is completely free for life for businesses with up to 10 employees. Unlike other shift scheduling software, Connecteam offers its full range of tools and features in its free version.
Can you make an employee schedule in Excel?
Yes, you can. However, making an employee schedule in Excel requires a lot of time and effort. Plus, it’s difficult to maintain. It’s better to choose specialist software, such as Connecteam, that takes the hassle out of scheduling.
The Bottom Line On Free Employee Scheduling Software
Free employee scheduling software reduces the amount of time and effort it takes to plan your team’s schedules. With tools like automatic shift scheduling and shift trading, overtime notifications, drag-and-drop shift scheduling tools, in-app PTO and absence approval, you can manage your employees’ schedules from anywhere, ensure compliance, and help support a healthy work-life balance for your team.
Many platforms exist, but Connecteam is the top free employee scheduling software and the best all-in-one solution. It offers automatic and drag-and-drop shift scheduling, human resources management features, and so much more.