The 9 Best Work Schedule Apps of 2023

The 9 Best Work Schedule Apps of 2023

1. Connecteam — Best all-in-one work scheduling app

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   Start for free

   Connecteam is the best app for creating work schedules on the go and provides all the tools you need to create and manage schedules with complete ease and efficiency. Aside from top-notch customer support, Connecteam offers an intuitive user experience and a highly customizable platform.

   Let’s take a look at how Connecteam can help your business simplify the scheduling process:

   Intuitive drag-and-drop shift scheduler 

   Connecteam operation system offers an intuitive drag-and-drop scheduling tool so you can simply drag employees’ names to the scheduler. You can also assign shifts and jobs based on employee location, qualifications, preferences, and availability.

   The app also comes with scheduling templates to make the process even easier. Use Connecteam’s premade work scheduling templates or customize your own to fit your needs. You can also create and automatically assign recurring shifts.

   Connecteam also comes with a job conflict alert system that flags scheduling errors in real-time. This prevents you from accidentally double scheduling, assigning unqualified employees to shifts, or scheduling employees who are taking time off. 

   Once you publish the schedule, the app even integrates with Google Calendar so your employees can transfer their shifts right from the app into their personal calendars and never miss a shift again.

   

   GPS time clock and geofencing tools for better oversight

   Connecteam’s GPS-enabled time clock lets employees clock in and clock out directly from their mobile phones right from their job sites. With Connecteam’s real-time location tracking feature, you can see where your employees are in real time. That way, you can be sure no one is getting paid while they aren’t on the job.

   In addition, geofencing functions let you draw digital borders around job sites to restrict clocking in and out to particular areas. If someone strays outside the borders of the geofence, both you and them will receive a notification.

   But rest assured: Connecteam never records employees’ locations when they’re clocked out.

   Shift swapping for seamless coverage

   With Connecteam’s work schedule app, employees can trade jobs with manager approval. You can approve or deny shift swaps directly from the app with just one click.

   If you approve a shift swap, the app will automatically update the schedule and send push notifications to anyone whose job details have changed.

   Chat features to communicate with your team 

   Connecteam’s chat feature makes team communication simple. That way, no matter where your employees are, they can quickly and easily ask and answer questions about jobs and tasks, and even share files and snap photos to share. 

   

   Add tasks, forms, checklists, and descriptions to jobs

   When creating schedules, you can include shift-specific details like tasks, forms, checklists, and descriptions that employees will be able to see as soon as they clock in for their shifts.

   That way, employees understand exactly what’s expected of them during their shifts you can check in with their progress throughout the day.

   Request or approve PTO with a single click

   Connecteam’s PTO management tool allows you to view leave requests and PTO allowances right from the app. Keep track of your team’s approved and requested time off, keep an eye on how much time off you’re spending, and ensure you’re properly staffed when employees are away.

   Your team can easily request time off through the mobile app, too. Your employee’s PTO will automatically be added to your scheduling dashboard so you don’t accidentally schedule them for a shift during that time.

   These features ensure compliance with labor laws and help everyone maintain a healthy work-life balance.

   Easily manage employee breaks and overtime

   Connecteam automatically alerts employees when they need to take a break. You can also set the app to automatically notify you when an employee approaches overtime. 

   This way, you can more easily manage overtime pay, reduce the amount you spend on payroll, and ensure that you comply with labor laws.

   Integrations with popular payroll solutions

   Connecteam’s work scheduling app directly integrates with Gusto, QuickBooks Online, Paychex and Xero for seamless payroll. Connecteam also offers tools to automatically create employee timesheets. It eliminates the need for you to manually enter your employees’ hours into payroll software by recording them on their timesheets automatically.

   Detailed reports, smart notifications, document storage, and so much more!

   With Connecteam, you can generate detailed, customizable reports on any business-related processes, like payroll spending, training completion rates, and employee attendance.

   Additionally, Connecteam has powerful HR tools to manage employee recognition, training and learning, employee milestones, and documents. Maintain records of your employees’ training, qualifications, and licensing expiration dates, as well.
   Teams of up to 10 people can get Connecteam’s free version for life, and the platform’s paid plan starts at just $29/month for up to 30 users.

   I had people that we would just schedule for work and hope and pray that they show up. And now, we have an average of a 90-95% attendance rate.

   Cristen Gros
   VP of Special Projects

   

   Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Join Connecteam!

   Key Features

   • GPS-enabled time clock and geofencing

   • Drag-and-drop job scheduler

   • Complete PTO management

   • Automated timesheets and shift reminders

   • Job-specific task managment, forms, and checklists

   • In-app chat feature

   Pros

   • Add tasks, forms, checklists, and more to jobs

   • Integrates with popular payroll solutions

   • Automatic shift or job scheduling

   • One-click job swapping

   Cons

   • Needs internet or wifi access to work

   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
2. 

   Humanity — Good for companies who want to reduce scheduling mistakes

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Humanity makes it easy to set up and change schedules from any mobile device. The app can generate reports of where your time has gone and predict what you may need from shifts in the future, including how many workers you’ll need for each day and timeframe.

   Using the dashboard, you can message your team and see who’s currently at work and who’s scheduled to work on the next shift. With the scheduling feature, you can view and organize all your shifts for the day, week, next two weeks, or month, by individual employee or role. 

   You can work with schedules in a list view or visual view to see who should be working when. Click on a cell inside the calendar to create a schedule, type in the start and end time and who’s working, and press enter. If there are any conflicts or mistakes in your schedules, an error message appears.

   Learn more about Humanity

   Key Features

   • Dashboard to help employees see when their next shift is, who is on shift, and more
   • In-app communication with teams and managers
   • View schedules for a single day, week, two weeks, or a month at a time
   • Easily edit a shift by seeing who’s available to work, who has overlapping shifts, and what roles you’re filling for the shift

   Pros

   • Drag and drop shifts to reschedule or assign to another employee
   • It’s easy to copy shifts and repeat them within your schedule

   Cons

   • Some users have reported it’s difficult to switch shifts on the mobile apps
   • No free version available

   Pricing

   Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No

3. 

   Calendly — Good for companies who want to allow clients to book appointments

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Different organizations have different scheduling needs. For businesses who need to book client appointments or meetings, Calendly is a great option. Simply share your Calendly link through a website or email so employees, clients, and customers can choose a time to meet that works for them. The app does automatic time zone calculations, so you always know when your meetings are.

   Both you and customers can get reminders about upcoming appointments. You can glance over your open times and upcoming appointments, too. You can even include meeting details, such as an agenda, to keep everyone on the same page.

   Learn more about Calendly

   Key Features

   • Schedule when you’re available for meetings and when you’re not
   • Clients and prospects can set up meetings without email addresses or lengthy discussions
   • Easily schedule different-length meetings
   • Schedule one-on-one or team meetings

   Pros

   • Integrations with Zoom, Google, Slack, Microsoft, and other common meeting software
   • Available in English, French, German, & Spanish

   Cons

   • Support is only available through chat
   • App does not schedule work shifts

   Pricing

   Starts at $10/user/month Trial: Yes — Yes, 14-day Free Plan: Yes

4. 

   Sling — Good for companies with hourly employees across multiple locations

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Sling combines shift scheduling with easy team messaging, a newsfeed for team-wide and company-wide messages, and a task organizer to manage work duties. Even if you have employees across multiple locations, Sling works to get everyone scheduled easily: just drag and drop shifts around the calendar. If you need to make last-minute changes, it’s easy to do because you can message your team to find out who’s available, and then update the schedule live.

   Sling also lets you easily compare labor costs, scheduled hours, and overtime costs as you schedule. You can generate reports and get alerts for overtime so you can avoid paying extra. You can even schedule multiple locations across different time zones on the same platform.

   Learn more about Sling

   Key Features

   • Get notifications when work tasks are completed
   • Share videos, photos, and notes in-app
   • Get overtime notifications
   • You can provide directions to work locations in the work app

   Pros

   • Review labor costs of your schedule before you finalize shifts
   • Geofencing feature to make sure workers are where they need to be

   Cons

   • Mobile time tracking and calendar synchronization only available with Premium version
   • Limited customization

   Pricing

   Starts at $1.70/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes

5. 

   WorkTime — Good for organizations who want to monitor remote employees
   

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   WorkTime lets you set up employees for success while fighting absenteeism. With the app, you can view logins and logouts, idle times, and when workers are on the job. 

   WorkTime monitors employee computer activity, software and internet use, and productivity, so you can make sure employees are on track. WorkTime only monitors the data needed to measure employee productivity, so private messages and private online activity stay safe. The app can also help you identify distractions at work, computers left on after hours, and overtime in your schedules.

   Learn more about WorkTime

   Key Features

   • Monitor employee activity and productivity
   • Monitor software and internet use of remote, deskless, and on-site workers
   • Visual reports show you how much idle time and productive time you have at work
   • Track the number of meetings and time spent on each specific app

   Pros

   • Software use tracking lets you see whether you have underused apps you can cancel
   • HIPPA compliant and no recording of keystrokes or screenshots

   Cons

   • No system for easily setting up shifts
   • No integrations

   Pricing

   Starts at $5.99/month + $5.99/user Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes

6. 

   Shiftboard ScheduleFlex — Good for shift-based workers, especially in manufacturing, corrections, and healthcare

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Shiftboard is a solution for complex industry scheduling, especially for healthcare, corrections, manufacturing, and utilities. The schedule can accommodate job rotations and production line changes. It can also help you schedule emergency response teams, on-call workers, and turnarounds.

   Shiftboard can also help you automate scheduling so it meets the requirements of union agreements and internal procedures. For example, you can make sure workers get a specific amount of break time between shifts or specify a minimum number of hours. 

   Workers can use their mobile devices to pick up or trade shifts, volunteer to take work shifts, request time off, or turn down scheduled shifts. If you need to schedule overtime, the app makes sure you can do so fairly, based on seniority, overtime already worked, job role, and employees’ history of refusing shifts.

   Learn more about Shiftboard ScheduleFlex

   Key Features

   • Monitor employee preferences for work so you can create schedules workers want
   • Overview of schedules lets you spot staffing and scheduling gaps
   • Schedule contingent or temp staff by allowing them to bid on or volunteer for shifts
   • In-app list of available workers is available as you schedule

   Pros

   • Automated calls, texts, or mobile notifications let workers know when shifts have been changed or are available
   • Ability to split shifts

   Cons

   • Implementation fees are charged
   • The company does not list its subscription costs

   Pricing

   Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No

7. 

   Google Calendar — Good for organizations looking for a simple, flexible way to schedule

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   Google Calendar is available to any workplace or individual with Gmail. While it’s free to use, businesses can choose a paid Google Workspace account, which comes with more collaboration and productivity tools. 

   Google Calendar lets you view schedules by the day, week, or month. You can see all your workers’ availability and appointments on one calendar.

   Google Calendar automatically sends reminders when workers have meetings or upcoming tasks. The calendar also syncs with personal calendars, so you can see when workers aren’t available before you schedule any shifts.

   Scheduling is as simple as clicking a square on the calendar and filling in the details of the shift or meeting with workers, durations, and details. An email will sent to workers, letting them know they have been invited to a shift or meeting. They can respond to let you know they will be there.

   Learn more about Google Calendar

   Key Features

   • Integrations with Outlook, Apple Calendar, Office 365, Google Workspace, Facebook, Twitter, and Calendly
   • Create shared calendars so teams can see what others are doing and when colleagues are available
   • Choose calendars that show national holidays
   • Include notes with Google Calendar invitations, including meeting agendas and links to video conference meeting rooms

   Pros

   • Available in 41 languages
   • Used globally, so most internet users are familiar with Google products

   Cons

   • Lacks the features of many other scheduling programs, such as labor cost management
   • Employees may double-book themselves if they don’t sync their personal Google calendar with their work calendar

   Pricing

   Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: Yes

8. 

   ZoomShift — Good for small and medium-sized companies

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   ZoomShift is designed to make it simple to set up schedules and make changes fast. You can copy shifts and schedules easily, and if someone calls out sick or you need a replacement, you don’t have to contact employees. You can send out a notification of an open shift and empower employees to claim it.

   When you create a schedule in ZoomShift, the top of the web page automatically shows you the labor cost and hours worked. This way, you can see how moving team members around affects your budget. 

   When you’re ready to share your schedule, you can send it to everyone who’s working with one click. Employees can send messages or request time off right in the app.

   Learn more about ZoomShift

   Key Features

   • Schedule templates let you set up repeating shifts
   • Drag and drop shifts into place on a calendar to quickly set up a schedule
   • Send schedule updates through push notifications, text, or email
   • Workers are automatically reminded before their shifts start

   Pros

   • View calendar daily, weekly, or monthly
   • See company events, employee availability, time off, and swapped shifts

   Cons

   • Overtime warnings only available in Premium plan
   • Not ideal for freelancers or large companies

   Pricing

   Starts at $2/active team member/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No

9. HotSchedules by Fourth

   HotSchedules by Fourth — Good for restaurant and hospitality businesses

   Available on

   • Web
   • iOS
   • Android

   

   For busy restaurants that need a lot of flexibility, Fourth lets managers easily review and manage shifts. If there is a sudden need for more workers, the app lets owners send out an SOS emergency notice so available workers can come in.

   Fourth can manage multiple restaurant locations and set up schedules that focus on the breakfast, lunch, or dinner rush. Forecasting features let managers predict what staff will be needed and when. For example, if past data shows that bartenders are most needed Saturdays at 7 PM, managers can see this report and choose to schedule accordingly, such as scheduling more bartenders at this time.

   Learn more about HotSchedules by Fourth

   Key Features

   • Analytics dashboards after every shift evaluate labor costs
   • Rotas update automatically once a schedule is updated
   • Shifts can be approved with one click
   • Template schedules to make scheduling faster

   Pros

   • HotSchedules feature prompts managers to ensure they comply with local and state labor laws, such as mandatory breaks
   • Minor workers feature ensures minors aren’t shown shifts available during school hours

   Cons

   • Many features may not be relevant outside the restaurant industry
   • No pricing available on the website

   Pricing

   Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No