Crew scheduling software allows you to create optimal crew schedules with just the click of a button. Check out my top picks of crew scheduling apps to find your perfect fit for your business.
Making an efficient and equally distributed work schedule – while trying to understand each crew member’s availability, juggling PTO requests, finding last-minute shift replacements, and solving scheduling conflicts – can be overwhelming, to say the least. Especially if you’re still relying on pen and paper or spreadsheets to get the job done.
Luckily, crew scheduling apps give you all the tools you need to create optimal crew schedules with complete ease and efficiency. And to make finding one that best suits your needs and budget just as simple, I’ve done the research for you and lined up the best crew scheduling apps on the market today.
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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Best all-in-one crew scheduling software solution
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Good for scheduling compliance management
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Good for group scheduling
How I Chose the Best Crew Scheduling Apps
Here’s what I looked for to narrow down my top picks of crew scheduling software:
Important core features
- Simple schedule creation: You should be able to easily create crew schedules according to your employees’ availability, and repeat existing shifts and schedules.
- Availability: Your employees should be able to submit their availability and time-off requests, and request shift trades and covers.
- Manage qualifications: You should be able to enter your crew members’ qualifications and only schedule them for jobs that they are qualified for.
- Employee time clock: The best scheduling apps include an employee time clock that employees can use to clock in and out of their shifts right from their mobile devices.
I looked for usability features, like:
- Ease of use: It should be easy to set up and offers an intuitive user experience.
- Customizability: The software should be customizable to suit your team structures and business needs.
- Price: The cost should be affordable and not break the bank.
I checked for other core product features, including:
- Notifications: The software ideally should come with multiple automatic notification options, such as notifying your team when a new schedule is published or when it’s time for them to enter their availability.
- Error highlights: It highlights mistakes in the schedule, such as shift overlaps.
- Integration options: It integrates with your other related software, such as time clock apps or payroll software, or includes these capabilities.
The 9 Best Crew Scheduling Apps of 2023
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one crew scheduling software solution
At the very top of my list is Connecteam’s all-in-one crew scheduling app.
Why I chose Connecteam: Connecteam comes with everything you need to easily create, manage, and share optimal crew schedules, even while on the go.
Let’s look at Connecteam’s key scheduling features and how they can optimize your day-to-day.
Time-saving scheduling tools
Aside from creating single or multiple shifts in the employee scheduler, you can save time by simply copying or duplicating existing ones, setting shifts as recurring, and using custom templates that can be dragged and dropped right into your shift calendar view.
Assign shifts or jobs based on each crew member’s registered qualifications and submitted availability. You can also allow self-service shift replacements and publish open shifts for eligible users to claim.
This all saves you valuable time, effort, and lots of back-and-forths.
Error flagging
The crew scheduling app helps avoid costly scheduling mistakes by flagging conflicts and inconsistencies in your schedules. It will highlight when an employee is double-booked or their work hours surpass your set overtime limit.
Shift instructions
Add information or instructions for your employees to each shift, such as location, notes, tasks, and attachments, so that they have all the relevant information at their fingertips. This allows you to eliminate unclarity and unnecessary back-and-forth and streamline your processes.
🧠 Did You Know?
Connecteam integrates with Google Calendar so your employees can input their working shifts directly from the app into their personal calendars.
Advanced notifications
Connecteam’s customizable notifications ensure you and your crew never miss any scheduling updates, changes, or requests. You can, for instance, set instant notifications for when users accept or reject shifts, complete shift tasks, or don’t check in or out from their shift on time. This allows you to stay in the loop and take immediate action when necessary.
Employee time clock
Your staff can clock in and out from shifts using their mobile phones by simply clicking the employee time clock button right at the bottom of each shift. This way, you can track your employees’ work hours as well as the time spent on any specific projects, jobs, or clients, if relevant.
It further works as a real time GPS tracker and allows you to ensure employees are exactly where they need to be while on the clock.
All work hours are automatically recorded onto digital timesheets for payroll, which you can easily review, approve, and export to your payroll software or use one of Connecteam’s payroll integrations.
This May Interest You: Check out my top picks of the best clock in clock out systems for your business.
In-app chat makes team communication easy
Connecteam’s online team chat allows you and your team instantly communicate wherever you are working from. Reach all the right people in private, group, or company-wide chats and ensure your message come across successfully with read-receipts.
And so much more…
In addition to robust scheduling features, Connecteam offers excellent customer service, an intuitive user experience, powerful staff management tools, and full customizability, allowing you to adjust the platform to suit your exact needs.
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Try Connecteam here!
Key Features
Customizable templates
Shift notes & attachments
Overtime notifications
Pros
Intuitive and easy to use
All-in-one solution
Great customer support
Budget-friendly
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
Join Connecteam - The Best Crew Scheduling App
Start Scheduling Now -
Humanity — Good for scheduling compliance management
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Humanity offers automated and predictive scheduling that aims to help management streamline scheduling and save time.
Why i chose Humanity: This software assists in controlling labor costs with overtime alerts, limitation notifications, and insightful data to help you make the best and most cost-effective crew schedules possible. Humanity further provides integrations with several payroll and employee management systems such as Oracle, Workday, Paycor, and QuickBooks.
Learn more about HumanityKey Features
- Alerts and notifications
- Automated scheduling
- Drag & drop scheduler
- Shift swapping
Pros
- Easy to use
- Break and shift swapping has some bugs
Cons
- Expensive for large teams
- Lacks some scheduling formatting options
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Sling — Good for group scheduling
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Sling aims to set businesses up with a simple scheduling tool and stay on top of things every day.
Why I chose Sling: With this crew scheduling app, you can easily create employee schedules, manage PTO and absence requests, see employee availability, and manage shift-swapping requests. Automated notifications alert management to scheduling conflicts or overtime and limitation issues. Sling’s platform integrates with other business management solutions, such as ADP, Gusto, and Shopify, to help streamline your processes.
Learn more about SlingKey Features
- Alerts and notifications
- Employee database
- Shift swapping
- Absence, vacation, sick leave management and tracking
Pros
- Easy scheduling feature
- Easy schedule distribution
Cons
- Messaging cannot be monitored
- Difficult to view PDFs in apps
Pricing
Starts at $1.70/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Wrike — Good for Gantt chart visualization
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Wrike’s crew scheduling app aims to eliminate complexity, boost productivity, and free people up to focus on their most purposeful work.
Why I chose Wrike: With the app, you can easily see when employees are scheduled to work and create customizable working schedules for your whole team accordingly. Employees can set their availability and request vacation days and PTO directly through the app. Wrike integrates with several platforms, including Salesforce, MediaValet, and Gmail.
Learn more about WrikeKey Features
- Automated scheduling
- Calendar management and syncing
- Real-time chat
- Templates
Pros
- Quick and easy to set up
- Clean and easy to use interface
Cons
- Poor customer service
- Extremely expensive
Pricing
Starts at $9.80/user/month, for 2-25 users Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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HotSchedules by Fourth
HotSchedules by Fourth — Good for controlling labor costs
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Fourth’s crew scheduling platform is designed to serve the world’s restaurant and hospitality businesses.
Why I chose Fourth: Fourth aims to help managers save time in creating crew schedules by simplifying the scheduling process. It allows you to stay on top of labor costs, available shifts, open emergency shifts if an employee calls in sick, or even split shifts if available. Employees can directly access scheduling features relevant to them via their mobile devices.
Learn more about HotSchedules by FourthKey Features
- Alerts and notifications
- Time and attendance
- Mobile access
- Trend and problem indicators
Pros
- Easy employee scheduling
- Detailed reporting system
Cons
- Poor customer service
- Steep learning curve
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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findmyshift — Good for drag-and-drop scheduling
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Findmyshift is a scheduling tool that helps managers create crew schedules, manage shift requests, and track labor costs.
Why I chose Findmyshift: This app is meant to feel and look exactly like an excel spreadsheet. With easy-to-use features such as drag and drop and swapping shifts, ensuring every shift is covered is a breeze. Employees can access their schedule, request an absence or PTO, and swap shifts directly from their mobile devices. Findmyshift also integrates with Xero, Slack, Monday, and many more.
Learn more about findmyshiftKey Features
- Alerts and notifications
- Appointment scheduling
- Automated scheduling
- Time, attendance, and sick leave tracking
Pros
- Easy to use and setup
- Customizable views
Cons
- Only mobile access
- Users report that reporting feature is weak
Pricing
Starts at $25/team/month, for 20 team members Trial: Yes — 3-month Free Plan: Yes — for up to 5 team members
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ABC Roster — Good for scheduling constraints management
Available on
ABC Roster is a crew scheduling system designed to help small organizations in the complex task of organizing employee shift schedules quickly.
Why I chose ABC Roster: With it, you can manage every aspect of crew scheduling, from tracking employee availability to handling days off, absence requests, and PTO. You can export schedules to a PDF, Excel spreadsheet, or HTML document. Since the scheduling tool doesn’t offer mobile access, you have the option to share schedules with your crew via email.
Learn more about ABC RosterKey Features
- Automated scheduling
- Absence, sick leave, and PTO tracking
- Exportable schedules
- Schedule sharing via email
Pros
- Easy to use
- Email employee schedules right from the app
Cons
- User interface looks dated
Pricing
Free software solution Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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7shifts — Good for the restaurant industry
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
7SHIFTS is a scheduling app especially designed for restaurant teams.
Why I chose 7SHIFTS: With 7SHIFTS, you can easily create employee schedules by drag-and-dropping shifts in your calendar view or using restaurant-specific templates you can customize to your labor demands. Employees get notified instantly when you add them to a new schedule.
Beyond viewing employee availability, you can manage time off and overtime to help you stay in compliance with overtime and labor laws. Employees always have access to their schedule on-the-go right on their mobile device and employees can manage their schedules directly from the app.
Learn more about 7shiftsKey Features
- Alerts and notifications
- Automated scheduling
- Employee database
- Group scheduling
Pros
- Easy to use
- Great customer service
Cons
- Users report slow loading times
- Users report it's difficult for employees to request time off
Pricing
Starts at $29.99/month/location, up to 30 employees Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — Up to 1 location & 30 employees
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Fieldcode — Good for field service with a pay-per-event model
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Fieldcode’s scheduling software aims to revolutionize your scheduling processes and significantly improve your field workforce management.
Why I chose Fieldcode: You can automate employee dispatching, scheduling, and work orders assignment with just a few clicks. Fieldcode gives you real-time oversight of all your crew schedules and dispatched employees. They also offer route optimization, which allows you to cut down on unnecessary traveling costs. In addition, they are making positive changes to global climate regulations for carbon emissions which is why their route optimization is a key feature.
Learn more about FieldcodeKey Features
- Drag & drop
- Routing
- Automated dispatching
- Real-time oversight
Pros
- Easy to use
- Lots of integrations
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than some competitors
- Can be expensive for large field service companies
Pricing
Pricing starts at $1 for each field service event Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes — For up to 10 users
Compare the Best Crew Scheduling Apps
| Topic |
Start for free
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HotSchedules by Fourth |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
  |
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N/A
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $1.70/user/month
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Starts at $9.80/user/month, for 2-25 users
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $25/team/month, for 20 team members
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Free software solution
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Starts at $29.99/month/location, up to 30 employees
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Pricing starts at $1 for each field service event
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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yes
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yes
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yes
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no
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yes
3-month
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no
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yes
14-day
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yes
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| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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no
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yes
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yes
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no
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yes
for up to 5 team members
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yes
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yes
Up to 1 location & 30 employees
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yes
For up to 10 users
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What Is Crew Scheduling Software?
Crew scheduling apps are designed to help managers simplify and partially automate creating and managing crew schedules and sharing these with team members. The software considers every factor relevant to the crew scheduling process, such as each crew member’s availability and qualifications. It further helps reduce scheduling mistakes, such as double-booking an employee.
Scheduling tools can help teams in many industries, from construction to airline crews.
How Does Crew Scheduling Software Work?
While each crew scheduling software tool works differently and offers varying feature sets, they generally all allow you to configure automations according to your preferences. It can, for instance, allow you to create scheduling templates and set notifications for scheduling discrepancies.
You can create crew schedules based on your employees’ submitted availability and qualifications and share these with your team members. It also allows you to handle sudden changes, such as finding replacements and updating all relevant crew members.
The software can also include additional features related to scheduling that help streamline your processes, such as an employee time clock or payroll, or offer integration options.
What Are The Benefits of a Crew Scheduling App?
These are the primary benefits of using crew scheduling software in your business:
Efficiency and time savings
Automated scheduling reduces the time and effort required to create, update, and manage crew schedules. This efficiency is particularly crucial for organizations with large and complex workforce scheduling needs.
Optimized workforce allocation
The software can analyze various factors such as employee skills, availability, and preferences, as well as workload demands, to optimize crew assignments. This helps ensure that the right people with the right skills are assigned to the right tasks at the right times.
Compliance and regulation adherence
Crew scheduling software can assist in ensuring compliance with labor laws, union rules, and other regulatory requirements. It helps prevent scheduling conflicts, overtime violations, and other issues that could lead to legal or regulatory penalties.
Cost control
By optimizing crew schedules and minimizing overtime, organizations can control labor costs more effectively. The software can also provide insights into budgeting and forecasting based on historical scheduling data.
Improved communication
Many crew scheduling tools include communication features that allow managers to easily communicate with team members about schedule changes, updates, or important information. This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Real-time updates and visibility
Managers and employees can have real-time access to schedule information, making it easier to adapt to changes, handle unexpected events, and keep everyone informed. This transparency can enhance overall team coordination.
Enhanced flexibility
The software allows for easier adjustment of schedules in response to changing business needs, employee requests, or unforeseen circumstances.
Analytics and reporting
Crew scheduling apps often come with analytics and reporting features that enable organizations to analyze historical scheduling data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to improve workforce management.
Integration with other systems
Many crew scheduling solutions can integrate with other business systems, such as payroll, time and attendance, and HR software, streamlining overall workforce management processes.
How Much Does Crew Scheduling Software Cost?
The pricing of crew scheduling software largely differs per provider and often depends on the number of users and the feature package. Subscription pricing of most crew scheduling apps ranges from $1 to $4 per user per month, while others have a set fee per location for an unlimited number of users ranging from $14 to $35 per month. Particularly those that charge per user can get rather expensive if you’re working with a large team.
Keep in mind that high pricing does not necessarily equal a better user experience or that you will get all the features that you need. My number one pick, Connecteam, offers an entirely free plan for small businesses with up to 10 users, and basic plans at a set price of $29 per month for the first 30 employees. The app comes with all the tools you need to manage your entire business on the go at an incredibly affordable price.
>> Get started with Connecteam for free today! <<
FAQs
Why is crew scheduling important?
Without a working schedule, it’s impossible to know all shifts are covered, so you can see how creating a work schedule that accommodates all employees is paramount to a business’s success. Using a crew scheduling app, you can create a stable and easily accessible schedule for all employees. This increases employee happiness and creates a better work-life balance.
Should I choose a crew scheduling app that is also an all-in-one employee management software?
This depends on the needs of your business. If you’re also looking for features that can help with accurate time tracking, task management, training, and onboarding, then yes, definitely. With the Connecteam all-in-one employee management app, you can create schedules in minutes, accurately track employee hours with a digital time clock with GPS and geofencing capabilities, track employee task progress, quickly onboard and train new employees, and so much more.
What industries use crew scheduling apps?
Many industries take advantage of crew scheduling apps. This most commonly includes the field service industry, healthcare industry, food and beverage, retail, construction, and security, and it can even be used to schedule flight crews. Crew scheduling apps are an excellent solution for any company that has employees who are on the go or rarely behind a desk.
The Bottom Line on Crew Scheduling Apps
The right crew scheduling app allows you to significantly speed up your scheduling process, schedule your crew optimally, reduce any unnecessary back-and-forth, and eliminate scheduling conflicts effortlessly. This, in turn, helps you free up time to focus on developing other areas of your business.
Our top pick, Connecteam, offers an intuitive platform that includes everything you need to step up your crew scheduling game for an affordable price. Go ahead – start a free trial of your favorite option today!