Honest Zoho Shifts Review 2025: Pros, Cons, Features & Pricing

Zoho Shifts Pricing

Zoho Shifts is one of the most affordable scheduling software I have reviewed. The provider offers a generous free plan for up to 25 employees, ideal for freelancers and small businesses looking for a basic scheduling solution.

There are two reasonably priced plans. The Basic plan suffices for businesses that need advanced scheduling tools like templates, shift reminders, swaps, recurring shifts, and open shifts. The Standard Plan offers every feature in Zoho Shifts’ suite, and is a go-to plan for businesses looking for time tracking features, a kiosk app, and geofencing. 

However, Zoho Shifts’ paid plans can only be bought for a minimum of ten users. While this isn’t an issue for larger teams, it can be a dealbreaker for small businesses because they may have to pay for unused seats. 

Here’s Zoho Shifts pricing in a nutshell:  

Pricing/plan	Free Plan	Basic	Standard
Monthly	$0	$1 per user per month	$2 per user per month
Annual	$0	$1 per user per month	$2 per user per month
Features	• Up to 25 users • Basic scheduling • Break planning • Schedule reports • Team messaging • Unlimited locations • Time Off requests	Everything in Free, plus: • Unlimited users • Advance scheduling • Shift Swap, Offer & Drop • Availability preferences • Custom access level • Job sites • Certification tracking • Schedule templates • Recurring shifts • Open shifts • Shift reminders	Everything in Basic, Plus: • Time tracking • Custom overtime rules • Time clock reports • Timesheet management • GPS tagging & Geofencing • Time clock kiosk app • Time clock rules • Mobile time clock • Payroll export • Shift premium

Zoho Shifts Free Trial 

Besides the free plan, Zoho Shifts offers a fully featured 30-day free trial. I leveraged the free trial to test all the premium features, I wouldn’t have been able to test on the free plan. 

The table below shows how Zoho Shifts’ pricing compares to other scheduling software: 

Plan	Zoho Shifts (Standard)	7Shifts (The Works)	Hubstaff (Team)	Connecteam (Advanced)
	View pricing	View pricing	View pricing	View pricing
10 users	$20	$79.99	$100	Free for life — All features and dashboards
20 users	$40	$79.99	$200	$49
30 users	$60	$79.99	$300	$49
50 users	$100	$79.99	$500	$79
		Read our full 7Shifts review	Read our full Hubstaff review	Learn more about Connecteam

Zoho Shifts Usability and Interface

Over the years of software review and research, I have developed a knack for determining whether software is truly intuitive or destined to frustrate users. In my opinion, Zoho Shifts passes the test and is one of the most intuitive scheduling software I have tested. If you’re curious to know why I came to that conclusion, read on: 

Setting Up Zoho Shifts

Setting up Zoho Shifts and creating a team account is pretty straightforward. Click the “sign up for free trial” button on the home page, fill in the signup form, and click “sign up now.” Zoho Shift takes you straight to your team account, specifically the schedule editor page. 

I’m glad Zoho Shifts cut out the extra signup steps, allowing users to create an account in minutes. The only thing the provider should consider adding is a welcome video or a guided product tour to streamline ‌onboarding. As it stands, users have to explore the software on their own, but it doesn’t take long for newbies to find their way around.

Before you can even create schedules or track time, you’ll first need to configure the basics. I didn’t need to get up to speed with guides and tutorials to accomplish the configuration. I am confident that total beginners won’t need a helping hand to add employees, job sites, positions, access levels, pay rules, time off types, and more. 

Adding Employees

Adding employees to your team is a breeze. Head over to the employee page, click “add employee,” and fill in the new employee form. In addition to the general details, Zoho Shifts lets you configure the employee’s schedule, access levels, and positions. 

When you hit “save and invite,” the app automatically sends an invite email. The employee only needs to accept the invitation and sign up to join your team. The signup process is so seamless that ‌even non-tech-savvy employees can accomplish it. 

Zoho Shifts also lets you bulk-import employees in CSV or XLSX files. One thing I liked when importing employees is that the app prevents duplicate records, saving you the cumbersome process of cleaning your list manually. 

Zoho Shifts Web App

The Zoho Shifts web app’s interface feels modern and intuitive, though it has an unconventional design. Instead of a left-side navigation panel—like many modern apps—the menu panel is located at the top. Since the menu panel is never minimized, the features are accessible, ensuring seamless navigation regardless of the screen size. 

Another thing I noted is that the schedule editor acts as the home window — so when you log in, this is where you land. This is a nice design tweak that enables managers to cut through the clutter and jump straight to what truly matters — team scheduling. 

However, Zoho Shifts offers a dashboard: a command center for your team’s operations. While the dashboard is not customizable, it’s well-organized to present information neatly. There are five widgets – time clock, pending approvals, upcoming shifts, recent time entries, and who’s working. My favorite widget is pending approvals, which lets you approve the team’s requests with a few clicks.

My only minor gripe is that the web app hasn’t considered users with hearing and vision impairments in its design. This may not work well for organizations championing inclusivity.

Zoho Shifts Mobile App

I was also impressed with the mobile app’s sleek and modern design. The app interface features a menu panel at the bottom, and the rest of the screen acts as the details area. The main features—home, schedule, requests, and more—are clearly labeled on the menu to help users navigate with ease. 

The home tab displays the timer, pending actions, employee shifts, pending swaps, offers, open shifts, and employee timesheets. I really like the idea of taking employees to the home tab when they log in. It makes it easy to track time, complete any pending action, and plan their day more effectively.

The employee version enables users to track time, swap shifts, claim open shifts, request time off, and manage availability. On the other hand, the manager app is well-equipped to streamline administrative tasks on the go. It enables managers to add employees, approve requests, assign shifts, monitor attendance, and track time, anywhere, anytime.  

The mobile app’s excellent capabilities enable managers and employees alike to perform duties and track time while on the go. However, you’d need a stable internet connection to accomplish any function in the field. This is because Zoho Shift lacks an offline mode and doesn’t work without an internet connection. 

Menu Item	Admin		Employee
	Website	Mobile App	Website	Mobile App
Feature (i.e. Time Tracking)
Timesheet	✅	✅	✅	✅
Time Tracker	✅	✅	✅	✅
Calendar	❌	❌	❌	❌
Schedule	✅	✅	✅	✅
Expenses	❌	❌	❌	❌
Time off	✅	✅	✅	✅
Analysis
Dashboard	✅	✅	✅	✅
Reports	✅	❌	❌	❌
Activity	❌	❌	❌	❌
Management
Kiosks	❌	✅	❌	✅
Approvals	✅	✅	❌	❌
Projects	❌	❌	❌	❌
Team	✅	✅	❌	❌
Clients	❌	❌	❌	❌
Locations	✅	❌	✅	❌
Tags	❌	❌	❌	❌
Invoices	❌	❌	❌	❌
Settings	✅	✅	✅	✅

Zoho Shifts Core Functionalities

Instead of spreading itself too thin, Zoho Shifts zeros in on two core features — time tracking and scheduling — and focuses on doing them so well. I tinkered with this app for several days, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of its features. If you’re curious to know how it fared, read on. 

Employee Scheduling 

As the name suggests, Zoho Shifts’ foremost feature is employee scheduling. While the app has kept pace with technological advancement in many areas, it has not implemented an automatic scheduler yet. If you need ‌software with an auto-scheduler, use Connecteam’s auto-scheduler to create and assign shifts in minutes. 

The minor issue aside, Zoho Shifts’ manual scheduler boasts handy tools that make it easy to use and effective. Creating a schedule is a breeze — open the schedule grid and click on a tile. Define the shift parameters like time, break, assignee, and notes. Save the shift as a draft to continue scheduling or publish it right away. 

You can create reusable shift templates for consistency and efficiency. Templates reduce errors and save time because you don’t have to create schedules from scratch every week. 

Additionally, you can copy the previous week’s schedule or use the recurring shift feature to create schedules in minutes. I noticed that when editing a shift in the recurring sequence, the app lets you auto-populate the changes to the other shifts, saving you the tedious work. 

Once you publish or update a schedule, Zoho Shifts alerts employees instantly via email and push notifications. This ensures employees know where they need to be and when’ greatly enhancing accountability and improving punctuality. 

Shift Swaps and Offers

Zoho Shifts helps keep employees accountable for their shifts. For example, you can require employees to confirm assigned shifts. The confirmation helps verify workers are aware of their shifts, eliminating no-shows down the road. 

Employees can drop, swap, or offer shifts on mobile devices. They only need to select the shift and tap the relevant option at the bottom of the screen. If no manager approval is needed, the shift requests will go through automatically. However, you won’t get a notification, which leaves you in the dark about the changes.

Thankfully, you can configure Zoho Shifts to require approval for each request. This allows you to evaluate each request to ensure it aligns with your operational needs, preventing potential conflicts and staffing issues.

Time-Off Management

Zoho Shifts’ time off module takes a cue from the most powerful time off management systems. It covers the basics pretty well and provides advanced tools to streamline time off management. Two advanced time-off tools grabbed my attention — and for all the right reasons. 

The first is the minimum notice period for each time off request. For example, you can require employees to request time off seven days in advance. This ensures that you have enough time to act on the request and adjust the schedule (if need be) to keep operations running without hiccups. 

Additionally, Zoho Shifts lets you block specific days, such as during peak season. Employees can’t request time off during the blocked days. This helps maintain the right staffing levels during the busy period when you need all hands on the deck.  

Time Tracking 

Zoho Shifts combines employee scheduling and accurate time tracking to help monitor attendance and remunerate employees fairly. The time tracking app lets you track employee regular hours, break time, and overtime, making it ideal for businesses that must comply with labor laws. 

Employees can track time on the web, mobile, or kiosk app — I found each method easy to use and accurate. The flexibility enables employees to track time whenever they work, making Zoho Shifts suitable for field, mobile, and office-based teams. 

The kiosk app is a centralized time-tracking system that enables multiple employees to clock in and out from a single device. You can set up the kiosk app on Android and iOS smartphones — no need for expensive gadgets. 

I found it incredibly easy to configure the kiosk app on my Android phone. Employees will only need to select their name from the list and enter their unique PIN to clock in. The good thing is that the app generates kiosk PINs automatically, saving you the manual hassle. 

Zoho Shifts enhances timesheet accuracy with shift reminders, clock-in/out restrictions, and auto-clock-out features. It also lets you restrict employees from clocking in if they have no scheduled shift. Moreover, the app enables you to restrict early check-ins and late check-outs so you don’t pay for minutes an employee didn’t work. 

Geofencing 

Zoho Shifts’ geofencing tools work, as I found out during my testing. However, setting it up can be confusing for newbies because you have to switch between different tabs. 

To begin with, you need to enable “track GPS location” under time clock settings and set the geofence radius. The smaller the radius, the better — I set mine at 100 meters. Next, add job sites under the “organization” settings. For geofence to be effective, be sure to include a job site for each shift. 

The configuration niggle aside, I was impressed with the effectiveness of Zoho Shift’s geofence. When I attempted to clock in, the app auto-calculated my distance from the assigned job site. If the distance was more than the predefined radius, it blocked the clock-in attempt. However, when I moved within the radius, the app let me clock in.   

I’m glad Zoho Shifts uses geofencing to curb offsite punching, boosting timecard and payroll accuracy. However, the vendor hasn’t implemented tools like facial recognition to eliminate buddy punching — one of the most common time theft methods. I expected the kiosk app to sport this essential tool. 

Overtime Tracking 

You can configure Zoho Shifts to track daily, double-time, weekly, seventh consecutive day, and holiday overtime. This makes it ideal for businesses in states and countries with strict overtime laws like California.

The app also lets you set the respective rates for each type of overtime. For example, if you’re in California, you can set the daily overtime and double-time rates to 1.5 and 2 times, respectively. Zoho Shifts uses predefined rates to compute overtime pay automatically, saving you hours of manual work. 

Moreover, you can set a weighted average for overtime calculation for employees working two or more jobs with different pay rates. It also enables you to set shift differentials to compensate employees working less desirable hours outside their regular schedule, like holidays, weekends, or night shifts. 

Break Tracking 

Zoho Shifts’ break tracking rule is flexible. You can allocate different types of breaks to conform with labor laws in your country or state. I could create paid and unpaid breaks — a helpful option for businesses in states that require both, like California. 

While all that sounds great, I was disappointed by the lack of an automatic break option. Zoho Shifts’s breaks are manual by default, so employees have to track them manually. And doing so is a walk in the park — simply click or tap “take break” to start the break and select “end break” when the time elapses.  

Manual breaks work as long as employees remember to start and end them at the designated time. However, having an automatic option helps simplify tracking, especially for paid breaks, which are usually not deducted from an employee’s timesheets. 

Some software uses reminders to ensure employees start and end manual breaks on time. Sadly, Zoho Shifts lacks reminders, which leaves room for missed or extended breaks. Moreover, the lack of a feature to stop employees from ending breaks before the mandated time is a recipe for legal trouble.  

Team Messaging

Zoho Shifts messaging tool keeps it simple. It lets employees use direct messages (DMs) for private, one-on-one communication. For example, junior staff can ask questions and clarify tasks with their colleagues without disrupting the entire team. 

You can also create private communication channels to facilitate discussions with specific team members. This helps keep discussions focused and private to a specific group, department, or worksite. I found Zoho Shifts’ private channels perfect for sensitive topics that require the input of multiple members, like leadership discussions, project planning, and more. 

I really like using @mention in channel communication. It ensures the message reaches the intended person quickly, prompting an immediate reply. Plus, tagging specific people in a channel leaves no room for confusion about who needs to act, boosting accountability. My only concern is that @mentions don’t seem to work on the mobile app. 

Another thing I noted is that employees can add emoji reactions to messages. Zoho Shifts has assembled an impressive library of emojis to enable users to add a touch of personality to each message. Additionally, you can attach photos to messages to foster effective collaboration. 

Reporting And Analytics

Zoho Shifts reporting and analytics module sticks to the basics. There are ten reports with filters to help you drill down to the essential metrics, such as scheduled hours, availability, attendance, skills, expiry, and time off. 

For example, the scheduled hours report gives details about the number of shifts assigned to each employee and the total scheduled hours. The information helps adjust the team’s schedule to ensure a fair‌‌ distribution of workload. The time off and availability reports give you clear insights into who is available and when enhancing scheduling. 

Beyond ‌standard reports, Zoho Shifts facilitates labor cost tracking. As you create team schedules, the app computes ‌total labor costs based on ‌assigned shifts and employee rates. You can easily pinpoint overspending and adjust schedules to ensure projects stay within budget for optimal profitability. 

There’s no doubt, Zoho Shifts reports help make informed decisions. However, since the app lacks in-depth analysis capabilities, the reports don’t offer any actionable insights. Moreover, it doesn’t use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance reporting and analytics. Putting these factors into consideration, I’d argue Zoho Shifts is less suited for environments where extensive data analysis is requisite. 

Report-sharing options are limited to Microsoft Excel and CSV exports. You can’t schedule important reports to be delivered to your email automatically. Zoho Shifts lets you create payroll reports but doesn’t let you export them directly to your accounting and payroll software, which is disappointing. 

Zoho Shifts Security Features

Zoho claims to be “fervent about keeping user data safe and secure,” and its robust security measures certainly back up that claim. The vendor uses multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of protection that prevents unauthorized access even if the password is compromised. There are three MFA methods: one-time PIN (OTP), security key, and authenticator app verification. 

Additionally, Zoho — Zoho Shifts’ parent company — claims to use the latest TLS protocol and AES 256/128-bit to encrypt user data. These are the gold standards for encryption protocols and ciphers, designed to guarantee top-notch security. 

Moreover, the vendor implements perfect forward secrecy to periodically change encryption keys to protect data from future attacks. I also found that Zoho encrypts all backups using the AES 256 protocol to wade off potential intrusion and breach. 

Zoho has revamped its apps over time to adhere to the stringent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) act. The provider goes ahead to provide specific details of how each of its products abides by the GDPR Act. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any details outlining how Zoho Shifts enables users to achieve GDPR compliance. 

Zoho Shifts Customer Support

If you hit a snag, support is available through email, ticket, live chat, knowledge base, and community. This is an impressive array of options, but the support experience varies depending on the channel used. I used live chat and a knowledge base —  one impressed me; the other was a bit lacking.

My experience on the live chat channel was excellent, thanks to the quick and efficient support. There’s no chatbot here, so all queries are handled by a human agent. When I asked a question on, the agents responded in under 30 seconds, which is fast by live chat standards. 

The live chat agents seemed highly knowledgeable and well-versed in the product. Whether I was seeking to understand a feature or troubleshoot a technical issue, they provided quick and effective responses, which was impressive. However, ‌live chat is only accessible when you log in to your account. 

Zoho Shifts’ knowledge base has a limited library, with just 44 articles grouped by category. The neat organization enhances the userShifts’ experience, making it easy to find relevant guides. One thing I liked is that these articles provide step-by-step guides to help you get acquainted with Zoho Shifts features. 

Like many knowledge bases, Zoho Shifts KB has a search function. However, the feature doesn’t match up to others. I had instances when it served up articles that weren’t relevant to the search term. On the upside, the search bar is quite effective when searching through community responses. 

What are Zoho Shifts’s Review Ratings from Review Sites?

(As of January 2025)

Capterra: 4.5/5
G2: 5/5
Software Advice: 4.5/5
TrustRadius: n/a
GetApp: 4.5/5
Google Play Store: 3.8/5
Apple App Store: 5/5

Zoho Shifts App Review

I like Zoho Shifts because it’s simple and easy to use. It provides basic and advanced tools, enabling business owners to schedule employees and track time for accurate remuneration. The overtime tracker worked without a hitch, enabling me to track additional hours and calculate overtime pay automatically. This saves time and promotes compliance with the underlying labor laws. 

However, it’s not all roses. Zoho Shifts has some minor flaws that could be dealt with to improve its performance. For example, the app can’t track automatic breaks and doesn’t help enforce the break policy. It also lacks an automatic scheduler, which I have found to save time and enhance team scheduling for large enterprises. 

Use Connecteam if you need ‌software that can schedule employees and track time with unwavering compliance. Connecteam has an auto-scheduler, which helps create schedules with only a few clicks. The app can also be configured to track manual and automatic breaks and has a break attestation tool to safeguard your company from future legal issues. 

Start a 14-day free trial to get a firsthand feel for Connecteam features, including forms, digital signatures, internal communication, and task management. No credit card is required — simply create an account to use the app.

Connecteam: The Better Zoho Shifts Alternative

Zoho Shifts worked just fine during my testing, enabling me to schedule employees with ease and track time accurately. However, I did notice a few minor flaws that can compel you to seek a more robust alternative like Connecteam. Read on to learn why you should pick Connecteam over Zoho Shifts:

Efficient Auto-Scheduling 

Connecteam’s manual scheduler is incredibly easy to use, thanks to the drag-and-drop function, shift templates, and recurring shift tools. What makes Connecteam a better scheduling tool than Zoho Shifts is the automatic scheduler. I have used this feature uncountable times, and what stands out is its effectiveness and ability to sidestep schedule conflicts. 

With only a few clicks, Connecteam’s auto-scheduler enables you to create hundreds of shifts for optimal coverage. What sets it apart from the rest is that it considers employees’ qualifications, availability, and preferences. This way, it ensures the right employee is assigned to the right task, preventing confusion or scenarios where junior staff are assigned critical shifts. 

Matching each employee’s strengths to job requirements minimizes errors and improves the quality of work. This goes a long way towards enhancing customer satisfaction, boosting repeat business and the bottom line. 

Compliant Break Tracking 

Connecteam matches Zoho Shifts’ performance on the time tracking front. It tracks employees’ regular hours, overtime, and breaks for fair remuneration and compliance every step of the way. However, I would recommend Connecteam’s time tracker for businesses that are struggling to keep up with employee breaks. 

Connecteam break rule is super flexible, so it can be bent to track paid and unpaid breaks. I also like the app because it allows you to set up automatic and manual breaks — something you can’t achieve with Zoho Shifts. For example, businesses in California or Australia can set Connecteam to automatically track a 10-minute rest break every four hours. 

Another advantage of using Connecteam is that it makes it easy to enforce break policies. For example, you can use Connecteam forms and digital signature tools to create a break attestation form. You can set the app to serve up this form at a specific time during the employee’s shift. 

Employees will need to attest to taking legally permitted breaks and append a signature. The signed forms are valid proof that employees took their required break. If they don’t, they will leave a valid reason to help you evaluate each case and act accordingly. This helps protect your business from potential penalties and legal issues. 

All-In-One Workforce Management Software

Unlike Zoho Shifts, which offers only a few features, Connecteam is an all-in-one workforce management solution. Besides scheduling and time tracking, it combines other features like task management, employee training, internal communication, and surveys into a single platform. 

It eliminates the need for multiple software, enabling you to maintain a lean technology stack. This saves technology costs and simplifies day-to-day management since managers don’t have to switch between apps to keep operations ticking along.

Get started with Connecteam today!