30 Best Employee Scheduling Software For Small Business

Deel is a versatile solution for businesses that need to manage international workforces. Its features support scheduling, payroll, compliance, and more, helping small businesses handle both local and global teams. 

It allows you to define flexible or fixed work hours, which is especially helpful if your team works across different time zones. You can customize schedule policies with specific working days and hours, add break times, and ensure workers get accurate pay based on their hours, including overtime. This scheduling flexibility is particularly valuable for small businesses that need to accommodate diverse team needs and compliance requirements.

Another reason Deel works well for small businesses is its ability to assign schedules in bulk. This feature lets you set up schedules once and apply them to multiple employees at once, saving you time and reducing the potential for scheduling mistakes. Additionally, Deel’s scheduling tools can automatically assign future employees to existing schedules, so you don’t have to manually configure new workers’ schedules one by one. You can also manage time-off requests within the platform.

Integrations include Brex, Google Workspace, Hubstaff, JIRA, Slack, QuickBooks, Xero, BambooHR, NetSuite, Workday, Greenhouse, and Okta.

Connecteam’s scheduling software is simple to use and scalable, so you can add more features when you need them. It supports drag-and-drop scheduling, as well as features like repeating shifts, flags for periods of unavailability, and a warning so workers won’t exceed their weekly overtime cap.

To ensure employees perform their jobs accurately, managers can also attach additional information to shift assignments such as location details, photos, forms, or checklists. Another useful feature is the ability to define specific qualifications needed per shift, such as specific safety training or other certifications or skills. This helps managers ensure they're only assigning qualified employees to a specific shift per compliance requirements.

To help with shift scheduling, employees submit their availability through the Connecteam app, making it easier for managers to create schedules that work for everyone, providing a better employee experience. The platform also allows employees to claim open shifts, make simple shift swaps themselves, or reject a shift if they aren’t able to attend it.

Beyond their scheduling features, Connecteam also offers communication and engagement tools such as team and company-wide chat channels, links to digital forms and knowledge repositories, a mobile-friendly organizational directory, and a news feed for internal company updates. Managers can also track which employees have read key updates, and send push notifications to any employees that missed it.

Connecteam also supports task management, including descriptive task lists with the ability to add sub-tasks and attachments to further clarify tasks. And they recently added an auto-scheduling feature, which automatically aligns with availability and time off, provides equal shift distribution among all employees, and assigns jobs based on qualifications for proper staffing

Available on mobile, desktop, or as a kiosk app for tablets, Connecteam was built for deskless and remote teams. It’s a popular choice in many industries including retail, restaurants, manufacturing, construction, field services, and healthcare.

Integrations include Paychex, Xero, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll (online + desktop), Zapier, Google Calendar, API access, and others.

The Homebase team scheduling software is mainly used by small businesses such as small stores, beauty salons or fitness facilities, and other service providers. The platform provides an exhaustive set of features that let you run your HR tasks from start to finish, including hiring and onboarding, scheduling, time tracking, team communication, and more.

Homebase allows you to create work rosters easily from schedule templates, and then make changes on the fly as required. You can build smart work schedules and forecast your labor costs.

Employees can always get their up-to-date work schedule using the free mobile apps, or they can get the information via text or email. Homebase’s scheduler automatically calculates overtime, subtracts breaks, and alerts you to schedule conflicts.

You can also integrate your sales data and forecasts, so you can build your schedule around your labor targets.

Homebase has a free plan you can use with an unlimited number of employees but fewer advanced features. This replaces a free trial. Their paid plans start at $20/month/location.

Buddy Punch is a web-based time clock and scheduling software. Their simple, user-friendly, and intuitive app interface empowers your employees instead of forcing them to learn a new, complex workflow just to punch in/out of work. Your employees can view their current time card, request time off, submit a claim to correct a punch-in error, or even submit their time card for approval—all without ever leaving the app.

Buddy Punch’s key features work to keep your team accountable and honest. Through GPS tracking, you can stay on top of your staff’s location whenever they clock in/out of work. Some additional features include facial recognition and photos on punch, which run a biometric scan of your employees’ faces to verify who is attempting to punch in/out. The interface has been built to ensure easy navigation and ease of use, with drag-and-drop schedule creation and the ability to create repeating/recurring shifts.

Buddy Punch integrates with QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, Paychex, Paylocity, PayPlus, SurePayroll, and Workday. With a paid Zapier account, you’ll have access to thousands of other apps and tools.

Buddy Punch costs from $3.49/user/month plus a $19/month base fee for their Standard time and attendance package. For enterprise organizations with over 200 employees, you can request a free quote. They also offer a 14-day free trial too.

Agendrix is a scheduling and workforce management tool designed to support shift-based teams. It’s especially well-suited to small businesses in Canada looking for flexible ways to build schedules, track hours, and coordinate teams across multiple roles and locations. It also offers bilingual support in English and French, with a fully bilingual app and user interface.

I picked Agendrix because it gives small businesses flexible ways to manage employee availability and build schedules around real-life staffing needs. You can auto-assign shifts based on availability, drag and drop templates, or create schedules collaboratively with managers across locations. Managers can also see if employees have viewed their assigned shifts and can require confirmations to ensure schedule alignment.

Agendrix includes mobile apps for iOS and Android, built-in messaging for updates, and task lists you can attach to shifts. It also supports a variety of punch clock methods, like tablet kiosks and geofenced mobile check-ins. For time-off and PTO tracking, approved requests are added straight to the schedule and synced with payroll exports. They also offer bilingual support and user interface in English and French.

Integrations include EmployerD, Nethris, Sage 50, Acomba, QuickBooks, Ceridian Powerpay, ADP Workforce Now, Payworks, Lightspeed, Azur, Easypay, BeLocum, Hopem, and Folks HR.

TimeTrex is a comprehensive workforce management tool designed to automate various aspects of employee management. It offers features such as time and attendance tracking, payroll processing, HR management, job costing, scheduling, leave management, document management, expense tracking, and invoicing. 

TimeTrex's automated scheduling capabilities allow businesses to create optimized schedules in minutes, accommodating both simple and complex multi-week rotating schedules. This automation not only saves time but also reduces the administrative burden on small business managers, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks.

Employees can also access their schedules from any internet-connected device, ensuring they are always informed and reducing the likelihood of scheduling conflicts. Another significant advantage of TimeTrex is its robust time and attendance tracking system. The software supports various clock-in methods, including biometric facial recognition, mobile apps, and web-based interfaces, which help eliminate errors associated with manual entry. 

Integrations include ADP, Intuit QuickBooks, Sage, Paychex, Surepay, Ceridian, Meditech, Insync, Millennium, CompuPay, Tyler Technologies, Vensure Employer Services, Accero, Chris21, IRS, Canada Revenue Agency, and Service Canada.

Ubeya is a workforce management solution tailored for managing workforces in the events industry. It offers features centered around employee scheduling, time tracking, communication, payroll, compliance, and reporting.

I picked Ubeya because of its scheduling capabilities that let you manage shifts and track attendance effortlessly. This feature is essential for small, event-based operations aiming to maintain optimal staffing without stretching resources thin. The payroll integration is another highlight, helping you automate calculations and minimize errors, while the communication tools keep your team connected, reducing no-shows and enhancing overall efficiency.

Another aspect that makes Ubeya a top choice is its compliance and reporting features. These tools ensure you adhere to labor laws and offer detailed insights into your workforce operations. Plus, the platform's AI-driven solutions simplify scheduling and workforce management, letting you focus more on business growth. Together, these features make Ubeya a strong contender for those seeking to refine their scheduling processes.

Features include real-time financial analytics that give insights into your business's performance, a CRM for managing both internal and external workers, and a mobile app that lets employees handle their schedules on the go. These features collectively centralize operations and enhance communication, making workforce management more straightforward. The software is also noted for its capacity to reduce dependency on staffing agencies and save both time and costs.

Integrations include Teamtailor, Fountain, Bullhorn, Recruiterflow, JobAdder, SAP, Recruit CRM, ADP, iTrent, QuickBooks, Tsheets, and Xero.

ClockShark is an employee scheduling software with timesheets and time tracking for field services and construction businesses. Employees can clock in and clock out from their smartphones and all job costing data is recorded within the app so you can access it for simple payroll and invoice processing. You have multiple options for employees to access ClockShark: by web browser, mobile app, or even a ClockShark "kiosk" using a tablet device. You can leverage facial recognition tools and individual PINs to ensure the utmost security no matter how you choose to access the software. 

Crew management is simple with ClockShark's work scheduling calendar. You can create and assign shifts, color-code entries, and drag-and-drop items to make changes quickly. Notifications will prompt affected parties in real-time if their shift is altered in any way (canceled, shortened, swapped, etc.). ClockShark also has GPS and geofencing capabilities baked in so you can see where and when people are checking in.

Overall, ClockShark is a must-have employee scheduling software for field service or construction businesses to streamline their timesheet-to-payroll workflows.

ClockShark integrates with QuickBooks, Sage 100 Contractor, Xero, ADP, Paychex, and other apps.

ClockShark costs from $7/user/month plus a $16/month base fee. They also offer a 14-day free trial.

7Shifts is a software that connects small businesses with their employees. It is free for the first 3 employees and has many features like shift bidding, work schedule management, time off requests, custom reports, and in-line approvals.

You also get to create shift templates, so you don’t have to start from zilch every single time. The product is mobile-friendly, with data that can be synced and accessed across all devices. The product integrates with Slack, Google Calendar, and Evernote.

The paid plan starts at $24.99 per month with an option for a free forever plan. They also offer a 14-day free trial.

Sage HR is a cloud-based HR and payroll solution for small businesses. The product simplifies employee relationships with the use of multiple tools that care of employee touchpoints. The seamless meetings creation and conversation channel are perfect for remote employee teams.

It helps manage employee data, administer benefits, and file unemployment claims. The software allows you to hire, onboard, train, and manage your staff via applicant tracking. The UX is user-friendly and the actions are easy to implement.

The options are clearly laid out without much need for digging from the user’s end. Users can easily add employees to the workspace. Sage HR also lets you manage your employees’ time-off and shift schedules. Sage HR integrates with Slack, and G Suite. Support is available via email and chat. There is also a knowledge base available with a collection of articles to teach you about the different features. Pricing starts at $5.50 per employee per month.