The Best Free Employee Scheduling Software List
Here’s a shortlist of the best free employee scheduling software:
- Wrike
Best free employee scheduling app with Gantt chart visualization
- Homebase
Best for free scheduling with POS and payroll integrations
- Acuity Scheduling
Best appointment-based shift scheduling
- Asana
Best for Kanban-style task scheduling
- TIMIFY
Best free resource tracking software for small businesses
- Findmyshift
Best drag-and-drop scheduler
- ZoomShift
Best free employee scheduling software to manage hourly employees
- Fieldcode
Best IoT-driven software for field service with pay-per-event model
- Sling
Best free employee scheduling software for group scheduling
- ABC Roster
Best free scheduling constraints management
This is the ultimate list of the best free employee scheduling software in 2022. It contains the 10 best free employee scheduling software along with some bonus no-cost employee scheduling apps. I also cover a couple of FAQs related to free employee scheduling software solutions. Overall, this article will help small business owners and HR managers save money by quickly comparing the top free employee scheduling software available and selecting one that suits their needs.
As a business owner, you are constantly looking for ways to save money and keep overhead under control. One way to do this is to figure out how to handle your employee scheduling needs without paying an outside company to do it for you. Doing so will leave more money in your pocket. Also, managing your employees well means a happier work culture and more productive teams (translation = more cash in your pocket. Cha-ching!).
There are some powerful free employee scheduling software that can help you in workforce management tasks like shift scheduling, staffing, managing labor costs, shift swapping, schedule changes, and schedule distribution. In this article, I will talk about 10 such free employee scheduling apps that will help you manage your teams better and remove work overwhelm.
Free Employee Scheduling Software: Comparison Criteria
What do I look for when I select the best free employee scheduling software? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): Is it clean and attractive? There’s a common misconception in the industry that “free” means “looks cheaply made”. In this article, we have specifically highlighted employee scheduling tools that look good, sport clean interfaces, and make sense layout-wise.
- Usability: Is it easy to learn and master? Does the company offer good tech support, user support, tutorials, and training? Oftentimes, free versions of software do not come with live tech support. In such cases, knowledge bases and training material become all the more important for usability of the rtool.
- Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations? Does the API allow for easy integrations? How smoothly do other top apps in the ecosystem work with the software? Does it work with top payroll apps and messaging tools?
- Value for $: How appropriate is the price for the features, capabilities, and use case? Is pricing clear, transparent, and flexible? Does it suit the budgeting needs of the company?
Free Employee Scheduling Software: Key Features
Time tracking
Time tracking is critical functionality for any employee scheduling app. A manager needs to track the time an employee spends on a particular task and also maintain timesheets. Employee scheduling apps that have this feature help in boosting the productivity of the company.
Timesheet reporting and analytics
Does the software have features for timesheet reports including logged time, overtime, and billable hours? Does the tool give you insightful analytics? Based on timesheet reporting, a business owner will be able to calculate the payroll, ship correct invoices, and get a clear picture about the output of the team.
Schedule export options
Does the software let you export the schedules? Does it let you export via PDFs, spreadsheets, and email? This is a key feature for teams especially when they are working remotely and do not have live access to the data stored on the online SaaS. Exporting schedules helps take data from the software and store it in the team member’s personal device. This helps in keeping the entire team on track even without access to the software.
Time-off requests and approvals
Does the software allow employees to submit time-off requests? Time-off requests are a key feature for an employee scheduling software as it is directly related to the productivity of the organization. Time-offs are important for keeping your workforce motivated and active, so an organized way of calculating time-offs and submitting requests becomes all the more necessary.
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Overviews Of The 10 Best Free Employee Scheduling Software
Here’s a brief description of each of the free employee scheduling software on my list, highlighting what it does best with screenshots to showcase some of the features.
Wrike
Best free employee scheduling app with Gantt chart visualization
Wrike.com is a cloud-based solution for scheduling and managing your small business team.
Wrike lets you create and manage multiple projects from one single platform. You can update project timelines with a drag-and-drop editor and collaborate among teams in real time. Wrike has a Gantt chart that lets you have a bird’s eye view of project progress and a holistic view of the work space and dependencies. You can create tasks and link them using dependencies, then track them based on milestones and deadlines. The real-time visualization of performance via reports and analytics makes life easier, as you can see the growth levers and clogs clearly.
The product’s in-built communication and messaging tools make collaborating on scheduling notes a team effort whether you are working task-by-task or looking at the big picture stuff. Support is available via live chat and email. There are also video lessons to guide you through building your very first schedule or launching a calendar from their templates list.
Wrike integrates with Slack, Trello, and Gmail.
Wrike is free to use with up to 2GB of storage space.
Homebase
Best for free scheduling with POS and payroll integrations
Homebase is an easy-to-use, intuitive software for employee scheduling. The app helps you manage your employees’ schedules, from work shifts to vacation days. The Shifts can be scheduled by day or by half day.Homebase allows employees to know what hours are available and see upcoming shifts. You can make shift changes and add overtime too. You can set up different schedules for each week and adjust it on the fly.
Unlike competitors in the free employee scheduling space, Homebase is free for unlimited employees (one location) and offers POS and payroll integration options—yes, even on the free plan! Homebase’s free plan has plenty of other features you don’t see elsewhere, like open job posting solutions, basic applicant tracking, workplace safety alerts, and shift feedback tools.
Homebase integrates with Google Calendar, Evernote, Gmail, IFTTT, DropBox, and other apps.
Homebase is free to use for unlimited employees at 1 location.
Acuity Scheduling
Best appointment-based shift scheduling
Acuity Scheduling is a cloud-based software that integrates with your email calendar. The software is particularly good at handling complicated scheduling scenarios by allowing for post-booking flexibility like resetting of the booking amount and rollover of remaining appointments. It has an easily navigable schedule editor and scheduler. If you are an online trainer, consultant, or course creator, Acuity scheduling allows for scheduling for packages, memberships, and group classes for recurring billing. This can be particularly helpful if you are an online trainer, coach, or consultant. You also have the option to share your calendar with your clients via Facebook and Instagram.
Acuity Scheduling has time zone and multi-location support and provides for employee self-service. The reporting dashboard is clean and provides detailed reporting and analytics. Acuity Scheduling integrates smoothly with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Calendar, Facebook, Instagram, Zoho, video conferencing software, and over 500 more with a paid plan through Zapier. Acuity Scheduling integrates with online payment processors like PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
Acuity Scheduling is free to use for 1 calendar. After your free 7-day trial of the paid plans, you can downgrade to a free account by going into the “my account” menu and clicking “downgrade” beneath the free plan box.
Asana
Best for Kanban-style task scheduling
Asana is an app designed to break tasks down into manageable pieces and then assign them accordingly. Asana also has a Kanban board view that lets you visualize your progress.
Asana’s calendar feature lets you track your employee’s tasks and see which team member is working on what task and at what time. You can use this information to keep track of important project deadlines and milestones. Based on that you can adjust the shifts and give in-app feedback. You can schedule multiple projects and assign tasks to your team. You can sort scheduled tasks by team member, due date, and priority. You can also add milestones to a task and set deadlines for each phase of the project. The product is mobile-friendly with iOS and Android apps.
Asana integrates with Jira, Slack, Google Calendar, and other apps.
Asana is free to use for up to 15 people and there are no limits on the number of projects.
TIMIFY
Best free resource tracking software for small businesses
Timify is a free appointment and resource scheduling software for small and medium businesses. It has an online calendar feature to provide employees visibility of their schedules, meetings, and appointments to help them manage their time efficiently. Timify has an appointment-booking feature, so you can embed a booking widget on your website allowing customers to book appointments and access services according to their availability. You can use Timify to create services and events and assign resources like rooms, devices, or tools to help prevent scheduling conflicts while ensuring customers receive exemplary services.
Small businesses often work on limited human resources, making Timify an ideal resource tracking software because it allows business owners to invite staff as account users to help manage the business. With Timify, owners can define user permissions for staff members to use the software while limiting access to sensitive features and information. You can use Timify to track and manage the booking capacity of your resources to help you foresee availability and plan contingencies that will help ensure continuous business operations.
Timify is free, but it has a premium version that costs $25/month/account.
Findmyshift
Best drag-and-drop scheduler
Findmyshift is a web-based employee scheduling software that makes it easy for managers to schedule their staff. It helps in creating a roster in minutes with their drag-and-drop calendar interface. The free-form editor lets you add as many items to as many cells you like, based on your requirements. You can also create and store templates of repeating shift patterns. This will help you in scheduling faster.
Findmyshift allows managers to manage staff by finding the right person for the job at any given time. Findmyshift can do this with its rota feature, letting you see who’s available and who’s not when allocating shifts. The rota feature can also come to use when allocating time-offs as it will tell you if the employee has any shifts scheduled in that period. You can also keep the time-off requests private to avoid any staff conflict. The mobile app provides an excellent platform for employers to search, filter, and manage their employee’s availability in real-time.
Findmyshift integrates with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and other communication apps.
Findmyshift is free to use up to 5 employees.
ZoomShift
Best free employee scheduling software to manage hourly employees
ZoomShift is a software you can use to handle all your scheduling needs. Use the software to give employees access to their schedules, set their availability, and request time-offs. Schedule visibility also gives employees the ability to pick up open shifts, ensuring you have enough human resources to run your business.
ZoomShift is an employee scheduling software that can help you manage hourly employees with work schedule templates you can copy to save time when creating schedules. It allows you to send schedules through text, email, and push notifications ensuring employees receive their schedules ahead. ZoomShift also automatically sends reminders to employees before their shift starts to help prevent absences and ensure you are not short-staffed. The software also gives you visibility on the availability of employees so you can find replacements quickly when a scheduled employee calls in sick or is unable to make their shift.
ZoomShift pricing starts at $2.50/user/month, and they offer a 14-day free trial.
Fieldcode
Best IoT-driven software for field service with pay-per-event model
Field code is an asset-based service management tool that helps businesses manage multi-location field service teams and organize dispatch operations. Companies can use Fieldcode to assign tickets to its field technicians, see the progress of tasks, and collect electronic signatures from clients.
You can use Fieldcode to generate real-time onsite reports. Managers can track their employees’ live location with GPS and keep their customers on the loop about the progress via emails and SMS. The dashboard is simple and lets team members filter tickets based on region or project. Support is available via an enquiry form and through videos, blogs, and whitepaper.
Fieldcode doesn’t list any third-party integrations on their site at this time.
Pricing is based on a pay-per-event basis.
Sling
Best free employee scheduling software for group scheduling
Sling is a scheduling software and workforce management tool that helps managers, supervisors, and employees make informed decisions about how to be more productive. It provides features like group scheduling for large events, managing time-offs, and customizing employee schedules.
With the free version of Sling app, you can set up shift templates so that you do not have to create recurring shifts from scratch. You can also set up shift alarms to keep your deadlines on track. Employees can submit time-off requests while you can check available shifts in real-time. Sling comes with Native iOS and Android apps. Support is available via a help center, filled with extensive documentation. You can also contact them via email.
Sling integrates with Shopify, Gusto, Square, and other apps.
Sling is free to use for unlimited users with some features like shift swapping and time clocks locked to paid plans.
ABC Roster
Best free scheduling constraints management
ABC Roster is always free to use with an optional one-time donation to the developer if you are feeling generous. Because there is no paid version of ABC Roster, what you get is what you get—for good or for worse. Features include drag-and-drop calendars with an easy to handle interface, an automated planner, file export options (PDF, HTML, Excel), and time off management.
One of the best features ABC Roster has to offer is a robust system for constraint management. Have an employee who only wants 4 days a week? No problem, make a note. Need exactly 2 managers on every shift? Add that rule! You can even deep-dive into more subjective employee scheduling territory, like who doesn’t get on well together and therefore shouldn’t be staffed together.
ABC Roster is free to use but is no longer being regularly updated.
Need Expert Help Selecting The Right Calendar & Scheduling Software?
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It only takes a minute to submit your requirements and they will give you a quick call at no cost or commitment. Based on your needs you’ll receive customized software shortlists listing the best-fitting solutions from their team of software advisors (via phone or email). They can even connect you with your selected vendor choices along with community negotiated discounts. To get started, please complete the form below:
Best Free Employee Scheduling Software Summary
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wrike Best free employee scheduling app with Gantt chart visualization | 14-day free trial | From $9.80/user/month | Visit Website |
2 | Homebase Best for free scheduling with POS and payroll integrations | Freemium version available (unlimited employees) | From $20/month (payroll add-on is $6/user/month + $39/month) | Visit Website |
3 | Acuity Scheduling Best appointment-based shift scheduling | 7 days trial of the paid plans | Free to use for 1 calendar | Visit Website |
4 | Asana Best for Kanban-style task scheduling | 30-day free trial | From $10.99/user/month | Visit Website |
5 | TIMIFY Best free resource tracking software for small businesses | Not available | From $25/month/account | Visit Website |
6 | Findmyshift Best drag-and-drop scheduler | Unlimited free trial | Free to use up to 5 employees | Visit Website |
7 | ZoomShift Best free employee scheduling software to manage hourly employees | 14 days free trial | From $2.50/user/month | Visit Website |
8 | Fieldcode Best IoT-driven software for field service with pay-per-event model | Unlimited free trial | Pricing is based on a pay-per-event basis | Visit Website |
9 | Sling Best free employee scheduling software for group scheduling | Unlimited free trial | Free to use for unlimited users with some features | Visit Website |
10 | ABC Roster Best free scheduling constraints management | Not available | Free to use | Visit Website |
Other Free Employee Scheduling Software Options
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list.
- Google Workspace
Best for G Suite users
- 7shifts
Best for the restaurant industry
- Connecteam
Best free scheduling tool with customizable templates and unlimited checklists
- Tickspot
Best timecard application for freelancers
- OpenSimSim
Best time tracking tool for mid-sized companies
What Do You Think About These Free Employee Scheduling Software?
These were my top picks for the best employee shift scheduling software. Employee scheduling software is important not only to improve productivity, track time, and minimize no-shows. If you've got the budget for it, check this list out of the 10 Best Employees Shift Scheduling Software in 2023.
Now tell me your opinion and thoughts: What do you think of this list of free shift scheduling solutions? Any particular ones that I missed? Let me know in the comments section?
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