10 Best Free Employee Scheduling Software In 2021

Google Workspace - Best for G Suite users

Google Workspace is an online productivity suite that allows users to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and calendars in the cloud. It offers data syncing across all devices and operating systems and provides additional security and privacy for your files with end-to-end encryption. Like all Google products, Workspace is built around Gmail integration—making it easy to share and distribute unlimited employee schedules.

The product doubles up as an employee scheduler by managing employee schedules and shift assignments. It offers centralized access to all schedules and shift assignments, making it easier for managers and employees to make changes on the fly. Google workspace can be used to send notifications to various employees via email. You can use it to create, schedule, and share Google Slides presentations with others. You can leverage it as a free scheduling tool by building your own collaborative spreadsheets and downloading scheduling templates from HR communities online.

You can build your own collaborative spreadsheet, download scheduling templates from HR communities online. You can combine the power of Google Workspace with add-ons from the Google Workspace marketplace like Shift Scheduler. Shift scheduler will automatically create and maintain your organization’s schedule in a single spreadsheet, creating Google Calendar events for your users/employees. It will also create and maintain a separate spreadsheet view reorganizing the schedules by shifts, to see which employee is covering what responsibility.

The product can be accessed via an offline mode too. Support is available via chat and email.

Integrations include Microsoft Office 365, Google Slides, LinkedIn, and OneDrive.

Google Workspace is free to use for unlimited employees.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

7Shifts - Best for the restaurant industry

7Shifts is a software that connects small businesses with their employees. The SaaS has employee scheduling features like work schedule management, in-line approvals, and time-off requests. The product also generates custom reports that are easy to understand. You can use them to optimize your employee scheduling process. Another really cool feature is the ability to create shift schedule templates—why create something from scratch? (Ain’t nobody got time for that!)

The product comes with a mobile app. The data can be synced across all devices. This helps in keeping your team up to speed.

7Shifts works right out of the box with Google Calendar, Evernote, Slack, and other apps.

7Shifts is free for 1 location and up to 10 employees.

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.

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.