10 Best Hot Desk Booking Software List
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 40 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our HR software advisors to find your match.
Managing a hybrid office can feel like juggling too many moving parts—overbooked desks, underutilized meeting rooms, frustrated employees, and no clear way to track or optimize space usage. These challenges are not only disruptive, they can also impact employee satisfaction and productivity.
Hot desk booking software solves these problems by giving your team tools to reserve desks, meeting rooms, equipment, and even parking spaces with ease. It provides actionable insights into space utilization, helping you create a more efficient and employee-friendly office environment. Whether you're streamlining resource management or enabling flexible work arrangements, the right platform can make all the difference.
With years of experience analyzing workplace software solutions, I’ve compiled this guide to help you navigate the sea of options and choose a tool that fits your hybrid team's unique needs. Let’s dive in and find the solution that transforms your office into a well-oiled machine.
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Best Hot Desk Booking Software: Pricing Comparison Chart
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top hot desk booking software selections to help you find the best software for your budget and business needs.
Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | OfficeSpace OfficeSpace’s user-friendly booking system includes interactive maps and touchless check-in capabilities using mobile devices. | Best for advanced desk usage data | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website |
2 | deskbird Deskbird users can search for vacant work spaces in designated zones, right from their mobile device. | Best MS Teams and Outlook integration | 14-day free trial | From $1.80/user/month | Website |
3 | Tactic Tactic lets you see which team members are in the office to better plan meetings and events. | Best for coordinating in-office schedules | 14-day free trial | From $2.50/desk/month | Website |
4 | Eden Users can book desks directly from the floor plan map, or through Eden’s mobile app. | Best for a full workplace suite | Free demo available | From $2.25-$4/user/month | Website |
5 | Skedda Users can make self-service bookings directly through Skedda's interactive floor plan, or through calendar views or their full-feature mobile app. | Best for interactive floor plans | 30-day free trial | From $99/month | Website |
6 | Archie Archie's desk booking enables team members to reserve desks and check-in using mobile devices. | Best for hybrid work schedules | Free trial available | From $159/month | Website |
7 | Deskfound Users can assign employees to permanent desks, provide flexible booking when needed, and let guests check in to book a desk. | Best Google Workspace and Slack integration | Free trial for the first 10 users | From $1/user/month. | Website |
8 | Othership Find others and share where you’re working from, so you can collaborate when you book a desk, meeting room, or workspace. | Best for optimizing office use and time | Free version available | From $4/seat/month | Website |
9 | Tribeloo Tribeloo users can book desks directly from their favourite calendar app using software integrations. | Best for customized spaces across locations | Free demo available | From $3.33/user/month | Website |
10 | Dibsido Dibsido allows employees to reserve workspaces in advance, ensuring they have a place to work when they arrive at the office. | Best for one-click bookings and DIY onboarding | Free plan + free trial available | From $1.90/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
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Paycor
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.1 -
Willo
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8 -
ClearCompany
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Best Hot Desk Booking Software Reviews
Below are detailed descriptions of my top 10 hot desk booking software solution, including summaries of their key features and why I included them in this list. Any of these systems can help you optimize office space and create a productive, safe work environment. For even more options, check out the 30 additional systems listed below.
OfficeSpace’s software supports hot desking, desk hoteling, free addressing (sensor activated check-ins), activity-based working, and booking neighbourhoods to keep team members closer together.
Why I picked OfficeSpace: Their user-friendly system works from all manner of devices and supports bookings via mobile app, touchscreen kiosk, desktop computers, or even from within Slack or Microsoft Teams. To help limit surface sharing, a touchless check-in feature is also included in their mobile app too.
The platform’s data analytics also aim to help with future demand forecasting by giving administrators access to usage and adoption data in their Insights Hub. Within the data dashboard you can identify seating preferences, track trends, and see which workstations go unused. This valuable data is intended to improve the flexibility of your hybrid workspace arrangements by optimizing how your desks are configured and used.
OfficeSpace Features and Integrations:
Features include a directory to find colleagues, wayfinding features, tags for customized workstations (e.g., dual monitors, ergo chairs, docking station, etc.), and tools for scenario planning to experiment with different layout changes.
To dive even deeper into your data, their portfolio reports combine your lease information with your usage data to form real estate reports that show you where your budget is going to waste, allowing you to address those issues head-on.
Integrations are available with 35+ commonly used applications including Active Directory, ADP, LDAP, OneLogin, Oracle, PeopleSoft,
Pricing details for OfficeSpace are not readily available, but a free demo can be requested via their website.
deskbird offers a highly intuitive and flexible solution for booking desks and other resources that can be easily accessed by your team members from anywhere. With just two clicks, you can easily reserve a space, whether it's a desk, meeting room, parking spot, or any other facility.
Why I picked deskbird: I included their system because I found their integrations helpful and easy to use. You can book using Microsoft Teams, Slack, their web platform, or their mobile app. In addition, their software integrates with Outlook and Google calendars, so you can avoid scheduling conflicts and get real-time analytics.
deskbird Features and Integrations:
Features include office capacity settings, seating restrictions, and team zones. Platform administrators can keep track of space utilization data, assign specific zones to teams, and limit access to essential areas whenever necessary. deskbird also offers health policy reviews before checking in, check-ins via QR codes, and incognito bookings if you want your trip to the office to stay anonymous.
In addition, deskbird offers a seamless HRIS integration that streamlines absence tracking and enhances data accuracy, providing users with optimized workforce and office analytics. Plus, a mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Integrations are available with numerous calendar programs, communication tools, and active directory systems. including BambooHR, Workday, Personio, Sage, Factorial, HiBob, Rippling, and SAP SuccessFactors.
Pricing for deskbird’s workspace booking tool starts at $1.80/user/month. They also offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card or other strings attached.
Tactic’s workplace experience software makes the office a more valuable piece of your company's hybrid work plan. This flexible platform provides a variety of tools that help bring your team together on their own terms.
Why I picked Tactic: Their desk & meeting room booking software is designed to ensure a safe working environment for all. Their system includes optional health check-ins for office visitors, capacity management tools, and detailed analytics to support contract tracing as needed. On top of all that, the system can also track the vaccination status of your workers—a modern requirement for certain industries.
And the safety features don't stop there. With Tactic's visitor management tools, you can provide guests with a delightful digital check-in process, allowing you to easily collect their information, photo, and necessary signatures. Tactic puts a heavy emphasis on their user experience to eliminate common technology frustrations.
Tactic Features and Integrations:
Features include on-demand desk booking and meeting room reservations, helping team members plan their preferred hybrid work schedule at the beginning of each week. Using the interactive office map, employees can see which days their team members will be in the office, allowing them to easily coordinate meetings and events, and facilitate in-person collaboration.
Other useful features include seating assignments, capacity limits, future booking limits, and a feature that allows administrators to require approval for booking certain desk types or locations to ensure proper use.
Integrations are available with many popular scheduling and communication apps, such as Slack, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Zoom. All features are also available through their Android and iOS apps.
Pricing for Tactic starts at $2.50/desk/month. All plans include a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Eden’s HR and workplace experience software is modular by design, so you only have to pay for the products you need—making it an affordable option for businesses who want to maintain a flexible, hybrid workforce. Their system includes separate modules for desk booking, room scheduling, visitor management, COVID-19 team safety, deliveries, and internal ticketing, which can be used for IT support, HR requests, and more.
Why I picked Eden: Within their desk booking module, system administrators can limit which desks are available for booking, to ensure social distancing between workers. Their system also supports office neighborhoods, allowing employees from the same department to book spots close to each other for improved collaboration. The system also tracks office space and desk usage metrics, making it easier for operations teams to analyze their usage and reduce wasted space.
Eden Features and Integrations:
In addition to their desk and room booking modules, Eden also has an embedded ticketing system, which can be used for any type of employee service request, such as HR and People Operations requests, IT support, facilities needs, or document formatting requests. Designed to act as a central hub for service requests, this module also includes analytics so teams can understand what type of support their employees need the most.
Integrations are available with Google Calendar, Slack, Microsoft Teams, common HRIS platforms like Gusto, Hibob, and BambooHR, and many other access control and single sign-on directory service applications.
Pricing for Eden is very transparent and modular, depending on the type of booking services you need. For their hot desk booking service, pricing starts at $2.25/desk/month, sold in sets of 25 desks. Their room scheduling software can also be added for free for up to 10 rooms, and their COVID-19 safety features can also be added for free for 1 location up to 50 employees.
Skedda’s customized booking system allows you to control the allocation of all your corporate spaces including desks, meeting rooms, studios, labs, or anything else you want to make reservable.
Why I picked Skedda: Their system is designed to remove the hassle of manually managing hot desk spaces by automating the process and enabling self-service bookings. This means you only have to set up your bookable items and automated user rules and permissions once. After that, your staff will be able to help themselves.
To ensure easy access, Skedda also has full-featured native apps for Android and iOS devices that work for users, as well as owners and administrators.
Skedda Features and Integrations:
Features include desk booking in 3-clicks, check-in policy management, and space utilization analytics. Their floorplan maps are interactive, making it easy to view and make bookings directly from the map interface. Included in the floor plan is a time-of-day range-slider, so users can determine exactly when their favourite spot will be available again.
Users can also make reservations through their booking calendar, which allows platform admins to review bookings using day, month, grid (all listings) or list (per hot desk space or user) views. For pay-per-use venues, the platform also makes it easy to collect payments from users during their initial booking, which is saved for convenient reuse.
Integrations are available with commonly used calendar programs such as iCloud, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook (and Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 to generate meeting invites and video-conferencing links), and with communication tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Trello, Basecamp, Mailchimp, and many others.
Pricing for Skedda starts at $7 per month. A 30-day free trial of their premium version is available, as well as a free demo. They also have a freemium version with limited features for up to 5 bookable spaces.
Archie is a desk booking software designed to simplify the management of flexible workspaces. It enables your team with hybrid work schedules to locate and reserve desks, facilitating collaboration and efficient use of office space. With both web and mobile applications, Archie supports on-the-go desk reservations.
Why I picked Archie: One thing I really like is Archie's interactive floor plans. These visual maps allow you to see available desks and their locations, making it easy to choose a workspace that suits your needs. This visual representation helps in quickly identifying and booking the right spot in the office.
Another useful aspect is the check-in process. Archie offers QR code scanning and virtual check-in options to confirm desk reservations upon arrival. This ensures that booked desks are utilized and helps in monitoring office attendance effectively.
Archie Features and Integrations:
Features include the ability to create specific zones within the office, known as neighborhoods, which can be assigned to particular teams or require special authorization. Users can see who of their colleagues will be at the office on a certain day, and at which desk they’ll be sitting, which makes it easier to manage hybrid work schedules. Additionally, Archie provides options for recurring bookings, allowing you to reserve desks on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which is convenient for consistent scheduling needs.
Archie also offers seat assignment capabilities, enabling the allocation of permanent desks to employees who need them.
Integrations include Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Office 365, Quickbooks, Xero, Stripe, GoCardless, Kisi, Salto, and Tapkey.
Deskfound is a Slack-based workspace management software tailored for a hybrid workforce. It allows employees to find the appropriate workspace, view floor plans, and book desk reservations from an easy-to-use, centralized platform or their existing Slack program.
Why I picked Deskfound: The cloud-based software enables supervisors to strategically assign desks to different employees, evaluate seating arrangements, and manage available workspace for a designated number of days or even weeks. It allows employees to manage work desks across multiple locations, view workspace status & availability, and schedule reservations for dedicated and temporary desks in offices.
Deskfound Features and Integrations:
Features include the ability to view desks by area, book permanent or hybrid seats, and update reservations by simply using the built-in drag-and-drop user interface. In addition, the software enables users to easily track each team’s location, configure user access rights, set up the software’s contact tracing functionality, and manage other critical tasks within a unified system. Users can use QR codes to scan desk labels and ensure the visibility of seating arrangements and locations.
Integrations are available with Slack and other third-party applications, including Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Google SSO.
Pricing starts from $1.00/user/month. A free trial is available for the first 10 users.
Othership provides a set of solutions for hybrid working policies that facilitate collaboration and connection. It offers desk booking, visitor management, and meeting room bookings with features for remote working and out-of-office statuses. Admins and HR can use this data to plan for future work needs.
Why I picked Othership: Othership is a product-led business built from the input of thousands of hybrid organizations of all sizes. Its Workplace Scheduler has an intuitive design that makes it easy to use. Additionally, the platform offers social media-style notifications to help manage office workspaces.
Othership promotes more desirable workplace interactions by using events such as new joiners and combining them with people's skills and places of work to help facilitate more use of shared desk space. The platform also offers rich data and analytics based on remote, hybrid, and in-office utilization patterns.
Othership Features and Integrations:
Features include the ability to set your own schedule and status in the office or anywhere else. Its social media-style notifications and prompts help promote more employee engagement.
Furthermore, the platform allows for event promotion, group creation, and setting your status to open for collaboration. You can even buy additional spaces or sell an empty space on Othership’s adjacent platform, Othership On Demand.
Integrations include all major office and HR applications, scheduling, and video conference software like Microsoft Office, Outlook, Teams, Entra, Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, Zoom, and Bamboo.
Pricing for Othership begins at $4/seat/month with a free plan available.
Tribeloo is a hot desk booking software that offers an array of features to help you manage your workplace and support in-person and hybrid collaboration on your team.
Why I picked Tribeloo: This is an effective desk and workspace booking software that allows you to define 'neighborhoods' and other unique workspace divisions. You can also manage multiple locations and set specific booking rules for these different locations. For example, you can add maximum capacities for shared desk spaces or add access permissions to certain employees or teams.
The software provides a visual floor plan for employees to book desks and rooms through. It allows you to set up policies and safety screenings for employees to read and agree to when they book spaces. Employees can also add team members to their group to see who's in and out of the office, and add conferencing to meetings they're booking with hybrid attendees.
Tribeloo Features and Integrations:
Features include a visual floor plan, desk and room booking, assigned desks, multiple site management, custom areas and wings, special requests, pre-screening forms, and analytics and reporting tools.
Integrations include Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar, so your team can book desks and rooms directly from the platforms they use already.
Dibsido is a hot desk booking and office management tool that offers a range of features to assist office managers in streamlining workspace operations and enhancing managerial efficiency. It provides a system for employees to book desks, parking spaces, and shared cars, as well as tools to organize carpools.
Why I picked Dibsido: The software supports flexible booking options in one click, enabling users to select desks based on specific attributes and manage their reservations through a user-friendly interface. It incorporates the use of QR codes to facilitate easy tracking of desk usage and provides an overview of office occupancy, which can help in reducing operational costs. The tool also supports hybrid work models by offering a scheduler for attendance and providing data on office utilization.
One detail that sets Dibsido apart from competitors is the ease of its customer onboarding process. Dibsido eliminates the need for time-consuming sales calls, allowing companies to independently onboard and start using the platform promptly.
Dibsido Features and Integrations:
Features, in addition to desk booking, include parking space booking to manage limited parking resources and ensure fair access for all employees, as well as company car reservations with a built-in logbook for tracking usage. Dibsido also supports carpooling arrangements, helping employees reduce commuting costs and minimize environmental impact.
Other unique features include a package register for logging deliveries and parcels, incident reports, office notices, which can be used to communicate important information to all employees quickly and efficiently, a hybrid scheduler, which allows employees to schedule their in-office and remote work, and a guestbook where guests can easily check-in and provide necessary information on a tablet, while the system automatically notifies their hosts.
Integrations include Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Google, Slack, and Microsoft.
Pricing starts from $1.90/user/month (billed annually). A free plan is available for up to 20 users and a free trial is available for premium plans.
Other Hot Desk Booking Software
Here are a few more worthwhile options that didn’t make it into my top 10 shortlist for the best hot desk booking software, but they're still worth checking out:
- WorkInSync
For virtual scheduling assistance
- Robin
For employee productivity features
- Envoy
For modular configuration
- Officely
For simple desk booking
- SpaceIQ
For advanced wayfinding features
- Smartway2
For flexible integrations
- FLYDESK
For weekly schedules
- Clearooms
User friendly remote booking system
- Zynq
For hybrid teams
- Cloudbooking
For workspace planning
- Ronspot
For an interactive booking map
- Condeco
For flexible desk workflows
- HotDesk+
Multilingual hot desk booking software
- Kadence
For coordinating people and spaces
- Floor Plan Mapper
For no limits on desk or users
- SwipedOn
For ease of use desk booking and full hybrid workplace management
- YAROOMS
Plug-and-play desk booking solution with digital signage & visitor management solutions
- Teem
Hot desk & desk hoteling software for touchless mobile bookings and sanitation flags in between users
- Meetio
Hot desking app for QR code check-ins and a find-a-colleague feature
- FlexO by Oomnis
On-premise or cloud-based booking tool for desks, conference rooms, huddle spaces, parking spaces, and mobile equipment
- Space Connect
Desk booking platform for automatic ‘booking conflict resolution’ and making bookings on behalf of others
- Roomzilla
For unique admin features like an approval queue, private bookings, and tools to remove ghost reservations
- Smart Space
For wayfinding features, occupancy sensors, and advanced desk utilization metrics at a granular level
- Joan Desk
Desk booking tool with an embedded health screening questionnaire
- StaffMap
Desk booking software for move management and asset management
- Gaia Workspace
Workspace solution for advanced employee screening plus vaccine & COVID-19 test tracking
- Sharing Cloud Instant Flex
Room booking tool for QR codes and infra-red presence sensors to manage usage data
- Fm:systems
Desk management platform with pan-and-zoom floorplans, touchless check-ins, and QR code readers
- Flowscape Solutions
Desk management solution for booking spaces with specialized equipment
- Agile Quest
Workplace booking platform for landlords, government agencies, higher education institutions & co-working spaces
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Selection Criteria for Hot Desk Booking Software
Selecting the right hot desk booking software requires an understanding of how each functionality supports common organizational needs. My approach to choosing the best hot desk booking software is grounded in thorough research to pinpoint the features that add a lot of value for administrators and employees alike.
Here are the details I evaluated to decide on my final picks:
Core Hot Desk Booking Software Functionalities (25% of total score): To be considered for inclusion in my list of the top desk booking software, each solution had to offer the following basic functionalities first:
- Digital tools to manage desk reservations, plus other bookings for meeting rooms and other workspaces
- Tools to customize your booking policies for your business needs
- Mobile app functionality to enable bookings via mobile devices
- Detailed usage analytics for space optimization purposes
- Real-time updates and notifications to gauge desk availability
- Software integrations with digital calendars and communication tools
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score): To help me narrow in on the best hot desk booking software out of the numerous options available, I also took note of any unique features, including:
- AI-driven suggestions for optimizing space utilization
- Advanced health and safety monitoring and compliance tools
- Tools to set up team zones, neighborhoods, or other space booking restrictions to strengthen team cohesion when physically in the office
- Interactive maps with wayfinding features for complex workspaces
- The ability to manage multiple office spaces within one platform
- E-commerce features that allow you to offer workspaces for rent
- Advanced physical hardware like digital signage and scannable QR codes that help users check in at physical spaces
Usability (10% of total score): To evaluate the usability of each hot desk booking system, I considered the following:
- An intuitive design that simplifies the booking process, including on mobile devices (both Android and iOS mobile devices)
- A clean, user-friendly interface with features to make bookings using interactive office maps or through drag-and-drop functionality
- Role-based access control that's straightforward to configure
Onboarding (10% of total score): To get a sense of each software provider's customer onboarding process, I considered the following factors:
- Quick setup processes and clear configuration guidelines
- The availability of training materials such as videos or interactive tutorials
- Support for migrating employee data into the new platform
Customer Support (10% of total score): To evaluate the level of customer support each vendor offered, I considered the following:
- The availability of multiple support channels, including email, phone, and chat
- The existence of a self-service knowledge base or other self-help resources to speed up troubleshooting
- The overall quality, responsiveness, and helpfulness of the support team during customer onboarding and post-purchase, as inferred from customer reviews
Value for Price (10% of total score): To gauge the value of each software, I considered the following factors:
- The availability of free trials or demos to test the software before purchasing
- Transparent pricing models that clearly explain which features are included at each level
- Tiered pricing plans that cater to different business sizes, from small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) up to enterprise-level organizations
- Competitive pricing models that offer volume-based discounts for large-scale workspaces
Customer Reviews (10% of total score): Evaluating customer reviews is the final element of my selection process, which helps me understand how well a product performs in the hands of real users. Here are the factors I considered:
- Whether a product has consistently high ratings across multiple review platforms, indicating a broad level of user satisfaction
- Specific praises, criticisms, or trends in customer feedback that indicate the software's strengths or areas for improvement
- Whether customer feedback specifically mentions issues with ease of use, customer support responsiveness, or lacking features
Using this assessment framework helped me identify the hot desk booking software that goes beyond basic requirements to offer additional value through unique features, intuitive usability, smooth onboarding, effective support, and overall value for price.
How to Choose Hot Desk Booking Software
Hot desk booking software can help you manage your office space more effectively, providing a smoother and better experience for your hybrid employees. To help you figure out which hot desk booking software best fits your needs, keep the following points in mind:
- What hybrid office challenges are you trying to solve? By identifying the challenges you're trying to overcome, you can align your needs with the specific software features and functionalities that will address them. These challenges may include:
- understanding whether your office space is being under-used,
- reducing the size of your floor plan based on real usage data,
- encouraging your employees to return to the office more frequently,
- improving your hybrid team's experience coming to the office, and
- making it easier for teams to coordinate their in-office days with other team members.
- What outcomes are important and how will you measure success? Being clear on your desired outcomes upfront is crucial to avoid wasting valuable time. Key outcomes you may want to measure include:
- The rate that your hybrid employees return to the office (hopefully more frequently),
- Improved use of your floor space so you can reduce unused physical space or offer desk space for rent, or
- An improved employee experience, captured via surveys or eNPS ratings, etc.
- Who are your main users? Determine how many licenses you'll need and which groups require access, such as your entire workforce, HR admins, and support staff. Prioritize the needs of different user groups—admins, managers, and employees—to ensure the software meets everyone's requirements.
- Your main user groups will likely be your office administrative staff, HR administrative staff, managers, team leads, and employees.
- What is your budget? To evaluate cost, do a headcount of your existing workforce and a full tally of your desks and other bookable spaces. Since most hot desking solutions charge a fee per desk or per user, this will help you estimate your monthly costs proactively.
- It's crucial to determine a realistic budget for your new software up-front, so you don't waste time considering software that's out of your price range.
- Do you require specific software integrations? Clarify whether your new software will replace any existing tools or need to integrate with them.
- Key integrations to look for include digital calendars, internal communication tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, and your HR management system.
- Does the new hot desk booking system satisfy your technical requirements? Consider the software selection alongside your existing workflows and systems. Evaluate what's working well, and any problem areas that need to be addressed.
- Does the new system integrate with your corporate workspace (Microsoft SharePoint, Google Workspace, etc.)?
- Does the new system offer security features that meet your needs (e.g., two-factor authentication (2FA), etc.)?
- Does the software offer a complimentary desk booking app as well as desktop-based tools?
Remember, every business is different — don’t assume that a hot desk booking system will work for your organization just because it's popular.
Companies need to reimagine how they use office space in a hybrid world… Office space should be more about collaboration and less about sitting at desks all day, especially when many people are working from home. Instead of assigning desks, think about creating collaborative spaces that employees can use when they come in for specific projects or team meetings.
Trends in Hot Desk Booking Software for 2025
Hot desk booking software saw a sharp rise in popularity during the pandemic, to match the needs of growing hybrid workforces. Even today, these products continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of hybrid office environments and to leverage new technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Here's a summary of the current trends impacting the hot desk booking software space:
- Advanced Real Estate and Workplace Utilization Analytics: To help businesses manage their physical resources more strategically, developers are embedding complex analytics for desk allocation and real estate optimization. This innovation supports data-driven decisions, helping businesses maximize space efficiency and either reduce operational costs or monetize unused spaces.
- Package Delivery Management and Visitor Management Systems: The introduction of package tracking and sophisticated visitor management features represents a move towards comprehensive workplace solutions. This evolution is driven by the need for seamless operation within the modern office, ensuring security, efficiency, and convenience in handling visitors and deliveries.
(To learn more about how these features work, take a look at our in-depth review of Envoy, which explains it in more detail.) - QR Code Check-ins and Digital Signage: To streamline office navigation and improve visitor management, QR code check-ins and digital signage are being introduced. This approach simplifies access control and enhances the visitor experience, responding to the need for efficient and secure workplace management.
- Smart Desk Sensors and Occupancy Analytics: Leveraging technology for real-time space management, smart sensors and analytics are utilized to monitor desk usage. This trend is motivated by the desire to optimize workspace utilization, ensuring resources are effectively allocated and reducing wastage.
As flexible work arrangements remain popular, these technologies are essential for supporting hybrid office needs. By using hot desk booking software with advanced analytics, integrated office management features, and physical hardware connections, you can boost workplace efficiency.
What is Hot Desk Booking Software?
Hot desk booking software is a digital tool that enables employees to book and manage shared workspaces in an office, enhancing space efficiency and flexibility. Features include real-time desk availability, a reservation software system, workspace management, and reporting capabilities for usage analytics.
The purpose of hot desk booking software is to streamline the reservation and management of shared office spaces, which is becoming more common in modern hybrid work environments.
It’s important for hybrid teams to have dedicated time for collaboration and focus. You can set up team check-ins at the beginning of the week and use tools to block out focus time for individual work.
Features of Hot Desk Booking Software
These are the key features I assessed when creating this list of the best hot desk booking software:
- Self-Service Bookings: The ability for employees to make bookings themselves, rather than bottlenecking requests through administrators or managers.
- Flexible Booking Options: The best platforms offer flexible workspace types (e.g., for desks, conference rooms, kiosks, parking stalls, and equipment) as well as flexible room scheduling and booking arrangements (e.g., hourly, all-day, multiple days, etc.) to accommodate a range of business needs.
- Detail-rich Floor Plans: Users should be able to visually locate the workspace they want to book from an accurate, and often interactive map. Some platforms even include wayfinding features that help users orient themselves within the workspace.
- Mobile Device Compatibility: This is an essential feature, as it allows users to book from anywhere, anytime, while also enabling touchless check-ins via mobile devices. When considering this feature, ensure mobile device compatibility exists for both Android and iOS mobile devices.
- Team Zones or Neighborhoods: This feature creates designated areas for specific teams or departments, ensuring better team collaboration while in the office. This feature is also useful for creating designated quiet zones.
- Search Tools to Find Colleagues: To further enhance productivity and collaboration, hot desk booking systems allow users to search for other employees to find out when they’re going to be in the office, and where they’ll be sitting.
- Visitor Management: This feature allows offices to streamline the check-in process for guests, ensuring that only authorized individuals enter the workspace. It adds an extra layer of security and helps maintain a safe and organized environment for employees and visitors alike.
- Health & Safety Features: This covers built-in health screening questionnaires, occupancy limits, social distancing parameters, data to assist with contact tracing, and automations that flag desks for sanitization in between users.
- Usage Metrics: The best systems keep track of usage data to support higher-level workspace analysis processes. This helps you quantify the cost of unused space so you can make informed decisions to further optimize your floor plan or reduce floor space altogether.
- User Permissions & Access Controls: Many tools let you set custom access permissions for different team members to manage who can access specific areas or desks within the office. This helps keep specialized or authorized areas bookable only for those with designated access and assists with ensuring compliance and workplace safety.
- Software Integrations: Integrations with commonly used office programs like Outlook, Gmail, Slack, Microsoft Teams, digital calendars, and other cloud-based simplify the booking process and help your hybrid workers avoid scheduling conflicts.
Implementing hot desk booking software with these features can significantly enhance the management and reservation of desk spaces in a hybrid office environment.
Benefits of Hot Desk Booking Software
Hot desk booking software offers a sophisticated approach to modernizing your hybrid work practices and creating a smoother employee experience for staff who want the flexibility of varying their work location according to their preferences.
By implementing hot desk booking software, you can expect to gain the following benefits:
- Increased Flexibility and Autonomy: Ultimately, by giving employees the ability to choose when and where they'll be in the office, hot desk booking software empowers team members to be more autonomous and in control of their work experience. This, in turn, can lead to improved job satisfaction and productivity.
- Enhanced Space Utilization: By analyzing usage patterns, businesses can adjust their real estate needs accordingly, ensuring that no space goes to waste and potentially lowering expenses related to unused areas.
- Improved Collaboration: By allowing users to book desks and meeting spaces based on team location, hot desk booking software can enhance collaboration, fostering a more cohesive and dynamic work environment.
- Better Data-Driven Insights: Organizations can leverage workspace usage data to make informed decisions about office layout, required resources, and future workplace strategies, aligning them more closely with actual needs.
- Health and Safety Compliance: Providing a safe environment is always a top priority for employers and hot desk booking software can simplify this process by helping teams manage social distancing, track cleaning schedules, and ensure that health protocols are followed. These features both assist with health and safety compliance tracking and provide peace of mind for both employees and management.
These benefits demonstrate the significant impact hot desk booking software can have on an organization's operational efficiency, employee satisfaction, and strategic planning. By prioritizing flexibility, insight, and safety, businesses can create a more adaptive and resilient office environment.
Costs & Pricing for Hot Desk Booking Software
Pricing for hot desk booking software varies depending on the depth of features provided. While some systems offer a monthly price per user, others base their pricing on the number of bookable desk spaces you wish to manage, including some that offer packages or sets of bookable spaces for a flat fee.
To help you understand the pricing landscape, I've compiled the average price ranges for each plan level into a comparison table.
Plan Comparison Table for Hot Desk Booking Software
Plan Type | Average Price per User | Average Price per Desk | Common Features Included |
---|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | $0 | Basic desk booking, mobile access, and real-time availability |
Basic | $10 - $20 | $5 - $10 | Enhanced booking capabilities, integration with calendar applications, automated reminders, and basic analytics |
Professional | $20 - $40 | $10 - $20 | Advanced analytics, customizable booking rules, integration with additional office management tools, and support for multiple office locations |
Enterprise | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing | Personalized setup and support, advanced security features, comprehensive analytics and reporting, API access, and a dedicated account manager |
When considering which plan to choose, I recommend weighing your specific needs and the features you want to gain against the expected costs for each tier. It's important to select a plan that fits your current requirements while retaining the flexibility to scale as your business grows.
If you have a small number of users and simple space management needs, you can likely get started with a free or basic plan initially. However, there are many reasons why you may want to opt for a more advanced plan, including:
- Growth in Workforce: As your team expands, you may reach the user limit for what a free or basic plan allows. Advanced plans can accommodate larger numbers of employees while also offering more advanced features.
- Increased Office Locations: If your business is poised to open a new office, you'll likely need to upgrade your plan to gain the ability to manage hot desk bookings in a second location.
- Enhanced Reporting Needs: Basic plans often lack in-depth reporting and analytics capabilities. By upgrading to a higher-priced plan, you'll gain advanced analytics to help you optimize your space utilization and uncover user trends.
- Integration with Other Tools: To ensure smooth operations, integrating with HR, project management, and calendar systems is essential. Higher-tier plans typically support a broader range of integrations than any free or basic plans.
- Customization and Flexibility: Basic plans usually don't support any customizations. However, advanced plans allow you to tailor the software to fit your unique workflows, booking rules, operational policies, and corporate branding.
Ultimately, it's important to secure a plan that offers the features you require to satisfy your current needs and solve your challenges without exceeding your budget.
New & Noteworthy Product Updates
Below, I've summarized the most recent release notes and product updates for my top hot desk booking software recommendations. Discover what’s now possible through new feature releases, improvements, and updates for web, desktop, and mobile apps. Learn what’s new, if it’s hot—or not, and how it will improve desk management in your workplace.
2024 Q4: Hot Desk Booking Software Updates
deskbird Update Notes

deskbird recently acquired the French workspace management software company Semana. This move combines deskbird’s broad market reach with Semana’s local expertise to meet the growing demand for workplace solutions.
The integration adds Semana’s features to deskbird’s platform, improving functionality and user experience. Users will benefit from a streamlined platform for managing spaces and boosting engagement. The partnership focuses on creating efficient, flexible workplaces that support productivity and collaboration.
Verdict: Warm! Partnerships are always exciting, but the details on the new features being added to deskbird's platform are currently a little sparse.
Skedda Update Notes

Skedda recently introduced a new feature called "Space Attributes" to help users organize and filter spaces. Administrators can assign specific attributes to each space, including Type, Capacity, or custom Space Tags (e.g., Engineering Team, Dog Spots, or Executive Meeting Rooms.)
By implementing Space Attributes, administrators can categorize spaces more effectively, making it easier for users to find suitable options for their needs. Users can filter spaces based on these attributes in Map, Grid, or List views, streamlining the booking process. This customization ensures that spaces are organized in a way that aligns with the organization's specific requirements, such as creating team-based neighborhoods.
The Space Attributes adds value by simplifying the process of locating and reserving appropriate spaces. With the ability to filter spaces based on attributes like Type, Capacity, and custom Space Tags, users can quickly identify and book spaces that meet their specific needs, enhancing overall efficiency and satisfaction.
Verdict: Hot! It simplifies space selection, saves time, and ensures users can reserve spaces that meet their specific requirements.
Kadence Update Notes

Recently, Kadence introduced several new features to improve desk booking and hybrid work management as part of its product release 3.6.0.
The update features a new Remote Working Status, enabling employees to check in and indicate their availability for collaboration from any location. This ensures facility managers have accurate visibility of personnel without unnecessary office space reservations.
Additional improvements include the ability to select multiple workplace announcements for marking as read or deletion, a Public API for room booking and check-in that integrates with existing systems, and enhanced visibility of starred colleagues' office locations.
Users can now search for buildings when making bookings, add Private Offices to floor plans, and include location information when raising tickets.
Verdict: Hot! These significant updates improve coordination, collaboration, and resource management for hybrid teams.
Dibsido Update Notes

During Q4, Dibsido announced updates to improve its workspace management platform. These include new language options, booking credit allocations, time-based desk and parking assignments, and custom booking rules.
The platform now supports Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, German, Finnish, Norwegian, and Polish. Administrators can assign booking credits by group, customize credit deductions by reservation type, and allocate desks or parking spaces by time slots. Custom rules can restrict or allow access based on user groups and timing.
These updates improve flexibility and efficiency. Expanded language support makes the platform accessible globally, while the credit and time-based features ensure fair resource use. Custom rules enhance space management for diverse user needs.
Verdict: Hot! These new updates introduce Dibsido to a larger customer base and the time-based booking features make the platform more efficient and fair.
Hot Desk Booking Software: FAQ
Do you have general questions about hot desk booking software and how it works? You’ve come to the right place! Here are some answers to commonly asked questions I’ve received on this topic:
What is hot desking?
Conceptually, hot desking is a modern-day workspace arrangement where employees no longer have a fixed desk. Unsurprisingly, it rose in popularity during the throws of the global pandemic, when workers stopped coming into the office in record numbers. This allowed some organizations to reduce their physical office spaces since the real estate was no longer being used.
The term “hot desks” refers to a first-come-first-served desk reservation software system. In contrast, the term “desk hoteling” describes a system that requires reservations in advance. Thankfully, these flexible software systems can accommodate all types of workspace reservations.
What's the difference between hot desking and hoteling?
The main difference between hot desking and hoteling is when the desk space is reserved. Hot desking is booked on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing you to grab a workspace in real-time when you arrive at the office.
Hoteling, on the other hand, involves reserving a space in advance and may include a check-in process, such as completing a health assessment prior to accessing your space, or require approval from a gatekeeper, like a receptionist or a visitor management system.
Fortunately, most software offers both options, so you can choose what works best for your needs without worrying about the distinction. For more details, this article explains the differences clearly.
How does hot desking software reduce costs from underused office space?
Hot desking software helps teams optimize office space usage by tracking utilization patterns, offering insights to inform decisions about office layout and real estate needs. This data can lead to downsizing, saving on rent, utilities, and maintenance. It also helps identify underused areas, allowing companies to repurpose space or even rent it out to external users, creating a new revenue stream.
What is the best desk booking app?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to what the best desk booking app is, since the ideal choice depends on your specific needs and office environment. However, most of the desk reservation systems in this list do offer a mobile app component for easy booking on the go.
If a desk booking app is your primary focus, take a closer look at our detailed review of deskbird, our detailed review of Kadence, or our detailed review of Envoy for more information. These apps offer comprehensive desk reservation systems, plus additional tools to support efficient hot office management. Each hoteling app provides a user-friendly experience, enabling employees to easily reserve desks, rooms, or other resources through their mobile device.
Choosing the best desk booking app involves considering factors like ease of use, scalability, and specific features that align with your company’s workflow, ensuring that your investment supports a more flexible and productive work environment.
Just how common is hybrid working?
As the global pandemic continues its ebb and flow, hybrid working has risen as the go-to workplace model of the times. Wondering just how common it is? Here are some interesting hybrid work stats:
- 80% of survey respondents expect to work from home a minimum of 3 times per week
- 63% of high-growth businesses are already using hybrid work models
- 66% of executives report considering reorganizing their office spaces to accommodate hybrid work
Accenture recently surveyed 9,000 workers and found that 83% of workers prefer a hybrid work model instead of working in the office 5 days per week.
With that many employees shifting between home and office work locations, it makes sense to invest in technology that organizes the process and captures useful data at the same time.
What are some tips for introducing hot desking?
If you’re new to the idea of hot desking, these tips will help you get started on the right foot:
- Create a hot desk policy: Whenever you’re introducing a new concept to your workforce, you’re bound to receive a flurry of follow-up questions from your employees. To mitigate the Q&A flood, I recommend creating a Hot Desk Policy that spells out the rules and answers all the most likely questions upfront.
- Make your sanitization policy clear: If you’re able to hire a cleaning service to clean in between each hot desk’s use, definitely go for it. However, if your team is smaller and has lighter needs, you could also consider supplying each workstation with their own set of disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers, and ask your staff to sanitize at the beginning and end of each use, to ensure the hot desk space is germ-free.
- Set up department or team-based zones: This involves designating specific areas on your floor plan for individual departments to use. By keeping team members in the same zone or “neighborhood” when they’re working in the office, you’ll improve your team’s in-office productivity and strengthen the bond between department members, improving your company culture.
- Offer specialized equipment as needed: You may have some employees with different workstation needs than others. These may include special lighting, ergonomic chairs, an ergonomic keyboard or mouse, or workstations with multiple computer screens. Mark these specialty options in your hot desking solution, and ensure your employees know they are available.
- Offer lockers for storing personal items: Some employees may want to have personal items on their desk while they work. This could include things like personal photos, preferred stationary or office supplies, or even an ergonomic mouse. Rather than asking them to lug these items from home each time they want to work from the office, offer staff the ability to store these items in personal lockers instead.
- Find a hot desking solution that works with your existing tech stack: You’ll get the most out of your hot desking program if the booking process is easy for your staff to navigate. Try to find a solution that integrates with the communication tools your staff are already using, whether that’s Slack, Yammer, Microsoft Teams, an internal intranet, or otherwise.
We also have tips on how to use your office space the most effectively if you need some help with that too.
Can hot desk booking software support multiple office locations?
Absolutely, many hot desk booking software can indeed support multiple office locations. Most modern solutions are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing organizations to manage desk bookings across various sites from a single platform. This means employees can book desks not just in their primary office but in any office location within the company’s network.
Being able to manage multiple office locations not only helps to facilitate a smoother experience for employees who travel between sites or work remotely part of the time. It also streamlines operations and enhances workspace utilization across all your locations, making it easier to manage a dynamic and flexible working environment.
How does hot desk booking software ensure compliance with health and safety regulations?
Hot desk booking software can help ensure compliance with health and safety regulations by allowing organizations to monitor and control the occupancy levels of workspaces, and ensure that social distancing guidelines can be adhered to. This can support a smoother and safer return to work, and shows staff that you’re putting their wellbeing at the forefront.
Additionally, some of these systems can facilitate contact tracing efforts by keeping records of who has booked and used specific desks on particular dates. They can also be configured to block off certain desks to maintain safe distances between employees and to prompt users with health and safety checklists or guidelines when making a booking. This proactive approach helps in creating a safer workplace environment, aligning with health guidelines and regulations.
Are there any industry-specific solutions for hot desk booking?
Yes, there are industry-specific solutions for hot desk booking, designed to cater to the unique needs of various sectors, including:
- Tech (read our review of NSpace for more information)
- Finance (read our review of Tribeloo for more information)
- Healthcare (read our review of WorkInSync for more information)
- Creative industries (read our review of Deskfound for more information)
These specialized solutions often include features tailored to the operational flow and compliance requirements of each industry, such as enhanced security for sensitive sectors or more collaborative spaces for creative fields. It’s all about finding a system that aligns with your industry’s specific workspace management and employee needs.
Does hot desk booking software go by other names?
This is a great question, and the answer is YES, there are many different names for hot desk booking software, however, the functionality that runs all these systems is the same. Some commonly used alternative names are:
- Office Space Software: This is a more general term that suggests the software offers more bookable spaces than only desks, which is pretty standard among these tools.
- Office Hoteling Software: This term is used to describe systems that support long-term bookings, including the ability to reserve a desk space for months at a time.
- Office Scheduling Software: This describes software that offers additional capabilities beyond reserving desks, including allocating other shared resources such as office meeting rooms and staff schedules.
- Meeting Room Booking System: This term is used to describe systems that are primarily used as a room reservation system. However, they often include the ability to book shared desk space as well.
Regardless of the term the software system uses, these types of desk booking solutions all offer a booking manager and other tools to manage your hot office effectively.
What are team neighborhoods and how can they improve team collaboration?
Team neighborhoods are designated zones within an office space where members of the same team or department are encouraged to sit and work. Instead of a fully open seating plan, team neighborhoods create semi-structured areas that promote proximity for better collaboration while still offering the flexibility of hot desking. By using hot desk booking solutions, team members can reserve spots near each other when they’re in the office.
By fostering a sense of belonging and proximity, team neighborhoods enhance collaboration by making it easier for colleagues to have quick, informal discussions and share ideas without the barriers of long distances or separate workspaces. This setup encourages teamwork, builds rapport, and can lead to increased productivity by blending the best of both flexible seating and structured team alignment.
What access control features do hot desk booking solutions offer?
Most hot desk booking solutions offer essential access controls to manage workspace usage and ensure security. Administrators can set rules for who can book specific desks or zones, often based on roles, teams, or departments.
Common features include:
- Role-based permissions for desk or zone bookings
- Integration with identity systems (e.g., SSO, Active Directory)
- Time-based restrictions for booking hours or days
- Audit trails to track desk usage and access
These tools ensure organized, secure, and efficient workspace management.
Tips for Selecting the Best Desk Booking Software for You
Feeling overwhelmed by all the options above? I'm happy to give you some tips. Finding the best hot desk booking system for you does take a little bit of research, but that's why I've created this list for you.
Here are 10 tips to help you hone in on the best desk booking software for you:
- Choose software with a user-friendly interface to ensure it's easy for all your users to make desk bookings.
- Look for a system that offers flexible booking options, such as daily, weekly, or monthly reservations, to give your organization more flexibility.
- Ensure the system you pick works on mobile devices, including Android, Windows, and iOS devices, for your employees' ease of use.
- Consider whether each system integrates seamlessly with other cloud-based applications your company is already using, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. (If native integrations are not available, an API is also useful.)
- Review how quickly the system stores and updates data in real-time, to avoid booking frustrations by your staff.
- Dig into what type of usage analytics are included, if you have advanced space management or optimization needs.
- Find out if the system can be customized to your organization's unique needs, or if it's a one-size-fits-all software structure.
- Review the data security and privacy safeguards for your employee data to make sure they are compliant in your local jurisdiction.
- Find out whether the software is scalable if the needs of your organization grow. For example, how easy is it to add more coworking spaces to your desk booking system if you need to?
- Evaluate the cost of each desk booking system you're considering to make sure it aligns with your budget. Remember to factor in the number of users you may have in the future if your organization expands.
Other Workforce Management Software Reviews
While the hot desking trend certainly isn't going away, there are other types of software that can help you optimize your workforce management practices even more. To save you hours of digging around, take a look at these other specialty software lists instead:
- Office Space Management Software Systems
- Office Management Software for Core Functions
- Remote Employee Monitoring Software Systems
- Employee Scheduling Software
- Productivity Tracking Software
- Remote Working Software for Distributed Teams
- Time Tracking Apps
- Remote Collaboration Software for Hybrid Teams
- Team Communication Apps
- HR Analytics Software
- Workforce Planning Software
If you’re looking for more details to support your workforce planning efforts, I recommend reading our article on best practices for workforce planning.
Stay in Touch
I hope this article highlighted the value of using hot desk booking software to streamline desk space management in your workspace.
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