Skip to main content

There are so many different online employee scheduling software solutions that making a shortlist of the best can be tricky. You want to automate the creation and distribution of employee shifts, track availability and time-off requests, and facilitate easy adjustments to schedules as needed—and now are looking for the right tool for your team. In this post, I share from my personal experience as an HR expert using many different online employee scheduling tools with teams of all sizes, and share my picks of the best online employee scheduling software overall.

What Is Employee Scheduling Software?

Online employee scheduling software is a digital tool that helps businesses manage and organize employee work schedules over the internet. It allows for the creation, distribution, and modification of shift plans, tracks employee availability and time-off requests, and often includes features for communication and notifications.

Online employee scheduling tools streamline the scheduling process, reduce manual errors, and offer real-time updates, making it easier for managers to optimize staffing and for employees to stay informed about their work schedules. Its online nature ensures accessibility from various devices, enhancing flexibility and efficiency in workforce management.

Overviews Of The 10 Best Online Employee Scheduling Software

Next is a brief run-through of each online employee scheduling software that made it into my top 10 list. For my 10 favorites, I’ve explained what it does best and included a screenshot of each to showcase their features in action. Plus, there are 20 additional options below if you’d like even more possibilities to consider.

Best for deskless workers that needs shift information accessible

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $29/month (for up to 30 users, billed annually) + $0.5/user/month for each additional user
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Need more than just staff scheduling software? Connecteam is a complete work management platform managers from all types of industries use to handle their daily operations, scheduling, internal communications, and employee training.

Their time tracking capabilities extend to geofencing which ensures your team is in the right place and won’t clock out when away from the designated work site. Digital forms, checklists, and push notifications or reminders are bonus points that make it a good choice for “deskless” workers.

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

Best for shift management

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 5/5

TimeClock Plus is a cloud-based time and attendance software that helps you manage your employees' schedules, track their hours, and even handle leave and absence management.

The tool provides a comprehensive and user-friendly platform that efficiently manages and tracks employee hours, schedules, and time-off requests. The software allows employees to easily access their schedules, view upcoming shifts, and request time-off or shift swaps.

Additionally, the software can handle complex scheduling requests such as coverage assurance, qualification requirements for shifts, and CBA compliance. And if you need a quick start, you can access templates that support a wide range of pre-configured rotations, including 24/48, 48/96, Panama rotation, and California rotation.

Integrations include over a hundred payroll solutions like ADP, BAI, Ascentis, Accra, Casamba, Cayenne, Ceridian, and Epicure. Also Quickbooks, Paychex, or even payroll modules from ERP systems like SAP, Sage, and NetSuite.

Best for resource allocation and availability mapping

  • 14-day free trial + free demo available
  • From $7/user/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.2/5

Hub Planner provides a complete list of features like core resource scheduling and time tracking along with project planning and real-time reporting. Users from all kinds of professions can use the tool thanks to its availability on various devices—including on the go as long as you’re connected to the Internet.

The tool’s complex resource scheduling functionalities allow managers to find available team members by skills, location, department, workload, and/or custom tags.

Hub Planner plans are available from $7/resource/month with a full 14-day free trial.

Best online time clock with scheduling

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $3.99/user/month + $19/month base fee
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Buddy Punch is a web-based time clock and scheduling software. Your employees can view their current time card, request time off, submit a claim to correct a punch-in error, or even submit their time card for approval — all without ever leaving the Buddy Punch app. The interface has been built to ensure easy navigation and ease of use, with drag-and-drop schedule creation and the ability to create repeating/recurring shifts.

Buddy Punch’s key features work to keep your team accountable and honest. Through GPS tracking, you can stay on top of your staff’s location whenever they clock in/out of work. Some additional features include facial recognition and photos on punch, which run a biometric scan of your employees’ faces to verify who is attempting to punch in/out. In addition, Buddy Punch integrates with QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, Paychex, Paylocity, PayPlus, SurePayroll, and Workday. With a Zapier account, you’ll have access to thousands of other apps and tools.

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

Best for automated scheduling

  • 30-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $5/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 3.8/5

TimeTrex is a comprehensive workforce management software designed to handle various HR and payroll processes for businesses of all sizes. The platform offers features such as time and attendance tracking, payroll processing, job costing, employee scheduling, leave management, document management, expense tracking, and invoicing.

The tool's automated scheduling capability allows businesses to create optimized schedules in minutes. Its drag-and-drop interface further simplifies the scheduling process, making it easy to assign shifts, swap schedules, and manage time-off requests. 

The software's geolocation and geofencing capabilities also help ensure accurate clock-ins and clock-outs, therefore preventing time fraud and ensuring employees are present at their designated locations. 

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

Best for field service or construction business

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $7/user/month + $16/month base fee
Visit Website
Rating: 4.7/5

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

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

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

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

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

Best for restaurants

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $24.99/month/location
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Own a restaurant? 7shifts is the preferred solution for well-known brands like Five Guys or Sambo’s but small full-service restaurants make full use of it as well. The AI-based schedule builder supports automatic schedule building and optimization so you can meet demands in real-time.

Workers can notify managers of availability changes from the app to support a thorough bidirectional collaborative system. To sync your sales and labor data with wages, 7shifts integrates with dozens of top POS and payroll solutions.

Paid 7shifts plan $24.99/month/location but you can choose their 14-day trial or use the free plan for simple scheduling features.

Best for creating timesheets to integrate with payroll

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $4.50/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

Factorial is an online software that's all about helping businesses manage their workforce in a more efficient manner. I picked Factorial because, let's face it, scheduling can be a real pain. I was looking for something that could simplify the process and help me keep track of who's doing what and when. Factorial seemed to tick all the boxes. It's easy to use, it's got a bunch of cool features, and it's designed specifically for businesses of any size.

What really makes Factorial stand out from the crowd are its features. It's got this awesome calendar view that lets you see your entire team's schedule at a glance. You can easily add shifts, assign tasks, and even set reminders. Plus, it's got a time tracking feature that's super handy for keeping tabs on how much time everyone's spending on their tasks. But my absolute favorite feature has to be the absence management. It lets you manage all types of absences, from vacations to sick days, all in one place.

Factorial further distinguishes itself by prioritizing employee well-being through a dedicated module that allows employees to provide anonymous feedback, report concerns, and suggest improvements. This module provides a secure space for employees to express their opinions without fear of reprisal, fostering an open and transparent communication culture. It also includes sentiment analysis capabilities that help HR teams identify trends and address potential issues proactively.

Integrations include Sage, Gmail, Payflow, Dynamics 365, LinkedIn, TravelPerk, PowerBI, Indeed, Recruitee, Slack, and other. 

Best for small and medium businesses

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $6/employee/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

While Sage HR is an ideal tool for SMBs, big names like Deloitte or airBaltic also use it for recruitment, onboarding, shift scheduling, time and expense tracking, and leave management. The performance module stands out as it helps managers keep track of goals, schedule one-on-one meetings, and collect employee feedback.

Sage HR comes with a couple of handy extra features like support for eSignatures, detailed reporting, and a workflow builder. Additionally, you can integrate it with other Sage online products like Sage CRM, Sage HRMS, or Sage Accountants network.

With Sage HR, the pricing starts at $5.5/user for the fundamental human resources and leave management features after 14 days of trial.

Best for highly regulated industries where you need to comply with diverse safety standards and labor laws

  • Free demo available
  • From $45/user/month

Need a highly-compliant tool to keep problems at bay? Shiftboard comes with two separate products: ScheduleFlex (used in distribution, staffing agencies, call centers) and the high-compliance SchedulePro (used for oil and gas, manufacturing, petrochemical industries). Both versions allow for general labor law compliance, employee self-service, and time tracking.

ScheduleFlex is better suited for organizations that require constant schedule changes. Flexible team schedule creation, shift blocking and credential verification, or labor demand forecasting help with maintaining day-to-day compliance.

Meanwhile, SchedulePro provides complex compliance with labor laws and safety standards along with labor demand forecasting, exception tracking, and other features to help you manage diverse risks.

The cost for both the ScheduleFlex and SchedulePro plans is custom as you’ll need to request a demo beforehand to see if one of them is right for your organization. Note that additional implementation fees apply in all cases.

10 Best Online Employee Scheduling Software: Comparison Chart

This comparison chart summarizes basic details about each of my top 10 online employee scheduling software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials side-by-side to help you find the best option for your budget and scheduling needs.

Tools Price
Connecteam From $29/month (for up to 30 users, billed annually) + $0.5/user/month for each additional user
TimeClock Plus Pricing upon request
Hub Planner From $7/user/month (billed annually)
Buddy Punch From $3.99/user/month + $19/month base fee
TimeTrex From $5/user/month
ClockShark From $7/user/month + $16/month base fee
7shifts From $24.99/month/location
Factorial From $4.50/user/month
Sage HR From $6/employee/month
Shiftboard From $45/user/month
Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

Other Online Employee Scheduling Platform Options

Here are more apps that didn’t make the top list of best online employee scheduling software but are worth checking out:

  1. Schedule360

    For healthcare providers

  2. Shiftbase

    For easy shift scheduling

  3. monday.com

    Custom workflows for team scheduling

  4. Insightful

    For shift scheduling with integrated employee monitoring

  5. Resource Guru

    For scheduling employees at agencies

  6. Paylocity

    For AI-driven scheduling efficiency

  7. BambooHR

    For managing employees throughout the whole life cycle

  8. Justworks

    For managing a distributed workforce

  9. Wrike

    For companies looking resource scheduling with powerful project management features

  10. Homebase

    If you need a complete online HR platform

  11. eResource Scheduler

    For managing schedules, timesheets, and financials

  12. Aladtec

    For rescue and law enforcement organizations

  13. When I Work

    For employee shift scheduling and time tracking

  14. Skedulo

    For remote teams

  15. Planday

    For revenue forecasting

  16. WhenToWork

    For a one-click smart scheduling process

  17. TimeForge

    POS integration option

  18. Aplano

    For German speakers

  19. Zip Schedules

    For an easy online set-up

  20. Your Next Seven

    For mobile devices

Selection Criteria For Online Employee Scheduling Software

Are you curious how I created this list of the best online employee scheduling apps? I'm happy to explain my methodology. I started out by creating a long list of options based on recent market data. Next, I dug into the details and functionality of each scheduling system using the criteria below as my guiding framework.

Here’s a summary of the evaluation criteria I used for my assessment, which you can use for your own decision-making process too: 

Core Functionalities

Each time I create a new top 10 list software, I always determine the core features it should cover first, to make sure nothing critical is missing. For online employee scheduling software, here are the basic features each system had to cover in order to move from my long list to my shortlist:

  • Digital tools to make the scheduling process easier, including scheduling templates you can re-use from week to week
  • Employee profiles that organize key information (such as their availability, roles, hourly rates, and vacation requests, etc.) to make scheduling easier and avoid scheduling conflicts
  • Built-in analytics and reporting tools that you can use to export your scheduling data in a variety of formats, including Excel, so you can share it with other stakeholders or import the data into other systems

Key Features

With the criteria above already satisfied, this is the list of key features I assessed in detail when making my final selections for the best online employee scheduling software list:

  • Core employee scheduling features: This, obviously, includes the ability to allocate employee schedules, as well as more advanced features like sending shift reminders and advanced shift planning tools.
  • Automated scheduling: Systems with auto-scheduling functionalities can save you time by scheduling and adjusting work distribution based on predefined rules or patterns.
  • Shift management tools: These tools help you communicate with your staff about required or open shifts, and also allow employees to swap shifts with one another.
  • Leave management tools: This includes the ability to track your employee's vacation days (PTO) as well as sick days, to avoid possible scheduling conflicts or gaps.
  • Payroll management: This includes tools that help you pay your employees on time directly from your employee scheduling solution.
  • Time tracking: Many systems allow employees to punch in and out online without requiring any paperwork, while managers maintain an overall look at their timesheets.
  • Mobile accessibility: For a better user experience for your employees, the best scheduling solutions offer complementary scheduling apps for Android and iOS devices so your staff can stay in the loop on their mobile devices.
  • Reporting and analytics: The ability to create smart and clear reports to keep track of your team’s performance and reduce no-shows.

Other Assessment Criteria

  • User Interface (UI): Attractive UI is particularly helpful when you’re looking to implement a new tool quickly. An intuitive interface makes it easier for your employees to use the tool without requiring extra training. For a non-boring experience, opt for a bright and clean design.
  • Usability: Reduce labor costs by looking for sellers that offer timely tech support and training even prior to making the purchase. A comprehensive help center complete with tutorials or a community to answer your inquiries in real-time is an added plus. Without these, you’d have to spend extra time and resources on training instead of using that time to do your work.
  • Software Integrations: How easy is it for you to integrate the new tool with your current apps? Employee scheduling software is likely just one of the solutions you need to run your business. Choose platforms that seamlessly integrate with apps you’re already using, such as HRMS, thanks to pre-built integrations or add-ons. Another option is to request a specific integration and see if the seller’s dev team can prioritize this and allow customization.
  • Value for Price: Pick two or three apps from this list to compare their pricing. You want the cost to be appropriate for the capabilities you get, but most software providers will offer a variety of paid plans to satisfy different types of scheduling needs. Keep in mind that unclear pricing or a lack of transparency are huge red flags.

Why Choose Employee Scheduling Software?

The complexity of these apps makes for a lengthy list of benefits you can get from a single HR hub. Here’s a few of them:

  • Lowered labor costs and unexpected expenses
  • Less time spent on scheduling and rescheduling
  • No shift delays or overlaps
  • More clarity regarding employee availability and shift exchanges
  • Improved employee satisfaction and retention rates
  • Direct payroll based on clear work hours stats
  • Full labor law compliance
  • Real-time view of your team’s activity and work risks

Most tools also provide flexible pricing levels so any kind of business can gain from them. You can access many free employee scheduling software alternatives with limited core features or for smaller teams.

Other Scheduling Software Reviews

There are other types of scheduling software out there which may be a better fit, depending on your scheduling needs. Here are some links to other scheduling and workforce management tools to save you hours of sleuthing:

What Do You Think About These Online Employee Scheduling Tools?

Is there any similar app or workforce management software you’re already using? Looking for employee scheduling software specifically for Small Businesses?

Are you looking to switch to a new online employee management software for the extra features, or taking the leap and implementing an ERP Software?? Let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to bookmark this list if you haven’t decided on a new tool yet.

To keep up with our latest insights from top thinkers in the niche, sign up for The People Managing People Newsletter.

Kim Behnke
By Kim Behnke

Kim Behnke is an HR Tool Expert & Writer for People Managing People. She draws on her 9 years of human resources experience and her keen eye for systematic processes to support her analyses of the top HR tools on the market. She is passionate about maximizing efficiencies and streamlining workflows to ensure internal systems run smoothly. Kim's HR experience includes recruitment, onboarding, performance management, training and development, policy development and enforcement, and HR analytics. She also has degrees in psychology, writing, publishing, and technical communication, and recently completed a Certified Digital HR Specialist program through the Academy to Innovate HR. When away from her desk, she can usually be found outside tending to her ever-expanding garden.