Let me get the obvious out of the way: we make Shiftnest, so we are not neutral. I have tried to write the comparison I would want to read if I were choosing, which means saying where 7shifts is genuinely better and where our own product is not the right fit.
7shifts is a good product. It was built for restaurants from day one, it integrates with most restaurant POS systems, and its tip pooling and labor compliance features are mature. People look for alternatives for three reasons: price as they add locations, features they do not need, or because they run something that is not a restaurant (a cafe with a retail side, a bakery, a shop).
Quick comparison
Prices are approximate list prices for a single location at the time of writing. Check each vendor's site before you decide, because all of them change plans regularly.
| Tool | Pricing model | Free plan | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7shifts | Per location, tiers from about $30 to $135/month | Yes, 1 location, limited features | Full-service restaurants, multi-unit groups | Key features (tip pooling, labor compliance) sit on higher tiers |
| Deputy | Per user, about $4.50 to $6/month | No (free trial) | Mixed industries, multi-site, enterprise | Less restaurant-specific out of the box |
| When I Work | Per user, about $2.50 to $6/month | No (free trial) | Simple hourly teams, retail, healthcare | Lighter on labor forecasting |
| Homebase | Per location, tiers from about $25 to $100/month | Yes, 1 location, up to 20 staff | Small single-site businesses | Costs climb fast with locations |
| Sling | Per user, about $2 to $4/month | Yes, basic scheduling | Very small teams on a tight budget | Thinner integrations |
| Connecteam | Per bundle, flat for first 30 users | Yes, up to 10 users | Teams that also need checklists and forms | Scheduling is one module of many |
| Shiftnest | Per user, from $3/month | Yes, up to 10 staff | Restaurants, cafes and retail, US and UK | Younger product, fewer POS integrations than 7shifts |
The alternatives in detail
1. Deputy
Deputy is the most serious all-round competitor. It handles scheduling, time and attendance and compliance across a lot of industries, and it scales well to hundreds of locations. Its auto-scheduling and demand forecasting are strong, and it has good award and break compliance in Australia and the UK.
Choose it if you run a multi-site business that is not purely restaurants, or you need enterprise reporting. Skip it if you want something that feels built for a single restaurant floor; Deputy can feel like more system than a 20-person bistro needs.
2. When I Work
When I Work is clean, simple and quick to roll out. Staff like the app, and managers can be up and running in an afternoon. Shift trading and team messaging are well done.
Choose it if you want straightforward scheduling and time tracking with minimal setup. Skip it if labor cost forecasting against sales is central to how you run, because that is where it is lighter than restaurant-first tools.
3. Homebase
Homebase's free plan is the most generous single-location option on the market, and for a lot of small cafes it is genuinely all they need. It bundles scheduling, a time clock, hiring and basic HR.
Choose it if you have one location and under 20 staff and want something free. Skip it if you are growing to several sites; per-location tiers add up, and the features you will want (labor cost controls, deeper payroll) sit on the higher plans.
4. Sling
Sling is a lean scheduling tool with a usable free tier and low per-user pricing. It covers shift planning, messaging and basic labor cost tracking.
Choose it if budget is the main constraint. Skip it if you need tight POS or payroll integrations.
5. Connecteam
Connecteam is less a scheduling tool than an operations app with scheduling inside it. It shines if you also want digital opening and closing checklists, training material and forms in the same app.
Choose it if you want one app for everything frontline. Skip it if scheduling is the main job; dedicated tools do it with fewer clicks.
6. A spreadsheet
It is a real alternative. If you have one location and under 12 staff, a well-built sheet costs nothing and works. Our free employee scheduling template is the one we would use. It breaks down around swaps, payroll and multiple managers.
7. Shiftnest
This is ours, so treat this section as the sales pitch it is. Shiftnest is a drag-and-drop rota builder with a labor cost forecast beside it, shift swaps from the phone app, a geofenced time clock, tip pooling and payroll export to Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks and Xero. It works for restaurants, cafes and shops, in the US and the UK (including UK rest break rules and the tips allocation law).
Choose it if you want restaurant-grade labor forecasting and tip pooling at per-user pricing, or you run a mix of hospitality and retail. Skip it if you depend on a POS integration we do not have yet; 7shifts supports more POS systems than we do today, and for a large group on Toast with complex tip-out rules, that matters.
What the cost looks like at real team sizes
Per-location and per-user pricing favor different businesses. Here is the rough monthly cost for the core paid tier with time clock and labor tools included.
| Team | 7shifts (per location) | Homebase (per location) | Deputy (per user, ~$6) | Shiftnest (per user, $3 to $4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cafe, 8 staff | ~$35 or free tier | Free | ~$48 | Free |
| 1 restaurant, 25 staff | ~$77 | ~$60 | ~$150 | ~$75 to $100 |
| 3 restaurants, 75 staff | ~$231 to $405 | ~$180 to $300 | ~$450 | ~$225 to $300 |
The honest takeaway: per-location tools are cheaper for large single sites, per-user tools are cheaper for small teams and for groups with several small locations.
How to choose
Ask four questions:
- What POS and payroll do you use? Rule out anything that does not integrate with both. Re-typing hours is where payroll mistakes come from.
- How many locations will you have in two years? Price it at that size, not today's.
- Do you pool tips? If yes, check how each tool calculates and documents the pool. Read our tip pooling rules guide first so you know what you need it to do.
- Will your staff actually use the app? Get three of your servers to try the free trial on their phones before you commit.
Try Shiftnest alongside whatever you are using
Shiftnest is free for up to 10 staff, and you can import a schedule from a spreadsheet or another tool in about ten minutes. Run it in parallel for a week and decide with real data. Start free.
