7shifts alternatives: 6 options for restaurants and beyond
7shifts is built for restaurants, and priced per location. Here is what else works when you need a clock, a second site, or a tool that is not only for restaurants.
Free plans and prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on 29 September 2026. Emplora is our product, and it is on this list.
Quick picks
- You need a free time clock on a tablet or till
- Homebase
- You have more than 15 staff and want to pay nothing
- Sling
- You have two locations and want one flat price
- Emplora
- You need a free GPS clock for 10 or fewer
- Connecteam
- You need forecasting and labor compliance
- Deputy
- You want a polished per-user mobile app
- When I Work
Why teams look for a 7shifts alternative
No time clock on the free plan
The free Comp plan is scheduling only. Time clocking starts on Essentials at $44.99 per location a month billed monthly, or $39.99 annually, so hours on free live somewhere else.
One location, hard
Comp covers a single location with up to 15 employees. A second site means Essentials for both, and because 7shifts prices per location, two sites cost $89.98 a month billed monthly.
Built for restaurants, and only restaurants
The vocabulary, the POS integrations and the labor tools assume a restaurant. Cafes and bars fit well; shops, clinics and gyms find themselves working around it. Team messaging is also paid, so day-to-day coordination happens elsewhere.
The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Time clock on free | First paid price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homebase | 10 employees, 1 location | Yes, with 90 days of timesheet history | $30 per location a month (Essentials), unlimited employees |
| Sling | 30 users | No | $2.00 per user a month (Premium) |
| Emplora | 15 employees, 1 location | Not offered on any plan | $39 a month, flat, for 2 locations and 40 employees each |
| Connecteam | 10 users, 1 schedule, 1 time clock | Yes, with GPS and geofencing | $35 a month per hub (Basic), flat for the first 30 users |
| Deputy | None, trial of up to 31 days | Trial only | $5.50 per user a month (Lite), with a $30 monthly minimum spend |
| When I Work | None, 14-day trial | Trial only | From $2.50 per user a month |
1. Homebase: best for a free clock on the till
Scheduling, a time clock and light HR for small US hourly teams, with payroll sold alongside.
Homebase is the common alternative in restaurants for one reason: its free plan includes a time clock that runs on tablets, computers and POS devices, for up to 10 employees at one location. Paid is $30 per location a month with unlimited employees, against 7shifts Essentials at $44.99 per location capped at 30 employees. It has fewer restaurant-specific labor tools than 7shifts.
- Free plan
- 10 employees, 1 location
- First paid price
- $30 per location a month (Essentials), unlimited employees
2. Sling: best for covering up to 30 people for free
Shift scheduling from Toast, with the largest free user cap in the category.
Sling is owned by Toast and free for up to 30 users, twice 7shifts' free cap, with shift offers, time-off requests, templates and announcements included. It has no time tracking on free, the same gap as 7shifts, and shift swaps are paid, where 7shifts includes trades free.
- Free plan
- 30 users
- First paid price
- $2.00 per user a month (Premium)
3. Emplora: best for two sites on one flat price
Our productScheduling for shift-based teams, where staff open their rota from a QR code or a PIN instead of an account.
This is our product, so weigh it with that in mind. Emplora is free for 15 employees at one location, the same as 7shifts, but the paid step is different: Starter is $39 a month flat for 2 locations and 40 employees each, where two 7shifts locations cost $89.98. Staff open the schedule from a QR code or a PIN with no account. What you lose: there is no time clock on any plan and no restaurant-specific tools like tips or POS-driven labor targets.
- Free plan
- 15 employees, 1 location
- First paid price
- $39 a month, flat, for 2 locations and 40 employees each
4. Connecteam: best for small teams that need a gps clock
An all-in-one deskless workforce app: scheduling, GPS time clock, chat, forms and training.
For a team of 10 or fewer, Connecteam's free plan adds what 7shifts' does not: GPS clock-in, geofencing, auto-scheduling and chat. It is general-purpose rather than restaurant-shaped, archived staff count towards the 10 users, and you get one schedule and one time clock until you pay $35 a month per hub.
- Free plan
- 10 users, 1 schedule, 1 time clock
- First paid price
- $35 a month per hub (Basic), flat for the first 30 users
5. Deputy: best for multi-site groups that need compliance
Enterprise-grade scheduling with demand forecasting, labor compliance and auto-scheduling.
Restaurant groups under fair workweek rules often end up on Deputy for its labor-law compliance and demand forecasting. It is paid only, from $5.50 per user a month billed monthly with a $30 monthly minimum, after a trial of up to 31 days, so per-location pricing like 7shifts' can work out cheaper for large single sites.
- Free plan
- None, trial of up to 31 days
- First paid price
- $5.50 per user a month (Lite), with a $30 monthly minimum spend
6. When I Work: best for non-restaurant teams that want a mobile-first app
A polished scheduling and time-tracking app aimed at hourly teams, sold per user.
If you are outside hospitality and 7shifts feels like the wrong shape, When I Work is a general scheduler with a strong mobile app, swaps and time tracking. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and pricing starts at $2.50 per user a month with seats sold in bundles of five or ten.
- Free plan
- None, 14-day trial
- First paid price
- From $2.50 per user a month
When to stay with 7shifts
- You run a single restaurant with 15 or fewer staff. Shift trades, availability and time-off requests on free are more than most free plans offer.
- You want restaurant labor tools: tips, labor targets and POS-driven scheduling. That is where 7shifts is genuinely ahead of general-purpose tools.
- Your POS integrates with 7shifts and your managers already schedule against sales data.
Moving your rota without losing a week
- 1
Check your POS integration first
If 7shifts pulls sales from your POS to guide labor, confirm what the new tool connects to before you commit. Losing that link is the biggest practical change for a restaurant, and it is easy to miss until the first busy weekend.
- 2
Export tips and labor reports if you paid for them
Tip management and labor reports are on 7shifts' paid tiers. If you used them, export the history while you still have access, because you may need it for payroll or disputes.
- 3
Set up roles and stations before shifts
Front of house, back of house, bar and prep map onto roles or teams in most tools. Recreate that structure first so the schedule reads the way your managers expect.
- 4
Run both through a full weekend
Keep 7shifts as the source of truth until the new schedule has survived a Friday and Saturday service. Restaurants find their gaps on the busiest night, not on a Tuesday.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, on the Comp plan, for up to 15 employees at one location. It includes building and publishing schedules, shift trades, availability and time-off requests. It does not include a time clock or team messaging. Checked against 7shifts' own pricing page in September 2026.
Sling covers the most people for free, up to 30 users, though without a time clock. Homebase and Connecteam include a free time clock for up to 10 people. Emplora is free for 15 employees at one location, the same cap as 7shifts, with QR and PIN access for staff.
On a free plan, Homebase and Connecteam, both for teams of up to 10. Homebase's clock runs on tablets, computers and POS devices, which suits a restaurant counter; Connecteam's uses GPS and geofencing.
Essentials is priced per location: $44.99 a month each billed monthly, so $89.98 for two, or $39.99 each billed annually. Each location covers up to 30 employees on Essentials.
7shifts is more restaurant-specific, with tips, labor targets and deeper POS-driven scheduling. Homebase includes a free time clock and costs less once you pay, at $30 per location a month with unlimited employees. If the clock matters most, Homebase; if restaurant labor tools do, 7shifts.
You can, but it is built for restaurants, and its vocabulary and integrations assume one. Retail, healthcare and fitness teams usually find a general-purpose scheduler a better fit.
Or compare Emplora directly
Head-to-head on pricing, free plans and features, one tool at a time.
Two locations for one flat price
Emplora is free for one location and up to 15 employees. Starter covers 2 locations for $39 a month flat. No employee accounts and no credit card to start.