This is the most comprehensive ranking of the top free employee scheduling software for 2022. It includes some additional free employee scheduling apps in addition to the top 10 free employee scheduling software . I also address a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about free employee scheduling software. Overall, by rapidly comparing the best free employee scheduling software options and choosing the one that best matches their needs, this article will assist small business owners and HR managers in saving money.
As a business owner, you’re always looking for methods to cut costs and manage overhead. Finding a solution to manage your personnel scheduling requirements without hiring a third party service is one approach to achieve this. You’ll have more money in your pocket if you do this. Additionally, effective personnel management results in a happier workplace environment and more productive teams, which translates into more money in your pocket. Cha-ching!).
You may manage your workforce and do duties like shift scheduling, staffing, managing labour costs, shift swapping, schedule adjustments, and schedule distribution with the aid of some effective free employee scheduling software. I’ll discuss 10 of these cost-free staff scheduling tools in this article, which will improve team management and reduce workload.
Free Employee Scheduling Software: Comparison Criteria
What qualities should I consider before choosing the finest free staff scheduling software? Here is a list of my evaluation standards:
User Interface (UI): Is the user interface (UI) neat and appealing? In the business, it’s a prevalent assumption that “free” equals “looks cheaply constructed.” In this article, we have focused on employee scheduling solutions that are aesthetically pleasing, have clear interfaces, and follow logical layouts.
Usability:: Is it simple to understand and learn? Does the business provide effective user support, technical help, training, and tutorials? Free software versions frequently lack real-time technical support. Knowledge bases and training materials become even more crucial for the usage of the rtool in such circumstances.
Integrations: Is connecting to other tools simple? Exist any built-in integrations? Does the API make it simple to integrate? How well does the product integrate with other popular apps in the ecosystem? Does it function with popular messaging and payroll apps?
Value for $: How in line with the features, capabilities, and use case is the price? Is the pricing transparent, clear, and flexible? Does it meet the company’s demands for budgeting?
Free Employee Scheduling Software: Key Features
Time tracking
Any employee scheduling tool must have time tracking as a key feature. A management is required to keep timesheets and track the amount of time an employee spends on each assignment. This feature is included in employee scheduling tools, which aids in increasing business productivity.
Timesheet reporting and analytics
What timesheet reporting features, such as logged time, overtime, and billable hours, does the software offer? Do you receive useful analytics from the tool? A business owner may determine the payroll, send accurate bills, and receive a comprehensive image of the team’s production via timesheet reporting.
Schedule export options
Can you export the schedules using the software? Does it support email, spreadsheets, and PDF exports? This is a crucial feature for teams, particularly when members are working remotely and do not have immediate access to the online SaaS’s data. The team member’s own device can store data from the software by exporting schedules. Even without access to the software, this aids in keeping the entire team on schedule.
Time-off requests and approvals
Can employees submit time-off requests using the software? Requests for time off are a crucial component of an employee scheduling software since they have a direct impact on the efficiency of the company. Being able to calculate time off and submit requests in an organised manner is crucial for maintaining your workforce’s motivation and activity.
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Overviews Of The 10 Best Free Employee Scheduling Software
Here is a quick summary of each free employee scheduling software on my list, stressing its strengths and including screenshots to illustrate some of its capabilities.
1. Google Workspace
Users of Google Workspace can access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and calendars in the cloud. Google Workspace is an online productivity package. With end-to-end encryption, it supports data syncing across all platforms and devices and adds further protection and privacy for your files. Workspace is based on Gmail integration, just like all other Google products, making it simple to distribute and share an unlimited number of staff schedules.
By controlling employee schedules and shift assignments, the product serves as an employee scheduler as well. It provides consolidated access to all shift assignments and schedules, making it simpler for managers and staff to make adjustments immediately. You can email notifications to different employees using Google Workspace. It allows you to make, schedule, and distribute Google Slides presentations to other people. By creating your own collaborative spreadsheets and using scheduling templates from online HR groups, you can use it as a free scheduling tool.
You can create your own collaborative spreadsheet and download online HR communities’ scheduling templates. The capability of Google Workspace can be enhanced using add-ons from the marketplace, such as Shift Scheduler. Shift Scheduler will automatically construct and maintain the schedule for your company in a single spreadsheet, creating events for your users’/employees’ Google Calendars. Additionally, it will construct and maintain a different spreadsheet view that reorganises the schedules by shifts so that you can identify who person is in charge of what duties.
There is also an offline option available for using the product. Both chat and email are available for support.
OneDrive, Google Slides, LinkedIn, and Microsoft Office 365 are all integrated.
The use of Google Workspace is free for as many users as you want.
endless free trial
Free for a limitless number of users
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2. Sling
Best free employee scheduling software for group scheduling
Sling includes various high-end tools for team scheduling and inter-team communication.
Managers, supervisors, and employees can all benefit from Sling’s scheduling software and workforce management tools when deciding how to increase productivity. It offers functions including managing time off, creating unique staff timetables, and group scheduling for big events.
You can build shift templates with the Sling app’s free edition to save time while creating repeating shifts. To stay on schedule with your deadlines, you can also set up shift alerts. Employees can request time off, and you can view real-time shift availability. Native iOS and Android apps are included with Sling. Support is offered through a help centre with a ton of documentation. They are also reachable through email.
Shopify, Gusto, Square, and other applications all have Sling integrations.
Sling is available for unlimited users at no cost, however some services, such as shift switching and time clocks, are only available with subscription contracts.
endless free trial
Free with some features for an unlimited number of users
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3. ABC Roster
Best free scheduling constraints management
You may view each project stage in Wrike’s Gantt chart functionality to monitor progress toward deadlines and milestones.
A cloud-based tool for managing your small business team’s schedule is Wrike.com.
You may develop and manage numerous projects with Wrike from a single platform. With a drag-and-drop editor, you can adjust project timelines and work together in real time with different teams. With the help of Wrike’s Gantt chart, you may get a bird’s eye view of project progress as well as a comprehensive understanding of the workspace and dependencies. Tasks can be created, connected using dependencies, and tracked using deadlines and milestones. Life is made simpler by the real-time performance visualisation provided by reports and analytics, as you can immediately identify the growth levers and snags.
Working together on scheduling notes as a team is made possible by the product’s built-in messaging and communication features, whether you are working task by task or considering the larger picture. Live chat and email are accessible for customer service. You can create a calendar from their collection of templates or build your very first schedule with the help of video tutorials.
Gmail, Trello, and Slack are all integrated with Wrike.
Wrike offers 2GB of storage space and is free to use.
endless free trial
Free to use, with a maximum of 2GB of storage
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4. Wrike
Best free employee scheduling app with Gantt chart visualization
You can add restrictions for shift needs and personnel availability in ABC Roster, such as the number of managers and who should not be scheduled together.
ABC Roster is always free to use, but if you’d want to support the developer, you may make a one-time gift. There isn’t a premium edition of ABC Roster, so you get what you get, good or bad. An automated planner, drag-and-drop calendars with an intuitive UI, file export choices (PDF, HTML, Excel), and time off management are among the features.
A strong framework for constraint management is one of ABC Roster’s best features. Have a worker that just wants to work four days per week? No issue, jot this down. Need two supervisors working every shift exactly? Make that a rule! Even more subjective employee scheduling options are available, such as determining which coworkers don’t get along and should not be staffed together.
Although it is still free to use, ABC Roster is no longer regularly updated.
endless free trial
Free to use, but no longer updated frequently
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5. Asana
Best for Kanban-style task scheduling
Using the Asana software, tasks may be divided into smaller, more manageable chunks and then given the appropriate assignments. A Kanban board view in Asana enables you to see your progress.
With Asana’s calendar tool, you can keep track of your staff members’ tasks and see who is working on what and when. This data can be used to keep track of significant project milestones and deadlines. You can change the shifts and provide in-app comments based on that. You can give tasks to your team and schedule several projects. Scheduled tasks can be sorted by team member, deadline, and priority. A task can also have milestones added to it, and deadlines can be established for each project phase. The product has iOS and Android apps, making it mobile-friendly.
Jira, Slack, Google Calendar, and more apps are integrated with Asana.
Asana is free to use for teams of up to 15 individuals, and the number of projects is unrestricted.
endless free trial
Free for up to 15 individuals to use
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6. Findmyshift
Best drag-and-drop scheduler
Time off for pregnancy, holidays, illness, vacation, or personal reasons can be added and categorised with ease.
Managers can easily plan their personnel using Findmyshift, a web-based employee scheduling tool. With its drag-and-drop calendar interface, it facilitates the creation of a roster in a matter of minutes. Depending on your needs, the free-form editor allows you to add as many objects to as many cells as you like. Additionally, templates for recurring shift patterns can be made and stored. This will make scheduling go more quickly.
By identifying the best candidate for the job at any given time using Findmyshift, managers can effectively manage their personnel. When distributing shifts, Findmyshift’s rota tool, which shows you who is and isn’t available, might help you do this. The rota tool might be helpful when scheduling time off because it will indicate whether the employee has any booked shifts at that time. To prevent any employee disputes, you can also keep the time-off requests secret. Employers may easily search, filter, and manage the real-time availability of their employees using the mobile app.
Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, and other communication tools are all integrated with Findmyshift.
Use of Findmyshift for up to 5 employees is free.
endless free trial
Free to use for up to 5 staff members
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7. Acuity Scheduling
Best appointment-based shift scheduling
For appointment-based businesses and services, employee scheduling is combined with consumer self-service.
A cloud-based software called Acuity Scheduling interacts with your email calendar. Because it offers post-booking flexibility like rolling over unused appointments and resetting the booking amount, the software excels at handling complex scheduling scenarios. Its schedule editor and scheduler are simple to use. Acuity scheduling enables for scheduling for packages, memberships, and group classes for recurring billing if you are an online trainer, consultant, or course designer. If you work as an online trainer, coach, or consultant, this may be especially useful to you. Additionally, you have the choice to let your clients view your schedule on Facebook and Instagram.
Employee self-service is offered through Acuity Scheduling, which also supports time zones and multiple locations. The reporting dashboard offers clear reporting and in-depth insights. With a paid Zapier account, Acuity Scheduling seamlessly interfaces with over 500 more apps, including video conferencing software, Facebook, Instagram, Zoho, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and more. PayPal, Stripe, and Square are just a few of the online payment processors that Acuity Scheduling interacts with.
For one calendar, Acuity Scheduling is free to use. You can downgrade to a free account by selecting “downgrade” from the “my account” menu underneath the “free plan” box once your free 7-day trial of the paid plans has expired.
7-day free trial of the paid services
Free for one calendar year
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8. 7Shifts
Best for the restaurant industry
Work assignments in the 7Shifts planner are organised and color-coded for speedy task management.
A piece of software called 7Shifts links employees and small enterprises. The SaaS offers tools for managing employee schedules, receiving in-line approvals, and requesting time off. Additionally, the solution creates simple-to-understand bespoke reports. They can help you optimise the way you schedule your employees. The option to generate shift schedule templates is another pretty amazing feature. Why develop something from scratch? (No one has time for that!)
A smartphone app is included with the package. All of the devices can sync the data. This assists in keeping your team current.
With apps like Google Calendar, Evernote, Slack, and others, 7Shifts is compatible out of the box.
For 1 location and up to 10 employees, 7Shifts is free.
endless free trial
Free for up to 10 employees at 1 location.
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9. Homebase
Best for free scheduling with POS and payroll integrations
Employee scheduling, shift feedback, timesheets, and integrations are all provided by Homebase without charge.
The software for scheduling employees, called Homebase, is simple to use and intuitive. You can use the app to manage your staff members’ schedules, including their work shifts and vacation days. Schedules for the Shifts can be made for full or half days. Employees can view upcoming shifts and view available hours through Homebase. You can add overtime and switch shifts. You can create various timetables for every week and make last-minute changes to them.
Homebase is free for unlimited employees (at one location), unlike rivals in the field of free employee scheduling, and it includes options for POS and payroll integration—yes, even on the free plan! Numerous additional capabilities found nowhere else are included in Homebase’s free plan, including options for shift feedback and open job postings as well as basic applicant monitoring and workplace safety warnings.
Google Calendar, Evernote, Gmail, IFTTT, DropBox, and more apps are all integrated with Homebase.
For an unlimited number of users at a single location, Homebase is free to use.
endless free trial
Free for any number of users at a single place.
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10. Timify
Best free resource tracking software for small businesses
y: The 10 Best Free Employee Scheduling Apps For 2022
To assist you and your staff in managing appointments and averting scheduling issues, Timify provides an online calendar tool.
A free appointment and resource scheduling tool for small and medium-sized organisations is called Timify. It offers an online calendar tool that lets employees see their appointments, meetings, and timetables, which makes it easier for them to manage their time effectively. You may add a booking widget on your website so that consumers can schedule appointments and use your services based on their availability thanks to Timify’s appointment-booking feature. To assist avoid scheduling conflicts and guarantee consumers receive top-notch services, you may use Timify to establish services and events and assign resources like rooms, gadgets, or tools.
Timify is the perfect resource monitoring software for small businesses because it enables owners to invite workers as account users to assist in managing the company. Small firms sometimes operate with a restricted number of human resources. Owners can restrict access to private features and data by defining user rights for staff members to utilise Timify. Timify allows you to monitor and control the booking capacity of your resources, enabling you to anticipate availability and prepare for emergencies to maintain business operations.
Although Timify is free, there is a premium version available for $25 a month per account.
Starting at $25/month/account
Need Expert Help Selecting The Right Calendar & Scheduling Software?
For your convenience, People Managing People has partnered with the Crozdesk.com software comparison website to help you select the product that best suits your requirements. To assist you in choosing the software options that best meet your company’s needs, Crozdesk’s Calendar & Scheduling Software advisers can compile a tailored shortlist of options. You have free access to their personalised software selection assistance as a result of our agreement, saving you time and trouble when doing your search.
You can submit your requests in just a few minutes, and they will call you right away with no cost or obligation. You will receive personalised software shortlists from their staff of software advisers that are based on your demands and list the top solutions (via phone or email). Additionally, they can offer you savings negotiated by the local community and connect you with the vendors you choose.
What Do You Think About These Free Employee Scheduling Software?
These are the best employee shift scheduling softwares in my opinion. Software for employee scheduling is crucial for increasing output, keeping track of time, and reducing no-shows. Check out our list of the top 10 employee shift scheduling programmes for 2022 if you have the money.
What do you think of this collection of free shift scheduling tools? Please share your thoughts. Are there any in particular that I missed? Tell me in the comments area, please.
Please share this post with your network if you enjoyed it. They’ll be grateful to you for this! (Yes, I am aware that it is a subtle flex!)
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