Research-based guide. Compared on the vendors' official pricing pages, documentation and help centers. We have not tested these products hands-on yet; results will be added when we do. How we test
On this page
If you want staff scheduling software free of charge, team size decides your shortlist. On vendor pages checked November 7, 2026, Sling’s free plan covers up to 30 users, ZoomShift’s up to 20, Shiftbase’s up to 15, Homebase’s and Connecteam’s up to 10, and Findmyshift’s up to 5 employees.
Teams of up to 30 that only need a shared schedule can start with Sling. A single location with up to 10 people that also wants basic time tracking can look at Homebase. Restaurants can try 7shifts, which says you can stay on a free Comp plan after a 14-day trial.
This list covers seven products, using what each vendor documents. For the wider category, see our Scheduling and Booking Software Guide.
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Free Plan Limits Compared
Paid prices are as each vendor displays them. Findmyshift charges per team, not per user.
| Product | Free plan cap | Other free limits | Free plan includes | Paid plans start at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homebase | 10 employees | 1 location | Basic scheduling, basic time tracking | $30 per location per month, billed monthly |
| Sling | 30 users | Free-plan feature set | Scheduling, time-off requests, messaging | $2.00 per user per month, billed monthly |
| Connecteam | 10 users, active and archived (Small Business Plan) | Single schedule | All hubs, with limits | $29 per month billed yearly, first 30 users (Operations Hub) |
| ZoomShift | 20 users | 1 location, 2 weeks ahead | Schedule, messaging, reminders | $2 per active member per month, billed annually |
| Findmyshift | 5 employees | 1 manager, 1 week ahead | Scheduling, free time clock | $24 per team per month billed yearly (20 employees) |
| Shiftbase | 15 employees | 1 department, 5 teams | Drag-and-drop scheduling, manual time tracking | €30 per month billed monthly (6 employees) |
| 7shifts | 15 employees | 1 location | Basic scheduling on Comp | $39.99 per location per month, billed annually |
Pricing checked November 7, 2026. Connecteam’s FAQ also describes a free Limited plan for larger teams, up to 30.
How We Evaluated
This is a research-based guide comparing products using their official pricing pages, documentation and help centers, checked November 7, 2026. We have not yet run our hands-on test scenario on these products; when we do, we will add the results and mark the page as tested. Our full approach is on the how we test page.
The Best Free Employee Scheduling Apps, Reviewed
Homebase
Homebase’s pricing page lists Basic at $0 per location per month for one location and up to 10 employees. Basic includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and point-of-sale integration. Timesheets are stored for up to 90 days.
Standard monthly list prices are Essentials ($30 per location per month, unlimited employees), Plus ($70) and All-in-One ($120), before any payroll promotion. Essentials adds advanced scheduling, advanced time tracking and team communication. Homebase documents shift trading, covering and claiming open shifts on Essentials and above.
Best fit: single-location teams of up to 10 that want a free time clock. Limitations: one location, a 10-employee cap and 90 days of timesheet storage. The trial is 14 days of the All-in-One plan, with no credit card.
Sling
Sling’s pricing page says shift scheduling is free for up to 30 users. The free plan lists shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing, long-term scheduling and private messaging. The page adds that free plans cover shift trade requests, announcements and mobile apps.
Premium is $2.00 per user per month billed monthly, or $1.70 per user per month billed annually. It adds mobile time tracking, labor cost management, overtime tracking, group messaging and calendar sync. Business is $4.00 per user per month billed monthly ($3.40 per user per month billed annually) and adds kiosk time tracking, reports, no-show and sick call-out tracking and PTO management. Sling says paid plans bill only for active users.
Best fit: teams of up to 30 that need schedules and communication but not time tracking. Limitations: the free feature list includes no time tracking, which starts at Premium. Sling offers a 15-day free trial.
Connecteam
Connecteam sells hubs for operations, communications and HR. Scheduling lives in the Operations Hub, alongside the time clock, forms and tasks. Its help center describes a Small Business Plan that is free for life for up to 10 users, counting active and archived users, with all hubs and features subject to the documented limits. The comparison table shows a single schedule on that plan.
For teams above 10 and under 30, the FAQ describes a free Limited plan covering the essentials. Paid Operations plans start with Basic at $29 per month billed yearly, or $35 monthly, for the first 30 users. Advanced ($49 per month billed yearly or $59 billed monthly, for the first 30 users) adds repeating shifts, templates and a live schedule link. Expert ($99 per month billed yearly or $119 billed monthly, for the first 30 users) adds auto-assign shifts and up to 12 schedules.
Best fit: small teams that want chat, forms and scheduling in one app. Limitations: one schedule on the Small Business Plan; the free Limited plan has fewer features. The trial is 14 days with no credit card.
ZoomShift
ZoomShift’s Essentials plan is $0 and described as free for up to 20 users. It lists an employee schedule, team communication, automatic reminders, shift confirmation and unlimited positions, with scheduling up to two weeks ahead at one location.
Starter is $2 per active team member per month billed annually, or $2.50 billed monthly. It adds unlimited users and locations, templates, availability and time off, shift cover requests and swaps, timesheets, a time clock and a payroll report. Premium ($4 per active team member per month billed annually or $5 billed monthly) adds auto-scheduling, overtime warnings and a geofence time clock.
Best fit: single-location teams of up to 20 that plan a short scheduling horizon. Limitations: swaps and time clock require Starter. Every plan has a 14-day trial with no credit card.
Findmyshift
Findmyshift says it will always be free for teams of up to 5 employees. The free plan allows one manager, five facilities, one week of forward planning, one week of historical data, a three-week on-screen editor and 10MB of document storage. The vendor also lists free time clock software and says all features are free for the first three months.
Starter is $27 per team per month billed monthly ($24 per month billed yearly) for 20 employees. Business is $43 per team per month billed monthly ($38 per month billed yearly) for 100 employees. Email, push and Slack notifications are free, but SMS costs extra. Best fit: very small teams that want a free time clock.
Shiftbase
Shiftbase’s free plan covers up to 15 employees, one department and five teams, with no stated end date. It lists drag-and-drop scheduling, manual time tracking, employee profiles, news messages and a mobile app. Prices appear in euros on the page checked.
Basic is €30 per month billed monthly including 6 employees, then €4 per month for each additional user. It adds availability, shift swaps, open shifts, clocking in and out, absence management and a kiosk. Premium is €75 per month billed monthly including 12 employees and includes labor cost insights. Best fit: small teams comfortable with euro billing. Limitations: shift swaps and open shifts start at Basic. The trial is 14 days with no card.
7shifts
7shifts is built for restaurants. Its official restaurant scheduling guide says new accounts get a 14-day trial of the Pro plan with no credit card needed. After that you can continue on its free Comp plan or subscribe. Its official comparison page lists Comp for one location and up to 15 employees; Essentials starts at $39.99 per location per month billed annually.
Best fit: restaurants that want to try a full plan first and keep a free fallback.
7shifts plans and free-plan limits
What You Lose on Free Plans
- Time tracking: Sling’s free feature list has none, and ZoomShift’s time clock and timesheets start at Starter. Homebase and Findmyshift list time tracking for free. For tools that combine both, see our list of employee scheduling and time tracking software.
- Planning window: ZoomShift’s free plan schedules two weeks ahead, and Findmyshift’s one week.
- History and storage: Homebase keeps 90 days of timesheets on Basic. Findmyshift’s free plan keeps one week of history.
- Locations and teams: Homebase and ZoomShift free plans cover one location. Shiftbase’s covers one department and five teams.
- Swaps and open shifts: ZoomShift and Shiftbase start them at paid tiers. Sling’s pricing page lists shift trade requests as free.
When to Upgrade
Move up when you pass a headcount cap, add a location, need a time clock tied to payroll or want overtime alerts. As arithmetic from displayed prices, 30 users on Sling Premium cost $60 a month billed monthly.
When I Work has no ongoing free plan, and Deputy no longer offers its free Starter plan to new customers. When I Work lists Essentials at $2.50 per user per month, and Deputy lists Lite at $5 per user per month (USD, excluding applicable taxes; billed upfront or in monthly installments). Compare them in our guide to employee scheduling software.
FAQ
What is the best free employee scheduling app?
There is no single winner. On documented limits, Sling fits teams of up to 30 that only need schedules, and Homebase fits one location with up to 10 employees that want a time clock. Connecteam, ZoomShift and Findmyshift suit smaller teams. Match the cap to your headcount first.
Is there a free app for making work schedules?
Yes. Sling, Homebase, Connecteam, ZoomShift, Findmyshift and Shiftbase each list a free plan with scheduling, and 7shifts lists a free Comp plan after its trial. Each caps users or locations, so check the limits table first.
Is free shift scheduling software really free?
The plan fee is $0 within the cap, but extras can cost money. Findmyshift charges for SMS, and Homebase sells payroll and other add-ons separately. If you outgrow a free plan, check the next tier; Connecteam also offers a free Limited plan.
Sources
- Homebase pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Homebase free time clock and timesheet storage (checked November 7, 2026)
- Homebase scheduling feature details (checked November 7, 2026)
- Sling pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Connecteam pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Connecteam Small Business Plan limits (checked November 7, 2026)
- ZoomShift pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- ZoomShift monthly and annual billing details (checked November 7, 2026)
- Findmyshift US pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Findmyshift free time clock (checked November 7, 2026)
- Shiftbase pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- 7shifts plans and free-plan limits (checked November 7, 2026)
- 7shifts Pro trial and annual pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- When I Work pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- When I Work free-plan availability (checked November 7, 2026)
- Deputy pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Deputy Starter availability (checked November 7, 2026)
Mehmet Değirmenci is the founder and editor of BusinessSoftwareAtlas. He runs a law office in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he has spent years choosing, setting up and running the practice-management, scheduling and automation software his own team works with every day, including an in-house case-management system. He decides what this site covers and is responsible for everything it publishes.