Best Employee Scheduling Software 2025

According to the most recent industry benchmark data, professional services firms reported shrinking profit margins and declining resource utilization rates last year, while billable utilization dropped to just 68.9%, down from 73.2% in 2021. These challenges have put businesses under tremendous pressure to ramp up efficiencies, bill clients accurately, deliver projects on time and within budgets and manage resources effectively. 

Organizations seeking agility and robust scheduling capabilities are increasingly leveraging scheduling software to bill clients accurately, deliver projects on time and within budgets and manage resources more effectively.

What Is Employee Scheduling Software?

Employee scheduling software automates the staff scheduling process and helps organizations create, track and maintain schedules. Scheduling software also helps organizations manage labor costs, ensure shift coverage and adhere to regional and global labor and wage regulations.

Benefits of employee scheduling software include automating the staff scheduling process, optimizing labor costs, preventing payroll-related errors and eliminating back-and-forth communication with employees, thereby minimizing scheduling conflicts.

Overview of 20 Best Employee Scheduling Software

An exclusive and detailed list of the best employee scheduling software with a rundown of their features and pros and cons.

What follows is a detailed list of the 20 best employee scheduling software tools for 2025 and beyond along with a rundown of features and pros and cons. The list is derived from reviews in directory sites such as G2, the largest and most trusted software marketplace, and Capterra.

1.  Deltek | Replicon’s Workforce Management Solution

Deltek | Replicon’s modern, AI-powered workforce management platform helps businesses manage their scheduling needs across globally dispersed workforces. Using this industry-leading platform, project-based businesses can manage time and attendance, overtime, complex scheduling, leave management and labor compliance to drive efficient job costing and accurate gross pay calculations.

The solution simplifies shift creation, prevents schedule overlaps and helps identify the best employee for open job schedules using AI-powered scheduling insights. With the AI-powered platform, organizations can efficiently manage shift scheduling across job roles, skills and locations, preventing last-minute scheduling changes. 

What separates Replicon from other scheduling software is its built-in AI capabilities. Its AI-powered timesheets automatically capture employee time and attendance data from apps that organizations use daily, simplifying time capture and enhancing accuracy.

With its single platform, organizations can easily manage their end-to-end scheduling needs, all while aligning with global and regional labor laws for scheduling in 145+ jurisdictions across 75+ countries. Businesses can reduce non-compliance risks and manage complex job schedules effectively – all within a single platform. 

It also tracks and manages labor costs at the shift level and provides real-time visibility into labor costs to help businesses stay within budget. Its versatile mobile application helps employees view the latest schedule, pick up open shifts, trade shifts with colleagues and request time off anytime, anywhere.

Features

• Identify the ideal employee for open shifts based on skills or cost using AI-powered scheduling insights
• Allow managers to view and modify schedules and shifts in real time to fill unexpected gaps 
• Get notified about shift overlaps to avoid double booking 
• Simplify shift swapping with colleagues using the mobile app 
• Manage and track labor costs at the shift level 
• Create tailored scheduling rules to meet unique needs and complex bargaining agreements
• Minimize compliance risks by aligning with global and regional labor laws for scheduling

Pros and Cons

Pros

• User-friendly interface and visibility into real-time labor costs
• Creates conflict-free schedules using AI-powered scheduling insights
• Notifies about shift overlaps

Cons

• A slight learning curve as it comes with a broad range of features for better scheduling

Pricing

• Free trial available
• Paid version: $19 per user per month

Ratings

• G2: 4.3/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

2. Deputy

This employee scheduling software offers quick schedule creation, time tracking and a communication platform. Deputy has several features that enable managers to create the best schedules.

Its robust reporting functionality helps managers gain a 360-degree view of the resource pool and make smart scheduling decisions. 

Features

• Allows automated scheduling with breaks and real-time tracking and timeclock
• Shift swapping and leave management
• Seamlessly integrates with multiple POS, HR and payroll software

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Mobile applications in iOS and Android versions and a user-friendly interface
• Staffing data analysis feature
• Easy integration with several other applications

Cons

• The revenue-based scheduling feature is reported to have occasional glitches
• Requires more functionality in the iOS app

Ratings

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

3. TCP Humanity

Humanity helps organizations manage business operations by monitoring labor costs, streamlining scheduling and handling time off requests. The automated employee scheduling software empowers employees to swap shifts and request time off. Plus, it allows employers to approve or deny requests on the go.

Features

• Customized scheduling, instant alerts and a time clock feature
• Pre-built reports to monitor scheduling aspects and mobile application to manage and track shifts on the go
• Seamless integrations with human capital management (HCM), calendar apps, etc.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy-to-use software
• Automatic scheduling and the ability to integrate with scheduling and calendar apps
• Instant schedule conflict warning

Cons

• Short shifts are difficult to schedule
• Limited mobile app features

Ratings

• G2: 4.3/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5

4. Sling

This scheduling software has a suite of tools to help businesses of all sizes with staff scheduling and shift planning. Sling offers all basic features that streamline the scheduling process, such as role-based scheduling and a time clock to track time in a user-friendly interface.

The application also alerts managers if it identifies the possibility of clopening shifts, ensuring that schedules are conflict-free and align with applicable rules.

Features

• Built-in time clock feature and auto-assigning feature for faster scheduling 
• In-app messaging feature and mobile application to swap or pick up shifts and set the employee availability status 
• Reporting and analytics tools to get insights into labor costs 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Intuitive user interface and in-app messaging for teams 
• Easy task allocation 
• Auto scheduling feature and labor cost tracking

Cons

• Limited integration
• Difficulty in chat filtering

Ratings

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

5. Shiftboard

Shiftboard scheduling software helps organizations schedule shifts that provide maximum operational coverage while ensuring adequate work-life balance for employees. The software comes with features like automated scheduling, schedule distribution, shift swapping, two-way texting and mobile clock in and out at a price that’s accessible and affordable for small and medium businesses.

Features

• Labor demand planning tools 
• Intelligent scheduling suggestions
• Automated scheduling and leave management solution

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good for labor cost management, managing complex employee schedules and budget forecasting 
• Flexible automated scheduling and intelligent scheduling suggestions 
• Efficient labor demand planning tools 

Cons

• Difficulty in scheduling shifts of longer hours 
• Changes in shifts sometimes don’t automatically update without being refreshed

Ratings

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.4/5

6. Homebase

Homebase uses automatic scheduling to create conflict-free schedules on the fly, from anywhere and allows managers to share them instantly with the teams. Its drag-and-drop feature helps managers tweak schedules in real time and update them instantly.

The software keeps a tab on the resources’ availability and roles and apprises the employers/managers if they accidentally schedule any resource for an unsuitable role or shift.

Features

• Automatic shift reminders and requests for time off by employees and approval by managers directly through the app
• Enables employees to swap shifts with their colleagues while keeping managers in the loop 
• Integrates data from applications such as Clover and Square to forecast labor costs

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Intuitive UI and an in-app messaging platform
• Best scheduling app for contractors, freelancers and hourly workers
• Automatic shift reminders and shift swapping

Cons

• Limited integration
• Limited reporting customization

Ratings

• G2: 4.3/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

7. Planday

This scheduling software uses an auto-scheduling feature and shows multiple views based on different categories, facilitating managers to create schedules that best serve their needs.

It provides an updated overview of the schedule to check which employees are working on specific tasks during which shifts at which locations. The tool allows teams to request time off and book and swap shifts using the proper approval path.

Features

• Auto scheduling and customizable scheduling templates
• Monitors and manages labor costs
• Integrates with payroll, accounting and data management software
• Enables employees to swap shifts and update their availability

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Allows easy setup, customization and use of employee profiling 
• Multiple integrations available 
• Anywhere, anytime accessibility with a mobile app 

Cons

• Limited reporting functionality 
• Scheduling can be more flexible

Ratings

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5

8. Findmyshift

Findmyshift is an intuitive scheduling app designed to meet the scheduling requirements of multiple industries based on personas. This work schedule tool helps organizations manage schedules and communicate shifts to employees anytime, anywhere.

Features

• A built-in messaging app and flexible schedules to accommodate diverse employee types
• Customized templates and integration with several apps
• Employees can request time off directly from the app and managers can approve or deny them

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy to use
• Useful integrations
• Automated reminders and shift notifications

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Minor issues faced when working with Apple devices
• Limited reporting capabilities

Ratings

• G2: 4.9/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

9. Workfeed

Workfeed is a scheduling and time-tracking tool that leverages the auto-assign feature to create a new schedule according to preferences and requirements within seconds. It also has an ‘employee insights’ feature that allows managers to view sick days, shift drops, etc.

Features

• Auto scheduling feature
• Clock-in via the app
• In-built chats to swap and pick up open shifts

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Auto scheduling available
• A well-designed UI and easy to set up
• User-friendly app

Cons

• No drag-and-drop functionality
• Organizations with a large workforce may face challenges in scheduling

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

10. 7Shifts

7shifts is cloud-based shift scheduling software designed specifically for restaurants and the hospitality industry to schedule employee shifts. Designed for employee communication and engagement, this software also provides tailored solutions to meet the specific scheduling needs of the food and beverage industry.

Features

• Facilitates communication via a messaging app
• Facilitates saving shift templates for recurring schedules
• Offers forecasting tools to predict staffing needs

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy to track and schedule shifts and request time off
• Detailed reporting feature for decision-making
• Demand forecasting tools to predict staffing needs

Cons

• The mobile app could have more sales and labor analytics
• More than 30 employees are required to avail of the top-tier plan

Ratings

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5

11. ZoomShift

ZoomShift is a scheduling software solution designed specifically for hourly employees. It’s popular with small retail shops and franchises but is also useful for restaurants and the hospitality sector. This user-friendly platform takes minimal time to learn and set up.

With robust features such as automated time-off requests, scheduling and shift rosters, this software helps businesses manage their workforce and save time in manual schedule curation.

Features

• Automated scheduling and time clock functionality
• Managers can view staff availability, time off requests, scheduling conflicts and shift swaps from the dashboard
• Allows employees to swap shifts and syncs with most calendar applications

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy scheduling and shift swapping
• Mobile scheduling app for instant visibility
• Employee schedules can be synced with multiple calendar apps

Cons

• Lacks customization feature
• Lacks built-in staff chat

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

12. QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time’s employee scheduler offers a ‘who’s working’ feature that provides a holistic view of the team’s allocation, availability and which employee is doing which shift. The application allows managers to assign and change shifts with a drag-and-drop feature.  

It also alerts the manager in case of a discrepancy, ensuring each shift gets coverage without any double booking or conflicts.

Features

• Creates schedule based on employee availability, shift requirements and job roles 
• Employees can share their availability to allow managers to schedule shifts accordingly 
• Shift reminders and reporting and analytics feature 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy integrations and data sync 
• Tracks labor cost and time per shift 
• Provides job costing data 

Cons

• Expensive for small companies and startups 

Ratings

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5

13. Snap Schedule

Snap Schedule is cloud-based employee scheduling software that is ideal for enterprise-level businesses with a large workforce. It is designed to effortlessly streamline the process of creating, changing and managing work schedules.

With built-in communications tools and tailored reporting, Snap Schedule offers best-in-class solutions to enterprises.

Features

• Offers tools for assigning shifts, managing employee availability and adjusting schedules with a drag-and-drop interface
• Reporting and analytics tools to assess labor costs and other metrics
• Seamlessly integrates with payroll, calendar and time-tracking software

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Automated scheduling
• Customized shifts based on configured rules and criteria set

Cons

• Some users have reported that UI looks outdated
• A bit expensive for small enterprises

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.4/5

14. Calendly

Calendly offers features that make scheduling easier than ever, including automation and adaptability that facilitate creating schedules aligned with business needs and preferences. 

Features

• Automated scheduling  
• Automatic reminders to employees for upcoming schedules 
• Seamlessly syncs with calendar applications 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Automated scheduling 
• Seamlessly integrates with calendar apps and business tools 
• Automatic reminders and notifications

Cons

• Limited customization options
• Lack of CRM integration

Ratings

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5

15. Staffjoy

This innovative free scheduling app facilitates businesses by automating their employee scheduling processes. This versatile scheduling software is designed to serve startups and agencies and uses an algorithm-based scheduling approach to manage a large workforce and keep labor costs in check.

Features

• Uses advanced algorithms to create and optimize schedules 
• Forecasts labor needs by analyzing historical data 
• Monitors labor costs in real-time

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Labor needs forecasting and labor cost tracking 
• Automated scheduling and easy shift swapping 

Cons

• The system is reported to work slowly at times

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

16. ClickUp

ClickUp is a robust scheduling tool designed for teams and businesses of all sizes. Its calendar view helps everyone check team goals, work schedules and shift allotments in one place. The tool also provides a library of scheduling templates that businesses can use without creating them each time from scratch. 

Features

• Offers numerous collaboration tools and multiple work schedule templates
• Gantt chart view to schedule employees with drag-and-drop action 
• Seamlessly integrates with Google Calendar and other tools

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Has a reminder feature  
• Gantt chart view for work visualization 
• Drag and drop functionality and multiple customized scheduling templates 

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• The mobile app has limited functionality 

Ratings

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5

17. OpenSimSim

This full-featured employee scheduling software streamlines shift planning for small and medium-sized businesses. Its easy-to-use, all-in-one app helps managers create employee schedules within seconds and make changes or adjustments on the fly.

With the private and group messaging features of OpenSimSim, managers can share the schedule with one click and coordinate with employees effortlessly.

Features

• An intuitive drag-and-drop interface
• Allows employees to request shift swaps with colleagues with proper approval from managers
• Allows employees to request time off and tracks labor costs

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Drag and drop feature for scheduling 
• Facilitates shift swapping 
• Built-in messaging and notifications platform

Cons

• Admins sometimes face difficulty in disabling chats and removing chat rooms from the platform

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.5
• Software Advice: 4.5

18. Connecteam

Connecteam is a budget-friendly scheduling software solution known for its advanced scheduling, time clock and communications tools for businesses with large workforces. This all-in-one employee scheduling software provides robust tools to create and manage schedules even on the fly. Its advanced customization helps users create shifts catering to their unique business needs.

Features

• Auto scheduling feature and premade scheduling templates for recurring shifts
• Automatic shift conflict alerts to notify scheduling errors
• Intuitive drag-and-drop employee scheduler

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Tools for blast notifications, team chats and polls 
• Intuitive drag-and-drop employee scheduler
• Gantt chart view for work visualization

Cons

• Certain advanced functionalities and integrations are missing

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.6/5

19. Wrike

Wrike streamlines planning, scheduling, task allocation and labor cost monitoring for project teams. Over time, it has evolved to include several tools and features, including scheduling, task management, interactive Gantt charts, time and budget tracking and reporting.

Wrike is mostly known to work best for businesses with complex scheduling requirements.

Features

• Creates and assigns tasks to team members
• Gantt chart view to visualize scheduling
• Allocates the right resources across projects
• Reports and analytics for insights into workforce performance and scheduling metrics

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Gantt chart visualization for better visibility
• Detailed reports and analytics and customized scheduling templates

Cons

• Expensive for small teams
• Delayed notification from some integrated applications

Ratings

• G2: 4.2/5
• Capterra: 4.4/5

20. Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch has gained popularity with its robust tools and features, such as drag-and-drop scheduling, shift trades and covers, punch limiting and job codes. Its chats and notifications features help keep employees, administrators and managers on the same page regarding changes in scheduling.

Moreover, its integration with popular payroll software makes it easy to transfer employee scheduling data for payroll, billing and invoicing purposes.

Features

• Drag-and-Drop scheduler
• Punch limit to prevent scheduling employees for extended hours
• Paid time-off tracking and management
• Seamlessly Integrates with other software like Zapier, ADP and Quickbooks

Pros and Cons

Pros

• User-friendly UI and easy-to-learn setup
• Automated time tracking and scheduling
• Analytics and reporting tools for detailed insights

Cons

• Incorrectly punched time is difficult to correct

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.8/5

What Makes a Great Employee Scheduling Software?

Ease of Use

The employee scheduling software you implement should be easy to use and require minimal training to operate. Software with steep learning curves often makes shift scheduling more complex and may also lead to frustration among employers and managers.

Streamlined Communication

Seamless communication between managers and employees is imperative for effective collaboration and schedule management. The scheduling software should have features such as built-in chats, real-time interaction, comments and file sharing.

Seamless Integration

The scheduling software you choose to implement should be able to integrate with other software used in the organization, such as calendar apps, accounting software, project management software, payroll software, etc., to maximize scheduling efficiency.

Customization

The software you use must be customizable, i.e., it should allow employers/managers to configure the system according to their scheduling needs and preferences. 

Mobile Accessibility

The work scheduling software you choose must also facilitate remote accessibility via an online mobile application. The app should allow employees to view their schedules and empower employers to create, change and adjust the schedule as well as approve the shift swap and time off requests in real-time through the app anytime, anywhere.

Flexible Shift Swapping

The software should allow employees to request shift swapping at their convenience and also allow managers to approve or deny the request. Equipped with the software, your employees can raise a request for shift swap while others can show interest in shift trading, and finally, managers can approve it.

Compliance

The scheduling software you choose to implement must have an in-built pay rule library to help support compliance with the applicable laws and regulations of the region you operate in.

Several laws that are applicable in the region, including federal, state and local labor laws, require you to stay compliant with scheduling regulations that may include overtime laws, break laws, clepening laws, etc. Thus, the software you use should support compliance with all the necessary laws and regulations.

Time off Management

Scheduling software must offer a feature through which employees can request time off and managers can approve or deny it instantly. The absence tracking features in employee scheduling software can help shift managers approve, deny or track employees’ time off requests so they don’t schedule the employees in a shift during their time off.

Shift Templates

Employee scheduling software should also have the feature to create and save a schedule, especially for recurring shifts, so that managers or employers can reuse it without creating another schedule from scratch. This way, they can reuse the same schedule templates without creating a new schedule every week, saving time.

Reporting Functionality

The employee scheduling software should enable scheduling managers to generate detailed scheduling reports to have visibility into scheduling metrics, including overtime, gross pay, resource allocation, labor costs, shift distribution, etc.

Benefits of Using an Employee Scheduling App

Increased Efficiency

Scheduling software does the heavy lifting by creating conflict-free schedules tailored to the organization’s needs within a brief period, liberating managers from the hassle of creating schedules for employees each day.

The software considers employee availability, skill sets and other such parameters to ensure that the right people with the right skills/roles work in the right shifts. Employee scheduling software prevents double booking and alerts managers in case of any likelihood.

Automated Time Off Requests and Approval

With a few clicks, scheduling software lets employees apply for time off and enables managers to approve the request with a proper validation process. This streamlines time-off management and helps managers keep track of employees’ time-off requests, frequency and absenteeism patterns, if any.

Compliance Options

Scheduling software has options, such as a pay rule library, to support organizations with labor compliance and regulations in the region where they operate.

Thus, such software scrutinizes overtime, breaks, rest periods, etc., to help organizations stay compliant with laws and regulations irrespective of their geographical location.

Reduced Labor Cost

This software can help you cut down on the costs associated with manual schedule processing. It offers insight into overstaffing and understaffing, thus helping managers make informed decisions about resource management and staffing requirements.

It also accurately tracks total hours, time offs, overtime hours, breaks and other differential pay so that employers can process payroll accurately and calculate invoices correctly. This way, they can minimize errors that can contribute to cost overruns.

Real-Time Updates

Scheduling software provides real-time insights into resource allocation, scheduling, shift swapping and other such data. Thus, managers get real-time visibility into the current schedule, recent changes or any major updates in shift allotments. 

Streamlined Communication

Employee scheduling software with built-in communication or chat features enables employees to stay in touch with their colleagues and managers to discuss or enquire about their respective schedules.

The software allows employees to communicate with each other so they can trade shifts and coordinate for work-related discussions. It also enables them to get in touch with the scheduling manager instantly to reduce no-shows and last-minute scheduling conflicts.

Better Schedule Management

Employee scheduling software allows employers to configure the system with certain parameters, such as the limits of total work hours in a day, overtime hours, how frequently employees’ shifts can rotate and the number of shifts employees work within a timespan. 

Thus, the software allows employers to set certain rules or limits to create a suitable and predictable schedule and ensure that employees don’t get burned out by working under the maximum number of hours/shifts. 

Bottom Line

There are tons of scheduling software out there that also offer mobile accessibility via the mobile application, but choosing the best employee scheduling software that helps you create and manage schedules as per your requirements, aligns with your business needs and is budget-friendly is somewhat tricky. 

Though all software mentioned helps streamline staff scheduling and comes with unique features, Deltek | Replicon’s Workforce Management Solution tops the list due to its AI/ML capabilities with an intelligent recommendation engine. The solution can help manage your global workforce effectively by tracking their accurate time and creating cost-optimized schedules while supporting labor regulations standards.

Disclaimer:

The product information in this listicle is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice in any manner. We strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information for which we will update the information in this listicle periodically. Please note that the inclusion of any product/software/solution in this list does not imply any endorsement, affiliation, or partnership; and the pros and cons of each product are sourced from multiple review websites that provide publicly available information. We encourage users to do their own research and take a free trial to thoroughly assess and choose the product that caters to their unique business requirements and aligns with their budget.