Why it comes up: Shift scheduling and time from $5/user/mo, and Xero's Australia replacement partner after Planday's 2024 AU retirement.
Stands out: A public $5/user/month Lite seat that already covers basic rosters, clocks, and labor-law rules, with payroll connectors in the same conversation.
Watch out: Auto-scheduling, biometrics, and SSO sit on Core or Pro. Payroll via Paycor is $8/user/month plus a $49 monthly base.
Best for
- Multi-location hourly employers
- Hospitality, retail, and healthcare rosters
- Teams that need Fair Workweek-style rules
4.6 on Capterra from 773 reviews
Read the Deputy write-up · Planday vs Deputy
Why it comes up: SMB scheduler with a Free plan for 30 users from $1.70/user/mo paid. US Toast-owned versus Planday's Xero/EU core.
Stands out: Free includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news, and private messaging. Premium adds mobile time tracking, labor cost, and overtime. Business adds a kiosk clock, no-show tracking, and PTO.
Watch out: Free stops at 30 users. Kiosk time clock, payroll reports, and PTO management wait for Business at $4/user/mo ($3.40 annual). Toast customers can buy through Toast Shop instead of getsling.com.
Best for
- Restaurants, retail, and hospitality teams under 30 people that want free scheduling
- Managers who need labor-cost and overtime tracking on Premium at $1.70/user/mo annual
- Shops already on Toast, Square, Gusto, QuickBooks, ADP, or Paychex
4.6 on Capterra from 212 reviews
Read the Sling write-up · Planday vs Sling
Quote Free tier 14 day free trial
Why it comes up: Restaurant scheduling plus time tracking with a free tier. US restaurant specialist versus Planday's European hourly WFM.
Stands out: A kitchen-and-FOH scheduler with POS hooks and a genuine free Comp tier, then location-priced paid plans rather than per-user WFM seats.
Watch out: Time tracking, payroll ($39.99/location/mo plus $6/employee paid), tip management, tasks, and onboarding are add-ons or higher plans. AI course-building is on Pro and Premium only.
Best for
- Restaurants and bars running FOH and BOH shifts
- Multi-location groups on Toast or similar POS
- Operators who want labor cost against sales
4.7 on Capterra from 1,212 reviews
Read the 7shifts write-up · Planday vs 7shifts
Why it comes up: Enterprise WFM (now UKG Pro Workforce Management) with AI forecasting. Quoted PEPM. Far heavier than Planday.
Stands out: AI-powered scheduling that uses demand history, skills, certifications, preferences, and labor budgets, plus time, accruals, leave, and analytics as separately licensed modules.
Watch out: This is not an SMB shift app. Timekeeping, scheduling, forecasting, and analytics are PEPM modules with implementation typically in the tens to hundreds of thousands. UKG Ready is the smaller-company SKU.
Best for
- Large hourly employers that need AI scheduling, forecasting, and FLSA/ACA-style time rules
- Health systems, manufacturers, and retailers already in the UKG stack
- Operations teams replacing Kronos Workforce Central-class timekeeping
Read the UKG Dimensions write-up · Planday vs UKG Dimensions
