The 6 greatest shift commerce apps for 2023

Shift trades are inevitable — even with probably the most well-managed schedules. To tame the chaos of last-minute modifications, you would possibly take into account a shift-swapping coverage. However even then, managing it turns into a time-consuming problem involving frantic texts, cellphone calls, and loads of group confusion in the case of retaining observe of the brand new schedule. 

A shift commerce app will help staff handle schedule modifications immediately — and make issues extra organized and environment friendly within the course of. How? Supervisors begin by setting customized guidelines to ensure all modifications observe the coverage. Then, staff coordinate shift trades with their teammates and submit their swaps for approval, which managers approve or deny with a click on. And the perfect half? The instrument is often constructed into your scheduling or group administration platform, so that you don’t must spend cash on extra software program. 

It’s the type of instrument managers can’t reside with out as soon as they fight it. However with so many shift buying and selling platforms obtainable, the place do you start? To avoid wasting you from an amazing Google search, we’ve put collectively an inventory of our prime six picks for 2023, evaluating every primarily based on greatest use case, prime options, execs and cons, and pricing. 

Key options to search for in shift commerce apps

Not like different sorts of software program, shift commerce instruments don’t often come as standalone apps. They most frequently belong to a collection of merchandise which are included inside a scheduling platform. Nonetheless, some options stand out in comparison with others. Moreover shift swapping capabilities, the perfect software program contains: 

• Open shift posting — A terrific shift commerce app ought to allow you to share open shifts while you publish your fundamental group schedule. That method, staff can declare obtainable shifts, saving you from assigning them to staff who can’t or don’t need to work.
• Constructed-in chat — Discovering a substitute often means monitoring down cellphone numbers and emails so teammates can attain out and coordinate the modifications they want. Constructed-in messaging helps the group talk in a single spot and permits managers to make bulletins, coordinate duties, and preserve workers on the identical web page all through the day.
• Interconnected workers administration instruments — The extra options your app has, like time monitoring, payroll, scheduling, worker happiness, and HR and compliance, the extra versatile it’s. When all of the instruments it’s essential handle your group are in a single place, it additionally prevents you from having to pay for separate platforms that don’t cooperate with one another.
• Alerts and notifications — You don’t need shift commerce requests to get misplaced within the shuffle, so make certain your app of alternative sends notifications when staff submit swaps in your approval. One other plus is when the platform alerts your total group about schedule updates and modifications so everybody stays up to the mark.
• Simple to make use of and intuitive — You in all probability don’t need to add to your to-do listing with coaching, so the simpler the instrument is to begin utilizing, the higher. It’s splendid when it solely takes a day (or much less) for group members to get comfy with an app. You also needs to prioritize a system that makes it simple for managers to approve or deny commerce requests and retains their involvement to a minimal.
• A variety of integrations — You is perhaps utilizing software program for level of sale (POS) transactions, e-commerce, accounting, budgeting, and reporting. Keep away from repeated information entry and expensive errors by checking that your shift commerce app integrates easily with the instruments you already depend on and belief.
• A cellular app — You’ll need your group to have the ability to examine the schedule and get essential shift updates — whether or not they’re at work, in transit, or on the go. An excellent shift commerce instrument ought to have a devoted cellular app that has the identical functionalities because the desktop model, so your group can use it from anyplace.
• Free or reasonably priced plans — The app that’ll work greatest for you will depend on your price range, enterprise wants, and group dimension. However splendid platforms embody a free plan. Homebase’s free account contains fundamental scheduling and time monitoring instruments for as much as 20 staff at one enterprise location. We additionally supply per-location pricing, so your subscription received’t develop into unmanageable as your group grows.

Our prime shift commerce app decide for 2023 (+ the remainder in contrast)

Homebase isn’t only a shift commerce app — our platform has all of the instruments it’s essential run a small enterprise group in 2023. That’s why it’s our prime decide.

With our app, directors can put up open shifts on the prime of each schedule and discover cowl shortly. Staff can even ask for substitutes immediately from their schedules on the cellular app. And there’s no want for group members to textual content coworkers or shift supervisors after they’re sick or have an sudden battle.

On prime of that, Homebase has built-in options for time monitoring, full-service payroll, group chat, hiring and onboarding, and HR and compliance — all obtainable with our per-location paid plans.

Nonetheless, different apps could have particular options that will likely be extra helpful to you. For instance, instruments like 7shifts are designed particularly for managing eating places. There are additionally apps like Coast, which is a stable possibility for enterprise house owners who want devoted activity administration and checklists.

That’s why we’ve damaged down our listing primarily based on greatest use case:

1. Homebase: Greatest all-in-one answer
2. Deputy: Greatest for labor compliance
3. Connecteam: Greatest for distant or transferring groups
4. ZoomShift: Greatest for group accountability
5. 7shifts: Greatest for the restaurant {industry}
6. Coast: Greatest for assigning duties with shifts

Comparability chart: Prime 6 shift commerce apps in 2023

A breakdown of the 6 greatest shift commerce apps

1. Greatest all-in-one answer: Homebase

Homebase is an all-in-one workers administration and HR app designed for hourly groups. We all know how chaotic coordinating shift trades might be, which is why we’ve made our app tremendous simple to make use of from anyplace.  Plus, it’s customizable so you’ll be able to arrange controls to keep away from time beyond regulation and make sure the proper roles are staffed, even with trades. 

Along with shift swapping, Homebase makes small enterprise administration extra streamlined with instruments for scheduling, time monitoring, payroll, hiring and onboarding, group communication, and HR and compliance. 

Prime options

• Simple-to-use shift swapping options
• Customizable shift buying and selling guidelines
• Open shift posting
• Constructed-in group messaging so workers can coordinate trades and get in contact with one another
• Computerized worker notifications when schedules are revealed
• No present, late clock in, and late clock out alerts for managers
• Person-friendly schedule builder with auto-scheduling and template instruments
• Cellular time monitoring, full with geofencing instruments
• Hiring and onboarding templates, dashboards, and workflows
• An intensive library of HR templates, guides, and coaching supplies
• Constructed-in, full-service payroll

Execs and cons

Homebase customers discover our platform user-friendly, which is nice for groups with completely different ranges of tech-savvy. Managers get notified when staff request a change, which implies much less time spent because the intermediary. They merely should deny or approve all requests, and after they make modifications to the schedule, their group mechanically will get alerted by way of textual content, electronic mail, and the Homebase app. 

And though it lacks activity administration instruments, Homebase makes up for that with built-in chat options.

Managers can use the messaging instrument to get in contact with particular person workers members, particular teams, or the entire group with bulletins and updates. However staff can even message one another and coordinate swaps with out having to trace down contact info — permitting for extra effectivity (and privateness!).

Pricing

Homebase’s fundamental scheduling and time monitoring instruments are fully free. However, if you wish to maximize effectivity and get probably the most out of our platform, we provide the next paid plan choices:

• Primary — Free for one location and as much as 20 staff. It contains fundamental scheduling and time monitoring, worker administration instruments like messaging, point-of-sale integrations, and entry to electronic mail help. 
• Necessities — $24.95 monthly per location. Every part in Primary, plus payroll integrations, group communication, efficiency monitoring, superior time monitoring and scheduling, and entry to reside help.
• Plus — $59.95 monthly per location. Every part in Necessities, plus hiring instruments, retention and efficiency monitoring, day off controls, and departments and permissions.
• All-in-one — $99.95 monthly per location. Every part in Plus, with HR and compliance, new rent onboarding, labor value controls, and enterprise insights.

Customers can even save 20% on their total value after they join an annual plan.

2. Greatest for labor compliance: Deputy

Deputy combines options for scheduling, time monitoring, and compliance in a single platform. Its shift buying and selling options give managers the choice to ship staff open slots primarily based on the app’s suggestions. Or, they will let workers organize protection on their very own.

Prime options

• Shift swapping instruments
• Time monitoring
• Schedule builder
• AI-powered auto-scheduling capabilities
• Worker profiles
• Cellular time clock app
• Labor value dashboards
• Compliance instruments

Execs and cons

Deputy makes use of AI capabilities to assist managers plan schedules primarily based on predicted gross sales, upcoming supply orders, and foot site visitors information, which permits them to keep away from overstaffing or understaffing. It additionally lets directors set compliance guidelines for all shift swaps in order that group members can’t make trades that’ll end in time beyond regulation, for instance.

Nonetheless, Deputy isn’t a complete group administration platform. Committing to a paid plan means you’ll nonetheless want integrations for communication and payroll. 

Pricing

Deputy has a Scheduling plan and a Time & Attendance plan for $3.50 per person monthly. Its Premium plan helps you to mix each Scheduling and Time & Attendance for $4.90 per person monthly. 

3. Greatest for distant or transferring groups: Connecteam

Connecteam’s platform is good for any group that’s all the time on the go. It presents instruments for scheduling, time monitoring, communication, and labor compliance and is designed so you should use all of its options out of your cellular machine. 

Prime options

• Shift reminders and self-service shift swapping options
• Schedule builder with shift duplication and template instruments
• Activity administration with varieties and checklists
• GPS-enabled time monitoring
• Group messaging
• Labor and compliance instruments
• Worker surveys

Execs and cons

Whereas some platforms have hard-to-find shift swapping instruments, Connecteam shift buying and selling is straightforward to navigate. Customers simply should go to their shift particulars, click on Discover Substitute, and an inventory of potential choices will seem in a drop-down menu. Then, they merely click on on an worker’s identify to request a commerce — there’s no must ship a mass textual content asking for a substitute.

Nonetheless, Connecteam’s pricing mannequin isn’t easy. Moderately than providing easy tiered plans or per-feature pricing, it teams its packages into “hubs,” making it arduous to get every part you want.

Pricing

Connecteam presents three “hub” packages: Operations, Communications, and HR & Expertise. Connecteam’s Operations hub comes with scheduling, time monitoring, and activity administration options, and the plans embody:

• Small Enterprise — Free for as much as ten customers.
• Primary — $29 monthly for as much as 30 customers. Additional customers are $0.50 monthly.
• Superior — Every part in Primary, plus additional options like time monitoring duties. $49 monthly for 30 customers. Additional customers are $1.50 monthly. 
• Knowledgeable — Every part in Superior, plus GPS options and automation. $99 monthly for 30 customers. Additional customers are $3 monthly.

4. Greatest for group accountability: ZoomShift

ZoomShift is a shift planning, scheduling, and time clock software program that makes monitoring worker time extra environment friendly. And since it additionally has timesheet instruments, ZoomShift makes the payroll course of quicker, too.

Prime options

• Open shift posting
• Shift swapping
• Time monitoring with geofencing
• Scheduling with reusable templates
• Time without work administration
• Timesheets for payroll

Execs and cons

Though it doesn’t have an in-app chat, ZoomShift permits staff to go away notes explaining why they should commerce shifts. This will increase transparency although your staff will nonetheless must textual content or name their teammates to coordinate the logistics of the commerce. 

The platform additionally tracks worker time, turns it into timesheets, and takes care of your wage calculations earlier than payday. Then, you’ll be able to merely export the information to a third-party payroll platform.

Sadly, some customers say ZoomShift’s customer support has declined in the previous few years, so it won’t be the best choice for a small enterprise proprietor who wants additional help.

Pricing

You’ll be able to attempt any ZoomShift plan free of charge for 14 days. In any other case, paid choices embody:

• Starter — Scheduling, time monitoring, and PTO administration for $2.50 per person monthly.

• Premium — Additional time administration, superior scheduling instruments, geofencing, timesheets, and superior reporting for $5 per person monthly.

5. Greatest for the restaurant {industry}: 7shifts

It’s not simply 7shifts’ branding that makes it a superb match for the restaurant {industry} — the platform additionally caters to industry-specific wants with options for scheduling, time monitoring, group messaging, hiring and onboarding, coaching, and tip administration. 

Prime options

• Shift buying and selling
• Employees scheduling
• Time monitoring
• Group communication
• Hiring and onboarding instruments
• Doc storage
• Coaching and activity administration
• Payroll integrations
• Tip administration and payout instruments

Execs and cons

Shift buying and selling is a frequent incidence within the restaurant {industry}, and 7shifts makes it simple for managers to remain on prime of it. With the shift pool dashboard, directors can view, approve, or deny all swap requests. 

The platform can also be helpful for companies with a number of places, roles, and ranges of administration as a result of it prevents group members from buying and selling shifts with anybody outdoors of their place, division, or job website.

Moreover, 7shifts users recognize how nicely it integrates with prime POS techniques, a necessary characteristic for as we speak’s small eating places and cafes. Nonetheless, 7shifts doesn’t have a built-in payroll product, though it integrates with well-liked software program like Gusto and QuickBooks.

Pricing

7shifts has a free plan for single-location eating places and presents fundamental scheduling and time monitoring options. In any other case, paid plans embody: 

• Entrée — Labor costing and efficiency administration for $34.99 per location monthly.

• The Works — Shift suggestions, geofencing, buddy punch prevention, and payroll integrations for $76.99 per location monthly.

• Chef’s Alternative — Labor compliance instruments for $99.99 per location monthly.

• Connoisseur — Superior customization and devoted help for $150 per location monthly.

6. Greatest for assigning duties with shifts: Coast

With devoted show widgets for fast entry to instruments, Coast is designed to assist preserve workers on activity. Moreover options for shift swapping, scheduling, time monitoring, and chat, Coast offers instruments for delegating assignments to any type of group.

Prime options

• Shift swapping instruments
• Worker scheduling
• Time monitoring
• Recurring duties and checklists
• Group chat
• Stock administration
• Upkeep monitoring and duties

Execs and cons

Coast’s shift swapping options work equally to different choices on this listing, making the platform one other viable possibility for small enterprise house owners. One benefit of Coast, nonetheless, is its recurring activity instrument, which helps you to assign smaller jobs together with shifts. And when staff use Coast’s cellular app, they get alerts when duties are pending, so nothing is ever left unfinished.

Like 7shifts, Coast can also be a match for the restaurant {industry}, notably these with busy kitchens that want extra upkeep administration instruments. For instance, the app lets managers schedule and delegate duties within the type of work orders to their upkeep or restore crews with built-in notifications and due-date reminders.

The draw back is Coast’s upkeep and work instruments are pricey, so it will not be accessible for small companies with restricted budgets who don’t need to pay on a per-employee foundation.

Pricing

Coast presents two sorts of plans (and every one has a free possibility with restricted instruments): 

• The Primary plan for group scheduling and chat options
• The Premium plan for upkeep work orders

The Primary tiers embody:

• Starter — Group collaboration instruments for $2 per person monthly.
• Professional — Studies and productiveness dashboards for $4 per person monthly.

The Premium tiers embody:

• Starter — Group collaboration, upkeep, and work order instruments for $22 per person monthly.
• Professional — Every part included in Primary Professional, plus upkeep administration for $38 per person monthly.

Revolutionize your group scheduling with Homebase 

Shift commerce apps are important for any enterprise proprietor who has ever panicked about scheduling. And so they make the work expertise simpler for shift staff as they will relaxation simple understanding there’s all the time a plan B if they should reschedule. 

However out of all of the choices on the market, Homebase is a transparent frontrunner. Our free plan has fundamental scheduling, time monitoring, and messaging options for as much as 20 staff at one enterprise location. And for bigger groups, our per-location pricing will preserve prices low as you rent extra workers.

Homebase can also be probably the most complete possibility on this listing — we provide hiring and onboarding, group communication, worker happiness, payroll, and HR and compliance instruments, making our platform the only option for impartial small enterprise house owners who depend on hourly groups to maneuver their firm ahead. 

Keep in sync and work higher collectively.

Cease chasing down cellphone numbers with our built-in group communication instrument. Message teammates, share updates, and swap shifts — all from the Homebase app.

**The data above relies on our analysis on shift commerce apps. All person suggestions referenced within the textual content has been sourced from impartial software program evaluate platforms, reminiscent of G2 and Capterra, in April 2023.