What's the best restaurant staff scheduling software in 2026?
The right app doesn't stop at the schedule. It carries every hour, tip and overtime minute to payroll.
The schedule is the easy part. Payday is where restaurants lose time: clock-ins that don't match the plan, overtime nobody flagged, tips to split, and a payroll file to rebuild by hand. For a 15 to 50 person team, that is easily a day a month.
The short answer. Homebase is the best all-in-one: schedule, time clock, Tip Manager and payroll in one app, from $0 for one location. 7shifts is the best when labor cost against sales is your daily number. When I Work is the cheapest way to plug scheduling into the payroll provider you already have, at $2.50 per user.
Our restaurant scheduling software ranking helps you build the schedule itself; this page follows what happens after, from clock-in to paycheck.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always flagged on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best staff scheduling app for your setup
5 restaurant staff scheduling apps compared
This ranking is for a restaurant with 10 to 60 hourly staff, on one to five locations, that needs hours, overtime and tips to reach payroll cleanly. Every ranked app publishes its price and either runs payroll or connects to it.
| Best for | What sets it apart | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homebase | Schedule to paycheck | Payroll and tips in the same app | 4.4/5 | Free; Essentials $30/location | ✓ | 1 to 3 locations | Visit → |
| 2 | 7shifts | Labor cost vs. sales | Forecasts from POS sales | 4.2/5 | $74.99/location (annual) | ✓ | Full-service, small groups | Visit → |
| 3 | When I Work | Keep your payroll | Payroll integrations on the cheapest plan | 3.9/5 | $2.50/user/month | — | Teams with a payroll provider | Visit → |
| 4 | Deputy | Scheduling-law compliance | Premium-pay warnings | 4.1/5 | $5/user/month | — | Multi-unit groups | Visit → |
| 5 | Sling | Big crew, zero budget | Free up to 30 users | 4.0/5 | Free; $2/user/month | ✓ | Large part-time crews | Visit → |
Scores on five weighted criteria, explained in the method. Prices read on each vendor's official pricing page in 2026, in US dollars.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
This page answers an operator's question: which app gets hourly staff from the schedule to a correct paycheck with the least manual work? We compared eight tools on their pricing pages, feature pages and public reviews from restaurant managers. Five are ranked.
Each app keeps the same score it has across our Labs pages. We read the criteria through a payroll lens here: "Time clock and payroll" checks whether the app runs payroll, connects to yours, and what that costs per employee. "Value for money" includes payroll and tip add-ons for an 18 and a 40 person team.
Ranking order is editorial for this question, which is why When I Work sits third with a lower score than Deputy: it gets hours into payroll for far less.
- Labor law and complianceOvertime alerts, breaks, premium pay from late schedule changes.25%
- Scheduling and shift swapsTemplates by station, shift trades, multi-location views, forecasting.25%
- Time clock and payrollClock-in, timesheet approval, built-in payroll or integration, cost per employee.20%
- Value for moneyMonthly cost for 18 and 40 staff with payroll and tip add-ons.15%
- Ease of use and appStaff app and recurring complaints in reviews.15%
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
Payroll and tip add-ons change price often. Get the updates
Homebase
Homebase is the only app here that can take an hour from the schedule to a paycheck without leaving the product. Employees clock in on the app, the hours land on a timesheet you approve, and Homebase Payroll runs the check. No CSV export, no retyping into another tool.
Scheduling is priced per location: free for one location and up to 10 employees, then $30 (Essentials), $70 (Plus) or $120 (All-in-One) a month, 20% less on an annual plan. Payroll is a separate line: $49 a month plus $6 per employee, or $29 if you have five people or fewer. Homebase also advertises six free months of payroll, so ask what that covers before you sign.
For a restaurant, the add-on that changes your week is Tip Manager at $25 per location. It pulls tips from your POS and calculates the pool, which is the part most managers still rebuild in a spreadsheet after close.
The limit is the stack of add-ons. An 18-person restaurant on Essentials with payroll pays $30 + $49 + 18 × $6 = $187 a month, and $212 with Tip Manager. That is still cheaper than buying scheduling and payroll from two vendors, but it is not the $30 on the pricing page.
- Payroll inside the scheduling app
- Tip Manager pulls tips from your POS
- Free for one location up to 10 staff
- ✓Hours flow to payroll without export
- ✓Flat price per location for scheduling
- ✓Clear public pricing for every add-on
- ✗Payroll adds $6 per employee
- ✗Add-ons stack up fast
- ✗Forecasting lighter than 7shifts
The best pick if you want one login from the schedule to the paycheck. If you already pay a payroll provider you like, a cheaper scheduler that exports to it may cost less.
7shifts
7shifts is built only for restaurants. It reads sales from your POS, forecasts how many people you need per shift, and shows labor cost against sales as the week goes. It also handles tip pooling and a manager log book. If your payroll problem starts with overstaffing a slow Tuesday, this is where you fix it.
Pricing per location is the catch. 7shifts' own announcement puts The Works at $84.99 a month, or $74.99 billed annually. There is a free Comp plan, but check its limits first. Third-party sites quote other tiers at prices that don't match each other, so we only quote what 7shifts publishes.
Owners who left tell two stories. Some found it on the higher end once they added locations. One operator left because it could not handle payroll across two states. If you run in more than one state, ask for a written answer on multi-state payroll before you move.
- Labor cost vs. sales in real time
- Forecasts from POS sales
- Tip pooling built in
- ✓Deepest restaurant feature set
- ✓Strong reviews from managers
- ✓Free plan to start
- ✗Expensive per location as you grow
- ✗Tier pricing hard to read
- ✗Multi-state payroll worth checking
Pick it when labor percentage is the number you manage every day. Get a per-location quote in writing and price it against Homebase plus Tip Manager.
When I Work
When I Work is the opposite bet to Homebase. It doesn't run payroll; it connects to the one you have. Payroll and POS integrations come with the cheapest plan, Essentials, at $2.50 per user a month. For 18 staff, that is $45 a month for scheduling plus the integration.
Pro ($5) adds scheduling rules, role permissions and custom reports, which is where overtime control starts. Premium ($8) adds API access, webhooks and single sign-on for groups that build their own reporting. The trial lasts 14 days, with no card.
Two things to clear up before you buy. The pricing page doesn't name which payroll providers connect, so ask for yours by name. And time tracking appears as an add-on toggle while the FAQ says every plan includes it: get the real price of the time clock in writing.
- Payroll integrations from $2.50 per user
- Scheduling rules on Pro
- 14-day trial without a card
- ✓Low entry price per user
- ✓Works with your existing payroll
- ✓API and webhooks on Premium
- ✗No free plan
- ✗Payroll partners not named on the pricing page
- ✗Time clock pricing unclear
A smart pick if your payroll provider is staying. Confirm the integration and the time clock price during the trial.
Deputy
Deputy scores highest in this ranking on labor law (4.3). It tracks schedule changes and warns you before a late edit triggers premium pay, which matters in cities that require schedules posted ahead. Those premiums end up on the paycheck, so catching them early is a payroll feature.
It is priced per user: $5 on Lite, $6.50 on Core, $9 on Pro, with a $30 minimum per invoice. For 18 staff on Core, that is $117 a month; for 40, $260. Payroll itself stays with your provider.
For a single café it is too much tool. For a group crossing city lines, it is the safest of the five.
- Highest labor law score here
- Tracks schedule changes for premium pay
- Scales across locations
- ✓Strong compliance alerts
- ✓Good shift swap workflow
- ✓Works across many locations
- ✗Expensive at 40+ staff
- ✗$30 minimum per invoice
- ✗No payroll of its own
Worth the price where scheduling laws apply. Elsewhere, Homebase or When I Work cost less for the same hours.
Sling
Sling is free up to 30 users, and it belongs to Toast. For a Toast restaurant, that keeps scheduling close to sales without a new vendor. Paid plans stay cheap: $2 per user on Premium, $4 on Business, less on annual billing.
Its payroll side is the thinnest of the five (3.7). Inactive seats are prorated, which helps seasonal teams, but you will still move hours to your payroll provider yourself. Sling is a scheduling tool first.
- Free up to 30 users
- Owned by Toast
- Inactive seats prorated
- ✓Most generous free plan
- ✓Cheap paid upgrades
- ✓Natural fit for Toast
- ✗Light on labor law
- ✗Payroll handled elsewhere
- ✗No sales forecasting on the free plan
The right free start for a big crew. Move up once overtime and tips start costing you a payroll day each month.
What your app has to get right before payday
A schedule is a forecast. Payroll runs on actual hours. Four things decide whether that gap costs you a day a month.
Timesheets you approve, not rebuild
Look for clock-ins that land on a timesheet you approve in one screen, with missed punches flagged. Homebase sends approved hours straight to its payroll; When I Work, Deputy and Sling hand them to your provider. Either works if the hand-off is automatic.
Overtime caught before it happens
Overtime and premium-pay rules vary by state and city. The useful alert fires when you build the schedule, not when the paycheck is already wrong. Deputy goes furthest on premium pay from late schedule changes.
Tips split from POS data
Tip pooling by hand is the slowest part of a restaurant payroll. Homebase's Tip Manager ($25 per location) and 7shifts both pull tips from the POS and calculate the pool. The others leave it to you or your payroll provider.
Payroll priced per employee
Payroll is almost always priced per head: Homebase charges $49 a month plus $6 per employee. Add it to the scheduling price before you compare, or a $30 plan turns into $187 for 18 people.
- Does the app run payroll, or connect to yours by name?
- Is the time clock included, or an add-on?
- Are tips pulled from your POS automatically?
- Does it flag overtime while you build the schedule?
- What does payroll cost per employee per month?
- Can you see every location in one view?
What it costs for 18 and 40 staff
Monthly cost for one location, from official pricing. Payroll is included only where the app sells it.
A restaurant with 18 staff
One locationHomebase Essentials with payroll: $30 + $49 + 18 × $6 = $187, or $212 with Tip Manager. When I Work Essentials: 18 × $2.50 = $45, plus your payroll provider. Deputy Core: $117. Sling Premium: $36. 7shifts The Works: $74.99 a month billed annually, payroll separate.
- All-in with payroll
- Homebase, $187/month
A restaurant with 40 staff
Busy roomHomebase Essentials with payroll: $30 + $49 + 40 × $6 = $319. When I Work Essentials: $100. Deputy Core: $260. Sling Premium: $80. At this size, per-employee payroll is the biggest line on Homebase, so compare it with what your current provider charges.
- Range
- $80 to $319/month
Other options worth knowing
These come up often in searches. They are not ranked because they target another size of business or don't publish a price for this use.
Connecteam: flat price, no payroll rules
Flat priceFree up to 10 users, then $29 a month billed yearly ($35 monthly) for 30 users on Basic. It has a time clock and timesheets, but no tip pooling and no POS link. Good for a small crew that exports hours to a payroll provider.
- Price
- $29/month for 30 users (annual)
Quinyx: for large restaurant chains
EnterpriseQuinyx forecasts demand and schedules across dozens of locations with complex rules. It is sold on quote. For an independent or a group under five locations, it is more than you need.
- Price
- On quote
Planday: European roots, quote-based
QuotePlanday, part of Xero, offers Starter (five users minimum), Plus and Pro tiers with payroll reports and a 30-day free trial without a card. Its pricing page doesn't show a dollar price for your market, so ask for one before comparing.
- Trial
- 30 days, no card
Go further
These pages pick up where this one stops.
Stations, shift swaps, predictive scheduling.
You need a payroll providerPayroll software for small businessOur payroll ranking.
You mainly need a reliable time clockTime and attendance softwareClock-in, timesheets, proof of hours.
Restaurant staff scheduling questions
Which restaurant scheduling app includes payroll?
Homebase runs payroll inside the app for $49 a month plus $6 per employee. 7shifts, When I Work, Deputy and Sling connect to a payroll provider instead. If you like your provider, keep it and pick a scheduler that integrates.
How much does restaurant scheduling software cost per month?
From $0 to about $320 for one location with 18 to 40 staff, depending on payroll. Sling is free up to 30 users; Homebase with payroll costs $187 for 18 people.
Can scheduling software handle tip pooling?
Yes, some can. Homebase's Tip Manager costs $25 per location a month and pulls tips from your POS. 7shifts includes tip pooling. Sling, Deputy and When I Work leave tips to your payroll provider.
Homebase or 7shifts for a restaurant?
Homebase if you want scheduling and payroll in one app at the lowest cost for one location. 7shifts if you manage labor cost against sales every day and run Toast or Square.
Does When I Work have a free plan?
No. It starts at $2.50 per user a month on Essentials, with a 14-day trial and no card required. For a free plan, Sling covers up to 30 users and Homebase one location with up to 10 employees.
How do I avoid overtime surprises on payroll?
Use an app that flags overtime while you build the schedule, and approve timesheets weekly, not on payday. Deputy and When I Work Pro add scheduling rules for this.