Float alternatives: where to schedule your team next, and how to move
Five destinations, one per reason to leave, and a seven-step migration plan.
Short answer: Resource Guru for a simple schedule with clash alerts (from $5), Runn to forecast capacity and margins, Harvest Forecast if your team already tracks time in Harvest, Teamdeck if you schedule many people who never log in (from $1.80), and Ganttic for small teams (free up to 10 resources). We compared their pricing pages, limits and import paths. For the wider market, read our resource planning software ranking.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labelled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Some links may be affiliate links. They never change the order or the verdicts on this page.
Why teams leave Float, and where it pinches
Float has a strong reputation: the vendor says over 4,500 professional services firms and in-house delivery teams use it, and its schedule is often called the cleanest on the market. People rarely leave because of the schedule itself. They leave over the bill, what sits behind the Pro plan, and needs that go beyond scheduling. Five reasons, all checked against Float's own pages in 2026.
A bill that grows with headcount
Float charges per scheduled person: $7 a month on Starter, $12 on Pro. A 25-person agency pays $175 a month on Starter and $300 on Pro, or $3,600 a year. Each new hire is charged immediately, prorated to your billing cycle.
Time tracking sits on Pro
Time tracking, multi-currency rate cards, project cost estimates and advanced reporting are Pro features. Moving from Starter to Pro to track hours costs $5 more per person per month, a 71% jump.
One placeholder on Starter
Placeholders let you book a role before you hire or pick someone ("senior developer"). Starter includes one, Pro five. For an agency pitching several deals at once, that runs out fast.
Partial exports
On Starter, report exports carry scheduled data only. People export through the import template with name, role, department, tags and rates, but no capacity or time off. The day you want to analyse history elsewhere, you notice.
You need real financial planning
Float is a scheduling tool first. Teams that want to forecast quarterly margins with tentative projects and role-based rates tend to look at tools built around forecasting, such as Runn.
You are leaving because… go to…
The right alternative depends on what is pushing you out. Usually one line applies. Each card jumps to the full profile below.
From $5 per person, clash alerts, rooms and leave included.
You want to forecast capacity and marginsRunnTentative projects and financials from $7, 20-seat minimum.
Your team already tracks time in HarvestHarvest Forecast$5 per person billed annually, linked to Harvest.
You schedule lots of people who never log inTeamdeckLight seats at $1.80, every feature included.
You are fewer than tenGantticFree up to 10 resources, 14-day full trial.
Float alternatives, tool by tool
For each tool: why move there, who it fits, its catch, how to migrate and what it costs. Prices are those shown by vendors in 2026, in US dollars, before tax.
Resource Guru: the closest swap, with clashes flagged for you
Closest to FloatWhy switch to Resource Guru. You like Float's schedule view but your usage is simple and the bill keeps growing? Resource Guru starts at $5 per person per month on Grasshopper, and $8 on Blackbelt, which adds timesheets, reports, milestones and budgets. Its strength is clash management: book someone who is already full and it tells you on the spot, so you fix it before Monday. It also books leave, meeting rooms and equipment, handy when your bookings are not only about people.
Who it fits. Agencies, studios and in-house creative teams of 10 to 100 people who want a shared, readable schedule without heavy financials. The vendor reports more than 60,000 people scheduled in over 100 countries.
Who should skip it. Teams that run margins project by project: budgets arrive on Blackbelt, but forward-looking financial forecasting is stronger in Runn.
Its catch. You pay for every person you add, whether they log in or not, plus non-human resources ($2.50 each on Grasshopper). A room, a van or a camera kit lands on the invoice, so list them before you compare prices.
How to migrate. Export your Float schedule as CSV (Share, then Export), recreate clients and projects, then bring your people over. Use the full-featured trial, no card needed, to rebuild three weeks of real bookings and check clashes. We covered the reverse move in switching away from Resource Guru.
Price. Grasshopper $5, Blackbelt $8, Master $12 per person per month; annual plans include two months free.
- Price
- from $5 per person/month
- Best for
- agencies, clashes, rooms
- Catch
- non-human resources billed
Runn: capacity forecasting with margins built in
For margin controlWhy switch to Runn. You are leaving Float because next week is not far enough ahead? Runn is built around forecasting: future capacity, tentative projects you can model without committing, and project financials from the Lite plan at $7 per resource per month. Standard, at $11, adds timesheets, five custom fields, out-of-the-box integrations and the API.
Who it fits. Consultancies, tech agencies and professional services firms that sell time and want to know today whether next quarter will be profitable. Runn says it is chosen by more than 15,000 professionals.
Who should skip it. Small teams: Runn states its plans start at 20 resource seats. With ten people, you are paying for twenty.
Its catch. The 20-seat floor, and quote-only pricing for Advanced, which carries SAML SSO and unlimited custom fields. If SSO is a must, budget for a sales call.
How to migrate. The 30-day trial runs on Standard. Import people and projects from a spreadsheet, then replay a real month of scheduling. Copy your hourly rates out of Float's rate cards before you close the account: you need them for margin reports.
Price. Lite $7, Standard $11 per resource per month, Advanced on quote; annual billing costs less than monthly.
- Price
- from $7 per resource/month
- Minimum
- 20 seats
- Best for
- forecasting, margins
Harvest Forecast: the obvious pick if your team already tracks time in Harvest
For Harvest usersWhy switch to Forecast. Your team already logs hours in Harvest? Forecast is its scheduling sidekick: plan in Forecast, compare against real hours in Harvest, and watch project health in one glance. At $5 per person per month billed annually ($6.25 monthly), it is one of the lowest entry prices we compared.
Who it fits. Agencies of 5 to 50 people who want a simple visual schedule and already pay for Harvest. Nonprofits and schools get a discount, and teams of 50+ get a bigger yearly one.
Who should skip it. Teams that want scheduling and time tracking on one bill: Harvest and Forecast are billed separately, so add both before comparing with Float Pro.
Its catch. Everyone you schedule counts, even people never invited to sign in. Scheduling nine colleagues means buying ten seats, yours included.
How to migrate. 30-day trial, no card. Pull projects in from Harvest (they link up), then copy your Float assignments week by week from the CSV export.
Price. $5 per person per month billed annually, $6.25 monthly.
- Price
- $5 per person/month (annual)
- Best for
- Harvest customers
- Catch
- billed apart from Harvest
Teamdeck: scheduling, time and leave at a low seat price
Lowest seat priceWhy switch to Teamdeck. Price. A Light member, scheduled but without app access, costs $1.80 a month on yearly billing ($2 monthly). A Full member, with scheduling, timesheets and leave, costs $5.40 ($6 monthly). Every feature ships with every account: you only pick seat types.
Who it fits. Teams that schedule lots of people who never need to log in: contractors, freelancers, field crews. Mix Light and Full seats by role.
Who should skip it. Agencies that want multi-currency rate cards and project cost estimates as deep as Float Pro or Runn.
Its catch. Light seats come without the mobile app, notifications or timesheets. Anyone who logs hours needs a Full seat.
How to migrate. 14-day trial, no card, all features on. Decide who is Light and who is Full first, because that is where the savings sit. Then import projects and people and rebuild the next two weeks.
Price. Light $1.80 and Full $5.40 per person per month on yearly billing; yearly saves 10% versus monthly.
- Price
- from $1.80 per person/month
- Best for
- mixed teams, contractors
- Catch
- Light seats skip timesheets
Ganttic: free for up to 10 resources
Free to startWhy switch to Ganttic. Small team, and Float costs more than the value you get from it? Ganttic can be used for free with up to 10 resources. Past that, pricing depends only on how many resources you plan, with custom quotes above 1,500.
Who it fits. Freelancers coordinating a few collaborators, small shops and workshops that also plan machines or rooms on a Gantt chart.
Who should skip it. Teams that need API access from day one: it sits outside the free tier.
Its catch. The Gantt-style interface takes some getting used to if your team lives in Float's row view. Plan half a day of onboarding.
How to migrate. The 14-day trial opens every feature with unlimited resources and users. Load your whole team, then decide whether you stay under 10 resources or move to a paid plan.
Price. Free up to 10 resources; above that, pricing depends on resource count and Ganttic publishes no rate card: you get the figure on request.
- Price
- free up to 10 resources
- Best for
- small teams, Gantt
- Catch
- API on paid plans
The 5 alternatives side by side
Our default picks: Resource Guru to keep scheduling simple, Runn to manage margins. For 25 scheduled people, a month costs $175 on Float Starter and $300 on Pro; $125 on Resource Guru Grasshopper and $200 on Blackbelt (timesheets included); $175 on Runn Lite; $125 on Forecast billed annually; $135 on Teamdeck Full seats billed yearly. If you mostly need project management with a bit of scheduling, see our picks for agencies.
| Entry price | What changes versus Float | |
|---|---|---|
| FloatStarting point | Starter $7, Pro $12 per scheduled person | Time tracking on Pro, 1 placeholder on Starter |
| Resource GuruSimple schedule | From $5 per person | Clash alerts, rooms and equipment bookable |
| RunnForecasting | From $7 per resource, 20 seats min. | Tentative projects and financials on Lite |
| Harvest ForecastWith Harvest | $5 annual, $6.25 monthly | Plan versus actual hours from Harvest |
| TeamdeckLow price | Light $1.80, Full $5.40 yearly | Every feature in every account |
| GantticSmall teams | Free up to 10 resources | Gantt view, API on paid plans |
Entry prices before tax as listed by vendors in 2026, in US dollars, subject to change.
Moving off Float in seven steps
For a team of 10 to 50 people, a schedule migration takes about three weeks. The trap is not technical: it is forgetting what the export leaves out (rates, roles, time off).
List everything Float holds
Day 1People (placeholders too), active projects, clients, rate cards, booked time off and integrations (Zapier, API). Write down your Float renewal date: that is your deadline. A simple base in Airtable does the job.
Export the schedule and reports
Day 1From the Schedule, click Share, then Export, choose CSV, by day or by week, for the whole period ahead. Export your reports too. On Starter, report exports carry scheduled data only; on Pro you also get logged time. People and projects export through the import template with Pre-populate ticked, and the people file holds name, email, role, department, tags, cost and bill rates, but no capacity or time off.
Clean before you import
Day 2Remove people who left, merge duplicate projects, standardise client names. Check the rates and roles in the people file, and note capacity and time off separately, since the export leaves them out.
Rebuild the structure
Days 2-3Create clients first, then projects, then people with roles and capacity (hours per day, part-timers). Upcoming time off has to be re-entered by hand: it is usually what goes missing on the first Monday.
Rebuild four weeks of bookings
Week 1Do not replay history inside the schedule; keep it in your exports. Rebuild only the next four to six weeks from your weekly CSV.
Run both tools for a week
Week 2For one week every change goes into the new tool, and Float is read-only. Project leads compare both schedules on Friday. Any gap is a missed booking.
Cut over and close Float
Week 3Announce the date, update links (wiki, calendars, automations), and remove Float seats before renewal. Keep your dated exports as the archive.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a Float migration go wrong
The same mistakes show up from one agency to the next. None of them is technical.
Comparing prices that count different people
Float bills scheduled people; Resource Guru every person added and every non-human resource; Forecast everyone scheduled, you included; Runn at least 20 seats. Redo the maths with your real roster.
Forgetting capacity and time off
Float's people file keeps name, role and rates, but not capacity, part-time hours or time off. Note them before closing the account, or your first schedule will be wrong.
Migrating mid-staffing crunch
Avoid the week you are pitching three deals. Pick a quiet stretch, ideally right after month-end close.
Dropping time tracking with no replacement
If you tracked time in Float Pro, your new tool should too (Resource Guru Blackbelt, Runn Standard, Teamdeck Full), or plug in dedicated timesheet software.
Missing the renewal date
Float seats are added prorated and Enterprise is an annual contract. Note the end date on day one of the project.
- People, placeholders, projects and clients listed
- Rates, roles and capacity saved separately
- Schedule exported to CSV by week
- Reports exported (scheduled and logged)
- Structure rebuilt in the new tool
- Four weeks of bookings rebuilt
- One week of parallel run
- Float seats removed before renewal
Frequently asked questions
How much does Float cost?
Float costs $7 per scheduled person per month on Starter and $12 on Pro; Enterprise is a custom annual contract. Guests who view the schedule without being scheduled are free. To see where Float sits in its market, read our resource planning software ranking.
Is there a free version of Float?
Float offers a 30-day trial on the Pro plan with no credit card, and keeps your data for six months after the trial ends. For free long-term use, Ganttic is free for up to 10 resources.
Which Float alternative costs least per person?
Teamdeck, with Light seats at $1.80 a month on yearly billing for scheduled people who do not log in, and $5.40 for full access. Resource Guru ($5 monthly, $4.16 yearly on Grasshopper) and Forecast ($5 yearly) follow.
Resource Guru or Float: which one?
Resource Guru if you want a simple schedule that also books rooms and gear, with clashes flagged; Float if you want time tracking and cost estimates in the same tool. We cover the reverse move in switching from Resource Guru.
Can I export my data from Float?
Yes. The schedule exports to CSV from Share, then Export, by day or week. Reports have their own export button. For people and projects, use the import template with Pre-populate ticked. The API supports filtered exports by person, project or date range.
Can ClickUp or monday.com replace Float?
For a small team, partly: their workload views are enough to avoid overbooking. For real capacity planning with placeholders and forecasts, a dedicated tool stays simpler. Compare them in ClickUp vs monday.
How long does a Float migration take?
Plan three weeks for 10 to 50 people: a few days of prep, a week of rebuilding, a week of parallel run. Re-entering rates, roles and time off is the slow part.
Do I need a separate time tracker?
Only if your new tool does not cover it on your plan. With Forecast, time tracking lives in Harvest; otherwise see our project management software with time tracking.
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