15 Best Free Employee Scheduling Apps in 2024

Manual scheduling requires a lot of extra effort because of the time it takes to do things like keep track of paper time-off requests and address schedule problems. In addition to this, it prevents you from maximizing the expenses of your workforce and payroll. The scheduling also gets more complex as your staff grows. However, the best free employee scheduling apps can take these tasks off your plate.

You can bring order and efficiency to your company with the help of employee scheduling software. As a result, everyone can focus on tasks since they know when they are expected to be there. If you have a good plan in place, you can ensure that the most crucial things are done when needed. Thanks to careful scheduling, you get to decide who does the task and how effectively one is doing it. Either employees of similar strengths are paired together, or a stronger worker is paired with a less capable one. While you can purchase an employee scheduling app, free solutions can provide you with all the core functionalities you need. Check out the list below and choose the best free employee scheduling app that matches your needs.

The modern workplace is rapidly evolving. Leaders are making an extra effort to bring in and keep talented employees despite the challenging labor market. Worker expectations for participation, flexibility, and fair treatment are on the rise, and businesses must change to meet them. Not only do you have to accommodate a wide range of shift preferences among full-time, part-time, temporary, and gig employees, but you also have to deal with a complex mix of employment arrangements. Managers in charge of operations now have to arrange workers in several pools based on their availability and the number of hours they are ready to put in.

These changes have been apparent even years before the pandemic accelerated them, but companies are still finding it hard to keep up. Up to 80% of workers say that they have little to no input in their schedules, and about 69% that they are asked to keep their timetables “open and available.” This affects the overall employee morale and motivation. Around 55% of employees are ready to leave their jobs if they have no control over their schedules. In fact, up to 49% are ready to take a pay cut if they can have control over their timetables.

While companies are still trying to catch up to the rapidly changing employee scheduling needs, legislators are taking notice and taking the right steps. Many states have some form of Predictive Scheduling Laws in order to address employee scheduling challenges. California, New York, and Washington are some of the first states to establish employee responsibilities and penalties when it comes to their workers’ schedules.

And, if you are one of the managers or business owners still looking for an employee schedule app, free software allows you to test drive these solutions. You can avoid paying for features that you don’t need and may even find free functionalities that are perfectly suited to your current needs.

Best Free Employee Scheduling Apps

1. monday.com

Without the proper resources, scheduling can be a major headache. Fortunately, monday.com gives you access to all the tools you need to design a staff scheduling software that works flawlessly with your existing processes. Motivate your staff to be productive and well-organized by focusing on their work schedules. Using their weekly work plan template, employees can create and enhance their weekly schedule with accuracy and specifics that can be accessed in real-time, any day of the week, by their supervisors as well as their colleagues.

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The comprehensive cloud-based platform is suitable for businesses of any size or kind and in any area of operation. It allows users to construct and modify workflows, projects, and processes with the use of automation formulas, tracking and reporting, and more. With one of the more than 200 user-friendly layouts provided, you’ll have everything you need to get going in no time. Inputting your information into the template will allow you to plan for timely and consistent distribution. And automation can be set up to alert you and your team when a new schedule is ready to be shared.

2. Connecteam

Many companies rely on Connecteam as their primary means of solving their business problems. Users can see exactly how their firm is doing, down to the smallest detail, from scheduling employees to monitoring their productivity. In addition to this, everything they need is conveniently located under a user-friendly primary interface. From this hub, users can quickly produce new content, make new posts, respond to existing ones, set up new tasks, and much more.

Connecteam

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As an example of its useful features, its personnel scheduling software is simple to use without sacrificing any power. The software makes it possible to make schedules in minutes, no matter how large or small your team or business may be. An intuitive drag-and-drop interface lets you see the broad picture while also diving into the nitty-gritty. Quicker implementation is possible, thanks to the abundance of ready-made templates for anything, from single-shift schedules to rotating timelines. Connecteam guarantees that your staff is kept up to date by using communication tools that are already a part of the platform.

3. 7Shifts

7Shifts is the perfect free employee scheduling app for restaurants, bars, and other similar businesses, providing managers and staff with a wide range of useful features beyond just efficient schedule creation. It’s easy to create shifts and assign workers to them, helping you keep your restaurant running smoothly. With a simple drag-and-drop planner and editable templates, you can spend less time maintaining your calendar and more time focusing on what really matters to you. Anytime, anyplace, schedules are available via this app, thanks to the convenience of its free mobile version. Adjust shifts on the fly to keep everyone in the loop and send automated reminders to workers about impending shifts to foster a culture of responsibility.

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As an added bonus, there’s a visual budgeting software built in that you can use to keep tabs on expenses and allocate as you see fit throughout your organization. If you connect your point-of-sale system, you can create schedules for your employees that are both efficient and fair, increasing productivity and satisfaction. Moreover, scheduling dashboards make it easy to keep tabs on the restaurant’s most pressing matters at a glance. Requests, employee comments, sales, hours worked, and communications may all be monitored in one place. Achieve cost savings for your company by receiving timely notifications on overtime, breaks, split shifts, and compliance.

4. Homebase

Homebase facilitates the management of time and attendance, payroll, human resources, and other administrative tasks for organizations of any size. The system consolidates several functions, such as time tracking, payroll, and staff scheduling, into a single interface. It also helps improve your process of determining wages, overtime, and catching mistakes. Practically any electronic gadget can now be used as a timer to keep tabs on working hours, lunch breaks, and extra pay. You can keep your team’s calendar up to date and accessible from anywhere using Homebase. You can make changes on the go, even while riding the bus. And then disseminate it immediately.

Furthermore, the program simplifies the process of calculating payroll. It just takes a single mouse click to convert timesheets into payroll hours and pay. Once payroll has been set up, Homebase will process employee payments, transfer wages to their accounts, and submit payroll tax forms on your behalf. In addition, it is simple to send a message and be certain that your team has read it. Even if you can’t make it to work on time, you can be certain that your staff members will be there on time. Having a central location like a Homebase can help your team communicate and function more smoothly.

5. Bitrix24

If you’re looking for high-quality free timetabling software for employees, Bitrix24 is a great option. It helps businesses coordinate the efforts of their many departments and employees. There will be fewer mistakes and no-shows, and management will be able to distribute resources more fairly. Your staff can utilize Bitrix24’s in-built online clock to begin, stop, and end their workday as needed. Create a calendar and restrict access to its contents so that only certain people may make changes or add new events.

Event intervals can be set at will while working with repetitive tasks. You can schedule them once a week, twice a month, or once a month. The staff scheduling app will be updated as soon as an event is added to the Bitrix24 CRM. You can establish reminders to ensure that your team never misses a client meeting or follow-up contact. If you have missing workers, Bitrix24 will still be useful. The absence chart is a comprehensive calendar that lists every sort of leave (sick, vacation, travel, etc.) that has been taken. Discover who is now away and who is only preparing to take a leave of absence that has been approved.

6. Findmyshift

Findmyshift is an employee scheduling free app for managing personnel schedules, requests for shifts, labor expenses, and internal communications. It’s a piece of software made so that employees and supervisors can log in from wherever there’s an internet connection. Findmyshift lets its users modify the database by adding additional columns for more granular sorting and filtering. Employees can log in to make shift requests, cancel shifts, or trade shifts with coworkers (subject to management permission).

It’s easy to use and intuitive, so users can concentrate on the people they’re scheduling rather than the process itself when using a drag-and-drop calendar. Additionally, there is an integrated time clock that keeps track of the number of hours that workers are really working, as well as automatic reports that assist promote improved cost accounting and more accurate payments. Users can reliably create payroll data by integrating worker timesheets, schedules, pay scales, and overtime rates.

7. TimeForge

TimeForge is an effective and trustworthy program for managing and scheduling employees, complete with scheduling features and tools that provide easy and efficient administration of labor resources. Time clocks, human resource management, and a daily log are only some of the essential tools for scheduling and managing staff that are included in the system. The platform is a promising software option for shops and restaurants that wish to switch from a manual scheduling system based on paper schedules to a digital one.

Users won’t spend a ton of time getting up to speed with the system because of how straightforward it is. Users just need to input worker data, make a schedule, and turn on the auto-scheduler for recurring shifts. Managers can rest easy knowing that TimeForge will prevent them from accidentally scheduling employees’ incompatible shifts or giving them work when they are off on leave. To make the most of their resources and staff without overburdening them, companies can quickly and easily see who is working, who isn’t, and who is on leave, thanks to the system’s intuitive interface.

8. Jibble

Jibble is a time monitoring and attendance management system that is hosted in the cloud. It aims to assist companies and organizations in making the most of their workers’ time and ensuring that they are compensated for the time they spend working. It provides the flexibility for your staff to log their time either on-site, remotely, or even when they are traveling. Jibble can interact with various communication technologies, such as Slack, which enables users to set up a Jibble channel that other team members may use to access and register their time.

You can also turn a tablet computer, such as an iPad or an Android device, into a portable biometric attendance monitoring system that you can take with you to various workplaces, like construction sites. It is possible for an infinite number of users to clock in and out by taking a selfie, using face recognition, and/or entering a PIN. This eliminates the possibility of buddy punching. You can also establish stringent geofences to guarantee that your workers arrive at the appropriate spot at the appropriate time. And you can set up your payroll system to print time sheets automatically to monitor the amount of time your team spends working.

9. Sling

Sling is a powerful and all-encompassing scheduling and communication tool made for companies and organizations to more efficiently and effectively schedule people and distribute tasks. It streamlines the process of setting and enforcing work schedules for employees and eliminates the possibility of miscommunication between you and your staff. The shifts can be moved or copied across days and weeks using a simple drag-and-drop interface. You will never have to start from the beginning when making a timetable again.

When you use Sling, you never have to worry about double booking or shifts that overlap. At a glance, you can see who is available to work and who has requested time off. All open positions can be filled, and the tool gives you the leeway to make modifications quickly and easily in response to developments and changes. In addition, it lets workers clock in and out using their mobile devices, so you can keep tabs on how long they really spend at work. Do you want to prevent people from clocking in and leaving too early? With Sling’s geofencing capability turned on, you won’t ever have to think about it again.

10. TimeWellScheduled

Organizations and enterprises in the hospitality, retail, health, and professional service sectors can all benefit from the time and attendance management capabilities of TimeWellScheduled. The system streamlines the process of recording and managing staff clock-ins and clock-outs. As a result, they will spend less time on administrative tasks like processing time sheets manually and resolving problems; instead, they can focus on growing their business. With TimeWellScheduled, supervisors can create, track, and update staff schedules from any web-enabled device, anywhere in the world.

The free employee schedule app reduces the high cost of time and attendance tracking and administration for companies of all sizes and in all sectors. This is due to the fact that they can reuse their current infrastructure for these tasks. It is possible to generate and print barcodes in TimeWellScheduled, which can then be affixed to employee ID cards. Barcode or swipe card readers are used to read the encoded information on the cards and verify the identities of the employees. Furthermore, they can use the built-in face recognition software on their iPhone or Android smartphones.

11. stayhome.ai

stayhome.ai is an artificial intelligence-based scheduling platform that facilitates better hybrid team administration and monitoring. Businesses can cut office space costs, improve shift scheduling efficiency, and motivate remote workers by providing them with tools to keep organized and in contact with one another despite the distance. You may use it to automatically create a timetable that works best for your personnel, taking into account a broad range of parameters. Included in this category are such elements as workers’ preferred working environments and times, as well as tasks to be accomplished and time off requests. Once everything has been processed, the resulting schedule will be sent out immediately for managers’ review and approval.

Employee attendance can be monitored from anywhere using the software’s built-in time tracker and management function. Clocking in and out is as simple as clicking a button on a smartphone or other device. As an added bonus, it has a number of practical extras like intelligent alerts, alerts, a leave planner, etc. It’s a free download for iOS and Android mobile devices, too. The platform’s essential features, such as smart and automatic scheduling, a task and time tracker, push notifications, and the ability to request time off, are also available via a mobile app that allows users to keep in contact with their colleagues wherever they may be.

12. Fluida

Fluida is a human resources (HR) platform that is mobile-friendly and streamlines communication and interaction between businesses and their staff. It provides tools, including software and hardware, to improve administrative processes and the working conditions of your organization. It comes with a cutting-edge beacon gadget that is simple to deploy and won’t break the bank. Within its range, Bluetooth-enabled devices can receive signals and data from this piece of hardware. When workers’ smartphones pick up on such signals, the software on their phones will respond with tailored actions and data. One of these is the recording and checking of personal information, like where and when an employee was working.

A wireless device with Bluetooth and Near Field Communication scanning capabilities can also be mounted on a wall. Therefore, your workers can verify their time and attendance by touching or scanning their NFC-enabled badges on the device. Because it can read and retrieve data via NFC labels and tags, workers who don’t have smartphones can still log their time at the office.

13. Leave Dates

Leave Dates is a free employee schedule app that helps small and medium-sized organizations in managing their remote staff. It’s highly customizable to fit the needs of any business. It just takes a few clicks to make changes to the leave categories, allowances, divisions, approvals, working schedules, and whether or not workers take their time off in days or in hours. Everything from submitting requests to receiving approvals is handled automatically, so you must respond when prompted. Time and effort saved can be put toward other more important endeavors.

Additionally, Leave Dates was designed to integrate easily with third-party applications. The software accommodates a variety of connectivity strategies, including Google Calendar and Outlook synchronization, Zapier for rapid system integration, and APIs for custom integration. In addition to setting up numerous allowances, you may also choose to log time off in lieu for your staff. Keep track of the hours worked for TOIL so that they may be included in a worker’s total pay.

14. OnTheClock

OnTheClock is an efficient program that provides new options for human resources administrators in any size of business. It provides a variety of ways to clock in and out, including the use of biometric fingerprint readers, mobile devices, and geolocation solutions. In addition, your staff can clock in using any web-enabled device, such as desktop computers, tablets, and even their own smartphones. When you make a modification to your time cards in On The Clock, that change takes effect immediately. In this way, data from your existing payroll processors can be imported immediately. Therefore, you can ensure that all data is consistent by syncing it.

There’s more to On The Clock than just timekeeping. Managing shift swaps and personnel availability is a breeze. Instead of manually entering everyone’s schedules, you can just drag and drop them into their appropriate positions for a much more efficient experience. The publication and distribution of schedules to employees can be accomplished in a few short minutes. Accessing employee punches and activity levels is a breeze with the convenient interface. You can see all the time factors in one spot, and you always know if an employee is present or absent at their desk.

15. QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time, formerly known as TSheets is a web-based time and expense tracking software that can help your business save both time and money. As one of the best free employee scheduling apps today, this tool is efficient and very simple to use. With the time tracking feature, you can keep tabs on work hours whether you’re at your desk or out in the field. Staff members just need to press a button to punch in or out. Employees have fast access to break scheduling, revisions to work codes, and information updates on their time sheets. Powerful project management tools and geofencing functionality also help keep your teams informed and connected.

Whether it’s by job or by shift, the software simplifies the process of creating timetables for employees. The schedule can be updated, published, and sent to the team with little effort. Because of its seamless compatibility with QuickBooks, precise time tracking data can be synced immediately for use in payroll and billing. Furthermore, insightful business knowledge can be gained via real-time, interactive reporting. The program streamlines the processes of cost estimation, payroll planning, and maximizing profit.

Improve Company Productivity and Employee Satisfaction

Creating and preparing schedules can be a tedious process regardless of the number of workers you manage. Coverage must be found, shift needs must be met, conflicts in the schedule must be resolved, and last-minute adjustments must be accommodated. In order to save time each week, scheduling software might be quite useful if you currently spend time each week manually preparing schedules for your employees. If you have the best employee scheduling app, free features can save money on labor, make compliance easier, boost morale in the workplace, and more.

While we have examined the best scheduling software in the market, we particularly love monday.com. Instead of offering a ready-made solution, it provides you with templates, features, and other elements so you can build your custom employee scheduling app. That means you can tailor it to your specific needs without ever having to pay for advanced features or hiring a developer. Furthermore, the platform offers numerous capabilities beyond employee monitoring, allowing you to run your entire operation in one place.

In case you find that this product isn’t for you, fret not. You can still find the best free employee scheduling app for your company by checking out the other options on this list.

By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.