Shift trades are inevitable — even with essentially the most well-managed schedules. To tame the chaos of last-minute adjustments, you may contemplate a shift-swapping coverage. However even then, managing it turns into a time-consuming problem involving frantic texts, cellphone calls, and quite a lot of crew confusion in terms of retaining monitor of the brand new schedule.
A shift commerce app may help workers handle schedule adjustments immediately — and make issues extra organized and environment friendly within the course of. How? Supervisors begin by setting customized guidelines to verify all adjustments observe the coverage. Then, workers coordinate shift trades with their teammates and submit their swaps for approval, which managers approve or deny with a click on. And the very best half? The device is normally constructed into your scheduling or crew administration platform, so that you don’t must spend cash on extra software program.
It’s the sort of device managers can’t reside with out as soon as they struggle 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 high six picks for 2023, evaluating every primarily based on greatest use case, high options, execs and cons, and pricing.
Key options to search for in shift commerce apps
Not like different forms of software program, shift commerce instruments don’t normally come as standalone apps. They most frequently belong to a set of merchandise which can be included inside a scheduling platform. Nonetheless, some options stand out compared with others. In addition to shift swapping capabilities, the very best software program consists of:
- Open shift posting — An important shift commerce app ought to allow you to share open shifts if you publish your most important crew schedule. That means, workers can declare obtainable shifts, saving you from assigning them to workers who can’t or don’t need to work.
- Constructed-in chat — Discovering a alternative normally means monitoring down cellphone numbers and emails so teammates can attain out and coordinate the adjustments they want. Constructed-in messaging helps the crew talk in a single spot and permits managers to make bulletins, coordinate duties, and hold employees on the identical web page all through the day.
- Interconnected employees 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 that you must handle your crew 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 workers submit swaps to your approval. One other plus is when the platform alerts your total crew about schedule updates and adjustments so everybody stays in control.
- 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 better the device is to begin utilizing, the higher. It’s preferrred when it solely takes a day (or much less) for crew members to get comfy with an app. You also needs to prioritize a system that makes it straightforward for managers to approve or deny commerce requests and retains their involvement to a minimal.
- A variety of integrations — You may be utilizing software program for level of sale (POS) transactions, e-commerce, accounting, budgeting, and reporting. Keep away from repeated knowledge 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 crew to have the ability to verify the schedule and get essential shift updates — whether or not they’re at work, in transit, or on the go. A perfect shift commerce device ought to have a devoted cellular app that has the identical functionalities because the desktop model, so your crew can use it from wherever.
- Free or inexpensive plans — The app that’ll work greatest for you relies on your funds, enterprise wants, and crew dimension. However preferrred platforms embrace a free plan. Homebase’s free account consists of fundamental scheduling and time monitoring instruments for as much as 20 workers at one enterprise location. We additionally provide per-location pricing, so your subscription received’t turn into unmanageable as your crew grows.
Our high shift commerce app choose for 2023 (+ the remaining in contrast)
Homebase isn’t only a shift commerce app — our platform has all of the instruments that you must run a small enterprise crew in 2023. That’s why it’s our high choose.
With our app, directors can put up open shifts on the high of each schedule and discover cowl rapidly. Staff may also ask for substitutes immediately from their schedules on the cellular app. And there’s no want for crew members to textual content coworkers or shift supervisors once they’re sick or have an surprising battle.
On high of that, Homebase has built-in options for time monitoring, full-service payroll, crew chat, hiring and onboarding, and HR and compliance — all obtainable with our per-location paid plans.
Nonetheless, different apps might 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 strong choice for enterprise homeowners who want devoted job administration and checklists.
That’s why we’ve damaged down our listing primarily based on greatest use case:
- Homebase: Finest all-in-one answer
- Deputy: Finest for labor compliance
- Connecteam: Finest for distant or transferring groups
- ZoomShift: Finest for crew accountability
- 7shifts: Finest for the restaurant {industry}
- Coast: Finest for assigning duties with shifts
Comparability chart: Prime 6 shift commerce apps in 2023
A breakdown of the 6 greatest shift commerce apps
1. Finest all-in-one answer: Homebase
Homebase is an all-in-one employees administration and HR app designed for hourly groups. We all know how chaotic coordinating shift trades will be, which is why we’ve made our app tremendous straightforward to make use of from wherever. Plus, it’s customizable so you possibly can 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, crew communication, and HR and compliance.
Prime options
- Simple-to-use shift swapping options
- Customizable shift buying and selling guidelines
- Open shift posting
- Constructed-in crew messaging so employees can coordinate trades and get in contact with one another
- Computerized worker notifications when schedules are printed
- No present, late clock in, and late clock out alerts for managers
- Consumer-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
Professionals 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 workers request a change, which suggests much less time spent because the intermediary. They merely need to deny or approve all requests, and once they make adjustments to the schedule, their crew mechanically will get alerted by way of textual content, e-mail, and the Homebase app.
And though it lacks job administration instruments, Homebase makes up for that with built-in chat options.
Managers can use the messaging device to get in contact with particular person employees members, particular teams, or the entire crew with bulletins and updates. However workers may also 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 essentially the most out of our platform, we provide the next paid plan choices:
- Primary — Free for one location and as much as 20 workers. It consists of fundamental scheduling and time monitoring, worker administration instruments like messaging, point-of-sale integrations, and entry to e-mail help.
- Necessities — $24.95 monthly per location. Every part in Primary, plus payroll integrations, crew 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 without work 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 may also save 20% on their general value once they join an annual plan.
2. Finest 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 workers open slots primarily based on the app’s suggestions. Or, they’ll let employees prepare 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
Professionals 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 knowledge, which permits them to keep away from overstaffing or understaffing. It additionally lets directors set compliance guidelines for all shift swaps in order that crew members can’t make trades that’ll lead to time beyond regulation, for instance.
Nonetheless, Deputy isn’t a complete crew 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 consumer monthly. Its Premium plan enables you to mix each Scheduling and Time & Attendance for $4.90 per consumer monthly.
3. Finest for distant or transferring groups: Connecteam
Connecteam’s platform is right for any crew that’s all the time on the go. It affords instruments for scheduling, time monitoring, communication, and labor compliance and is designed so you need to use all of its options out of your cellular system.
Prime options
- Shift reminders and self-service shift swapping options
- Schedule builder with shift duplication and template instruments
- Activity administration with kinds and checklists
- GPS-enabled time monitoring
- Crew messaging
- Labor and compliance instruments
- Worker surveys
Professionals and cons
Whereas some platforms have hard-to-find shift swapping instruments, Connecteam shift buying and selling is straightforward to navigate. Customers simply need to go to their shift particulars, click on Discover Substitute, and an inventory of doable 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. Relatively than providing easy tiered plans or per-feature pricing, it teams its packages into “hubs,” making it exhausting to get every thing you want.
Pricing
Connecteam affords three “hub” packages: Operations, Communications, and HR & Expertise. Connecteam’s Operations hub comes with scheduling, time monitoring, and job administration options, and the plans embrace:
- Small Enterprise — Free for as much as ten customers.
- Primary — $29 monthly for as much as 30 customers. Further customers are $0.50 monthly.
- Superior — Every part in Primary, plus additional options like time monitoring duties. $49 monthly for 30 customers. Further customers are $1.50 monthly.
- Knowledgeable — Every part in Superior, plus GPS options and automation. $99 monthly for 30 customers. Further customers are $3 monthly.
4. Finest for crew 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 sooner, too.
Prime options
- Open shift posting
- Shift swapping
- Time monitoring with geofencing
- Scheduling with reusable templates
- Time without work administration
- Timesheets for payroll
Professionals and cons
Though it doesn’t have an in-app chat, ZoomShift permits workers to depart notes explaining why they should commerce shifts. This will increase transparency although your workers 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 possibly can merely export the information to a third-party payroll platform.
Sadly, some customers say ZoomShift’s customer support has declined in the previous couple of years, so it may not be the best choice for a small enterprise proprietor who wants additional help.
Pricing
You possibly can strive any ZoomShift plan at no cost for 14 days. In any other case, paid choices embrace:
- Starter — Scheduling, time monitoring, and PTO administration for $2.50 per consumer monthly.
- Premium — Extra time administration, superior scheduling instruments, geofencing, timesheets, and superior reporting for $5 per consumer monthly.
5. Finest for the restaurant {industry}: 7shifts
It’s not simply 7shifts’ branding that makes it match for the restaurant {industry} — the platform additionally caters to industry-specific wants with options for scheduling, time monitoring, crew messaging, hiring and onboarding, coaching, and tip administration.
Prime options
- Shift buying and selling
- Workers scheduling
- Time monitoring
- Crew communication
- Hiring and onboarding instruments
- Doc storage
- Coaching and job administration
- Payroll integrations
- Tip administration and payout instruments
Professionals and cons
Shift buying and selling is a frequent prevalence within the restaurant {industry}, and 7shifts makes it straightforward for managers to remain on high 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 crew members from buying and selling shifts with anybody outdoors of their place, division, or job website.
Moreover, 7shifts customers admire how nicely it integrates with high POS methods, a vital function for at the moment’s small eating places and cafes. Nonetheless, 7shifts doesn’t have a built-in payroll product, though it integrates with widespread software program like Gusto and QuickBooks.
Pricing
7shifts has a free plan for single-location eating places and affords fundamental scheduling and time monitoring options. In any other case, paid plans embrace:
- 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. Finest for assigning duties with shifts: Coast
With devoted show widgets for fast entry to instruments, Coast is designed to assist hold employees on job. In addition to options for shift swapping, scheduling, time monitoring, and chat, Coast gives instruments for delegating assignments to any sort of crew.
Prime options
- Shift swapping instruments
- Worker scheduling
- Time monitoring
- Recurring duties and checklists
- Crew chat
- Stock administration
- Upkeep monitoring and duties
Professionals and cons
Coast’s shift swapping options work equally to different choices on this listing, making the platform one other viable choice for small enterprise homeowners. One benefit of Coast, nevertheless, is its recurring job device, which helps you to assign smaller jobs together with shifts. And when workers 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 expensive, 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 affords two sorts of plans (and every one has a free choice with restricted instruments):
- The Primary plan for crew scheduling and chat options
- The Premium plan for upkeep work orders
The Primary tiers embrace:
- Starter — Crew collaboration instruments for $2 per consumer monthly.
- Professional — Stories and productiveness dashboards for $4 per consumer monthly.
The Premium tiers embrace:
- Starter — Crew collaboration, upkeep, and work order instruments for $22 per consumer monthly.
- Professional — Every part included in Primary Professional, plus upkeep administration for $38 per consumer monthly.
Revolutionize your crew scheduling with Homebase
Shift commerce apps are important for any enterprise proprietor who has ever panicked about scheduling. They usually make the work expertise simpler for shift employees as they’ll relaxation straightforward figuring out 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 workers at one enterprise location. And for bigger groups, our per-location pricing will hold prices low as you rent extra employees.
Homebase can also be essentially the most complete choice on this listing — we provide hiring and onboarding, crew communication, worker happiness, payroll, and HR and compliance instruments, making our platform the only option for unbiased small enterprise homeowners who depend on hourly groups to maneuver their firm ahead.
**The data above is predicated on our analysis on shift commerce apps. All consumer suggestions referenced within the textual content has been sourced from unbiased software program assessment platforms, similar to G2 and Capterra, in April 2023.