free online employee scheduling

Your scheduling chaos ends here.

One easy app to build schedules, communicate changes, and keep your team accountable.

Get started for free

No credit card required!

No credit card required!

Put scheduling your team on autopilot.

Save time with a free scheduling app built for restaurants, retail, and more.

Automate routine tasks

Use templates or auto-schedule based on your team’s latest availability, sales forecasts, and labor targets.

Simplify communication

Share scheduling changes instantly, post open shifts, and add shift notes or instructions.

Feel in control

Set black-out dates and PTO policies, and get alerts to keep track of late clock-ins and overtime.

Create accountability

Get fewer questions by allowing your team to pickup and trade shifts, manage availability, and request time-off.

100K+
businesses
love us.

Don’t take our
word for it.

Score 4.5
4.6 of 5
Top Performer Time Clock & Scheduling Software 2022
Score number one
9.8 of 10
Top Rated Time Clock & Scheduling Software
Score 4.5
4.8 of 5
Top 50
Business App
Score number one
Top 10
Best Employee Scheduling Software of 2023
Ratings As of FEB 2023

Integrate with POS systems, job boards, accounting software, and more.

Homebase connects with your tools so you can avoid manual data entry and costly mistakes.

  • Clover
  • Talech
  • Square
  • Poynt
  • Toast
  • Indeed
  • Lightspeed
  • QuickBooks
See all integrations

As an ice cream shop, we run a crazy summer schedule! Our employees are mostly high school and college students who have busy schedules outside of working. Outside of Homebase, keeping track of their requested time off and availability would be a nightmare! We know! We didn't have Homebase our first season! 



Theresa Fouquette

Owner Bliss Small batch creamery, WA

homebase customer

Employee Scheduling Software Frequently Asked Questions

What is free staff scheduling software?

Scheduling software automates the process of scheduling a resource and allows you to switch to online scheduling instead of using a paper system. Homebase offers a free option for scheduling software that is feature rich and that helps you schedule your team.

Online scheduling software means that the staff schedules you build for your business are stored on the internet. Cloud-based software means the online scheduling is accessible by your staff from any device using the scheduling app in real time. You can schedule shifts and run your business easier than ever with modern online tools.

With Homebase’s monthly schedule maker, we’ll send your hourly workers calendar reminders about their work schedule and email reminders when their shift is coming up. Proper staffing levels are key to ensuring customer satisfaction through great customer service, which in turn drives repeat customer visits.

Online scheduling also means that managers can build and update the schedule from anywhere, no matter how many users per month they have. The connected time clock makes it easy to have a full picture of the labor costs. You can also view employee performance so managers can make better decisions.

The scheduling app will also show which employees show up late most often. You can even see which time slots have the highest sales (and need the most staff scheduled). 

How do I know when it's time to switch to a work schedule app?

If you spend too much time building your schedule each week, it’s time to make a change. What better way to improve your business by using an employee scheduling software free of charge? You can read more about work schedule apps in our article, 5 signs it’s time to switch to a work schedule app.

How does a staff scheduling app help my business?

Staff scheduling apps help your business by decreasing the time it takes to build employee schedules every week. Read more in our article about how a staff scheduling app can help make work easier.

Why should I use a free employee scheduling app?

An employee schedule maker app will make your scheduling process easier, quicker, and more efficient. Learn more about employee schedule maker apps by reading our article on 4 reasons you should use one.

What is a shift scheduling template?

A shift scheduling template saves you and your business time when it comes to managing your team schedule. Learn more by reading our article about how shift scheduling templates can make your business more efficient.

What is a scheduling system?

A scheduling system is any method used to schedule employee shifts for your business. However, the most efficient system used today instead of the old-fashioned methods are software programs, apps, or planner templates, such as Homebase.

Does your scheduling process include building the same work schedule every week? How about creating a flexible work environment with varying work hours per employee? Your work schedule will benefit from a proper system. If you’re new to using an online schedule maker, check out our template on how to create one.

The work schedule maker tool will help you get the job done quickly and easily. 

Can I do more than scheduling with Homebase?

Yes! Homebase does so much more than scheduling. Homebase is built for time tracking, payroll, messaging, HR, compliance, hiring, onboarding, and much more. You’ll even have tools to track your employee’s performance, share important notes for each shift, and be able to send messages to individuals, groups, or the entire team, without ever needing to collect phone numbers or email addresses.

With Homebase time clocks, you can also set clock-in/out rules like employee PINs, photos, geo-fencing, GPS locations, and more to help you avoid buddy-punching and time theft for both on-site and field teams.

Homebase also offers full-service payroll so you can schedule your shifts, track your employee’s hours, breaks, and overtime, and automatically convert everything into wages to pay your team and file taxes, all in one place.

Why Homebase is better than other software?

What is shift planning software?
Shift planning software programs like Homebase help you manage your schedule and build it within minutes from any device, helping you save hours every week. With Homebase, you can manage schedule changes and ensure that your team has up-to-date schedules. Employees can also request shift trades or update their availability on Homebase. You will then be notified for approval and Homebase will automatically update the schedule and highlight conflicts.

What is the best employee scheduling app?
The best scheduling software is the one that saves you the most time and leaves your calendar open for other priorities. It should also help you save on labor costs too. With Homebase, you’ll save hours every week thanks to our automated scheduling that allows your to build your employee schedule online in minutes.

The drag & drop team scheduling capability lets you view the employee work schedule by role, time period, or employee. You can watch hours calculate automatically, schedule your team from any browser on your mobile device, and publish work changes anytime, anywhere.

Homebase also gives you better visibility into your labor costs. Our software will total hours and overtime and subtract break times. You can also use our tool to input your sales data and ensure your budget targets are on track. You can even forecast your labor costs and see the weather and your sales forecast.

What is a job scheduling tool?
A good job scheduling tool such as Homebase will provide everything you need to manage your employee schedules. This includes managing your employees, swapping open shifts, and even exporting to payroll with the top companies.

Our free plan has features such as a manager log and enhanced reporting, and there are more features on our paid plan. This ensures your work life is as easy as possible and you build the perfect work schedule.

Which is the best scheduling app?
Homebase is the best scheduling app thanks to all the great features we provide. More than 100,000 businesses trust us to help make their work easier. But don’t take it from us, take it from the thousands of five-star reviews from valued customers.

What’s the best scheduling app for a small business?
Your scheduling app should help you run your small business in an efficient and easy way, and Homebase does just that. We help you build your schedule quickly, reduce no-shows and employee scheduling errors. You can send schedule changes to your employees to confirm they received it.

Homebase’s work schedule software can cater to several work schedule types. These include a rotating work schedule, flexible work arrangements, time work schedule, a compressed work schedule, a reduced work schedule, and more. They can see all of the necessary information right in the app.

You can also utilize the Homebase schedule builder, a free schedule maker that gives you a schedule template to help build your weekly or daily schedule.

What is the best software for scheduling?
The best scheduling software is the one that saves you the most time and helps you save on labor costs too. With Homebase, you’ll save hours every week thanks to our automated scheduling that allows you to build your schedule in minutes. The drag & drop team scheduling lets you view the team schedule by role, time period, or employee and you can watch hours calculated automatically, schedule your team from any browser on your mobile device, and publish work changes anytime, anywhere.

Homebase also gives you better visibility into your labor costs. Our software will total hours and overtime and subtract break times. You can also use our tool to input your sales data and ensure your budget targets are on track, forecast your labor costs, and even see the weather and your sales forecast right on the schedule.

How many people do you schedule?
Homebase allows you to add as many employees to your daily schedule as you need. With our app and easy-to-follow schedule template, all of your team information is in one place. Your employees can manage their work life by checking their schedule, trading shifts, messaging others and even estimating their pay.

Can you use a paper calendar or calendar app for your schedule?
Absolutely. You can build a schedule for your team using an online booking calendar app like iCal or Google Calendar, but those tools aren’t dedicated employee scheduling apps. You can’t copy schedule templates from week to week on the calendar. Other events and holidays will appear there as well, which can get cumbersome.

Everything you need for scheduling in one app.

Build schedules

  • Use templates or auto-scheduling to optimize your shifts.

  • Track availability and time off to avoid scheduling conflicts.

  • Get alerts to avoid overtime.

  • Build schedules in line with your sales forecasts and labor targets.

  • Post open shifts for employees to claim.

Publish and share schedules

  • Publish a schedule and your team is instantly notified in text, email, and the app.

  • The up-to-date schedule is always in their pocket in our free mobile app for iOS and Android.

  • They get alerts for any changes.

  • You get to confirm that they have seen the most recent schedule.

Operate efficiently

  • Automatically remind employees of upcoming shifts via text.

  • Add personal notes to shifts with instructions or reminders.

  • Allow employees to cover and trade shifts. All you have to do is approve.

Manage vacation and time-off requests

  • Employees can request time off and change their availability in the Homebase app—and know if it’s approved or not.

  • Availability and time off shows up in your schedule, so it won’t get lost in email and sticky notes.

  • You get more control of time-off requests with black out dates, request limits, and advance notice.

  • Build schedules in line with your sales forecasts and labor targets.

  • Post open shifts for employees to claim.

Schedule in real-time

  • Track and optimize labor costs in real time.

  • Shift happens. Adjust your schedule on the fly, anytime, from anywhere.

  • Get alerted when employees are late for shifts or approaching overtime.

  • Message available employees if you need coverage in an emergency.