Find out which employee scheduling app suits you and your team best.
24. May 2022 • 3 minute read
According to Lightspeed, using a work schedule app can reduce the time you spend managing schedules by 80%. Workfeed dares to go a step further by claiming that this can be as much as 95%. How much time can ultimately be saved with a schedule app for employees depends, of course, on the app you use. Not every work schedule app is the same. For example, the apps differ based on their features, quality, and price range.
But how do you decide which work schedule app is best for you and your employees? We have listed 5 of the best options for you to help you decide which one best suits your needs. The list is structured with the pros and cons of each of the 5 employee scheduling apps. We've also included relevant customer reviews so you can choose the right scheduling system for you in one go. The order of the list is based on reviews from the most relevant sources (Trustpilot, Capterra, G2), AppStore and Google Play.
Workfeed has two different pricing plans, a Basic version starting at €1,75 per employee, and a Pro version starting at 2,75 per employee.
Benefits:
User-friendly with a good overview.
Fast and good support
Build by former frontline employees
Fairly cheap compared to the other solutions
Lots of automation that save time
Disadvantages:
Their leave management feature could be better.
The app can become slower with a large number of users.
Short describtion:
The top-rated employee scheduling app on the list is also the youngest. Workfeed, based in Denmark, launched back in January 2020 and has received a lot of positive attention since. They are known for being extremely user-friendly and easy to get started with.
Workfeed offers a 14-day free trial where you get access to all the features they have to offer. After 14 days it is up to you to decide with which plan you'd like to continue. We recommend using the Pro version as it really highlights why this work scheduling app gets so much praise. Their users mention they’re saving up to 95% time, and thousands of euros with the automated features of the Pro plan.
If you had to name one downside to Workfeed, it would be the fact that some of its features are slightly underdeveloped. In fact, unlike some of the other work scheduling apps on the list, Workfeed doesn't handle leave management to the fullest, and it's not necessarily the most suitable schedule app for companies with 1.000+ employees. However, Workfeed announced to update their leave management feature based on customer feedback, something they expect to release in the coming months.
This is what their users say:
Burak Morali // Owner @ Madam Cuba “I didn’t even know there was an easy alternative to this until I came across Workfeed. I started using it and it immediately made a huge difference: it is so easy to plan and Workfeed is just so extremely easy to use that within a few days, every employee had completely familiarised themselves with the app.''
Fie Hansen // Manager @ Bar 8660 “It’s the best. It’s super user-friendly, and it covers all the needs I have in everyday life when you run a restaurant. It makes my job so much easier and the customer service is excellent”.
Tanne Morville // Staff manager @ Gedulgt “We are absolutely thrilled to use Workfeed. Super user-friendly and intuitive roster system with a nice design and a service beyond the usual. It has never been easier and more manageable to manage our shift planning. I will definitely recommend it! “
Deputy offers three different plans. Scheduling, Time & Attendance, and Premium. Scheduling costs €2,30 per user per month, Time & Attendance costs €2,30 per user per month, and Premium costs €4,15 per user per month. The company doesn't offer an annual payment option for its Scheduling or Time & Attendance programs, but it's available for the Premium plan.
Benefits:
A complete app with a wide range of features.
Many personalization options.
A task management feature.
30-day free trial.
Disadvantages:
Their support is hard to reach.
Relatively expensive.
The user interface could be improved.
Short describtion:
Deputy is a well established name in the field of employee scheduling apps. The company was founded in 2008 and continues to improve its offerings to support a wide range of employer needs. The employee scheduling app offers a wide range of features making it one of the most complete systems out there.
Deputy offers a 10-day free trial where you get access to all their features. They offer the possibility to increase your trial in an entertaining way, namely by rewarding you with extra trial days when you complete certain actions in their app, such as releasing your first schedule.
The fact that Deputy is such a well established player in the market also had some downsides. First of all, their support is hard to reach according to various reviews across different platforms, making it hard to deal with issues. Furthermore, the platform can be buggy since a lot of their features have been built quite a while ago.
This is what their users say:
Alison Avron // Owner, The Newsagency
“My staff love the open shifts because they can claim shifts when they’re available. If they can’t work it, someone else can work it. It becomes - especially as an employer - a low-pressure situation.''
Anonymous // Health, Wellness and Fitness
“Easy to schedule. We take advantage of the multiple location options and the News Feed. Our employees like how easy it is to use. However, customer Service doesn't know how to fix issues, and unfortunately, this happens often.”
When I Work has two different pricing plans. Standard, and Advanced. Each of those two plans have 2 different prices, depending on whether you want scheduling, or also time tracking. The Standard plan costs €$2,50 per employee for scheduling, and $4,- including time tracking. The Advanced plan starts at $6,- for scheduling, and $8,- for the full package.
Benefits:
Many features.
Good overview.
User-friendly mobile app.
Disadvantages:
Long waiting time for support.
Often small errors.
Not much updates.
More expensive than the other solutions.
Short describtion:
One of the most well-known employee scheduling apps on the list, and for good reason. For many years, When I Work has been among the leading solutions in employee scheduling and anyone who works with hourly employees has probably heard of their system.
When I Work offers all new users a 14 day free trial, after which a choice for one of their plans has to be made. When I Work can be described as a very advanced work schedule app in the sense that it can do a lot of different things and therefore requires a lot of training and help to set up correctly.z
This is what their users say:
User in Retail I love being able to see who and when everyone is working efficiently. It makes it very easy to trade shifts, pick up open shifts, and contact coworkers. The app is very user-friendly as well.
Tabitha D. It is very user-friendly, easy to understand and functional. From all aspects of time management, profile set up and HR document processing, it's probably the easiest of the softwares I've been able to use as an employee and manager.
Gary J. ''I signed up for this app and manage over 50 employees and this app hasn't been good. It does not work well with smartphones and iPhones. It forever freezing up, the app also changes work times, and more problems to long to list. It takes support 24-48 hours to return a message or offer to help you.''
Quinyx is among the leading systems in workforce management and is primarily focused on companies with more than 500 employees.
Getting started with Quinyx is more comprehensive, as it first requires getting in touch with their sales staff. For the same reason, they do not disclose their price on the website.
Quinyx offers a wide range of advanced features such as AI Forecasting. Furthermore, Quinyx is very compatible with compliances, so if your company operates in many countries and you operate with complicated collective bargaining rules, Quinyx could be the option for you.
This is what their users say:
Christian A // HR AdministratorChristian A // HR Administrator
“Quinyxs is a pretty user-friendly platform. Although it has its challenges to become better, the main source of the platform, the heart of the system is there. You can easily manage a lot of parameters to achieve a better understanding of how people come and go at the workplace.''
Melissa B // HomecareMelissa B // Homecare
“Easy to add/remove employees and multiple possibilities to filter. It's easy for employees to use the app to keep track of their worked time and absence, also easy to apply for vacation/sick leave.”
Bart de Vreese // Dominos Pizza “Quinyx has helped with understaffing issues. The tool provides a clear visualisation of potential discrepancies that managers can easily identify and correct. This allows them to ensure that they adhere to labour laws and local regulations at all times and to always have adequate levels of staffing. In turn, they can reduce overtime, or offer vacation to their staff when the demand is low.”
The prices of Smartplan are calculated based on a maximum number of employees. If you have 15 employees or less, you pay €26,50 per month, If you have 30 employees or less, you pay €40 per month, and if you have 45 employees or less, you pay €53,20 per month. Over 45 employees the pricing is custom.
Benefits:
Smartplan provides a good overview.
It is easy to use.
The pricing is relatively low.
Disadvantages:
It requires a lot of clicks to work in.
Low ratings on various review channels.
It runs relatively slowly.
Short describtion:
Smartplan is a good choice if you are a small business that wants to move the schedule away from Excel. Smartplan runs best on the computer, where the app on the other hand experiences more minor glitches. All in all, Smartplan is a good choice, which also gives it a deserved 5th place on this list.
This is what their users say:
Nicolai Hofsø // BillyNicolai Hofsø
“We chose Smartplan because it was easy to go to and because it gave me an overview of my employees' shift schedule. I especially liked the fact that you can categorize the different types of shifts so that my employees know exactly what to do on the given day.''
Dan Palu
“Smartplan is fine, but the app is a joke. You are better off with a link to the mobile version of the Smartplan website, it does exactly the same, but without scrolling issues. What a waste of bytes.”
Jeppe Möller “I wanted to try Smartplan for a free period, it wasn't for me and stopped again.“
The overall best scheduling app for employees:
Looking back at the five scheduling apps mentioned, it is hard to say which of them is the best fit for your business, as this is depending on various factors.
However, the employee scheduling app that comes out as the best value for money is Workfeed. Their users rate them highly and seem to be really happy. Therefore, we think that Workfeed is one of the best employee scheduling apps out there.
Workfeed puts all your shift scheduling and timesheets into one tidy little app that help you engage staff, automate admin and take control of your time.
