Manual rostering without the help of roster apps can be one of the biggest drains on a manager’s time. Especially for larger teams, coordinating the moving parts of an employee roster—staff availability, labor law compliance, and budgets—is a complex and tedious task.
It can also lead to errors. It’s almost impossible for one person to singlehandedly maintain an overview of an organization’s workforce and workstreams and how these come together on a roster.
If you’re still maintaining a manual roster, consider these facts:
- Manual rostering leads to low ROI
- Managers lose 3.14 hours a week creating a manual roster
- Employees don’t have real-time visibility into their roster, which leads to low productivity and a disengaged workforce
- Overstaffing and understaffing are common which leads to inflated payroll
- Without access to real data, managers can’t find a suitable and cost-efficient employee to cover roster changes
- The risk of not complying with labor laws is high
Luckily, there’s a simple solution for all of these issues—a rostering app.
Rostering varies between industries and companies, so it’s vital to pick the right rostering app for your business’s needs. To help you out, in this article we look at the top 14 online employee rostering software solutions currently available.
Our Top Picks
- Connecteam: Best all-in-one online roster app
- Homebase: Good for managing hourly workers
- mHelpDesk: Good for automating assignments
What to look for in a roster app
When it comes to choosing the right rostering app for your organization, there are several things to take into account:
- Timesaving features, such as shift duplication: this makes rostering even more efficient, saving you both time and money
- Ease of use for both managers and employees: to encourage use, the app should be intuitive to navigate
- Centralized communication: managers and employees should be able to communicate easily with each other through the app
- The ability to use the app from a range of devices: employees need to be able to access their roster from anywhere at any time
- Integration with existing software: choosing an employee rostering software that automatically integrates with your existing HCM applications ensures a smooth transition and quicker uptake
Identify which of these features are a priority for your organization to select the most appropriate rostering app.
The Top 14 Online Roster Apps in 2022
Best for: All-in-one online employee rostering software solution
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
We designed Connecteam’s user-friendly app to save you time and effort when it comes to roster planning and execution. Connecteam’s robust staff roster app helps you reduce labor costs, improve staff satisfaction, and avoid the risks of manually managing a roster.
Connecteam is a mobile-friendly and easy-to-use app with no training needed. The centralized dashboard brings together roster and shift information, including images and files, notes, maps, and shift tasks, and can be accessed on the go. Employees are automatically notified when a shift is published, edited, or canceled. And they always have direct and immediate access to the roster at any time, from anywhere.
Whether you’re a small business owner or an enterprise company, and regardless of the industry you’re in, we’ve made sure that Connecteam has you covered.
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Best for: Managing hourly work
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Designed with hourly workers in mind, Homebase’s scheduling tool allows small businesses to create rosters according to sales and labor targets.
With features such as auto-scheduling and templates, managers can optimize their available workforce. Homebase recognizes schedules need to remain flexible, allowing managers to adjust the roster and employees to update their availability any time and from anywhere.
The app also includes a timesheet feature for tracking working hours, breaks, and overtime. It automatically calculates total hours worked, streamlining the payroll process.
Managers can share rosters and communicate directly with employees via the app, including sending instant notifications.
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Best for: Small businesses in the field service industry
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
mHelpDesk offers an all-in-one, end-to-end SaaS solution for businesses in the field service industry. Several of these tools include scheduling features ideal for generating and managing employee rosters.
With a similar feel to Google Calendar and Outlook, mHelpDesk allows you to easily see your team’s availability, roster field technicians, automate assignment notifications, and view jobs and customer details. The app is designed to limit over or underbooking, maximizing your workforce’s efficiency.
mHelpDesk aims to automate the repetitive processes common to many field service industries. Doing so can save your business time and money, especially when it comes to rostering and workforce management.
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Best for: Restaurants
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
7shifts is specifically designed to address the unique rostering needs of restaurants. A cloud-based solution, 7shifts simplifies your labor management through a single platform where you can manage availability, rosters, timesheets, and communication with your employees.
The app automatically notifies employees of their upcoming shifts via text and email, as well as any changes to the roster, reducing the risk of any missed shifts. A “Shift Pool” also allows staff to swap shifts with management approval.
What’s more, 7shifts paid plans offer labor budgeting tools so you can track your labor costs across the different sections of your restaurant.
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Best for: Small businesses
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
When I Work is a roster app that helps managers track time off, manage shifts, and oversee employee availability. Designed to cut down time spent on scheduling, When I Work’s features also include a time clock and timesheets for managing attendance and breaks.
Employees can use the app to update their availability, request time off, and swap shifts. The app also alerts employees of any roster changes.
When I Work has a clean interface that’s quick and easy to learn. When it comes to paying your employees, it integrates with several payroll SaaS applications and allows for payroll data to be exported.
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Best for: Hospitality industry
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Fourth is a full-suite management software solution for the hospitality industry. It includes a range of workforce management features, including a scheduling tool formerly known as HotSchedules.
This tool allows employees to centrally view their roster, request time off, swap shifts, and communicate with other team members. In turn, the app gives managers total visibility over what their employees are doing.
One of the rostering app’s main features is a forecasting tool that assists managers to prepare accurate schedules and minimize overtime. Fourth also ensures rostering complies with both relevant labor laws and team availability.
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Best for: Larger, multi-location teams
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Sling is cloud-based rostering software suitable for businesses of all sizes. With each of Sling’s plans, there’s no limit to the number of employees, managers, or locations that can use the app, making it ideal for larger, multi-location teams.
Via a centralized dashboard, managers can create team schedules and manage employee availability and requests for time off or shift changes. Managers and employees can also communicate via the app for real-time updates to the roster.
Sling’s free basic plan gives users access to its scheduling and communication tools. For added features, such as time-tracking and labor reports, users need to subscribe to a paid plan.
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Best for: Microbusinesses and freelancers
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Google’s scheduling platform, Google Calendar, offers basic rostering functionality ideal for independent freelancers or very small teams. Google Calendar allows you to schedule meetings, appointments, and shifts with your team and provides reminders for upcoming events.
With daily, monthly, or yearly views and a clean design, it’s easy to get an overview of your team’s availability and whereabouts. You can also create multiple calendars in the one Google account to manage your personal commitments alongside work.
Google Calendar is completely free with a Google account. For increased calendar functionality, however, you’ll need to pay for a Google Workspace plans.
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Best for: Businesses looking for full-service HCM software
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Paycor Scheduling (formerly Ximble) makes it easy to manage labor costs and boost team productivity by creating effective employee rosters. The rostering application can be used to create and optimize rosters, communicate with staff, and work on the move.
Paycor’s modern, clean interface makes it easy to view rosters and employee availability. Employees can update their availability in real-time, minimizing the opportunity for missed shifts. These scheduling features streamline the roster-creation process while reducing the risk of errors.
One tool within Paycor’s suite of HCM software, Paycor Scheduling, is a good option for businesses in need of a full-service solution, including payroll, talent management, and employee experience.
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Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
A well-known rostering solution, Deputy helps managers use their workforce efficiently, keep track of employee attendance, and comply with relevant labor laws. Deputy’s centralized dashboard allows employees to check their roster, claim and swap shifts, update their availability, and receive instant messages about the roster.
A unique feature of Deputy is the ability to customize the dashboard to fit with your business’s branding.
Deputy offers 24/7 support to users. It also has flexible pricing plans to suit your business’s needs and budget. Users can sign up for the scheduling app, the time and attendance app, or both.
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Best for: Businesses with complex scheduling
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Shiftboard’s SchedulePro and ScheduleFlex rostering applications are specifically designed for organizations with complex scheduling needs, such as those in mission-critical industries or with high-volume staffing. SchedulePro caters to product-centric businesses, while ScheduleFlex provides for service organizations with fluctuating staffing needs, for example, call centers.
To do this, Shiftboard’s scheduling solutions are customizable and use AI to create efficient rosters. Team members are kept up to date in real time with email, message, and in-app notifications of roster changes. The apps also ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, even when dealing with a large and flexible workforce.
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Best for: Integrations with 3rd party apps
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
With scheduling and time tracking functionality, QuickBooks Time is a good solution for fully mobile workforces. Managers can generate rosters quickly and easily with features like drag and drop shifts and copying previous rosters. Via the app, managers can also track and approve employee time.
QuickBooks Time integrates with over 50 other apps including Asana, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Existing QuickBooks users will easily adapt to the app’s interface.
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Best for: Rostering on a budget
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
While it’s technically not employee rostering software, Google Sheets is good for small businesses or freelancers with basic rostering needs and a limited budget. A free spreadsheet solution, Google Sheets increases rostering efficiency via its easy-to-use cloud-based platform.
You can create a roster from scratch or access a range of free templates online, either in a single sheet for quick reference or across multiple employee-specific sheets. By sharing the roster in editing mode, employees can add comments or questions to it.
Accessing Google Sheets is free for you and your employees. You simply need to create a Google Account, and you’re good to go.
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Best for: Companies with a hybrid workforce
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
A flexible rostering tool for hourly employees, Humanity caters to a wide range of industries including healthcare, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing.
Humanity’s rostering app offers solid functionality. From the app’s centralized platform, you can review employee availability as well as create, edit, and check rosters. Real-time budgeting and analytics tools help you to avoid overscheduling (and overspending) on labor costs.
The interface is designed with an emphasis on usability for both employees and managers. So it should be quick and easy for your staff to familiarize themselves with the app’s functionality and use it to organize their shifts.
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What is employee rostering software?
A rostering app is a workforce management tool that allows you to electronically organize, manage, and communicate your employees’ roster using a single platform. You and your employees can use the app to schedule and swap shifts, track time, manage overtime, reconcile timesheets and payroll, and forecast labor costs.
As these apps automate the rostering process, they save you the time and money otherwise spent on manually managing employee shifts. Most are cloud-based SaaS solutions that can be used on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet.
How does a roster app work?
Roster apps usually combines a range of scheduling and communication features in a centralized dashboard. By logging into the platform, managers and employees can access each of these features.
At a minimum, a roster application should allow managers to:
- Quickly view employee availability
- Create and update rosters
- View and approve time off and shift swap requests
- Communicate with employees
In turn, employees should be able to use a rostering app to:
- View their roster
- Request time off and shift changes
- Receive notifications of any last-minute changes to their roster
- Communicate with team members
Integrations with other SaaS applications such as payroll and POS systems are common features of most rostering apps that further streamline an organization’s HCM efficiency.
Why should I use a rostering app?
Switching from manual to automatic rostering saves you time and money while improving your employees’ engagement and productivity.
Employee rostering software automates the scheduling process, reducing the time managers spend creating and managing rosters. It also allows for more accurate rostering when it comes to managing labor costs. Overall, this translates to a higher ROI for your organization.
An effective roster app also minimizes the risk of errors. When done manually, rosters may include availability conflicts or fail to take into account labor laws and pay regulations. A software solution automatically takes these factors into account, reducing the risk of issues arising.
Centralizing rostering in a single platform such as an app also increases visibility for employees. Empowering employees to view their roster in real-time and easily request shift changes or raise issues directly with their manager improves engagement and productivity.
How much does a rostering app cost?
Several rostering apps charge a monthly fee, starting at around $19.95 and ranging up to $99. Most offer a range of plans that give users access to an increasing number of features.
But be careful – some rostering solutions charge per user or location, either as a base pricing model or in addition to a standard monthly fee. This can add up quickly for larger businesses or those with multiple locations. And while there are free rostering apps available, they usually offer very basic functionality.
Given the included features, we feel Connecteam’s rostering app represents excellent value. All of Connecteam’s transparent pricing plans include up to 30 employees as part of their monthly fee, with low fees for additional users. Starting at just $29/month, Connecteam is one of the most competitively priced rostering software solutions available.
FAQs
What is the best rostering app?
As you might expect, we believe Connecteam is the best all-in-one employee rostering software solution. Its robust technology helps you create schedules and instantly share them with your team. With a user-friendly interface, we designed Connecteam to save you time, reduce labor costs, and improve productivity by streamlining your rostering process.
Is there a roster app?
There is a range of roster applications available to suit your organization’s size, business needs, and budget. Most offer a free trial period so you can test the product before committing to one. Connecteam’s intuitive and easy-to-use rostering app is a good place to start.
How do you create a roster?
The best way to create a roster is by using an online rostering app. Not only does an app show you how to create one, but it also automates your rostering process, saving you time and money.
The Bottom Line on Online Rostering Software Solutions
Finding the right online rostering software solution is key to increasing management efficiency and the overall engagement of your employees. In addition to saving you a significant amount of time when compared with manual rostering, automating the process irons out issues such as availability conflicts, missed shifts, and labor law violations.
With this in mind, Connecteam is one of the most comprehensive rostering apps available. With a user-friendly interface and transparent pricing plans, it’s an ideal solution for any business.
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