Short answer: Sling is the best free employee scheduling software for up to 30 people, and its free plan includes shift trade requests. Connecteam is the runner-up: its Small Business plan is free for fewer than 10 people, with one schedule and one time clock, and its Limited plan is free for teams above 10 and up to 30 users. For 22 staff on one site, the cheapest paid plan with scheduling and time tracking is Homebase Essentials at $24 a month billed annually. ZoomShift, 7shifts and Homebase stop their free plans at 20, 15 and 10 people.
Eight tools compared on free employee caps, shift swaps, time clocks and the first paid price for 22 staff, checked in October 2026.
Sling is the best free employee scheduling software for a team of up to 30 people. Only two free plans on this list cover 24 people, a 22-person shop plus two managers: Sling, which includes shift trade requests, and Connecteam's Limited plan, which does not let staff claim open shifts. For a small team, the headcount cap usually decides the choice before the feature list does. Toolradar data: of the 415 HR and recruiting tools we track, 29% offer a free or freemium plan and 68% are paid only, so a free start is common, but the free plans differ mainly in how many people they cover.
Methodology: this guide reads eight tools on the limits their own pricing pages print. Those limits are the employee cap on the free plan, the shift and clock features listed on it, and the cheapest paid plan that covers 22 staff at one location. Every price was read on the vendor's pricing page in October 2026, not on a review site. Tools are ranked by the widest free employee cap, then by what the free plan includes. A free trial is not a free plan, so Deputy and Hubstaff appear as trial-only options. For a wider view, see Best Employee Scheduling Software, the HR and recruiting category or alternatives to Sling.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
The widest free plan here for a team of up to 30, with shift trade requests and time-off requests included.
Starting price
Free to 30; Premium $1.70/user/mo annual
4.4 (88 reviews)
Best for
A single-site team of 15 to 30 that needs shift swaps and time-off requests before it pays for anything.
Small Business is free for fewer than 10 people, with one schedule, one time clock and capped automated reports.
Starting price
Free under 10; Basic $29/mo annual
4.6 (3,613 reviews)
Best for
A team of fewer than 10 that wants open-shift claiming and a time clock on a free plan.
A free schedule for up to 20 active members at one location, with reminders and shift confirmation.
Starting price
Free to 20; Starter $2/user/mo annual
4.6 (161 reviews)
Best for
A single-location cafe or store of up to 20 people that does not need shift swaps yet.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sling | Free to 30; Premium $1.70/user/mo annual | 4.4 88 reviews | A single-site team of 15 to 30 that needs shift swaps and time-off requests before it pays for anything. |
| Connecteam | Free under 10; Basic $29/mo annual | 4.6 3,613 reviews | A team of fewer than 10 that wants open-shift claiming and a time clock on a free plan. |
| ZoomShift | Free to 20; Starter $2/user/mo annual | 4.6 161 reviews | A single-location cafe or store of up to 20 people that does not need shift swaps yet. |
| 7shifts | Comp free to 15; from $39.99/mo annual | 4.0 1,612 reviews | A single restaurant or café of up to 15 people that wants a free rota and time-off requests. |
| Homebase | Free to 10; $24/mo per location annual | 4.0 907 reviews | A single-site team of up to 10 that wants a free schedule and clock-ins, then a flat per-location step. |
| Findmyshift | Free to 5; $38/mo per team yearly | 4.6 1,234 reviews | A crew of up to 5 that needs a free drag-and-drop schedule and a free time clock from day one. |
| Deputy | Trial only; Lite $5/user/mo annual | 4.5 1,506 reviews | A team that will pay from day one and needs shift swaps and basic time clocking. |
| Hubstaff | Trial only; Team $10/seat/mo annual | 4.4 3,920 reviews | An on-site team that already tracks time and wants scheduling in the same tool, and can pay per seat. |
- Starting price
- Free to 30; Premium $1.70/user/mo annual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.4 (88 reviews)
Best for: A single-site team of 15 to 30 that needs shift swaps and time-off requests before it pays for anything.
- Pro: Covers up to 30 users, tied with Connecteam's Limited plan for the widest free headcount on this list.
- Pro: Shift trade requests, time-off requests and private messaging are all on the free plan.
- Pro: Premium is $1.70 per user a month billed annually, and the paid plans come with a 15-day trial.
- Con: The free plan has no time clock, so clock-ins need Premium.
- Con: Pricing is per user, so each hire adds to the Premium bill, which matters as the team nears 30.
Sling's pricing is quite fair and generous, especially with a robust Free tier and competitive per-user pricing for Premium ($2.00) and Business ($4.00).
Watch out
No explicit overage fees mentioned
Connecteam
Small Business is free for fewer than 10 people, with one schedule, one time clock and capped automated reports.
- 4.6 on G2 (3,505 reviews)
- 4.7 on Trustpilot (108 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free under 10; Basic $29/mo annual
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.6 (3,613 reviews)
Best for: A team of fewer than 10 that wants open-shift claiming and a time clock on a free plan.
- Pro: The Small Business plan includes the core features of every hub for fewer than 10 people, and the vendor says it is free for life.
- Pro: Staff can claim open shifts on the Small Business plan, and shift replacements are included.
- Pro: The FAQ names a free Limited plan for teams above 10 and up to 30 employees.
- Con: Both free plans allow one schedule and one time clock, which rules out a rota across several sites.
- Con: The Limited plan has no open-shift claiming, so a team of 11 to 30 gets the thinnest feature set and should check whether staff need to claim shifts.
Connecteam offers an incredibly generous free tier, providing all features and hubs for up to 10 users.
Watch out
Scaling beyond 10 users requires paid plans
- Starting price
- Free to 20; Starter $2/user/mo annual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.6 (161 reviews)
Best for: A single-location cafe or store of up to 20 people that does not need shift swaps yet.
- Pro: Essentials is free and includes an employee schedule, automatic reminders, shift confirmation and unlimited positions.
- Pro: Starter adds shift cover requests, swaps, timesheets and a time clock at $2 per active member billed annually.
- Pro: The cap is a simple count of active members, so cost is predictable for a team that changes size slowly.
- Con: Essentials covers one location and schedules employees up to two weeks ahead.
- Con: Swaps and the time clock sit on Starter, so the free plan cannot run clock-ins or swap requests.
ZoomShift offers a fair pricing structure, especially with its generous free Essentials tier for up to 20 users.
Watch out
No stated overage fees
7shifts
A free Comp plan for one location and up to 15 employees, with basic scheduling and time-off requests.
- 4.7 on Capterra (1,212 reviews)
- 2.8 on Trustpilot (271 reviews)
- 4.5 on G2 (129 reviews)
- Starting price
- Comp free to 15; from $39.99/mo annual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.0 (1,612 reviews)
Best for: A single restaurant or café of up to 15 people that wants a free rota and time-off requests.
- Pro: Comp is free for a single location and up to 15 employees, and the FAQ says a finished trial can continue on it.
- Pro: Availability and time-off requests are on the free Comp card, with basic scheduling and one-way announcements.
- Pro: Essentials covers up to 30 employees and includes basic time clocking.
- Con: Comp has no time clock, and basic time clocking starts at Essentials.
- Con: A 22-person shop is past the 15-employee cap, so it pays for Essentials, billed per location, from day one.
This structure is best for restaurants of all sizes, from small cafes to large chains.
Watch out
Add-on modules for specific features
Homebase
A free Basic plan for one location and up to 10 employees, with basic scheduling and time tracking.
- 4.6 on G2 (594 reviews)
- 3.3 on Trustpilot (313 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free to 10; $24/mo per location annual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.0 (907 reviews)
Best for: A single-site team of up to 10 that wants a free schedule and clock-ins, then a flat per-location step.
- Pro: Basic is free and includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and point-of-sale integration.
- Pro: Essentials has unlimited employees at one flat price per location, so 15 staff and 22 staff pay the same.
- Pro: The Basic card states its limits plainly: one location and up to 10 employees.
- Con: The free plan stops at 10 employees and one location, so an 11th hire or a second site needs a paid plan.
- Con: The Basic card lists no shift swaps or time-off requests, which limits it for a team that trades shifts.
Homebase offers a fair pricing structure, starting with a generous free Basic tier.
Watch out
Payroll is an add-on, not included
Findmyshift
A free plan with drag-and-drop scheduling and a free web time clock, for a team of up to 5 people.
- Starting price
- Free to 5; $38/mo per team yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.6 (1,234 reviews)
Best for: A crew of up to 5 that needs a free drag-and-drop schedule and a free time clock from day one.
- Pro: The free plan costs nothing per team, and the page says its web time clock is free and unrestricted.
- Pro: Pricing is per team, so cost does not rise with each person added inside the cap.
- Pro: Starter covers up to 20 team members, a step up from the free plan's 5.
- Con: The free plan covers 5 team members and 1 manager, with 1 week of forward planning.
- Con: A 22-person team passes Starter's 20-member cap and moves to Business at $38 a month per team billed yearly.
Findmyshift offers a very generous Free tier for small teams, making it accessible for startups or very small businesses.
Watch out
Document storage limits could be tight
Deputy
A paid-only scheduler with shift swaps and basic time clocking on Lite, after a free trial.
- 4.6 on Capterra (773 reviews)
- 4.6 on G2 (666 reviews)
- 4.3 on SourceForge (67 reviews)
- Starting price
- Trial only; Lite $5/user/mo annual
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.5 (1,506 reviews)
Best for: A team that will pay from day one and needs shift swaps and basic time clocking.
- Pro: Lite at $5 per user a month includes basic scheduling, shift swap and find replacement, and basic time clocking.
- Pro: Auto-scheduling starts on Core at $6.50 per user a month billed annually ($7.25 billed monthly), which is the upgrade path for busier rotas.
- Pro: Lite and Core start with a free trial of up to 31 days, so those two plans can be tested first.
- Con: There is no free plan, so every seat is billed once the trial ends.
- Con: The monthly Lite, Core and Pro plans carry a $30 minimum monthly spend per invoice.
Deputy's pricing is fair, offering a clear progression of features.
Watch out
Add-ons for HR, Messaging+, Analytics+ increase costs.
- Starting price
- Trial only; Team $10/seat/mo annual
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.4 (3,920 reviews)
Best for: An on-site team that already tracks time and wants scheduling in the same tool, and can pay per seat.
- Pro: Scheduling sits on the Team plan at $10 per seat a month billed annually.
- Pro: The Team plan also adds expenses and daily limits, while payments start on the Grow plan.
- Pro: The page says the 14-day free trial needs no credit card.
- Con: There is no free plan. The 14-day trial is the only free way to test the Team plan, and Hubstaff's free Project Viewer role applies to seats on a paid plan.
- Con: Hubstaff bills per seat, and its FAQ says a seat is charged even when only some members use tracking.
Hubstaff's pricing is fair, offering a generous Free tier for single users.
Other HR & Recruiting tools worth considering
More published tools from our HR & Recruiting category, ordered by our category ranking. They are not part of the editorial picks above.
What a free employee scheduling plan covers
A free employee scheduling plan lets a manager build a weekly rota, publish it to staff phones and handle everyday changes such as shift swaps and time-off requests. Vendors set its limits in three places: a headcount cap, a location cap and a feature list. The headcount cap breaks first. A shop with 22 staff falls outside every free plan here except two, and the rest of this guide explains the conditions attached to those two.
Read the free card for the feature you need. A card can say "scheduling" and still leave out the clock, the swap flow or the payroll export.
Why the cap matters more than the price
A plan that stops at 10 people is free for a café with 8 staff and a cost for a café with 12. Homebase Basic covers one location and up to 10 employees. Its Essentials step is a flat price per location with unlimited employees. At 12 staff, though, the arithmetic changes. Sling Premium comes to $20.40 a month billed annually, which is below the Homebase step. Our arithmetic on the printed rates puts the order on this list in a different place at 12 people than at 22.
Plan for the headcount you expect in the next year, not only the one you have today.
Key Features to Look For
Headcount cap on the free plan (Essential)
Sling covers up to 30 users, ZoomShift up to 20 active members, 7shifts up to 15 employees, Homebase up to 10 employees and Findmyshift up to 5 team members. Connecteam's Small Business plan is free for fewer than 10 employees, and its Limited plan covers teams above 10 and up to 30 users.
Shift swaps on the free plan (Essential)
Sling's free plan includes shift trade requests. Connecteam's Small Business plan lets staff claim open shifts, but its Limited plan does not. ZoomShift lists swaps on Starter, and the Homebase Basic card lists none.
Time clock on the free plan (Essential)
Findmyshift offers a free web time clock, and Connecteam's free plans include one time clock. Homebase Basic includes basic time tracking. Sling, ZoomShift and 7shifts keep their clocks on paid tiers, so their free plans schedule shifts without recording hours.
Locations and schedule range (Important)
Homebase Basic, ZoomShift Essentials and 7shifts Comp each cover one location. ZoomShift's free plan schedules employees up to two weeks ahead, and Findmyshift's looks only one week forward.
Trial versus free plan (Important)
Deputy and Hubstaff offer trials only, lasting up to 31 days and 14 days. 7shifts and Connecteam are the exceptions: their FAQs say a finished trial can continue on a free plan.
Before you pick a free plan
-
Count every person on the schedule, managers included. ZoomShift counts managers as active members, so a 20-member cap holds fewer staff than it sounds.
-
Check the feature on the free card, not the headline. Sling's free plan includes shift trade requests, but its time clock sits on Premium.
-
Plan the next step before you need it. Homebase's free plan stops at 10 employees, so an 11th hire moves the team onto a paid plan.
-
Count locations. Homebase and 7shifts bill each location on its own, so a second site doubles the paid step.
-
Treat a trial as a trial. Deputy and Hubstaff have no free tier once their trials end.
Pricing Overview
Free plans
Sling, Connecteam Small Business, ZoomShift Essentials, 7shifts Comp, Homebase Basic and Findmyshift Free, with caps from 5 to 30 people.
Free
Flat rate per location or team
Homebase Essentials, Connecteam Operations Basic (first 30 users included) and Findmyshift, which prices per team.
From $24/mo billed annually
Per user
Sling Premium and ZoomShift Starter, for a shop that adds staff one at a time.
From $1.70/mo per user, billed annually
Trial only
Deputy Lite and Hubstaff Team, both paid from the first day after a trial ends.
$5 to $10/mo per user
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Free plan | Free employee cap | Shift swaps on free plan | Time clock on free plan | Cheapest paid step for 22 staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sling | Free | Up to 30 users | Yes, shift trade requests | No, clock starts at Premium | Premium: $37.40/mo billed annually ($44 billed monthly) |
Connecteam | Small Business under 10; Limited above 10 up to 30 | Under 10 users; Limited 11 to 30 users | Yes on Small Business, no on Limited | Yes, one time clock | Operations Basic: $29/mo billed yearly ($35 billed monthly), flat for the first 30 users |
Essentials, one location | Up to 20 users, managers included | No, swaps start on Starter | No, clock starts on Starter | Starter: $44/mo billed annually ($55 billed monthly), at $2 per active member | |
Comp, single location | Up to 15 employees | Not listed on the Comp card | No, basic clocking starts at Essentials | Essentials: $39.99/mo per location billed annually ($44.99 billed monthly) | |
Homebase | Basic, one location | Up to 10 employees | Not listed on the Basic card | Yes, basic time tracking | Essentials: $24/mo per location billed annually ($30 billed monthly), unlimited employees |
Findmyshift | Free, per team | Up to 5 team members | Not listed on the Free card | Yes, free web time clock | Business: $38/mo per team billed yearly ($43 billed monthly), up to 100 members |
Deputy | None; up to 31-day trial | None | None on the trial | None on the trial | Lite: $5/user/mo billed annually ($5.50 billed monthly), $110/mo for 22 on annual billing |
Hubstaff | None; 14-day trial | None | None on the trial | None on the trial | Team: $10/seat/mo billed annually, $220/mo for 22, scheduling included |
Prices and limits checked on each vendor's pricing page in October 2026: Sling pricing, Connecteam pricing, ZoomShift pricing, 7shifts pricing, Homebase pricing, Findmyshift pricing, Deputy pricing and Hubstaff pricing. The 22-staff totals are our arithmetic on the printed rates.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Counting the people on the rota and forgetting the managers. ZoomShift counts managers as active members, so its 20-member cap fits fewer staff than the headline suggests.
- ×
Reading a free trial as a free plan. Deputy's and Hubstaff's trials both end on a paid plan, while 7shifts and Connecteam let a finished trial continue on a free plan.
- ×
Planning a second site on Homebase's free plan. Basic covers one location, and each Essentials location is billed on its own.
Expert Tips
- →
Count the people on the schedule for the next twelve months, not today's headcount, before you pick a free plan.
- →
Price a two-location version of the plan. Homebase and 7shifts bill per location, so the second site doubles the paid step.
- →
Test the swap flow on the free plan first. Sling's free card lists shift trade requests, so staff can try it before anyone pays.
The Bottom Line
Pick Sling if your team is up to 30 people and needs shift trade requests and time-off requests before it pays anything. Pick Connecteam if you have fewer than 10 people and want the Small Business plan, or 11 to 30 and can live with one schedule. For 22 staff on one site with time tracking, Homebase Essentials is the lowest published step among these eight. Deputy and Hubstaff have no free plan and belong on the list only once you are ready to pay. Prices and limits were read on vendor pages in October 2026, so check each vendor's site before you sign.
Cite this: Toolradar, "Best Free Employee Scheduling Software in 2026", October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free employee scheduling software in 2026?
Sling is the best free employee scheduling software for a team of up to 30 people. Its free plan covers up to 30 users and includes shift trade requests and time-off requests, but its time clock starts on Premium.
Connecteam is the runner-up. Its Small Business plan is free for fewer than 10 people, and its Limited plan is free for teams above 10 and up to 30 employees.
How many employees does a free scheduling plan cover?
The free caps on this list are up to 30 users on Sling, up to 20 active members on ZoomShift, up to 15 employees on 7shifts, up to 10 employees on Homebase and up to 5 team members on Findmyshift. Connecteam's Small Business plan covers fewer than 10 employees, and its Limited plan covers teams above 10 and up to 30 users.
Deputy and Hubstaff have no free plan. Their trials last up to 31 days and 14 days.
Which free plan includes a time clock?
Findmyshift's free plan includes a free web time clock, and Connecteam's free plans include one time clock. Homebase Basic includes basic time tracking for one location and up to 10 employees.
Sling, ZoomShift and 7shifts keep their clocks on paid plans, so their free plans can schedule shifts without recording hours.
Can staff swap shifts on a free plan?
Yes on Sling, whose free plan includes shift trade requests. Connecteam's Small Business plan lets staff claim open shifts for free, but its Limited plan does not.
ZoomShift lists shift cover requests and swaps only on Starter, and the Homebase Basic card lists no swaps.
How much does Sling cost after the free plan?
Sling Premium costs $1.70 per user a month billed annually, or $2 billed monthly. For 22 staff, that is $37.40 a month on annual billing and $44 on monthly billing, by our arithmetic on the printed rate.
Sling Business costs $3.40 per user a month billed annually, or $4 billed monthly, and adds kiosk time tracking and reports.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Free Employee Scheduling Software in 2026", updated October 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-free-employee-scheduling-software
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