Shiftbase

Shiftbase is workforce software for businesses that schedule employees in shifts, combining scheduling, time tracking, and workforce administration. Schedulers can build schedules with shift templates, copy weeks, assign shifts by skill, and check for conflicts with time off or other shifts before publishing. Employees can claim open shifts or request swaps that managers approve. They can clock in and out from the mobile app, desktop, or shared tablet; recorded hours can be reviewed for approval and payroll export. The mobile app is available on iOS and Android and included in every plan. The free plan supports up to 15 employees, one department, and five teams. Paid plans start at €30/mo, with Premium adding labour cost targets, budget management, skill-based scheduling, and auto-scheduling marked as early access. The integrations marketplace lists 51 integrations, including AFAS, Lightspeed, Nmbrs, and Connexie; some require the App Center+ add-on. Shiftbase serves industries including restaurants, retail, hotels, healthcare, production, and transport.

Shiftbase brings shift scheduling and time tracking together, with tools for open shifts, swaps, and payroll export. The free plan has clear team limits, while labour planning features such as auto-scheduling are part of Premium.

Shiftbase suits shift-based businesses such as restaurants, hotels, retail, healthcare, production, and transport that need scheduling and time tracking. Its free plan may suit teams of up to 15 employees within one department and five teams.

Shiftbase is workforce software for organisations that run on changing shifts, bringing schedules, attendance records and workforce administration into one service. It suits managers who need employee-driven shift changes and payroll-ready hours, especially in hospitality, retail and other shift-heavy operations. The main appeal is the combination of scheduling controls and time capture; the main constraint is that department and employee allowances vary sharply by plan.

Overview

Shiftbase supports scheduling, time tracking and workforce administration for restaurants, retail, hotels, recreation, production, transport, healthcare, cleaning and security businesses. Managers can build recurring schedules, check conflicts before publication and keep attendance data moving toward payroll. Employees can participate in coverage changes rather than relying entirely on a scheduler.

Key features

Scheduling and coverage

Shift templates and week copying reduce repetitive schedule construction. Skill-based assignments help put suitably qualified employees on particular shifts, while conflict warnings identify clashes with time off or another shift before publishing. Employees may claim open shifts and suggest swaps, but manager approval remains required, which balances flexibility with control.

Time tracking

Clock-in and clock-out work through the iOS or Android app, a desktop, or a shared tablet. Managers can approve recorded hours and export them for payroll, making Shiftbase useful when attendance administration is as important as publishing a rota. Availability collection and time-off management are also included capabilities.

Labour planning

Premium adds labour-cost targets, budget management and skill-based scheduling. Auto-scheduling is marked as early access, so it is an interesting option for experimentation rather than a firm reason to buy the plan if automated rostering is your priority.

Integrations, security and support

The marketplace lists 51 integrations, including AFAS, Lightspeed, Nmbrs and Connexie; some connections require the App Center+ add-on. Shiftbase states that it is ISO/IEC 27001 certified, keeps data on EU servers and supports encryption, multifactor authentication and permission groups. Stored data is encrypted, connections use HTTPS and customer data is deleted 30 days after cancellation. Weekday support runs by email, phone and chat from 09:00 to 17:00 CET, with chat typically replying within a few minutes.

Pricing

A 14-day trial is available, and the mobile app costs nothing extra on every plan. All prices below are billed monthly.

Free is a sensible fit for a single-department operation of no more than 15 employees, but the five-team ceiling can become restrictive. Basic is aimed at organisations that need more departments while staying near a small core workforce; its per-user charge matters as headcount rises. Premium is the practical step for multi-department businesses and adds labour-planning controls, while Enterprise provides the largest included allowance and requires a sales conversation.

Platforms

Shiftbase runs on web, iOS and Android, with an API for connected systems. The mobile application is included in every plan, and shared-tablet clock-ins extend it to workplaces where employees do not each use a phone.

Who it's for

Choose Shiftbase if you manage recurring or changing shifts and want scheduling, employee availability, swaps, time-off requests and payroll-oriented time records together. It is particularly well matched to the industries Shiftbase serves, from restaurants and hotels to healthcare, transport and security. A very small team with one department may find Free sufficient; organisations with several departments should budget for a paid tier.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Strong schedule controls: templates, copied weeks, skill matching and pre-publication conflict checks address the practical risks of busy rotas.
• Employee participation with oversight: open-shift claims and swap proposals reduce manager workload without removing approval.
• Payroll-ready attendance: clock-ins from mobile, desktop or shared tablet feed approval and export workflows.
• Broad connection and security options: 51 marketplace integrations, EU hosting, MFA and permission groups support connected operations.

Cons

• Free is tightly scoped: one department and five teams limit expansion even before the 15-employee ceiling is reached.
• Advanced planning costs more: labour budgets, cost targets and skill-based planning start at Premium, while auto-scheduling remains early access.
• Integration costs can vary: some marketplace connections need the separate App Center+ add-on.

Alternatives

For a broader attendance-focused shortlist, see Time and Attendance Software. If rota construction is your primary concern, compare the Employee Scheduling Software list; for absence workflows, use Leave Management Software.

• Connecteam is a freemium Android, iOS, web and API option with a free limited plan and a Basic plan at $35.00 per month; consider it when its plan structure better matches your budget.
• Jibble offers a free plan with unlimited users, two geofences and one work schedule across a wider range of platforms, making it worth considering for attendance requirements built around those limits.
• Puntual is a freemium Android-and-web alternative.
• TimeClock 365 is a freemium attendance platform spanning Android, iOS, web, API and browser extensions.
• Aladtec is a paid Android, iOS and web product with custom pricing.
• Homebase is a freemium Android, iOS and web option for readers considering another workforce-management service.
• Infor Workforce Management is a paid, multi-platform product sold through a sales process.
• Arignote Timeclock is a freemium Android, iOS and web alternative.

Verdict

Shiftbase is a strong choice for shift-based businesses that want one workflow from schedule creation through clock-in approval and payroll export, with employees able to claim or swap coverage. Start with Free for a small single-department team, move to Basic or Premium as departments and labour-planning needs grow, and look elsewhere if you need a larger free allowance or fully mature automated scheduling.