Sling

Sling is an employee scheduling, communication, and workforce management platform for teams organizing shifts and labor costs. It supports reusable schedule templates, employee availability, time-off requests, shift offers, shift swaps, open shifts, and auto-scheduling. The Free plan supports up to 30 users and includes scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing, long-term scheduling, and private messaging. Premium costs $2.00 per user per month and adds mobile time tracking, labor cost management, overtime tracking, and group messaging. Business costs $4.00 per user per month and adds kiosk time tracking, reports, no-show and sick call-out features, and PTO management. Communication options include private and group messages, Newsfeed, Announcements, and notifications via email, push, browser, and in some cases SMS. Sling lists integrations with Toast, Square, Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager, and POSiTouch. Its Toast integration syncs employee data, compares POS sales with labor costs, and exports timesheets to Toast Payroll. Sling is available on Android, iOS, and the web, though some actions require a desktop browser.

Sling combines scheduling and staff communication with time and labor management features across its plans. Compare the plan inclusions and note that some actions need a desktop browser.

Sling suits teams that need to schedule shifts, coordinate staff, and manage labor costs. It is aimed at SMBs and is available on Android, iOS, and the web, with some actions requiring a desktop browser.

Overview

Sling is a staff scheduling and workforce-management service for small and midsize businesses coordinating recurring shifts and coverage. It suits teams that want scheduling and employee communication in one place, with labor controls available on paid plans. The free tier covers core scheduling for up to 30 users; teams needing time tracking or labor-cost oversight must pay.

Key features

Scheduling and coverage

Reusable templates, availability collection, time-off requests, available shifts, shift offers, swaps, and auto-scheduling cover both routine planning and last-minute coverage changes. That breadth makes Sling a practical option when employees need to participate in managing their shifts, not just view a roster. Free includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, and long-term scheduling, but labor management is reserved for paid tiers.

Communication and integrations

Private and group messages, a Newsfeed, Announcements, and notifications by email, push, browser, and sometimes SMS give managers several channels for updates. Sling lists integrations with Toast, Square, Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager, and POSiTouch. Toast users can sync employee data, compare POS sales with Sling labor costs, and export timesheets to Toast Payroll, which is particularly relevant to restaurants linking staffing with sales.

Time and labor management

Premium adds mobile time tracking, labor-cost management, and overtime tracking. Business adds kiosk tracking on a shared device and reports of hours worked and wages earned. These upgrades make the paid tiers more useful for managers who need to monitor labor, while the free plan remains focused on scheduling and communication.

Security and support

Sling says it stores customer data on Amazon cloud infrastructure and encrypts communication channels. Its security FAQ says most data at rest is not encrypted; passwords are hashed and social security numbers are encrypted if provided. That distinction matters to businesses assessing data handling. Sling also states it supports GDPR-compliant deletion and retention, processes customer data according to customer instructions, and offers a help center and contact support at [email protected].

Pricing

Sling uses a freemium model, with a 15-day free trial and paid plans starting at $2.00 per user per month. Free costs nothing and supports up to 30 users. It includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing, long-term scheduling, and private messaging. This is a strong starting point for smaller teams that need basic coordination, but it lacks time tracking and labor-cost features.

Premium costs $2.00 per user per month, billed monthly; the page also displays $1.70 with annual billing selected. It includes everything in Free plus mobile time tracking, labor-cost management, overtime tracking, group messaging, and calendar synchronization. It fits managers who need time and cost oversight without shared-device kiosk tracking or Business reporting.

Business costs $4.00 per user per month, billed monthly; the page displays $3.40 with annual billing selected. It includes everything in Premium plus kiosk time tracking, reports, no-shows, sick call-outs, and PTO management. It is the better fit when managers need shared-device clocking and additional attendance and labor reporting. The monthly and annual figures differ, so teams should choose the billing term that matches their needs.

Platforms

Sling runs on Android, iOS, and the web. The mobile app requires iOS 11 or later or Android 5 (API 21) or later, and some actions require a desktop browser. Teams expecting every management task to work on phones should account for that limitation.

Who it's for

Sling is aimed at SMBs and serves businesses across more than 30 industries. It is most compelling for shift-based teams that want scheduling, staff communication, and coverage changes together, with optional time and labor tools as needs grow. Restaurants may find the Toast integration useful. Businesses that need desktop-free administration or stronger encryption of data at rest may want to look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free supports up to 30 users and includes scheduling, availability-related coverage tools, time-off requests, and private messaging, making it workable for teams with basic needs.
• Pros: Paid tiers add time tracking, labor-cost and overtime oversight, and then kiosk tracking and reports, so teams can add labor controls without losing the scheduling foundation.
• Pros: Toast integration connects employee records, sales comparisons, and payroll timesheet exports for restaurant operators.
• Cons: Time tracking and labor-cost management require Premium, while kiosk tracking and reports require Business, so free users get no labor monitoring.
• Cons: Some actions require a desktop browser, limiting teams that expect to manage everything from mobile.
• Cons: Most data at rest is not encrypted according to Sling's FAQ, a consideration for organizations with strict security requirements.

Alternatives

7shifts is worth considering for restaurants that want a free plan capped at 15 employees and one location, or an Essentials tier supporting 30 employees and unlimited locations. Homebase offers separately priced Task Manager and Tip Manager add-ons for teams that need those tools. Rosnet Scheduling & Forecasting is a paid alternative with pricing available by demo request. SynergySuite Labor & Scheduling is a paid option with broader operations categories in its Complete plan, including inventory, purchasing, reporting, food safety, and cash management. Workforce.com is a paid alternative with separate Scheduling and All-in-One plans, the latter combining scheduling, HR, payroll, and advanced implementation support. Altametrics Workforce Scheduling has an Essential plan at $75 a month during a three-month 50% off offer. Deputy is another paid alternative, with a Lite plan at $5 per user per month. Lineup.ai is aimed at teams seeking forecasts, with a Forecasts Only plan at $79 per location per month and unlimited users and employees.

Browse Restaurant Labor Management Software, Restaurant Scheduling Software, Employee Scheduling Software, and Gym Staff Scheduling Software for more options.

Verdict

Choose Sling if your shift-based SMB needs scheduling and staff communication first, with a free tier that can handle up to 30 users and affordable paid upgrades for time and labor management. Look elsewhere if all administrative actions must work on mobile or your security requirements call for most stored data to be encrypted at rest.