7shifts vs Connecteam
We give 7shifts a 3.0 GPA and Connecteam a 3.2, out of 4.0. Connecteam grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
7shifts
Restaurant scheduling, time clock, tips and payroll, per location
Connecteam
Employee app for shifts, time clock, chat and HR, free up to 10 users
How we grade them
| 3.0GPA7shiftsVery good | 3.2GPAConnecteamVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CEssentials is $39.99 per location a month billed yearly, for up to 30 employees, so 15 staff at one site pay $39.99. That's a little above the middle of this category. The free Comp plan also covers one site of up to 15, without the time clock. | BOperations Basic is a flat $29 a month for up to 30 users, billed yearly, so 15 staff pay $29. For a team that size that's in the cheapest quarter of this category. Each user past 30 adds $0.80. |
| Free plan and trial | BComp is free for one location and up to 15 employees, with scheduling, shift trades, open shifts, availability and time-off requests. No time clock, but a small restaurant can really run its rota on it. | BFree for up to 10 users with all three hubs and nearly every feature, though payroll links are left out. Teams of up to 30 can stay on a free Limited plan with the basics, and there's a 14-day trial of Expert with no card. |
| Features | BSchedules set against POS sales forecasts, trades and open shifts, clock-ins on tablets, phones or the POS, labor-law compliance, tip pooling, payroll, hiring and training. For a restaurant that's the whole job and then some. | BGPS, NFC and kiosk clock-ins, repeating shifts with open shifts, AI auto-scheduling and timesheets to payroll, plus forms, checklists, chat and training. The whole job, though time off and chat live in hubs you buy separately. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from 30,338 App Store ratings. Staff see shifts, hours and wages in the app and can trade or claim shifts there. | A4.86 from 60,756 App Store ratings, the best score on record in this category. Staff mostly live in the phone app, clocking in and checking shifts. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with restaurant tills like Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed and TouchBistro, and payroll like ADP, Gusto and Paychex. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero, Paychex, ADP, BambooHR and Zapier, and an API on Expert. No desktop app, so a B. |
| Best for | restaurant scheduling tied to sales | deskless teams that want shifts, chat and forms |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 7shifts and Connecteam. How we grade
Price against what you get
7shifts starts at $39.99 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Connecteam starts at $29 a month and scores 3.3.
They score the same, and Connecteam starts $10.99 a month lower. Of the other shift scheduling apps on the chart, none scores higher than 7shifts for less, and none scores higher than Connecteam for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- 7shifts starts at $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials). Connecteam starts at $29 per month for up to 30 users, billed annually (Operations Basic).
- 7shifts also covers payroll and applicant tracking.
- Connecteam also covers auto-scheduling and forms.
At a glance
| 7shifts | Connecteam | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials) | $29 per month for up to 30 users, billed annually (Operations Basic) |
| Free plan | Comp plan, free for one location with up to 15 employees: basic scheduling, shift trades and open shifts, availability and time-off requests, and one-way announcements. | Small Business plan, free for up to 10 users, with all three hubs and nearly every feature, though payroll integration is left out. Teams of up to 30 can stay on a free Limited plan with the basics of each hub. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan, no credit card needed | 14-day free trial of the Expert plan, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 7shifts | Connecteam |
| Price read from | 7shifts.com | connecteam.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
7shifts
- Restaurants, cafes and bars scheduling front- and back-of-house staff
- Operators who want labor targets tied to POS sales
- Single-location restaurants with up to 15 staff, on the free Comp plan
Connecteam
- Businesses with up to 10 staff that want a free all-in-one employee app
- Field service, cleaning and construction crews clocking in by GPS
- Deskless teams that need chat, forms and training beside the schedule
Worth knowing
7shifts
- Plans are priced per location and capped by headcount: Essentials covers up to 30 employees and Pro up to 60 at each location.
- 7shifts Payroll is US-only at $39.99 per location a month plus $6 per employee paid; Premium includes the base fee but not the per-employee charge.
- Add-ons cost extra per location a month: Tip Management $49.99, Manager Log Book $14.99 and Task Management $12.99. Onboarding packages are $2.99 each.
- Integrations center on restaurant POS systems such as Toast, Square, Clover and Lightspeed, and payroll services such as ADP, Gusto and Paychex.
Connecteam
- Each hub is bought separately: scheduling and time clock sit in the Operations Hub, while chat and HR tools need their own hub plans from $29 a month each.
- The flat price covers the first 30 users; every user after that is charged per month on each hub, for example $4.20 on Operations Expert billed yearly.
- The free Small Business plan has no payroll integration, and the free Limited plan for up to 30 users drops many features.
- Monthly plans are not refunded for prepaid time; annual plans get a prorated refund only if cancelled within the first 30 days.
Key features
7shifts
- Schedules built on sales forecasts
- Labor targets are set against projected sales pulled from the POS and the weather forecast, and higher plans add hourly forecasts, labor recommendations and auto-built schedules.
- Shift trades in the free app
- Staff see schedules, hours and wages in the mobile app, and can offer up, trade or claim open shifts and send availability and time-off requests.
- Time clock on POS and tablets
- Time clocks run on tablets, computers, phones and POS devices, staff are prompted to declare tips, and Pro blocks clock-ins away from the restaurant.
- Labor-law compliance
- Pro adds break tracking, overtime notices, compliance warnings and state-based labor law tools with custom attestations.
- Tips and payroll
- Tip Management calculates and splits tip pools from POS sales and time punches, and 7shifts Payroll runs US pay with tax filings and new-hire paperwork.
- Hiring and training
- Jobs post to online job boards with candidate tracking and interview scheduling, and courses can be built from existing documents with AI.
Connecteam
- GPS, NFC and kiosk clock-ins
- Staff clock in from their phones with a GPS stamp, by tapping an NFC tag, or at a shared tablet kiosk. Geofences and on-the-clock location tracking come on higher plans.
- Scheduling with open shifts
- Shifts repeat daily, weekly or monthly, open shifts can be claimed with approval, and reminders go out before work starts. AI auto-scheduling weighs availability, roles and labor rules.
- Timesheets to payroll
- Clock-ins build timesheets that export to payroll services including Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero, Paychex and ADP, with pay periods and pay rates per person.
- Forms, checklists and shift tasks
- Unlimited checklists, forms and tasks on every paid plan, plus tasks and attachments such as photos, mileage and signatures tied to a shift.
- Chat, updates and knowledge base
- The Communications Hub adds one-to-one and group chat, a company feed with surveys and polls, an employee directory and a knowledge base.
- Time off, training and documents
- The HR & Skills Hub covers time-off policies with balances, courses and quizzes, documents with e-signatures, hiring and onboarding.
Plans
7shifts
Comp$0
One location and up to 15 employees: basic scheduling, availability and time-off requests, one-way announcements.
Essentials$39.99
per location / month, billed annually ($44.99 billed monthly)
Up to 30 employees. Adds schedule templates and breaks, team messaging with SMS reminders, a basic time clock and custom permissions.
Pro$79.99
per location / month, billed annually ($89.99 billed monthly)
Up to 60 employees. Adds PTO accruals, labor compliance and cost tools, clock-in limits by location and the Manager Log Book. Marked best value.
Premium$134.99
per location / month, billed annually ($149.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited employees. Adds tip and task management, training, labor forecasts and 7shifts Payroll, which still costs $6 per employee paid.
Connecteam
Small Business$0
Free for life for up to 10 users, covering all three hubs. Payroll integration is not included.
Operations Basic$29
per month for up to 30 users, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
GPS time clock, basic scheduling with open shifts, unlimited forms and tasks, payroll integration. Each user past 30 is $0.80 a month ($1 monthly).
Operations Advanced$49
per month for up to 30 users, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
Adds repeating shifts, templates, auto clock-out, up to 10 geofence sites and up to 6 schedules. Each user past 30 is $2.50 a month ($3 monthly).
Operations Expert$99
per month for up to 30 users, billed annually ($119 billed monthly)
Adds auto-assigned shifts, unlimited geofences, up to 12 schedules, automatic reports and API access. Each user past 30 is $4.20 a month ($5 monthly).
Operations EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited time clocks and schedules, SSO, two-factor sign-in and a success manager. Aimed at companies with 201 to 10,000 employees.
Ways to pay less
7shifts
- Annual discount
Save about 10% with annual billing
Annual billing brings Essentials, Pro and Premium to $39.99, $79.99 and $134.99 per location a month, against $44.99, $89.99 and $149.99 billed monthly.
- Other savings
First 3 months of 7shifts Payroll free
First-time payroll buyers get three months of payroll fees waived after their first pay run, which must happen by January 30, 2027; some self-serve purchases are excluded.
Connecteam
- Annual discount
Save 18% with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Operations Basic, Advanced and Expert to $29, $49 and $99 a month against $35, $59 and $119 monthly; the FAQ calls it two months free.
