7shifts vs Schedulefly (2026): which should you pick?

Pick 7shifts if

• Fits if you run a restaurant, cafe or bar and plan labor against sales
• Works for a single restaurant with 15 staff or fewer, on the free Comp plan

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you don't run a restaurant, as most of it is built around one
• Pricey if you add tips, log book and tasks, at $49.99, $14.99 and $12.99 per location a month
• Tight if a location has more than 30 staff on Essentials or 60 on Pro, as each plan caps headcount per site
• Watch out: 7shifts Payroll is US-only at $39.99 per location plus $6 per employee paid; Premium drops the base fee, not the $6
• Watch out: the free Comp plan has no time clock, and every extra location pays its own plan price

Pick Schedulefly if

• Fits if you run a restaurant and want a rota, shift trades and a manager logbook
• Works for a single venue, as the price is set by staff count

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need a time clock, as the pages read do not list one
• Not for you if you work outside restaurants and hospitality, as the site does not address them
• Watch out: the price steps up by staff count, from $30 to $60, and larger teams get a quote
• Watch out: the vendor's pricing page could not be read, so the prices come from its home page

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.

Schedulefly

• The price follows staff count in steps of 20, from $30 up to $60 at 60 to 79 staff; larger teams get a quote.
• The pages read describe scheduling, messaging and labor cost, and do not list a time clock.
• It is built for restaurants and hospitality; the site does not address other industries.
• The site pricing page could not be read, so the prices come from the pricing section and FAQ on the home page.

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.

Schedulefly

Schedule builder

Schedules are created, copied and published quickly, and staff get schedules and changes by text and email.

Shift trades and time off

Employees can give up, pick up and trade shifts with manager approval, and managers see availability and time-off requests while building the schedule.

Labor cost preview

Entering forecast sales shows scheduled labor dollars and projected labor cost as a percentage of sales before publishing.

Team messaging

Announcements, reminders and schedule updates go out by text and email instead of group chats.

Manager logbook and crib sheet

Fly Notes is a shared manager logbook, and the Daily Crib Sheet summarizes who is working, manager notes, reminders and staff birthdays.

Multi-location dashboard

One login moves between every restaurant in a group, with communication across locations.

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.

Schedulefly

• Up to 19 staff$30

  per month for up to 19 staff

  All features included, month to month with no contract.

• 20-39 staff$40

  per month for up to 39 staff

  Same features. The price rises with the number of staff.

• 40-59 staff$50

  per month for up to 59 staff

  Same features. The price rises with the number of staff.

• 60-79 staff$60

  per month for up to 79 staff

  Same features. Restaurants with 80 or more staff are asked to call for a quote.

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.

Schedulefly

No public discounts listed.