7shifts vs Zip Schedules (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick 7shifts: it is third in our ranking of shift scheduling apps, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
7shifts grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. Zip Schedules grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on 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
Zip Schedules
Employee scheduling with per-location pricing, aimed at restaurants
Which one is for you
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 Zip Schedules if
- Fits if you run a restaurant with 20 or fewer staff and want a low flat price
- Works for owners with several locations and one per-location bill
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a trial first, as none is mentioned
- Not for you if you need integrations, since none are listed
- Watch out: the site footer reads 2023 and its 404 page carries the Altametrics name
- Watch out: over 50 employees per location is custom
How we grade them
| 3.0GPA7shiftsVery good | 2.0GPAZip SchedulesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$19 a month per location for 1 to 20 employees, $39 for 21 to 50. A five-person team pays under $4 a head. |
| 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. | FNo free plan and no trial on the pricing page. |
| 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 covers the whole job. | CSchedule building, swaps, time-off requests, labor budgeting and labor law settings. But no time clock and no integrations are listed. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. Setting up locations and templates is the work. |
| 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 plus iPhone and Android apps and multi-location support. No desktop app and no integrations. |
| Best for | restaurant scheduling tied to sales | small restaurants paying per location |
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 Zip Schedules. 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. Zip Schedules starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
7shifts scores higher, and starts $20.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other shift scheduling apps on the chart, none scores higher than 7shifts for less, and 7 score higher than Zip Schedules 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 also covers team chat, payroll, time clock and applicant tracking.
- Zip Schedules also covers calendar and reports.
At a glance
| 7shifts | Zip Schedules | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials) | $19 per location / month for 1-20 employees |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan, no credit card needed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 7shifts | Zip Schedules |
| Price read from | 7shifts.com | zipschedules.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Zip Schedules
- Price depends on headcount per location: $19 up to 20 employees, $39 for 21 to 50, and custom above 50.
- The pricing page does not mention a free trial.
- The site's footer reads 2023, and its 404 page carries the name Altametrics, so check that the product is actively maintained.
- No integrations are listed on the pages we read.
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.
Zip Schedules
- Schedule building
- Managers check staff availability and build schedules from templates, with alerts for schedule changes and reminders.
- Employee requests
- Shift swaps, time-off requests and availability changes are handled in one request queue.
- Labor budgeting
- Forecasting tools and budget alerts help schedule the right number of staff, and overtime is flagged automatically.
- Labor law settings
- The vendor says it tracks timesheet data, certifications and schedule-change records and offers settings for minimum wage rules.
- Free mobile app
- Managers and employees use iPhone and Android apps to view schedules, send broadcast messages and approve requests.
- Multiple locations
- Every plan lists multi-location support, with the price counted per location.
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.
Zip Schedules
1-20 employees$19
per location / month for 1-20 employees
Scheduling, communication tools, templates, shift swap, time-off and availability requests, multi-location support, labor budgeting and the iPhone and Android apps.
21-50 employees$39
per location / month for 21-50 employees
The same feature list as the smaller tier, for locations with 21 to 50 employees.
EnterpriseCustom
For locations with more than 50 employees; the page offers a demo instead of a price.
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.
Zip Schedules
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, 7shifts or Zip Schedules?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 7shifts starts at $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials), and Zip Schedules starts at $19 per location / month for 1-20 employees. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, 7shifts or Zip Schedules?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only 7shifts has a free plan. Zip Schedules does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.