Homebase vs ShiftForce (ShiftNote) (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Homebase if

• Fits if you run one shop or restaurant with 10 staff or fewer
• Works for owners who want labor costs next to the sales from their till

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you add payroll, which is $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid on every plan
• Tight if you have several sites, as each address needs its own plan
• Skip it if you need PTO accruals on the $24 plan, since they start on Plus at $56
• Watch out: Tip Manager is $25 and Task Manager $13 a month per location, background checks $30 each, Hiring Assistant from $99
• Watch out: the free plan keeps timesheets for 90 days, and onboarding paperwork and the API need All-in-One at $96

Pick ShiftForce (ShiftNote) if

• Fits if you run a restaurant or hotel and want a manager logbook beside the rota
• Works for a business with one or two sites, as the price is per location

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you have many sites, as every location is paid for
• Skip it if you want scheduling on the $50 plan, as that plan is the logbook only
• Watch out: POS integration is listed under the $150 Enterprise plan, and setup fees may apply
• Watch out: it was renamed ShiftForce, and the pricing page still uses the ShiftNote plan names

Homebase

• Plans are priced per location: each separate address needs its own plan, and the free Basic plan covers only one location and up to 10 employees.
• Payroll is an add-on on every plan at $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid.
• Other add-ons cost extra: Tip Manager $25 and Task Manager $13 a month per location, background checks $30 each, Hiring Assistant from $99 a month.
• PTO accrual policies need Plus; onboarding paperwork, HR advisors and API access need All-in-One.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

• Pricing is per location, so a business with many sites pays for each one; multi-location discounts are by request.
• Scheduling starts at the $100 plan; the $50 plan is the logbook without a scheduler.
• POS integration is listed under the $150 Enterprise plan, and setup fees may apply.
• ShiftNote was renamed ShiftForce, and the pricing page still uses the ShiftNote plan names.

Homebase

Weekly schedule builder

Managers build the week around availability and time-off requests, and staff trade, cover or claim open shifts. Plus adds an AI scheduling assistant.

Time clock on any device

Staff clock in on tablets, computers, POS terminals such as Clover and GoDaddy, or the mobile app with location checks, and tablets can take a photo at each clock-in.

Timesheets to payroll

Timesheets follow your overtime and break rules and sync to Gusto, ADP RUN, QuickBooks Online or Square Payroll, or feed Homebase's own payroll add-on.

Team messaging

Messenger channels, announcements and shift notes, with confirmation when employees have seen the schedule or read a message.

Hiring and onboarding

Job openings go out to online job boards, and All-in-One sends onboarding packets with W-4, I-9 and direct deposit forms for e-signature.

Labor cost controls

All-in-One alerts managers before overtime, blocks early clock-ins, clocks staff out at shift end and reports labor against sales pulled from the POS.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

Employee scheduler

Managers build schedules from templates with drag and drop, and employees can view shifts, request time off and swap shifts within rules the business sets.

Manager logbook

A daily log where managers leave notes for the next shift and track stats such as sales and labor, kept as a searchable record.

Task management

Tasks can be assigned and tracked per company, location, role or person.

Labor cost tracking

The Scheduler plan tracks labor cost against schedules; the Enterprise plan adds labor management and a custom reporting dashboard.

POS data

ShiftForce lists integrations with Toast, Square, Squirrel and NCR Aloha (through the Olo Omnivore API) to bring sales data next to labor.

Daily recap emails

Recap emails keep owners and staff informed about each day at a location without logging in.

Homebase

• Basic$0

  One location and up to 10 employees: basic scheduling and time tracking, a POS integration, timesheets kept 90 days.

• Essentials$24

  per location / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)

  Unlimited employees. Adds shift trades and open shifts, availability, location-based mobile clock-in, payroll integrations and team messaging.

• Plus$56

  per location / month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly)

  Adds an AI scheduling assistant, PTO policies with accruals, departments and manager permissions. Shown at $0 for 6 months with the payroll offer.

• All-in-One$96

  per location / month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)

  Adds onboarding paperwork with e-signatures, HR advisors and a custom handbook, overtime alerts, sales-based scheduling and API access.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

• ShiftNote$50

  per location / month, billed monthly

  Daily logbook, task list, cash management, document storage, shift reports and a stats tracker. $540 a year if paid yearly.

• ShiftNote +Scheduler$100

  per location / month, billed monthly

  Adds employee scheduling, templates, labor cost tracking, shift swaps, time-off requests and a mobile app. $1,080 a year if paid yearly.

• Enterprise$150

  per location / month, billed monthly

  Adds POS integration (Toast, Aloha, Square, Squirrel), labor management and custom reporting. $1,620 a year if paid yearly.

Homebase

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Annual billing brings Essentials, Plus and All-in-One to $24, $56 and $96 per location a month against $30, $70 and $120 monthly, or $72 to $288 a year saved.

• Other savings

  6 months free on Plus and Payroll for new customers

  New customers who set up payroll by December 15, 2026 and run it by January 20, 2027 get Plus free for 6 months and payroll free for 6 months for up to 50 employees.

• Other savings

  Payroll at $29 a month for teams of 5 or fewer

  Teams of up to 5 who start payroll in the same window get 6 months free, then $29 a month plus $6 per employee paid instead of $49, while they stay at 5 or fewer.

ShiftForce (ShiftNote)

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing is cheaper than monthly

  The pricing page lists $540, $1,080 and $1,620 a year per location against $50, $100 and $150 a month.