Papershift vs Shiftbase (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Shiftbase grades higher than Papershift: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Shiftbase grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Papershift
German shift planning, time tracking and absence software
Shiftbase
Dutch shift scheduling, time clock and absence app, free to 15 staff
Which one is for you
Pick Papershift if
- Fits if you run a small team in Germany and want shifts, absences and time tracking together
- Works for a business that can read the German pricing page and pay in euros
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are very small, as every booking adds a EUR 39 monthly base fee
- Skip it if you want shift planning on the cheapest plan, as Core is time tracking and absences only
- Watch out: prices are in euros and exclude VAT, and the page is in German
- Watch out: higher support levels than Basic are sold separately
Pick Shiftbase if
- Fits if you pay surcharges for nights, Sundays and public holidays and run payroll through Nmbrs, AFAS or DATEV
- Works for teams of up to 15 who want a free rota instead of a spreadsheet
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you pay in dollars, as prices are in euros or pounds only
- Tight if you stay free and need clock-ins, as the free plan only takes typed hours and has 1 department
- Pricey if you need several integrations, since App Center+ is €20 a month on top outside Enterprise
- Watch out: each staff member past the plan's count adds €3.60 to €5.40 a month, and labor targets need Premium
- Skip it if you might cancel early, as yearly plans are paid up front with no refund and monthly plans need a month's notice
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAPapershiftFair | 2.6GPAShiftbaseGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CEUR 3.60 a person a month on yearly billing, excluding VAT, plus a EUR 39 base fee. Shift planning starts at Premium, EUR 5.40. For five people that is well above the category middle. | CBasic is €27 a month billed yearly for 6 employees, plus €3.60 for each extra, so 15 staff pay €59.40. Prices are in euros or pounds only. That's in the dearer quarter of this category, and most payroll links need App Center+ on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day test account with all features after booking. The page does not say whether a card is needed. There is no free plan. | BFree for up to 15 employees, 1 department and 5 teams, with drag-and-drop scheduling and staff profiles. There's no clock-in, only hours typed in by hand, but a small team can run its rota on it. |
| Features | CShift planning, automatic assignment, time tracking, absences and payroll prep. The cheapest plan, Core, has no shift planning, so the listing shows a gap. | BDrag-and-drop schedules, swaps and open shifts, clock-in on phone, desktop or kiosk, leave with balances and surcharges, and payroll exports. Premium adds labor cost targets and skill-based scheduling. That's the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Accounts, rules and staff have to be set up first. | CWe have no App Store rating on record for it. Schedules need departments, teams and surcharge rules set up before they pay off. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with five integrations listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Nmbrs, AFAS, DATEV, Personio and Lightspeed, though most need the App Center+ add-on at €17.50 a month billed yearly. No desktop app. |
| Best for | German shift and absence planning | European shift teams with surcharges |
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: Papershift and Shiftbase. How we grade
Price against what you get
Papershift starts at about $4.02 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shiftbase starts at about $30.16 a month and scores 2.7.
Shiftbase scores higher, and starts $26.14 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other shift scheduling apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Papershift for less, and 5 score higher than Shiftbase 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
- Papershift also covers payroll.
- Shiftbase also covers reports.
At a glance
| Papershift | Shiftbase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | €3.60 per employee / month, billed yearly (€4 monthly), plus €39 base | €27 per month for up to 6 employees, billed yearly (Basic) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for up to 15 employees, 1 department and 5 teams: drag-and-drop scheduling, hours entered by hand and approved by managers, employee profiles and news messages. |
| Free trial | 14-day free test account after booking, all features | 14-day free trial of the paid plans, no card details needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Papershift | Shiftbase B.V. |
| Price read from | papershift.com | shiftbase.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Papershift
- Prices are in euros, exclude VAT, and the page is in German; the shown totals assume 16 employees.
- Shift planning starts at Premium; Core is time tracking and absences only.
- Every booking carries a €39 monthly base fee that includes Basic support; higher support levels are sold separately.
- For teams of up to 15 there is a separate Papershift Light, and larger companies get an individual Enterprise quote.
Shiftbase
- Prices are shown in euros or pounds only; there is no dollar price.
- Each paid plan includes a set number of employees; every extra one costs €3.60 to €5.40 a month billed yearly (€4 to €6 monthly).
- Most payroll, POS and HR integrations and API tokens need the App Center+ add-on at €20 a month (€17.50 yearly), except on Enterprise. Basic includes three free integrations.
- The Free plan has no clock-in, only hours typed in by hand. Yearly plans are paid up front and not refunded; monthly plans have one month's notice.
Key features
Papershift
- Shift planning
- Schedules are built visually and shared online, with multi-location planning, work-time models and break rules in the Premium and Professional packages.
- Automatic shift assignment
- Premium assigns shifts automatically by rules; Professional lists fully automatic filling of the schedule.
- Time tracking
- Staff clock in via smartphone, tablet or browser, with automatic break rules set per employee.
- Absence management
- Absence requests and employee-specific target hours are in every package; Professional adds blackout periods and employee-specific holidays.
- Payroll preparation
- Professional calculates hours and surcharges (night, Sunday, holiday) and exports to DATEV and LODAS for the tax advisor.
- HR records
- Employee profiles with master data, uploaded contracts and documents, tags and qualifications, and EU-hosted storage described as GDPR-compliant.
Shiftbase
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Shifts are dragged onto employees, staff share availability, swap shifts and claim open ones, and Premium adds skill-based scheduling, required shifts and a flexpool.
- Clock-in and kiosks
- From Basic, staff clock in on mobile, desktop or a shared tablet kiosk; Premium allows unlimited kiosks and limits clock-ins to a GPS radius.
- Absence and leave
- Leave requests, approvals, sickness and balances are handled in the app, with surcharges for Sundays, public holidays and, on Premium, night rates.
- Labor cost targets
- Premium sets labor cost or hours budgets per team and day, shows whether the schedule stays inside them, and has a KPI dashboard and AI revenue forecasts.
- Payroll export
- Contract versus worked hours, surcharges and leave payouts export as Excel or CSV, or go to payroll systems such as Nmbrs, AFAS and DATEV through the App Center.
- Employee records and news
- One profile per person with contact and emergency details, plus news messages to the whole team; the HR Pro add-on generates and e-signs contracts.
Plans
Papershift
Core€3.60
per employee / month, billed yearly (€4 monthly), plus €39 base
Digital time tracking, absence management, employee profiles and documents, no shift planning. The page shows €57.60 a month for 16 employees.
Premium€5.40
per employee / month, billed yearly (€6 monthly), plus €39 base
Adds digital shift planning, rule-based automatic shift assignment, work-time models and multi-location planning. €86.40 a month for 16 employees.
Professional€8.10
per employee / month, billed yearly (€9 monthly), plus €39 base
Adds full automation, absence blackout periods, surcharges, DATEV and LODAS export and reports. €129.60 a month for 16 employees.
Shiftbase
Free€0
Up to 15 employees, 1 department and 5 teams: scheduling, manual time entry, employee profiles and team news.
Basic€27
per month for up to 6 employees, billed yearly (€30 billed monthly)
Adds availability, swaps and open shifts, clock-in on phone, desktop or one kiosk, absence management and payroll export. Extra staff €3.60 each (€4 monthly).
Premium€64.80
per month for up to 12 employees, billed yearly (€72 billed monthly)
Adds labor cost targets and budgets, skill-based scheduling, geofenced clock-in and unlimited kiosks. Extra staff €4.50 each (€5 monthly).
Enterprise€302.40
per month for up to 48 employees, billed yearly (€336 billed monthly)
Adds App Center+, API access, custom integrations and a success manager. Sold through a demo. Extra staff €5.40 each (€6 monthly).
Ways to pay less
Papershift
- Annual discount
10% off with yearly payment
The pricing page says paying yearly saves 10% against monthly payment, on a one-year subscription.
Shiftbase
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Yearly billing takes 10% off every paid plan and extra employee, for example Basic at €27 instead of €30 a month.
- Nonprofit
Discount for charities and non-profits
Charities and non-profits get a discount that depends on team size and plan, through a proposal from the sales team.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Papershift or Shiftbase?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Papershift starts at €3.60 per employee / month, billed yearly (€4 monthly), plus €39 base, and Shiftbase starts at €27 per month for up to 6 employees, billed yearly (Basic). 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, Papershift or Shiftbase?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Shiftbase has a free plan. Papershift does not, though it has a free trial.
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.