Papershift vs Staffomatic (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Papershift and Staffomatic share a 2.2 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Staffomatic starts cheaper, at about $2.23 a month for each person against about $4.02 a month for each person.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Staffomatic
Shift planner and time tracking priced per person in euros
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 Staffomatic if
- Fits if you run a team of 10 or more and want shifts and absences together
- Works for a business in Europe that is fine with prices in euros
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are under 10 people, as every plan has a 10-person minimum
- Skip it if you want time tracking on the cheapest plan, as that needs Professional
- Watch out: Basic has one admin login and a 30-day activity log, against 60 and 90 days higher up
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and the Personio link is limited to Professional on yearly billing
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAPapershiftFair | 2.2GPAStaffomaticFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CEUR 2.00 a person a month on yearly billing, excluding VAT, but with a 10-person minimum, so one person pays EUR 20. For five people that is about EUR 4 a head. |
| 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. | CA 14-day trial of all features with no payment details. There is no free plan. |
| 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. | CShift planner, absences, time tracking, working-time accounts, an AI assistant and an API. Time tracking needs Professional and working-time accounts need Premium. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Accounts, rules and staff have to be set up first. | CNo store rating on record. Staff and rules have to be set up first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with five integrations listed. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with an API and two integrations listed. |
| Best for | German shift and absence planning | shift planning in euros |
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 Staffomatic. 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. Staffomatic starts at about $2.23 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Staffomatic starts $1.79 a month lower. Of the other shift scheduling apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Papershift for less, and 1 scores higher than Staffomatic 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.
At a glance
| Papershift | Staffomatic | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | €3.60 per employee / month, billed yearly (€4 monthly), plus €39 base | €2.00 per person / month, billed yearly (€2.40 monthly), minimum 10 people |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free test account after booking, all features | 14-day free trial of all features, no payment details needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Papershift | Staffomatic |
| Price read from | papershift.com | staffomatic.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Staffomatic
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT, with a minimum of 10 people on every plan.
- Time tracking needs Professional and working-time accounts need Premium; Basic is planning only.
- Basic includes only one admin login, and its activity log goes back 30 days against 60 and 90 on the higher plans.
- The Personio interface is limited to the Professional plan on yearly billing; teams of 100 or more get an enterprise quote.
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.
Staffomatic
- Shift planner
- Builds and publishes weekly rotas, with shift swaps and shift applications from employees; multiple locations cost nothing extra.
- Absence planning
- A vacation planner is in every plan, and the digital personnel file is included from Basic up.
- Time tracking
- Time tracking starts on the Professional plan, with roles and permissions, availability, qualifications and prioritized shifts.
- Working-time accounts
- Premium adds working-time and overtime accounts, surcharges and a DATEV export of the accounts.
- Staffo AI assistant
- An AI assistant called Staffo is listed on every plan in beta, with a daily usage limit, and its scope and price may change after the beta.
- Mobile app and API
- Staff use a mobile app on iOS and Android, and the Professional and Premium plans include API access.
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.
Staffomatic
Basic€2.00
per person / month, billed yearly (€2.40 monthly)
Shift and absence planning, mobile app, shift swaps, personnel file and 1 admin login. Minimum 10 people.
Professional€4.00
per person / month, billed yearly (€4.80 monthly)
Adds time tracking, roles and permissions, availability, qualifications and API access. Minimum 10 people.
Premium€6.00
per person / month, billed yearly (€7 monthly)
Adds working-time accounts, surcharges, overtime account, DATEV export and bulk import. Minimum 10 people.
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.
Staffomatic
- Annual discount
Up to 17% off with yearly payment
The pricing page shows lower per-person rates for yearly payment (12 months in advance) than for monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Papershift or Staffomatic?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Staffomatic is cheaper to start with: about $2.23 a month for each person, against about $4.02 a month for each person for Papershift. Papershift starts at €3.60 per employee / month, billed yearly (€4 monthly), plus €39 base, and Staffomatic starts at €2.00 per person / month, billed yearly (€2.40 monthly), minimum 10 people.
Which has a free plan, Papershift or Staffomatic?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Papershift nor Staffomatic has a free plan. Both have 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.