7shifts
Restaurant scheduling, time clock, tips and payroll, per location
Our verdict
Third of our top three shift scheduling apps
For: Restaurants, cafes and bars
7shifts is built for restaurants: labor targets are set against POS sales forecasts, staff trade shifts and clock in on tablets, phones or the POS, and higher plans add labor-law tools, tip pooling and US payroll. Comp is free for one location with up to 15 employees, without a time clock, and Essentials is $39.99 a location a month billed annually for up to 30 employees. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 30,000 ratings. It is third because much of it goes unused outside restaurants, it costs more per location than Homebase, and Tip Management is an add-on at $49.99 a location a month.
See all three and how we rank7shifts report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for restaurant scheduling tied to sales
7shifts is built for restaurants and it shows: labor targets set against till sales, tip pooling, labor-law tools and payroll in one place. One location with up to 15 staff can use the Comp plan free. Outside restaurants, though, a lot of it won't matter to you.
Who 7shifts is for
- Great if you run a restaurant, cafe or bar and plan labor against sales
- Handy when you pool tips and want them split from till sales and punches
- Good for a single restaurant with 15 staff or fewer, on the free Comp plan
Who 7shifts is not for
- Not for you if you don't run a restaurant, as most of it is built around one
- Pricey if you add tips, logbook and tasks, at $49.99, $14.99 and $12.99 per location
- Tight if a location has more than 30 staff, as Essentials stops there
Why 7shifts gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyEssentials 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.
- BFree plan and trialComp 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.
- BFeaturesSchedules 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's the whole job and then some.
- AEase of use4.8 from 30,338 App Store ratings. Staff see shifts, hours and wages in the app and can trade or claim shifts there.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with restaurant tills like Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed and TouchBistro, and payroll like ADP, Gusto and Paychex. No desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from 7shifts' own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/7shifts#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/7shifts.svg" alt="7shifts: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where 7shifts stands among shift scheduling apps
7shifts's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 10 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 8 of 12) and worst on value for money (C, above 2).
Its paid plans start at $39.99 a month, against a middle price of $5.65 for the category: 12 of the 12 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 13 shift scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. 7shifts’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 12, level with 6
- BFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 12, level with 5
- BFeaturesAbove 4 of 12, level with 8
- AEase of useAbove 8 of 12, level with 4
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 12, level with 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 shift scheduling apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep 7shifts, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace 7shifts you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 10 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade. It costs $479.88 a year.
What you could make
- Time off and applicant tracking: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Toast, Square and Clover among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. 7shifts’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is 7shifts?
7shifts is a scheduling and team management platform built for restaurants. Managers build schedules against labor targets and POS sales forecasts, staff trade shifts and clock in on tablets, phones or the POS, and higher plans add labor-law compliance, tip pooling, payroll, hiring and training. Plans are priced per location with a cap on employees, and one location with up to 15 staff is free.
7shifts has a free plan. Paid plans start at $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials). See every plan
Good for
- Restaurants, cafes and bars scheduling front- and back-of-house staff
- Operators who want labor targets tied to POS sales
- Single-location restaurants with up to 15 staff, on the free Comp plan
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
7shifts pricing
- Starts at
- $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials)
- 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.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of the Pro plan, no credit card needed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Comp | $0 | One location and up to 15 employees: basic scheduling, availability and time-off requests, one-way announcements. |
| Essentials | $39.99per 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 | $79.99per 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 | $134.99per 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. |
Read from 7shifts.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with 7shifts before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on 7shifts.com - Other savingsFirst 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.
Stated on 7shifts.com
How people rate the 7shifts app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
30,338 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 18, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
7shifts alternatives
- 7shifts vs Homebase
Free plan · from $24/mo
- 7shifts vs When I Work
Free trial · from $2.50/mo
- 7shifts vs Deputy
Free trial · from $5/mo
- 7shifts vs Sling by Toast
Free plan · from $1.70/mo
- 7shifts vs Connecteam
Free plan · from $29/mo
Common questions
Is 7shifts free?
7shifts has a 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. Paid plans start at $39.99 per location / month, billed annually (Essentials).
How much does 7shifts cost?
7shifts lists 4 plans. Comp: $0. Essentials: $39.99 per location / month, billed annually ($44.99 billed monthly). Pro: $79.99 per location / month, billed annually ($89.99 billed monthly). Premium: $134.99 per location / month, billed annually ($149.99 billed monthly). Prices were read from 7shifts.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does 7shifts work on?
7shifts is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does 7shifts offer any discounts?
7shifts publicly lists the following: Save about 10% with annual billing; First 3 months of 7shifts Payroll free.
How is 7shifts rated?
7shifts's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 30,338 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does 7shifts have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. 7shifts is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does 7shifts have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. 7shifts is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is 7shifts open source?
7shifts is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does 7shifts integrate with?
7shifts's listing names Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, TouchBistro, ADP Workforce Now, Gusto and Paychex. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does 7shifts have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of the Pro plan, no credit card needed.
Who makes 7shifts?
7shifts is made by 7shifts.
What are the alternatives to 7shifts?
The closest alternatives to 7shifts in our directory are Homebase, When I Work, Deputy, Sling by Toast and Connecteam. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with 7shifts.
How does 7shifts compare with other shift scheduling apps?
7shifts's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 10 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 8 of 12) and worst on value for money (C, above 2).
Is 7shifts good value for money?
ToolGPA grades 7shifts C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $39.99 a month, against a middle price of $5.65 for the category: 12 of the 12 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of 7shifts?
To replace 7shifts you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 10 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade. It costs $479.88 a year. What you could not make: Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts. Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.