The Fourth Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Fourth in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Fourth
The Insider’s Guide
Restaurant and hospitality workforce suite, with HotSchedules
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among shift scheduling apps, read from Fourth’s own pages.
Made by Fourth · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Fourth’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Fourth’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 17 of the 49 other shift scheduling apps we grade
Fourth sells workforce management, HR and payroll, and inventory software to restaurants and hospitality groups. Its scheduling product is HotSchedules, which forecasts demand, auto-assigns shifts under labor rules, handles shift swaps in a mobile app and connects to point-of-sale systems. Fourth also lists time and attendance, tip management and earned wage access.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Fourth, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's a managed suite with several products and regions, so expect some setup rather than a quick start.
- 1
Best for restaurant groups that want rotas tied to POS sales
Fourth's HotSchedules builds restaurant schedules from a demand forecast and syncs with POS systems.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Demand-based scheduling
Labor rules and an AI demand forecast generate house shifts, and auto-schedule assigns staff by availability, skill and labor law.
- 4
Shift swaps in the app
Employees request swaps, drops or pickups in the mobile app; managers approve with compliance warnings shown.
- 5
Labor compliance
Built-in checks for predictive-scheduling and labor-law rules, with overtime alerts while a schedule is built.
- 6
A 2.0 GPA, above 17 of 49
That is against the other shift scheduling apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Fourth 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.
Fourth at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Fourth
- Category
- Shift Scheduling
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for restaurant groups that want rotas tied to POS sales
Fourth's HotSchedules builds restaurant schedules from a demand forecast and syncs with POS systems. But no price is published anywhere, the offer of a free first year comes with no terms, and it is built for restaurants and hospitality only.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price on the page: every product page routes to a demo. With nothing on record, that sits in the middle by default. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free is confirmed. The scheduling page advertises 1 year of HotSchedules free, but shows no terms, so we can't count it. |
| Features | B | Demand forecast, auto-scheduling under labor rules, in-app swaps, overtime alerts and POS sync. Nothing in the listing is missing from the scheduling job. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. It's a managed suite with several products and regions, so expect some setup rather than a quick start. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Mobile app for staff plus POS links to Toast, Oracle Micros, NCR Aloha and PAR POS and Google Calendar sync. The listing shows no desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Fourth is for
- Fits if you run restaurants and want labor cost compared with POS sales
- Works for groups that also buy payroll, tips and inventory from the same vendor
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to see a price before talking to sales, as none is published
- Not for you if you're outside restaurants and hospitality, which is all it targets
- Watch out: the free first year on the scheduling page has no terms shown
- Watch out: products are split between the Fourth and HotSchedules names, with separate US, UK and APAC regions
Good to know
Good for
- Restaurant groups that want scheduling tied to POS sales data
- Operators that also need payroll, tips and inventory from one vendor
- Multi-location brands tracking labor cost against sales
Worth knowing
- No prices are published; every product page routes to a demo.
- The scheduling page advertises 1 year of HotSchedules free, but its terms are not shown there.
- Built for restaurants and hospitality; other industries are not the target.
- Product names are split between Fourth and HotSchedules, with separate US, UK and APAC regions.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Fourth's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price on the page: every product page routes to a demo.
We could not confirm Fourth’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. fourth.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Restaurant and hospitality workforce suite, with HotSchedules. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, reports, payroll, shift scheduling, time clock, time off.
Demand forecast, auto-scheduling under labor rules, in-app swaps, overtime alerts and POS sync.
- Demand-based scheduling
- Labor rules and an AI demand forecast generate house shifts, and auto-schedule assigns staff by availability, skill and labor law.
- Shift swaps in the app
- Employees request swaps, drops or pickups in the mobile app; managers approve with compliance warnings shown.
- Labor compliance
- Built-in checks for predictive-scheduling and labor-law rules, with overtime alerts while a schedule is built.
- POS integration
- Syncs sales and labor data with systems including PAR POS, Toast, Oracle Micros and NCR Aloha.
- Team messaging
- Text, message or email staff by department or company-wide, and sync schedules to Google Calendar.
- Wider hospitality suite
- Payroll, tip management, earned wage access, recruiting and inventory are sold alongside scheduling.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- PAR POS
- Toast
- Oracle Micros
- NCR Aloha
- Google Calendar
Fourth is made by Fourth.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
17/49
Other shift scheduling apps it is graded above
Fourth's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 17 of the 49 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on features (B, above 23 of 49) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 50 shift scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Fourth’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 4 of 49
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 49
- BFeaturesAbove 23 of 49
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 49
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 16 of 49
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Fourth 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.
What you could make
- Time off and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- It plugs into other products, PAR POS, Toast and Oracle Micros among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Fourth’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
7shifts, Legion, Rotaready Evo, Deputy and When I Work
The 5 tools Fourth is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
7shifts
Free plan · from $39.99/mo
Restaurant scheduling, time clock, tips and payroll, per location.
- 7shifts has a free plan. Fourth does not.
- Only 7shifts lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fourth also covers reports.
- 1.8GPA
Legion
Paid
Enterprise workforce management with AI schedule optimization.
- Fourth also covers payroll.
- 1.8GPA
Rotaready Evo
Paid
Rota, HR and time tracking software for hospitality teams.
- Only Rotaready Evo lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fourth also covers reports and payroll.
- Rotaready Evo also covers employee records.
- 2.6GPA
Deputy
Free trial · from $5/mo
Shift scheduling, time clock and labor-law tools for hourly teams.
- Only Deputy lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fourth also covers reports.
- Deputy also covers auto-scheduling.
- 2.8GPA
When I Work
Free trial · from $2.50/mo
Staff scheduling with auto-fill, shift trades and an add-on time clock.
- Only When I Work lists iOS and Android apps.
- Fourth also covers reports and payroll.
- When I Work also covers auto-scheduling and team chat.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Fourth free?
No. Fourth is a paid product.
What platforms does Fourth work on?
Fourth is available on Web.
Does Fourth have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Fourth is listed for Web.
Does Fourth have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Fourth is listed for Web.
Is Fourth open source?
Fourth is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
What does Fourth integrate with?
Fourth's listing names PAR POS, Toast, Oracle Micros, NCR Aloha and Google Calendar.
Who makes Fourth?
Fourth is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Fourth?
The closest alternatives to Fourth in our directory are 7shifts, Legion, Rotaready Evo, Deputy and When I Work.
How does Fourth compare with other shift scheduling apps?
Fourth's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 17 of the 49 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 8.
Could I make my own version of Fourth?
To replace Fourth you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Fourth’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Fourth's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Fourth. Prices change, so check fourth.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Fourth, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/fourth
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Fourth: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/fourth
Know someone choosing between shift scheduling apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/fourth/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded shift scheduling apps after Fourth, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Shift Scheduling Insider's GuideEvery one of the 50 shift scheduling apps we grade, compared
- Connecteam Insider's GuideEmployee app for shifts, time clock, chat and HR, free up to 10 users3.2 GPA
- Homebase Insider's GuideSmall-business scheduling, time clock and payroll, priced per location3.2 GPA
- 7shifts Insider's GuideRestaurant scheduling, time clock, tips and payroll, per location3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Fourth’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Fourth is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Fourth. Prices and plans change: check fourth.com before you buy.