The Nowsta Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Nowsta 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.
Nowsta
The Insider’s Guide
Scheduling, time tracking and staffing for hourly teams
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among shift scheduling apps, read from Nowsta’s own pages.
Made by Nowsta · checked Nov 12, 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 Nowsta’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Nowsta’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 1 of the 23 other shift scheduling apps we grade
Nowsta is a workforce platform for hourly and contingent staff. It combines shift scheduling, time and attendance, payroll integration and worker sourcing, with a mobile app for workers. It is sold through demos for hospitality, events, catering, healthcare, logistics and retail teams.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Nowsta, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No price is published, and the site does not say which feature comes in which package.
- 1
Best for staff scheduling for event and hospitality labour
Nowsta covers scheduling, time and attendance, payroll links and worker onboarding for hourly staffing.
- 2
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 3
Shift scheduling
A drag-and-drop builder with reusable templates, AI-powered recommendations to fill open shifts, demand forecasting, and shift swaps and claims.
- 4
Time and attendance
Time tracking with geofencing, alerts for clock-in and clock-out, and timesheet approvals.
- 5
Payroll integration
Connects to existing payroll and accounting systems to calculate wages, with built-in compliance tools.
- 6
A 1.8 GPA, above 1 of 23
That is against the other shift scheduling apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
The plain part of Nowsta you could make: applicant tracking. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Nowsta at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Nowsta
- Category
- Shift Scheduling
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for staff scheduling for event and hospitality labour
Nowsta covers scheduling, time and attendance, payroll links and worker onboarding for hourly staffing. No price is published, and the site does not say which feature comes in which package.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published and the pricing address redirects to the home page, so it sits in the middle by default. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial on record. The site sends you to a demo. |
| Features | C | Scheduling, time and attendance, payroll links, sourcing and onboarding and vendor management. The site does not say which come in which package. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Setup and worker onboarding come before it pays off. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web plus a worker app on iOS and Android. No integrations are listed. |
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 Nowsta is for
- Fits if you staff events or hourly shifts and want workers to pick up shifts on their phones
- Works for an agency that wants scheduling and payroll links together
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a price list, as none is published
- Watch out: the site does not say which of sourcing, payroll and vendor management come with which package
- Too light for a manager who wants a manager app, as the listing found is the workers' app
- Not for you if you want to try it first, as the route in is a demo
Good to know
Good for
- Event, catering and hospitality operators that use hourly and contingent staff
- Teams that want scheduling, time tracking and sourcing in one platform
- Healthcare and logistics employers listed among its industries
Worth knowing
- No prices are published; the site sends visitors to schedule a demo and the pricing address redirects to the home page.
- The site does not say which features (sourcing, payroll, vendor management) come with which package.
- The app listing found is named Nowsta Workers, aimed at the workers rather than managers.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Nowsta's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price is published and the pricing address redirects to the home page, so it sits in the middle by default.
We could not confirm Nowsta’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. nowsta.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Scheduling, time tracking and staffing for hourly teams. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, shift scheduling, time clock, applicant tracking.
Scheduling, time and attendance, payroll links, sourcing and onboarding and vendor management.
- Shift scheduling
- A drag-and-drop builder with reusable templates, AI-powered recommendations to fill open shifts, demand forecasting, and shift swaps and claims.
- Time and attendance
- Time tracking with geofencing, alerts for clock-in and clock-out, and timesheet approvals.
- Payroll integration
- Connects to existing payroll and accounting systems to calculate wages, with built-in compliance tools.
- Sourcing and onboarding
- Supports recruiting and onboarding for hourly, full-time, part-time and contingent workers, including talent ratings.
- Worker mobile app
- Workers get an all-in-one mobile app with real-time updates and self-service; the app is listed on the App Store and Google Play.
- Vendor management
- The site lists Vendor Management beside Workforce Management as a separate product area for managing outside staffing vendors.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Nowsta is made by Nowsta.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
1/23
Other shift scheduling apps it is graded above
Nowsta's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 1 of the 23 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 2 of 23) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 24 shift scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Nowsta’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 23
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 23
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 23
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 23
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 23
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
The plain part of Nowsta you could make: applicant tracking. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 19 of the 23 other shift scheduling apps grade higher.
What you could make
- Applicant tracking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- 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.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Nowsta’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
Deputy, When I Work, Connecteam, Homebase and Sling by Toast
The 5 tools Nowsta is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Deputy
Free trial · from $5/mo
Shift scheduling, time clock and labor-law tools for hourly teams.
- Nowsta also covers applicant tracking.
- Deputy also covers auto-scheduling, payroll and time off.
- 2.8GPA
When I Work
Free trial · from $2.50/mo
Staff scheduling with auto-fill, shift trades and an add-on time clock.
- Nowsta also covers applicant tracking.
- When I Work also covers auto-scheduling, team chat and time off.
- 3.2GPA
Connecteam
Free plan · from $29/mo
Employee app for shifts, time clock, chat and HR, free up to 10 users.
- Connecteam has a free plan. Nowsta does not.
- Nowsta also covers applicant tracking.
- Connecteam also covers auto-scheduling, forms, team chat and time off.
- 3.2GPA
Homebase
Free plan · from $24/mo
Small-business scheduling, time clock and payroll, priced per location.
- Homebase has a free plan. Nowsta does not.
- Nowsta also covers applicant tracking.
- Homebase also covers team chat, payroll, job board posting, employee records and time off.
- 2.8GPA
Sling by Toast
Free plan · from $1.70/mo
Free shift scheduling for up to 30 users, with paid time clock tiers.
- Sling by Toast has a free plan. Nowsta does not.
- Nowsta also covers applicant tracking.
- Sling by Toast also covers tasks, auto-scheduling, team chat and time off.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
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 Nowsta free?
No. Nowsta is a paid product.
What platforms does Nowsta work on?
Nowsta is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Nowsta have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Nowsta is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Nowsta have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Nowsta is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Nowsta open source?
Nowsta is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Who makes Nowsta?
Nowsta is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Nowsta?
The closest alternatives to Nowsta in our directory are Deputy, When I Work, Connecteam, Homebase and Sling by Toast.
How does Nowsta compare with other shift scheduling apps?
Nowsta's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 1 of the 23 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 3.
Could I make my own version of Nowsta?
The plain part of Nowsta you could make: applicant tracking. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Nowsta’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Nowsta's own pages on 12 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 Nowsta. Prices change, so check nowsta.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
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.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Nowsta, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/nowsta
- 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, "Nowsta: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/nowsta
Know someone choosing between shift scheduling apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/nowsta/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded shift scheduling apps after Nowsta, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Shift Scheduling Insider's GuideEvery one of the 24 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 Nowsta’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. Nowsta is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Nowsta. Prices and plans change: check nowsta.com before you buy.