The price on a scheduling app's website is usually not what you'll pay. Not because anyone's being dishonest, but because the headline depends on your team size, how many locations you have, and which add-ons you end up needing.
Here's how to work out the real number. The competitor prices below come from each company's public pricing page, read on November 6, 2026. They change often, so double-check before you decide.
The three ways apps charge
Per user, per month
You pay a set price for each person. When I Work lists $2.50 to $8 per user, Deputy lists $5 to $9, and Sling lists $2 to $4, with a free plan for up to 30 users.
Good for: Small teams and teams that don't change much.
Watch out for: Part-timers. You pay the same for someone who works eight hours a week as for someone who works forty. Busy seasons add up too, and high turnover can leave you paying for people who've left unless you remove them promptly.
Per location, per month
You pay a set price for each location, often with unlimited or high employee limits. Homebase lists $30 to $120 per location. 7shifts lists $39.99 to $134.99 per location, with people limits on its lower plans.
Good for: A single location with a big team.
Watch out for: Growth. The bill goes up with every location you open, even when each one's small.
Per hub or module, with people included
You pay for each area of the product you use, and the first group of people is included. Connecteam and PinkLinq both work this way, with the first 30 people included and a small fee per person after that. Connecteam lists $29 to $99 per hub, billed yearly. Ours runs $14.50 to $49.50.
Good for: Small to mid-size teams, several small locations, and anyone who only wants part of the product.
Watch out for: Buying more than one hub. Chat and scheduling may sit in different hubs, so add those up.
Add-ons are where the price moves
A cheap plan with lots of add-ons can end up costing more than a pricier plan that includes everything. Here are some that appear on those pricing pages:
| Add-on | Homebase | Deputy | 7shifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll | $49 + $6 per employee | $49 + $8 per user | $39.99 + $6 per employee |
| Tasks | $13 per location | Not stated | $12.99 per location |
| Tips | $25 per location | Not stated | $49.99 per location |
| HR or onboarding | Payroll-linked | $2 per user | $2.99 per package |
Some of those are included on higher plans. You should also look for these costs:
- Text message fees
- Onboarding or setup charges
- Extra fees for GPS, kiosk mode or time clocks
- Limits on managers or locations
- Minimum monthly spending
Work out your real number
Open a spreadsheet and fill this in for each app you're looking at:
- Count your people. Include managers, part-timers and seasonal staff at your busiest time, and not your slowest.
- Count your locations. Include the ones you're likely to open within two years.
- List what you actually need. Schedules, time clock, chat, tasks, time off, documents, training, hiring, and payroll.
- Find the cheapest plan that has all of it. That's often not the plan shown first.
- Add the add-ons you can't do without.
- Multiply by 12. Yearly billing usually saves between 10% and 20% in this market, but you'll pay up front.
A worked example
Let's take a business with two locations and 35 people that needs schedules, a time clock, team chat and checklists.
- When I Work, Essentials: 35 × $2.50 = $87.50, plus time tracking at a price its page doesn't show, and checklists aren't stated.
- Homebase, Essentials: 2 × $30 = $60, plus $26 for the task add-on, or $86.
- 7shifts, Essentials: 2 × $39.99 = $79.98, plus $25.98 for task management, or $105.96. It has an employee limit of 30 per location.
- Connecteam, Basic: Operations and Communications with 5 extra people: $58 + $6.50 = $64.50.
- PinkLinq, Basic: Operations and Communications with 5 extra people: $32.25.
Your numbers will be different. The point is that the ranking changes depending on what you need and how big you are, and that's why a quick look at headline prices can mislead you.
Costs that aren't on any pricing page
Switching. Moving to a new tool takes a manager a few hours, and your team a few days to get used to it. Look for a spreadsheet import, so you aren't typing names. Our switching guide has more.
Not being used. A tool that your team won't open costs you whatever you're paying for it, plus all the group texts you're still sending. Run a real test with your people before you sign a yearly contract.
What it saves. Don't forget the other side. If an app saves a manager two hours a week on scheduling and catches one surprise overtime shift a month, that's likely worth far more than the subscription fee. Do the math with your own wages.
Try before you commit
Nearly all of these offer a free trial, and many have a free plan. Use them. PinkLinq is free for up to 10 people with no time limit, and every new company gets 14 days of Advanced features with no credit card.
Sources
All read November 6, 2026: Connecteam, Homebase, When I Work, Deputy, 7shifts, Sling. For full side-by-side tables, see our comparison of seven apps.