The short version
Sling, now part of Toast, has one of the most generous free plans around. If you've got up to 30 people and you just need a shared schedule, it's hard to argue with free. We make PinkLinq and we'll say that plainly.
Things change when you want more than a schedule. Sling's group messaging, geofencing and kiosk sit on its paid plans, billed per person. PinkLinq's paid plans are a flat price for the first 30 people, and our free plan includes every tool for up to 10 people.
Prices
From Sling's pricing page on November 6, 2026:
| Sling plan | Billed monthly, per user | Billed yearly, per user | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Up to 30 users, schedules, one-to-one messages |
| Premium | $2.00 | $1.70 | Group messaging, geofencing |
| Business | $4.00 | $3.40 | Kiosk time tracking, shift tasks, documents, payroll reports |
There's a 15-day trial on the paid plans.
And PinkLinq, per hub:
| PinkLinq plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free, up to 10 people | Free | Free | 1 |
| Basic | $17.50 | $14.50 | 3 |
| Advanced | $29.50 | $24.50 | 10 |
The same team on both
Take a team that wants schedules, geofenced clock-in and group chat. On Sling, that's Premium. With us, it's Operations and Communications on Basic. Everything's on yearly billing.
| Team size | Sling Premium | PinkLinq |
|---|---|---|
| 8 people | $13.60 | Free |
| 20 people | $34.00 | $29.00 |
| 30 people | $51.00 | $29.00 |
| 60 people | $102.00 | $48.50 |
Below about 17 people, Sling Premium is cheaper than two of our Basic hubs, unless you fit in our Free plan. Add the kiosk or shift tasks, and you're on Sling Business at double the price.
Where Sling is the better pick
A free schedule for up to 30 people. Ours stops at 10. If you've got 25 people and you won't pay for anything, Sling is the answer. We can't beat free at that size.
Toast restaurants. Sling is part of Toast now, and Toast customers get their plans through the Toast shop. If you already run your restaurant on Toast, staying in one family may be worth more to you than our price.
A very simple tool. Sling is mostly a schedule with messaging and a time clock. That's less to learn.
Android. Sling runs on both major phone platforms. We don't have an Android release yet.
Where PinkLinq is the better pick
The whole team's tools on the free plan. Our 10-person plan isn't a cut-down version. It includes chat with groups, geofenced clock-in, a kiosk, checklists, time off, documents, courses and hiring. The only things it leaves out are automations and the AI assistant.
More than 17 people. Once you're past that size, our flat price undercuts Sling Premium, and the gap keeps growing up to 30 people.
HR and training. Sling's page didn't state training courses, hiring or e-signatures. Ours are in HR & Skills, on every plan.
Labor-law flags and labor cost. You can pick your state, and the schedule flags short rest, missed breaks and minors' hours. Labor cost sits next to your sales with a forecast and a goal.
Automatic clock-in. On Advanced and up, the iPhone app clocks people in when they arrive and out when they leave.
If you're moving from Sling
Export your staff to a CSV and upload it under Users. You'll get a preview before anything's saved. Rebuild your usual week once and save it as a template, and next week you can copy it with one click.
Sources
- Sling pricing, read November 6, 2026.
- PinkLinq pricing, always current.
Sling's page didn't state its location limits or a payroll integration. If you notice a detail here that's changed, tell us below and we'll fix it.