Sling is a popular employee Scheduling tool that includes time tracking and team communication and has an app — but if you’re looking for an all-in-one small business platform that goes beyond scheduling, it might not be the best tool for you.

For example, using Sling requires you to use one platform to run payroll, another to manage HR, and another one still for hiring. It doesn’t have tools for onboarding, Staff happiness, or perks either.

Introducing our alternative option, Homebase. 

Just like Sling, Homebase is designed to make staff scheduling easy and alert your team to new changes, fast. It also features timesheets and templates. But unlike Sling, our platform includes payroll, HR, compliance, and employee happiness tools.

Basically, Homebase covers everything your small business needs. That’s why in this piece, we’ll explore its stand-out features and explore why it’s a top-notch Sling alternative. 

We also get that as a responsible business owner, you want to do your research. That’s why we’ll also compare nine other Sling alternatives, so you can be certain you’ve chosen the best option for you.

10 best Sling alternatives

1. Homebase: Best all-in-one for small businesses
2. When I Work: Best for speedy scheduling
3. Connecteam: Best for non-desk teams
4. Deputy: Best for simplicity
5. 7shifts: Best for restaurant staff
6. Paylocity: Best for automation
7. Paychex: Best for biometric features
8. ZoomShift: Best for ease of use
9. Humanity: Best for larger companies
10. Clockify: Best for low budgets

1. Homebase: Best all-in-one solution for small businesses

Homebase is truly an all-in-one, one-stop shop for any small business owner looking for a new scheduling tool that doesn’t require any training and fits seamlessly into their regular business operations.

Scheduling

Homebase’s scheduling tool does much more than just schedule. Yes, it lets you assign shifts easily and includes templates and auto-scheduling features, so you never have to start from scratch. But it also automatically tracks staff availability for fewer shift clashes and errors and ensures much less risk of no-shows or staff dissatisfaction. Plus, you can build schedules in line with your sales forecasts for even more efficient, sustainable planning.

Time tracking

Homebase’s scheduling tool works hand-in-hand with its time tracking system to make managing staff hours and payroll super easy. You can track labor costs and optimize them in real time for the most cost-efficient scheduling. In addition, you’ll save money and stress on overtime and labor law violations with automatic alerts and be able to send accurate timesheets to the payroll tool for accurate pay in minutes.

Team communication

There’s no point in building the perfect schedule if your team doesn’t know about it! That’s why Homebase puts staff communication and autonomy at the heart of our platform. No more post-it notes, missed emails, spreadsheets, or paper noticeboards!

You can automatically remind staff about their shifts by text, send alerts for breaks or overtime, and add personalized notes so team members have everything they need to do a good job. Plus, Homebase lets employees trade shifts themselves for greater autonomy. Workers can even request and manage their time off within the same app for coordinated PTO, accurate availability, and improved advanced planning.

HR and compliance

Managing staff well isn’t just about scheduling shifts. You also need excellent HR management and processes. Homebase has all the tools you need to manage staff details, keep track of certifications, and store important legal documents. You can also automate onboarding, send welcome packets, manage PTO, and ensure you don’t break overtime laws. Our platform means scheduling can be an effortless part of your daily operations, keeping both staff and managers happy.

Pricing

• Basic: Free for one location and up to 20 employees. Includes timesheets, scheduling, messaging, and hiring.
• Essentials: $24.95 per month per location. Everything in Basic, plus team communication and performance tracking.
• Plus: $59.95 per month per location. Everything in Essentials, plus labor control budgets, time off limits, and PTO features.
• All in One: $99.95 per month per location. Everything in Plus, plus new hire onboarding and HR.

2. When I Work – Best for speedy scheduling

Features

With scheduling at its core, When I Work includes quick-build calendars, as well as team messaging to keep staff up to date without needing to use personal numbers. It also creates timesheets and tracks breaks, PTO, and attendance. However, it doesn’t offer many extra features like payroll.

Pricing

• Standard: $4 per user per month. Includes standard scheduling and time and attendance tools.
• Advanced: $8 per user per month. Includes advanced scheduling with more dynamic and customizable features, plus time and attendance tools.

3. Connecteam: Best for non-desk teams

Features

Connecteam is a scheduler designed for a “non-desk workforce,” making it a good option for team members who are constantly on the go. It includes a wide range of features, including team communication, time clocks, and even some HR tools. Plus, it’s color-coded and easy to use. However, it’s mobile-only, so it may be less useful for managers who want to manage schedules from a desktop computer.

Pricing

Operations hub (includes scheduling and time clock tools):

• Small Business: Free for up to 10 users.
• Basic: $29 per month for up to 30 users. Extra users cost $0.50 per month.
• Advanced: $49 per month for 30 users. Extra users cost $1.50 per month. Everything in Basic, plus extra features like time clock tasks.
• Expert: $99 per month for 30 users. Extra users are $3 per month. Everything in Advanced, plus GPS features and automation. 

Connecteam also offers packages named Communications and HR & Skills, but they don’t include scheduling features.

4. Deputy: Best for simplicity

Features

Deputy makes managing teams, schedules, and time clocks simple. It includes crucial tools for sharing shifts and keeping track of staff attendance. The platform also helps coordinate onboarding and retention to ensure you stick to your labor budget and avoid paying for too much overtime. It also has a mobile app. However, Deputy doesn’t have many other features for tasks like onboarding, HR, or employee happiness.

Pricing

• Starter: Free for 100 shifts per month.
• Scheduling: $3.50 per user per month. Scheduling with team communication, but no payroll or time tracking.
• Time & Attendance: $3.50 per user per month. Scheduling with attendance tracking and timesheet management, but no automation, reporting, or SMS alerts, as well as fewer communication tools.
• Premium: $4.90 per user per month. All scheduling, time, attendance, and reporting tools.
• Enterprise: Price on request. For businesses with 250+ employees. Everything in Premium, plus custom features.

Deputy also offers a free 31-day trial.

5. 7shifts: Best for restaurant staff

Features

7shifts is a powerful platform that offers scheduling as a core tool. Other features include budget tracking, staff attendance, integrations with payroll and hiring tools, and a feedback feature that lets staff communicate suggestions or issues. However, it’s designed primarily for the restaurant industry, so it may not be the best choice if your business is in another sector.

Pricing

• Comp: Free for one location and up to 30 employees. Includes scheduling, time clock, and hiring.
• Entrée: $29.99 per month per location for up to 30 employees. Includes everything in Comp, plus templates, budgeting, and time off tracking.
• The Works: $69.99 per month per location for unlimited employees. Includes everything in Entrée, plus payroll integration and state-based compliance tools.
• Gourmet: $135 per month per location. Includes everything in The Works, plus onboarding, labor forecasting, and closer support.

7shifts also offers a free 14-day trial.

6. Paylocity: Best for automation

Features

Paylocity’s Workforce Management System is just one product the company offers, which includes features under the banners of Time and Attendance, Employee Scheduling, and Time Collection. It aims to automate administrative tasks, reduce manual work and errors, and make keeping to budget and legal requirements simple. However, its pricing isn’t transparent, so it may not be the most straightforward option.

Pricing

Paylocity doesn’t publish pricing publicly on its website. Instead, it asks users to request a demo. 

7. Paychex: Best for biometric features

Features

Paychex offers solutions for small companies with just a few employees right up to 1000 workers or more, with tools for payroll, HR, business insurance, and employee benefits. Its specific Time & Attendance product is cloud-based and works on most devices, including smartwatches. Features include punching in and out, overtime alerts, PTO requests, and biometric iris and fingerprint scanning for super accurate time tracking. However, you have to upgrade to use the advanced features.

Pricing

Paychex doesn’t publish pricing on its website and instead asks people to request it. Its Time & Attendance product has two options for time tracking: the “full package” Paychex Flex Time and the less-comprehensive Paychex Flex Time Essentials.

8. ZoomShift: Best for ease of use

Features

ZoomShift is designed for scheduling and is simple and easy to use. It lets staff clock in and out from anywhere and tracks time via GPS and IP address to reduce time theft and increase timesheet accuracy. It also has payroll features and easy timesheet exportation. However, its simplicity means it lacks other important tools, like staff communication.

Pricing

• Starter: $2 per month per team member. Includes scheduling, PTO, timesheets, and payroll reporting tools.
• Premium: $4 per month per team member. Includes everything in Starter, plus overtime alerts, geofencing, and more advanced timesheet tools.
• Custom: Price on request for companies with 100+ employees. Includes everything in Premium, plus onboarding, personalized support, and training.

9. Humanity: Best for larger companies

Features

As a cloud-based platform, Humanity works on nearly all devices, making management possible from a smartphone, desktop, tablet, and even smartwatch. Its powerful features include not only scheduling and auto-scheduling, but also predictive labor forecasting, staff shift trading, legal compliance, and accurate reporting. However, as it’s designed for larger companies and doesn’t publish its pricing online, it may not be your best option if you have a small, lean operation with a tighter budget.

Pricing

Humanity doesn’t publish pricing details on its website but instead invites you to request a trial.

10. Clockify: Best for low budgets

Features

As its name suggests, Clockify makes it easy for managers to coordinate time clocks, staff clock-ins and outs, and scheduling. It’s simple, intuitive, and cloud-based and has tools for invoicing, expenses, and data reporting. It’s also one of the few platforms to work on all browsers and operating systems, including Linux. It’s also completely free! However, its features are limited compared to all-in-one platforms.

Pricing

100% free.

Scheduling with Homebase: At the heart of your business

With so many different tools available, it can feel like a full-time job to find the right scheduling platform for your business. But getting it right is crucial as scheduling is just one part of a wider whole when it comes to effective, efficient, and stress-free staff management.

That’s why our all-in-one platform Homebase could be an excellent Sling alternative for your business. 

It’s quick to set up, has no limits on the number of employees that can use it, and includes all the features you need for easy and accurate scheduling, time tracking, and attendance, as well as tools for hiring, easy team communication, payroll, HR & compliance, hiring, and employee happiness. There’s also a mobile app and integrations with other tools for a comprehensive, powerful package under a single digital roof.

References

**The information above is based on our research on Sling alternatives. All user feedback referenced in the text has been sourced from independent software review platforms, such as G2 and Capterra, in March 2023.

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