Shiftbase

Overview

Shiftbase is workforce software for businesses managing shifts, attendance, and workforce administration. It is best suited to shift-based teams that want scheduling and time records in one system, particularly where employees need to handle open shifts or swaps themselves. The free plan lowers the barrier for a small operation, but its employee and department caps make plan fit important from the outset.

Key features

Scheduling and shift changes

Shift templates and copied weeks help managers build recurring schedules without starting from scratch. Skill-based assignments can match people to shifts, and conflict flags catch clashes with time off or other shifts before publication. Employees can claim open shifts and propose swaps, while manager approval preserves oversight of coverage. These tools suit teams with changing schedules; they may be more than a very small, stable team needs.

Time tracking and labour planning

Employees can clock in and out on a mobile app, desktop, or shared tablet. Hours are available for approval and payroll export, making the system useful beyond schedule creation. Premium adds labour cost targets and budget management, as well as skill-based scheduling. Auto-scheduling is marked early access, so it should be treated as an emerging capability rather than a dependable reason to upgrade.

Integrations, security, and support

The marketplace lists 51 integrations, including AFAS, Lightspeed, Nmbrs, and Connexie; some require the App Center+ add-on, which can affect the cost of connecting existing systems. Shiftbase states that it is ISO/IEC 27001 certified, stores data on EU servers, and supports encryption, MFA, and permission groups. Its security policy says stored data is encrypted, transfers use HTTPS, and customer data is deleted 30 days after cancellation. Weekday email, phone, and chat support runs from 09:00 to 17:00 CET; chat usually replies within a few minutes.

Pricing

All listed prices are billed monthly. A 14-day trial is available, and the mobile app is included in every plan at no extra cost.

• Free: free, free forever, for up to 15 employees, one department, and five teams. It is a practical starting point for a small operation, but the single-department limit can become restrictive as the business expands.
• Basic: €30 a month includes six employees, five departments, and unlimited teams; each additional user costs €4/month. The lower included seat count than Free makes this a better fit for a smaller team that needs more departments, not a simple upgrade for a larger free-plan team.
• Premium: €72 a month includes 12 employees, unlimited departments and teams; each additional user costs €5/month. It is the plan to consider for businesses that need labour cost targets and budget management, though its per-extra-user charge is higher than Basic's.
• Enterprise: €336 a month includes 48 employees and unlimited departments and teams; each additional user costs €6/month, and the plan directs buyers to contact sales. Its larger included seat allowance suits bigger operations, but the added-user rate is the highest of the three paid plans.

Platforms

Shiftbase supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. The included mobile app gives employees phone-based clock-ins across every plan, alongside desktop and shared-tablet options.

Who it's for

Shiftbase identifies restaurants, retail, hotels, recreation, production, transport, healthcare, cleaning, and security as industries it serves. Its combination of shift planning, employee time tracking, time-off and availability management, and payroll export is most compelling for organizations with recurring coverage needs and managers coordinating multiple people or teams.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Templates, copied schedules, and conflict flags help reduce repetitive planning work and catch coverage clashes before publishing.
• Pros: Employee shift claims and swap requests can reduce manager coordination, while approval keeps control of the final schedule.
• Pros: Clock-ins across mobile, desktop, and shared tablet, followed by approval and payroll export, connect attendance to administration.
• Cons: Free is limited to 15 employees, one department, and five teams, while Basic includes only six employees; growing teams need to compare the included seats and department limits carefully.
• Cons: Some integrations require App Center+, and auto-scheduling is still early access, so neither should be assumed to be available as a straightforward core capability.

Alternatives

Jibble is worth considering when broad platform support and a free plan with unlimited users matter most; its free plan includes two geofences and one work schedule. Connecteam has a free Limited plan and a Basic plan at $35 a month, making it an alternative for buyers comparing a different entry tier. Infor Workforce Management is a paid option with custom pricing for buyers prepared to contact sales. Puntual is another freemium alternative with Android and web platforms. Deltek Maconomy is a paid enterprise ERP alternative for professional services firms, with pricing by demo request. Homebase is another freemium alternative with optional task and tip manager add-ons. TimeClock 365 offers a freemium alternative with Android, iOS, web, API, and extension platforms. Aladtec is a paid alternative with pricing provided through a demo request.

For narrower comparisons, browse Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software, or Leave Management Software.

Verdict

Shiftbase is a strong fit for shift-based businesses that need scheduling, attendance capture, and workforce administration together, with useful employee self-service for open shifts and swaps. Its free tier is a sensible entry point for a small, single-department team, while Premium is the clearest choice for labour budgeting. Look elsewhere if your team outgrows the seat limits quickly, depends on integrations that require an add-on, or needs auto-scheduling as a mature core feature.