Overview

7shifts is a restaurant workforce platform that brings scheduling together with hiring, training, payroll and tip management. It is best suited to restaurant teams that want those functions under one roof, particularly operators managing more than one location. Its breadth is useful, but teams seeking only a basic scheduler may not need the wider HR and pay toolkit.

Founded by Jordan Boesch in 2014, the company is headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The platform serves independents and multi-location groups, with tools for administrators, managers and employees.

Key features

Scheduling and staffing

Managers can build schedules with drag-and-drop calendars or use auto-scheduling shaped by staff availability and labor targets. Availability collection, time-off management, open shifts and shift swaps cover the ongoing coordination around a schedule, not just its initial creation. That makes 7shifts a strong fit for restaurants juggling frequent staffing changes; operators who only need calendar-based planning may find its broader scope unnecessary.

Hiring and training

Job posting and applicant tracking extend the platform into recruitment. Onboarding documents, courses, quizzes and training-progress tracking then carry the process into employee development. This range can reduce the need to handle each workforce stage in a separate tool, although teams focused solely on shift coverage may not benefit from it.

Payroll, tips and integrations

Payroll and tip management include automatic wage and tip calculations, as well as earned wage access. Named restaurant POS integrations include Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed and TouchBistro. A Partner API provides an integration path for teams connecting the platform with other systems. The combination matters most to restaurants that want scheduling tied to related labor and tip workflows; an API is useful for integration work, but does not by itself establish compatibility with any particular system beyond those named.

7shifts says it encrypts data in transit using SSL/TLS 1.2 and at rest using AES 256, and cites PCI-DSS compliance and security audits.

Pricing

The Comp plan is free and covers up to 15 employees at one location. That makes it a practical starting point for a small, single-site team, but its employee and location caps rule it out for larger operations.

Essentials has a 30-employee limit and allows unlimited locations, so it suits smaller teams operating across sites, but not organizations that need more than 30 employees. Premium and Pro both allow unlimited employees and locations, making them the plans with room for larger groups. Essentials, Premium and Pro use custom pricing. A 14-day trial is offered.

The plan distinctions are clearest in employee and location capacity: Comp is tightly capped, Essentials raises location capacity but retains an employee ceiling, and Premium and Pro remove those listed caps. The plan names alone do not establish other differences, so choose among the paid tiers based on a custom quote and the capabilities your operation requires.

Platforms

7shifts is available on Android, iOS and the web, with API access for integrations. The stated minimum desktop operating systems are Windows 10 and macOS 12 Monterey. This gives teams browser and mobile access while setting a baseline for desktop use.

Who it's for

7shifts is aimed at restaurant administrators, managers and employees, from single-location independents to multi-location groups. Comp fits a small operation within its 15-employee, one-location limit; Essentials accommodates up to 30 employees across unlimited locations; Premium and Pro suit groups that need unlimited employee and location capacity. Its scheduling depth and connected hiring, training, payroll and tip tools make it most compelling when workforce operations extend beyond building a rota.

Pros and cons

Pros: Scheduling combines automatic and manual planning with availability, time-off, open-shift and swap workflows, addressing recurring staffing changes.
Pros: Hiring, onboarding, training, payroll and tips broaden the platform beyond scheduling, which can suit restaurants consolidating workforce tasks.
Pros: Comp gives small teams a no-cost entry point, while paid tiers include options with unlimited employees and locations.
Cons: Comp is limited to 15 employees and one location, so growing operators will outgrow it.
Cons: Essentials remains capped at 30 employees, and the larger plans require custom pricing, making cost comparison less immediate.
Cons: The product's broad workforce scope may be more than a restaurant needs if its only requirement is straightforward shift scheduling.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison of restaurant-specific scheduling options, start with Restaurant Scheduling Software. The Restaurant Management Software and Restaurant Labor Management Software lists are useful when the decision extends beyond scheduling to wider operations or labor workflows. Teams comparing gratuity workflows can use Restaurant Tip Management Software, while organizations seeking scheduling across industries can consult Employee Scheduling Software or Calendar apps.

Quinyx Workforce Management is a paid option without a free plan or trial, with custom solutions tailored to business needs. Choose it when a tailored workforce-management solution is a better fit than 7shifts' free entry tier.

When I Work is a paid alternative with a free trial; its Essentials plan is 2.50 USD per month, billed /user/month, and includes unlimited users, auto scheduling, multi-week scheduling and multi-location scheduling. It is worth comparing when those stated scheduling capabilities and per-user pricing align with the team's needs.

Workforce.com offers custom-priced Scheduling and All-in-One plans, with the latter combining scheduling, HR and payroll and advanced implementation support. It may suit teams seeking that stated combination and implementation support.

Crunchtime Labor & Scheduling discusses pricing through a demo and asks operators with 10 or more locations to contact Crunchtime. That makes it a comparison to consider for larger multi-location operators.

Sling has a free plan at no cost for up to 30 users, including shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts and private messaging. It is a relevant alternative for teams whose needs center on those stated scheduling and messaging tools and whose user count fits the cap.

Homebase is a freemium alternative with a free plan and web and iOS platforms.

Deputy is a paid alternative with a free trial; its Lite plan costs 5.00 USD per month, billed per user per month, and includes basic scheduling and timesheets. Consider it when those narrower stated capabilities suit the requirement.

Planday is a paid alternative with a free trial; its Starter plan costs 2.99 GBP per month, billed per user/month, with a five-user minimum and the option to upgrade or cancel anytime.

Verdict

Choose 7shifts if you run a restaurant and want scheduling connected to hiring, training, payroll and tip workflows, with capacity options for both single sites and larger groups. Its clearest drawback is the constrained free plan and custom pricing on the other tiers; teams seeking only a basic scheduler, or needing a straightforward paid price comparison, should look elsewhere.

	7shifts	Merkuro Calendar (formerly Kalendar)
Free plan	Yes
Free trial	Yes
Paid from	Free
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	Linux, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Auto-scheduling	Yes
Availability collection	Yes
Time-off management	Yes
Open-shift management	Yes
Shift swaps	Yes
Mobile apps	Yes

7shifts vs Merkuro Calendar (formerly Kalendar)

7shifts

Merkuro Calendar (formerly Kalendar)