How Much Does Employee Scheduling Software Cost?
Quick answer: Most employee scheduling software costs between $2.50 and $9 per employee per month, which means a 25-person team typically pays $60–$225/month depending on the tool. Flat-rate alternatives exist: rota charges $29/month for up to 25 employees regardless of headcount. The pricing model matters more than the sticker price. Per-user pricing means your software bill rises every time you hire.
The three pricing models (and why they matter more than the price)
Scheduling software is priced one of three ways, and the model determines what you'll actually pay a year from now:
Per-user pricing is the industry default. Deputy, When I Work, Planday, and most big names charge per employee per month. It looks cheap at small headcounts, then grows with every hire. Seasonal businesses get hit hardest, you pay the most in exactly the months your margins are thinnest.
Per-location pricing (Homebase, 7shifts) charges a fee per site. Fine for a single shop; painful the moment you open a second one.
Flat-rate pricing charges one price for a capacity band. You know your bill in January and you know it in December, whether you hired three people or none.
What the major tools actually cost
Here's the realistic monthly cost for a 25-person, single-location team, based on recently verified list prices (always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site about these change):
| Tool | Model | ~Monthly cost (25 staff) |
|---|---|---|
| rota (Team plan) | Flat rate | $29 |
| Sling Premium | Per user (~$2/user) | ~$50 |
| When I Work | Per user ($2.50–5/user) | ~$62–125 |
| Connecteam (2–3 hubs) | Per hub | ~$60–150 |
| Homebase Plus | Per location | ~$60 |
| Deputy Core | Per user ($6.50/user) | ~$162 |
Two things hide inside these numbers. First, add-ons: Deputy charges extra per user for analytics, messaging, and HR modules. Connecteam advertises $29/month but splits scheduling, communication, and HR into three separately priced hubs. Most buyers need at least two. Second, minimums: some tools require minimum user counts or annual commitments to get the advertised rate.
The hidden costs nobody puts on the pricing page
- Setup and training time. A tool that takes two weeks to configure costs you two weeks of manager time. Simple tools that take an afternoon are cheaper even at the same price.
- Per-hire creep. At $6.50/user, every new hire adds $78/year to your software bill forever. Growing from 15 to 25 staff adds $780/year on Deputy Core; on a flat plan it adds nothing.
- The annual-billing asterisk. From $23/month often means if you pay for 12 months upfront. Check whether the advertised price is monthly or annual-billed.
So what should a small business actually budget?
For a team under 25 people, budget $29–$60/month and refuse to pay more unless a specific feature genuinely earns it. For 25–100 people across up to three locations, $79–$200/month is the realistic range. Flat-rate at the bottom, per-user at the top.
rota's own pricing sits at the flat end: $29/month for up to 25 employees (Team) or $79/month for up to 100 employees and 3 locations (Pro) not per user. Annual billing brings those to $23 and $63/month. Every plan includes scheduling, time and attendance, leave management, shift swaps, reports, and mobile access, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required.
FAQ
Is free scheduling software good enough?
Sometimes, for very small teams. Free tiers usually cap locations, features, or users. And the paid upgrade is almost always per-user. See our guide to free scheduling apps for the honest breakdown.
Why is per-user pricing so common?
Because it grows vendor revenue automatically as customers grow. It's great for the software company. It's less great for you.
What's a fair price per employee?
If you're paying more than $3–4 per employee per month for scheduling alone, you're likely overpaying or paying for enterprise features a small team won't use.
Does more expensive mean better?
No. Price correlates with feature breadth and target market size, not with how well the core job: building and publishing a schedule your team actually sees and gets done.
