Pick a replacement by testing two things: how quickly a manager can publish next week's rota, and whether staff can swap shifts and clock in from their phones. Restaurants usually want hospitality tools, UK teams often want leave and rotas in one place, and larger employers look for scheduling joined to payroll and HR.
A rota is only as good as the hour after it's published, when staff check their phones, spot a clash and start asking for swaps. If you're leaving Humanity scheduling, that hour is where a new tool earns its keep or doesn't. Here are eight shift scheduling apps for managers of shift-based teams, in no particular order, followed by the two tests that separate them.
Eight rota tools, listed A to Z
Alphabetical and in no particular order. Every description reflects what the vendor says about its own product.
7shifts
Best for: Restaurants that want scheduling, payroll, tip management and team communication in one app; the vendor also says it helps with labour compliance.
Connecteam
Best for: Frontline teams moving off a pile of separate apps, with scheduling, time tracking and messaging in one place, as the vendor puts it.
Deputy
Best for: Shift-based employers who want rotas, HR and payroll joined up, plus AI forecasting of staffing needs that the vendor says saves managers time.
Findmyshift
Best for: Managers who build rotas by hand and want it quick, with drag and drop, right-click menus and keyboard shortcuts named by the vendor.
Planday
Best for: Businesses wanting scheduling, time tracking, team communication and staff management in one platform; the vendor's aim is more predictable shifts.
RotaCloud
Best for: Teams who plan rotas, approve leave and monitor attendance in one place, with free staff apps the vendor highlights for employees.
Shiftbase
Best for: Shift-based businesses that want scheduling, time tracking, absence and payroll-ready hours together, which the vendor calls a digital home for shift teams.
When I Work
Best for: Hourly teams where the manager wants shifts, time tracking and team messages in a single app, as the vendor describes it.
Side by side: what each rota app centres on
| Tool | Centred on | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 7shifts | Restaurant scheduling | Restaurant rotas with tips and team messaging alongside |
| Connecteam | Frontline team app | Frontline teams replacing scattered apps with one |
| Deputy | Scheduling, HR and payroll | Scheduling joined to HR, payroll and demand forecasting |
| Findmyshift | Staff rota software | Fast drag-and-drop rota building for busy managers |
| Planday | Workforce management | Scheduling, time tracking and staff admin together |
| RotaCloud | Online rota software | UK-style rotas with leave requests and attendance |
| Shiftbase | Shift workforce software | Rotas, absence and payroll-ready hours in one tool |
| When I Work | Scheduling and time clock | Scheduling, time tracking and messaging in one app |
The two tests a Humanity replacement has to pass
Humanity's own homepage describes its product as automated, dynamic scheduling and shift planning that removes staffing errors and keeps labour in check. Every tool on this list makes a similar promise in its own words, so the promise alone won't help you choose.
What will help is timing two jobs. First, how long does it take a manager to build and publish a real week's rota, with your actual staff, roles and opening hours? Second, from an employee's phone, how many taps does it take to offer a shift, accept a swap and clock in at the start of a shift? If either of those feels slow in a trial, it'll feel slower on a Friday night with three people off sick.
Tools in this category split by who they're built for and how much you set up yourself. Some come with payroll and HR attached, which saves joining things up but adds more to configure. Others do the rota and little else, which is faster to start but means your hours still have to travel to payroll some other way. Run the same week through each before you decide.
Which kind of shift team are you?
Restaurants and hospitality
7shifts is built for restaurants, with tips and team communication sitting next to the rota. If you run a kitchen and a front of house, that focus saves you adapting a general tool to hospitality habits.
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Rotas, leave and attendance for smaller teams
RotaCloud and Findmyshift centre on the rota itself, with leave and attendance close by. They suit managers who want to plan quickly and keep things simple, especially in shops, care settings and small hospitality groups.
Scheduling tied to payroll and HR
Deputy, Planday and Shiftbase join scheduling to time tracking, absence and payroll-ready hours. They're worth a look if hours currently get retyped into payroll each week, because that's where mistakes creep in.
Frontline teams who live on their phones
Connecteam and When I Work put scheduling, time tracking and messaging in one app for staff who are rarely at a desk. If your team mainly talks through a group chat today, this is the group that replaces it.
Advice before you rebuild your rota
Don't move everything at once. Build the coming month's rota in the new tool while the old one still runs, and get two or three of your most reliable staff to use the phone app for real. Their feedback on swapping and clocking in will tell you more than any demo, because they're the people who'll use it every day.
Labour rules on breaks, rest periods and record keeping vary by country and sometimes by sector, so check what your regulator expects before you rely on any tool's compliance settings. For a broader comparison, see my guide to the best employee scheduling software, and if hours and timesheets are the bigger headache, my round-up of the best timesheet software is the place to start.
A three-week switchover plan
- Week one: export your staff list, roles and contracted hours, and set them up in the new tool.
- Week one: build one real rota and time how long it takes to publish.
- Week two: invite a small group of staff to the phone app and let them request swaps and clock in.
- Week two: compare the hours the new tool records against your payroll for the same shifts.
- Week three: publish the full rota from the new tool, keep the old one read-only, and close it once payroll matches.
Do you make shift scheduling software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in shift scheduling software?
Look at how fast a manager can publish a rota, how staff swap shifts and clock in from a phone, and whether hours flow to payroll without retyping. Those three things decide whether the tool saves time.
Is a free plan enough for a small team?
Sometimes. Several scheduling apps offer a free plan or free trial, but limits vary on team size and features. Check each vendor's own site for what's included before you commit.
Can scheduling software handle labour law rules?
Many tools include break and overtime settings, but requirements vary by country and sector. Check what your regulator expects and don't rely on default settings alone.
Do my staff need to download an app?
Most rota tools have a phone app for staff, and that's where shift swaps and clocking in happen. A web view is usually available for managers who build rotas at a desk.
How do I move my existing rota to a new tool?
Export your staff list, roles and hours, set them up in the new tool, then run both systems side by side for a week or two until payroll matches.
Do restaurants need a specialist scheduling tool?
Not always, but hospitality-focused tools add things like tip handling and front and back of house roles, which a general rota app may not cover.
