A rota app lets you plan staff shifts, share the rota on everyone's phone and handle swaps, holidays and clocking in without a spreadsheet or a noticeboard. Some are free for small teams, some add payroll and forecasting, and several are built for UK hospitality and care. Ten options follow in no particular order.
The weekly rota is where small business plans meet real life: someone's ill, someone wants Saturday off and someone else can't work past six.
A good rota app keeps all of that in one place. The ten below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website, read this week. If you're comparing scheduling tools more widely, my round-up of employee scheduling software covers tools built for other countries too.
Rota apps at a glance
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site says the tool, or a plan or version of it, is free or open source. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bizimply | Employee app for scheduling and HR | Rostering with forecasting and payroll | Not stated |
| Connecteam | Employee management app | Deskless teams in one app | Yes |
| Deputy | Staff rota and time clock software | Rotas, timesheets and time clocks together | Not stated |
| Findmyshift | Staff rota software | Small teams that want a free rota | Yes |
| Fourth | Workforce and inventory software | Hospitality groups with stock to manage | Yes |
| Planday | Workforce management platform | Shift teams wanting more predictable rotas | Trial only |
| RotaCloud | Online rota software | UK small businesses and care teams | Not stated |
| Rotageek | Workforce management and scheduling | Demand-led rotas for large teams | Not stated |
| Rotaready | Rota software for hospitality | Rotas inside a larger software group | Not stated |
| tamigo | Cloud workforce management | Supermarkets, luxury retail and hotels | Not stated |
Ten rota apps
Bizimply
Best for: Hospitality and retail groups who want scheduling and forecasting, timesheets and rostering, payroll and HR in one employee app.
Connecteam
Best for: Deskless teams who want scheduling, time tracking, chat and HR in one simple app, starting with a free account.
Deputy
Best for: Shift-work employers who want rotas, timesheets, HR and a time clock in one people platform with AI help.
Findmyshift
Best for: Owners of small teams who want a quick drag and drop rota that's free at their size, plus a free time clock station.
Fourth
Best for: Restaurant and hospitality groups that want AI forecasting, scheduling and inventory, with a free HotSchedules app.
Planday
Best for: Shift-based businesses that want more predictable rotas and time tracking in one place, with a free trial to start.
RotaCloud
Best for: UK employers from vets to care providers and security firms who want online rota planning built for their sector.
Rotageek
Best for: Large retailers and venues who want rota planning driven by demand forecasts and labour modelling.
Rotaready
Best for: Hospitality operators who want a rota platform that now sits within a larger business software group.
tamigo
Best for: Supermarkets, luxury retailers, hotels and restaurants that want cloud workforce management with demos on request.
Which rota app for which team
- A free rota for a small team: Findmyshift.
- Deskless teams with chat and HR: Connecteam.
- Rotas, timesheets and time clocks: Deputy.
- Hospitality with forecasting and payroll: Bizimply or Fourth.
- Predictable rotas and time tracking: Planday.
- UK small businesses and care teams: RotaCloud.
- Hospitality groups: Rotaready.
- Demand-led rotas for big teams: Rotageek.
- Supermarkets and luxury retail: tamigo.
The rest break rules your rota has to respect
GOV.UK says workers have the right to one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day if they work more than 6 hours a day. They also have the right to 11 hours' rest between working days, and either an uninterrupted 24 hours without work each week or 48 hours each fortnight.
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The 11-hour rule is the easiest one to break by accident. A late close followed by an early open, for example finishing at 11pm and starting at 7am, leaves only 8 hours. Check whether your rota app warns about that before you publish, because spotting it by eye on a busy week is hard.
Free rota app or a full workforce tool?
A free or simple rota app suits one site with a small team. You need shifts, swaps and a phone app, and that's it.
Full workforce tools add time and attendance, holiday tracking, payroll exports and forecasting. They earn their place once you run several sites or a large team.
Sector tools for hospitality or care add things like tips, stock or compliance records. They're worth a look if those take up your managers' week.
Six questions to ask before you switch
- Does it warn when a shift breaks the rest break rules?
- Can staff swap shifts and request holiday in the app?
- Does it track hours for payroll?
- Can you set availability and contracted hours per person?
- Will it work across more than one site?
- How quickly can a new manager learn it?
Signs your rota has outgrown the spreadsheet
- The rota lives in a group chat. Move it to an app.
- Closes are followed by early opens. Check rest rules.
- Holiday requests get lost. Track them in one place.
- Timesheets don't match the rota. Add a time clock.
Do you make rota apps? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on rota apps
Build next week's real rota in two apps on a free trial or free plan, then share it with three members of staff and ask which one they'd rather use. Staff use the app every day and you use it once a week, so their vote matters more than yours.
If you're also sorting contracts and policies, my guide to UK HR support services for small businesses helps with the people side.
Frequently asked questions
What is a rota app?
It's an app for planning staff shifts and sharing them on everyone's phone, with tools for swaps, holidays, availability and often clocking in.
Is there a free rota app?
Yes. Some rota apps say they're free for small teams or offer a free account. Check the free plan column above and confirm on each site.
How long a break must staff get in the UK?
GOV.UK says workers who work more than 6 hours a day have the right to one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break.
How much rest must staff get between shifts?
GOV.UK says workers have the right to 11 hours' rest between working days, which rotas with late closes and early opens can break.
What's the difference between a rota and a schedule?
They're the same thing. Rota is the common UK word, while schedule is more common in the US and Canada.
Can staff swap shifts in a rota app?
Most rota apps let staff request swaps with colleagues, usually with a manager approving the change.
