Outgrowing Sling? 7 Low-Cost Alternatives
Outgrowing Sling's free plan or frustrated with sync delays? 7 scheduling alternatives compared honestly, from free tiers to clear Pro pricing.
Diego Cárdenas
Founder of Turnozo
In this article
Sling gets a lot of things right. The free plan is generous (up to 30 users), the scheduling interface is clean, and for a small team that only needs to build and share a weekly schedule, it works. (I cover the full picture in my Sling review.)
But there's a pattern in the complaints.
The mobile app shows different shift data than the desktop version. Notifications arrive late or not at all. A 2024 update silently changed how shift swap requests work, and admins who used to approve time-off requests suddenly couldn't see them. If you're on the free plan and hit 30 users, the jump to paid kicks in with no middle ground.
If any of that sounds familiar, here are 7 alternatives worth considering. I build Turnozo, so I'm biased. I'll be upfront about where each competitor does something better than us.
Real Cost: Scheduling + Time Tracking
Prices shown are for equivalent features: scheduling + time tracking + reports. Free/basic plans with fewer features exist.
Save $303 vs most expensive
At 25 employees, Turnozo is the most affordable full-featured option.
Compare simpler scheduling optionsWhat to look for when switching from Sling
Before comparing tools, think about what actually pushed you to look elsewhere. Common reasons:
Mobile reliability. If you've dealt with sync issues between Sling's desktop and mobile apps, prioritize tools with a reputation for solid mobile experiences. Your staff shouldn't have to refresh the app three times to see updated shifts.
Time tracking included. Sling's free plan doesn't include time tracking. If that's a feature you need, look for tools that bundle scheduling and time tracking without charging extra for each.
Pricing structure. Sling charges per user on paid plans ($2-4/user/month). Some alternatives charge per location. The cheapest option depends on your team size and how many locations you run.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Time tracking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnozo | €2.99/employee/mo | Essential €9.99: ≤10 and 1 location | Yes (GPS) | Small teams wanting simplicity |
| Homebase | $30/location/mo | Yes (1 location, 10 employees) | Yes | Single-location businesses |
| When I Work | $2.50/user/mo | No | Yes (add-on) | Multi-location teams |
| Connecteam | $29/mo (min) | Yes (10 users) | Yes | Teams needing comms tools |
| Deputy | $5/user/mo annual Lite | No | Yes | Businesses with complex compliance |
| 7shifts | $44.99/location/mo | Yes (1 location, 15 employees) | Yes | Restaurants specifically |
| Planday | $2.50/user/mo | No | Yes | European teams |
1. Turnozo
Price: Essential is €9.99/month for up to 10 employees and one location (centro), with every feature included. Pro is €2.99/employee/month from employee 11 or the second location (centro), billed across the whole workforce.
Turnozo was built for small teams that want scheduling, time tracking, and availability management without the complexity. You drag shifts onto a weekly calendar, employees see them on their phone, and you're done.
Where it beats Sling:
- Time tracking with GPS is included at the base price (Sling charges $2/user extra for it)
- One flat price for everything. No Premium vs. Business confusion
- Geofencing ensures employees clock in from the right location
- Availability management is built in, not a workaround
Where Sling beats Turnozo:
- Sling has a permanent free plan for up to 30 users. Turnozo has an Essential plan
- Sling has built-in messaging and a news feed. Turnozo sticks to scheduling
- Sling has labor cost tracking on paid plans
Best for: Teams of 5-50 that need scheduling + time tracking in one tool without paying per feature.
2. Homebase
Price: Free for 1 location with up to 10 employees. Paid plans start at $30/location/month, or $24 on annual billing.
Homebase is a single-location option. The free plan includes scheduling and basic time tracking up to 10 employees, then paid plans charge per location.
Where it beats Sling:
- Free plan includes time tracking (Sling's doesn't)
- Hiring and onboarding tools built in
- Better integration ecosystem (POS systems, payroll)
Where Sling beats Homebase:
- Sling's free plan covers 30 users. Homebase free covers 10 employees at 1 location
- Per-user pricing on Sling's paid plans can be cheaper for large single-location teams
Watch out for: Cancellation headaches. Multiple Reddit threads describe being billed months after requesting cancellation. If you're trying to leave, see our step-by-step guide to cancelling Sling.
Best for: Single-location businesses (restaurants, retail, cafes) with 10 or fewer employees if they want the free plan.
3. When I Work
Price: Starts at $2.50/user/month. Time tracking is a separate add-on.
When I Work is probably the most widely used scheduling tool after Homebase. It's reliable, the mobile app works well, and it handles multi-location scheduling without charging extra per location.
Where it beats Sling:
- More reliable mobile app (a consistent theme in reviews)
- Better multi-location support
- Larger integration ecosystem
Where Sling beats When I Work:
- Sling has a free plan. When I Work doesn't
- Sling includes messaging for free
Watch out for: The $2.50/user Essentials price is scheduling-only. With time tracking, Essentials is $4/user/month. The total cost adds up quickly for teams that need both.
Best for: Multi-location teams that prioritize mobile reliability and don't mind paying per user.
4. Connecteam
Price: Free for up to 10 users. Paid plans start at $29/month minimum per hub.
Connecteam is more than scheduling. It bundles operations, communications, and HR into one app. For small teams under 10 employees, the free plan is arguably the best free option available.
Where it beats Sling:
- Free plan includes time tracking, scheduling, and communication
- More comprehensive feature set (training, forms, checklists)
- Works offline (Sling requires an active internet connection)
Where Sling beats Connecteam:
- Sling's free plan covers 30 users. Connecteam's free plan caps at 10
- Simpler interface if you only need scheduling
- Cheaper per-user on paid plans for teams that only need scheduling
Watch out for: The hub pricing model. Operations, Communications, and HR are billed separately. A team that wants all three can easily hit $87/month before per-user charges.
Best for: Teams under 10 who want an all-in-one tool. Gets expensive fast for larger teams.
5. Deputy
Price: Lite $5/user/month annual or $5.50 monthly. Core $6.50 annual or $7.25 monthly. Pro $9 annual or $10 monthly.
Deputy is the premium option on this list. It's built for businesses with complex compliance needs (healthcare, aged care, hospitality with award interpretation). The scheduling is solid, but you're paying for the compliance layer.
Where it beats Sling:
- Advanced compliance and labor law features
- Better reporting and analytics
- Auto-scheduling suggestions based on availability and qualifications
Where Sling beats Deputy:
- Significantly cheaper ($2/user vs. Deputy Core at $6.50 annual or $7.25 monthly)
- Sling has a free plan
- Simpler for teams that don't need compliance tools
Best for: Teams in regulated industries (healthcare, aged care) where labor compliance is critical.
6. 7shifts
Price: Free for 1 location (up to 15 employees). Paid from $44.99/location/month.
7shifts is built for restaurants. If that's your industry, the feature set is hard to beat. Tip pooling, labor forecasting against sales, POS integrations with Toast/Square/Clover. It's the standard in food service.
Where it beats Sling:
- Restaurant-specific features (tip pooling, sales-to-labor)
- POS integrations
- Built-in task management for pre-shift checklists
Where Sling beats 7shifts:
- Works for any industry (7shifts is restaurant-only)
- Cheaper for multi-location operations ($2-4/user vs. $44.99/location)
- Simpler if you don't need restaurant-specific tools
Watch out for: The company laid off 19% of staff in January 2024. Product development may slow.
Best for: Restaurants. Period. If you're not in food service, look elsewhere.
7. Planday
Price: Starts at $2.50/user/month (Starter plan).
Planday is a Danish company owned by Xero. It's popular across Europe and particularly strong in hospitality. The Xero integration makes it a natural fit for businesses already using Xero for accounting.
Where it beats Sling:
- Stronger in the European market (GDPR-compliant by design, multi-currency)
- Direct Xero integration
- Revenue forecasting against scheduled labor
Where Sling beats Planday:
- Sling has a free plan. Planday doesn't
- Sling is simpler to set up
Best for: European hospitality businesses already using Xero for accounting.
The bottom line
Sling is a solid tool. The free plan is among the most generous in the market, and for basic scheduling, it gets the job done. The issues tend to show up around mobile reliability, the jump to paid plans, and the limits of the free tier.
If you need time tracking included from day one without paying extra, Turnozo or Homebase are your best bets. If you need restaurant-specific features, 7shifts is the obvious choice. If you need an all-in-one platform for under 10 employees, Connecteam's free plan is hard to beat.
The right answer depends on your team size, your industry, and what specifically isn't working with Sling.
Trying to figure out the right scheduling tool for your team? Get started with Turnozo and see if simpler scheduling is what you've been looking for. Set up takes about 10 minutes.
You might also find these useful:
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Sling's free plan covers shift scheduling for up to 30 users. But it doesn't include time tracking, overtime monitoring, or labor cost tools. Those require the Premium plan at $2/user/month or Business at $4/user/month. Most teams that need more than basic scheduling end up paying.
Turnozo Essential is €9.99/month for up to 10 employees and one location (centro), with every feature included. Connecteam also offers a free plan for up to 10 users. Homebase has a free tier for a single location. Turnozo Pro is €2.99/employee/month from employee 11 or the second location (centro), billed across the whole workforce.
The most common complaints are mobile app sync delays (shifts showing differently on phone vs desktop), the 30-user cap on the free plan, limited reporting, and a 2024 change that restricted shift swap visibility to managers only. Some admins lost the ability to see time-off requests entirely.
Sling doesn't have a direct export-to-competitor feature, but you can export your employee list and rebuild schedules in most tools within 15-20 minutes for a small team. The bigger value is usually in starting fresh with cleaner availability data.
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