Yes. Sling's free plan covers up to 30 users and includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, team messaging, and a newsfeed. However, it doesn't include time tracking, overtime monitoring, labor cost reports, or the time clock kiosk. Those require the Premium ($1.70/user/month annual) or Business ($3.40/user/month annual) plan.
Premium adds time tracking, overtime alerts, PTO management, and the kiosk clock-in feature. Business adds labor cost management, advanced reporting, integrations with payroll systems, and custom user permissions. For most small teams, Premium covers what you need.
Yes. Multi-location scheduling is available on all plans, including the free tier. However, managing labor costs across locations requires the Business plan.
Sling's free plan is more generous on seats (30 users vs Turnozo's Essential plan). But once you need time tracking and long-term records, Sling Premium costs $1.70/user/month while Turnozo Pro costs €2.99/employee/month from employee 11 or the second location (centro), billed across the whole workforce. Turnozo also includes GPS clock-in and geofencing, which Sling doesn't offer.
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 on lower tiers, and a 2024 change that restricted shift swap visibility to managers only.
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If you are comparing scheduling apps, Sling is attractive for one obvious reason: the free plan is real. Up to 30 users get scheduling, messaging and time-off requests without a trial clock.
The catch is what happens next. Sling keeps time tracking, the kiosk time clock, overtime alerts and serious labor-cost reporting behind paid tiers. So this Sling Scheduling review focuses on the decision buyers actually need to make: is Sling still the right tool once you need scheduling and time tracking together?
Quick verdict: Sling is strong if you want free employee scheduling for a small team. It gets weaker if you need time clock data, GPS clock-in, overtime visibility or clean labor-cost reporting without upgrading. If you already know you need both rota planning and attendance tracking, compare the paid plans before you commit.
Sling Scheduling pricing: quick answer
Sling has a free scheduling plan for up to 30 users. Paid pricing depends on the features you need: Premium is the cheaper time-tracking tier, while Business is the labor-cost and reporting tier. If you are searching is Sling Scheduling free?, the honest answer is: yes for basic scheduling, no if you need a time clock, overtime alerts, labor-cost controls or deeper reporting.
Plan
Monthly price
Annual price
Best for
Main limit
Free
$0
$0
basic scheduling, messaging, time-off requests
no time tracking or labor-cost reporting
Premium
$2/user/mo
$1.70/user/mo
scheduling plus time clock, overtime alerts and PTO
For a 25-person team, Sling Premium is about $510/year on annual billing and Sling Business is about $1,020/year. The headline free plan is useful, but most pricing searches should compare the paid tier that matches the workflow you actually need.
Sling vs Alternatives: Annual Cost
See what you'd pay across Sling's tiers and how it compares.
TurnozoBest value
$897/year
Save $123 vs most expensive
Sling Free (no time tracking)
$0
Sling Premium
$510
Sling BusinessMost expensive
$1,020
Sling Free works for 25 employees if you only need scheduling. For time tracking + reports, Sling Business costs $3.40/user. Turnozo Pro is €2.99/employee/month from employee 11 or the second location (centro), billed across the whole workforce.
Sling's scheduling interface showing shift assignments on a weekly calendar
The free plan is genuinely useful. 30 users is enough for most small restaurants, retail shops, and cafes. You get real scheduling (not just a shared calendar), shift templates, time-off management, and team messaging. That's more than Homebase or Connecteam offer for free. (For a full comparison of alternatives, see our Sling alternatives breakdown.)
Messaging is built in. Direct messages, group chats, and a team newsfeed. You don't need a separate WhatsApp group or Slack workspace. For shift-based teams that don't sit at desks, this matters.
Task management is a nice extra. Assign tasks to shifts or employees. Opening checklists, closing procedures, prep lists. Most scheduling tools don't touch this.
Multi-location support on all plans. Even the free plan lets you manage multiple locations. Deputy charges $30/month minimum. If that is the sticking point, compare the best Deputy alternatives before paying for a heavier workforce-management stack. Homebase charges per location. Sling doesn't.
One manager on Reddit put it simply: "We use Sling for multiple locations and like it. It's $70/month which is reasonable compared to many other options."
Sling complaints and limits to check before buying
No time tracking on the free plan. This is the biggest gap. You can schedule shifts but can't track if people actually showed up on time. Most teams discover they need time tracking within 2-3 months, which means upgrading to Premium.
Mobile app sync issues. This comes up in almost every review thread. Shifts sometimes show differently on phone vs desktop. Schedule changes don't always push to the app immediately. As one Capterra reviewer noted: "The app can feel slow or glitchy at times." For a tool where most of your team uses the mobile app, that's a real problem.
The 30-user cap. Great for a single small location. But open a second location or grow past 30 employees and you're forced onto a paid plan. The jump from $0 to $1.70/user feels bigger than it should because you've been getting it for free.
Limited reporting. Basic reports exist on Premium, but anything useful for labor cost management requires Business ($3.40/user/month). If you need to know "am I spending too much on overtime?" you're paying for the top tier.
2024 shift swap change. Sling restricted shift swap visibility to managers only. Some admins lost the ability to see time-off requests entirely. This was a significant workflow change that frustrated long-time users.
Sling pricing breakdown: Free vs Premium vs Business
Most buying searches are really asking one of three things: is Sling free, what does it cost when you grow, and where does the free plan stop being enough?
Question
Short answer
What to verify before buying
Is Sling Scheduling free?
It has a free scheduling plan
Check whether messaging, time clock or reporting needs push you into paid tiers
What does Sling cost?
Pricing depends on Premium vs Business
Confirm the per-user price and whether every worker needs a paid seat
Is it enough for multiple locations?
Sometimes, but limits matter
Test location permissions, roles, labor-cost views and time tracking before rollout
If your team mainly needs simple shift planning, Sling can be a reasonable option. If the pain is scheduling plus mobile clock-ins, timesheets, absences and fewer admin steps, compare the whole workflow, not just the headline monthly price.
Sling pricing page showing Free, Premium, and Business plans
Free
Premium
Business
Monthly
$0
$2/user
$4/user
Annual
$0
$1.70/user
$3.40/user
User cap
30
Unlimited
Unlimited
Scheduling
Yes
Yes
Yes
Time tracking
No
Yes
Yes
Overtime alerts
No
Yes
Yes
Labor cost reports
No
No
Yes
Kiosk clock-in
No
Yes
Yes
Integrations
Limited
Limited
Full
The hidden cost: Sling Free ranks well because it solves basic rota planning. But if your team asks “can we clock in?”, “who was late?” or “how much overtime are we building?”, you are no longer comparing the free plan. You are comparing Premium or Business. A 25-person team on Business pays $1,020/year.
Who should use Sling Scheduling
Good fit:
Small teams under 30 who only need scheduling (no time tracking)
Budget-conscious businesses that want to try scheduling software before paying
Teams that value built-in messaging (reduces WhatsApp chaos)
Restaurants and retail shops at a single location
Not a good fit:
Teams that need time tracking from day one (you'll pay anyway)
Businesses over 30 employees (free plan doesn't apply)
Teams that need GPS clock-in or geofencing (Sling doesn't offer this)
Managers who need labor cost reports without paying for the top tier
How Sling compares to Turnozo
Turnozo's scheduling interface with drag-and-drop shifts
Sling (Premium)
Turnozo
Price
$1.70/user/mo (annual)
€2.99/employee/mo
Time tracking
Yes
Yes
GPS clock-in
No
Yes
Geofencing
No
Yes
Shift swaps
Yes
Yes
Team messaging
Built in
No (use WhatsApp/Slack)
Task management
Built in
No
Essential/Pro split
No (needs Business for full)
Essential includes every feature
Sling is cheaper per user on Premium. Turnozo is more expensive, but includes GPS verification and geofencing that Sling doesn't offer at any price. If you need time tracking with location verification, Turnozo wins. If built-in messaging matters more, Sling has the edge.
The bottom line
Sling's free plan is one of the best in the market. If you have under 30 employees and genuinely only need scheduling (no time tracking, no reports), it's hard to beat free.
But most teams outgrow it. And when you do, the pricing math changes. Sling Premium at $1.70/user is competitive but doesn't include labor cost reports. Sling Business at $3.40/user does, but at that point you're paying more than most alternatives.
The real question isn't "is Sling good?" (it is). It's "will Sling still be the right choice in 6 months when your needs grow?" If you're already thinking about what comes after Sling, see our full comparison of Turnozo vs Deputy vs Sling.
If you're comparing your next move, start with 7 Best Sling Alternatives for a shortlist, then check Turnozo vs Deputy vs Sling if you're deciding between cheap, flexible, and compliance-heavy options. If cost is the main reason you're leaving, our scheduling software pricing comparison breaks down what each plan actually costs once you add time tracking.
If you are choosing between the two free-plan favorites, read Homebase vs Sling next; the important difference is whether you need a time clock on day one.
