Shift Scheduling Software Compared 2026: 5 Tools

What you should know before you pick a tool

Anyone running a team without fixed desks knows it: shift scheduling is often the first process to get out of hand. Shifts are coordinated over WhatsApp, vacation requests arrive on slips of paper, and the current plan sits somewhere in an Excel file that is three versions old. That does not just cost time – it leads to mistakes, frustration in the team and, in the worst case, breaches of the German Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz, ArbZG) that nobody had on their radar.

Shift scheduling software solves exactly that. But the market is hard to read: some tools stick to the shift schedule itself, others want to cover the whole of HR administration, and others go a step further and cover day-to-day operations. Picking the wrong tool means either too few features for what you actually need, or too much complexity for a team that simply wants to know who works where and when.

clockin – the operating system for doers

clockin thinks about shift scheduling differently: not as an isolated HR module, but as part of an operational platform that brings office, team and customer together. Alongside time tracking and shift planning, clockin covers areas other tools do not touch: mobile project documentation, digital checklists, customer management, invoicing and AI-supported features such as automatic video documentation, call notes and an AI phone assistant. The app works online and offline.

That makes clockin particularly interesting for businesses whose employees do not sit at a desk – home care services, retail teams, the construction industry, commercial cleaning, hospitality. Everywhere that time tracking alone is not enough because day-to-day operations are more complex.

Strengths: No other tool in this comparison goes so far beyond pure shift scheduling – mobile-first, AI features at its core and offline-capable, clockin is a comprehensive solution for teams that do not sit at a desk.

Price: Shift scheduling from €24/month, time tracking from €3.59/month/employee, project documentation from €8.99/month/employee

Learn more about shift scheduling with clockin →

gastromatic – HR management with integrated payroll

gastromatic combines HR administration, shift scheduling, time tracking and payroll in one platform. It includes an auto-scheduler, a document creator with an e-signature function and a digital employee file. Gastromatic offers no DATEV integration, but a team of payroll experts meant to replace the external payroll office.

Features: Shift scheduling with auto-scheduler, time tracking, digital employee file, document management, employee app and open API.

Price: Starter from €6.95/employee/month

Ordio – HR software for shift-based businesses

Alongside shift planning and time tracking, Ordio also covers the employee file, document management, checklists and payroll preparation. An AI assistant is built into the shift planning. The pricing model is per location rather than per licence as with many other providers.

Features: Shift planning, time tracking, absences, digital employee file, checklists, payroll automation, employee app, AI assistant.

Price: From €89/location/month

Planovo – shift scheduling and time tracking

Planovo is a browser-based shift scheduler with time tracking, vacation planning, a time clock and a working time account. Employees can view their schedule in the Android app, enter their availability and submit absence requests. The servers are located in Germany, and the tool is GDPR-compliant and TÜV-certified.

Features: Shift scheduling, vacation planning, time tracking with a time clock, working time account, employee app, team communication. HR features, an auto-scheduler and deeper reporting are not included. There is no direct integration with payroll accounting software such as DATEV.

Price: Shift planning from €2.50/employee/month (in licence blocks of 10)

Aplano – shift schedule and time tracking

Aplano is a cloud-based solution for shift planning and time tracking that can be used in a browser, on a tablet and on a smartphone. Planning works by drag and drop, and open shifts can be picked up by employees through a shift marketplace. Availability, absences and a working time account are built in, and data exports for payroll preparation are possible.

Features: Drag-and-drop shift planning, time tracking, working time account, shift marketplace, absence management, data exports, employee app. No direct DATEV integration available.

Price: Time tracking & shift planning from €4.50/employee/month

Conclusion: which tool fits you?

Not every piece of software suits every business. If you are looking for the right solution, look less at the feature list and more at how your own business is set up.

gastromatic and Ordio are the right choice if you do not yet have payroll accounting and want to cover all your HR topics in one system. Aplano and Planovo cover the basics, but for that reason also reach their limits sooner.

clockin takes a different route: the feature set goes far beyond pure shift scheduling. The tool is modular, though, and so adapts smoothly to a wide range of industries. If you want to digitalize the entire working day of mobile teams, you add project documentation, time tracking, customer management and an AI phone assistant to your shift scheduling. If all your hospitality business needs is time tracking and a shift schedule, you get the best time tracking (Trusted, 2026) together with cost-effective shift planning.

All prices as at June 2026, plus VAT. Prices may change – check directly with the provider.