The verdict
7shifts vs Homebase
7shifts is the better choice for full-service restaurants, tipped teams, and growing groups, because its forecasting, tip management, and compliance tools are built for restaurant labor. Homebase is the better pick for a single counter-service spot or small cafe that wants scheduling, a time clock, hiring, and optional payroll at a lower monthly price.
Best for restaurants of any size
7shifts
- Our rating: 4.7 / 5
- Starting price: $39.99 / location / month
- Free plan: Yes (up to 15 employees)
Best for single locations on a budget
Homebase
- Our rating: 4.6 / 5
- Starting price: $24 / location / month (billed annually)
- Free plan: Yes (up to 10 employees)
At a glance
| 7shifts | Homebase | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Restaurants of any size | Single locations on a budget |
| Starting price | $39.99 / location / month (Essentials) | $24 / location / month billed annually (Essentials) |
| Free plan or trial | Free Comp plan (1 location, up to 15 employees); 14-day Pro trial | Free Basic plan (up to 10 employees); 14-day All-in-One trial |
| Pricing model | Per location; Pro $79.99 and Premium $134.99 | Per location; Plus and All-in-One tiers above Essentials |
| Deployment | Cloud, with iOS and Android apps | Cloud, with iOS and Android apps |
| Tip management | Included in Premium; $49.99 / location / month add-on otherwise | Tip Manager add-on at $25 / location / month |
| Labor compliance | Labor compliance tools on Pro and above | HR and compliance on All-in-One |
| Payroll | US payroll available | Add-on at $49 / month plus $6 per employee |
| Industries served | Restaurants only | Small businesses of all kinds |
7shifts is the better fit for restaurants that need tip pooling, labor forecasting, and compliance tools designed around hospitality work, while Homebase suits single locations and small cafes that want a free or low-cost all-in-one for scheduling, time tracking, and hiring. Both build schedules, run a time clock, and give staff a mobile app for swaps and messages. The real difference is depth: 7shifts goes further on restaurant labor, and Homebase goes wider across small business HR.
We rate 7shifts 4.7 out of 5 and Homebase 4.6, first and second on our ranked list of the best restaurant scheduling software. Here is how they compare on the things restaurant operators weigh most.
Who each tool is built for
7shifts is made only for restaurants. Its roles, wages, forecasts, and reports assume servers, cooks, hosts, and bartenders, and its integrations list is long on restaurant POS systems. It scales from one location on the free Comp plan to franchise and enterprise groups through its sales team.
Homebase serves small businesses of every kind, including retail shops, salons, and service companies, with independent restaurants as a large share of its audience. It packs scheduling, time tracking, team messaging, hiring tools, onboarding, and payroll into one account. That breadth is useful for an owner who wants one app for everything, but you get fewer features made specifically for restaurants.
Winner: 7shifts for restaurant-specific depth. Homebase wins for owners who want a general small business toolkit.
Scheduling and forecasting
Both tools cover the core: templates, availability, time-off requests, shift trades with manager approval, and schedule publishing to staff phones. The gap opens on forecasting. 7shifts can build schedules from labor targets and projected sales, and its Premium plan adds an advanced hourly labor forecast and labor recommendations. That helps a manager staff a Friday dinner rush without overspending on a slow Tuesday lunch.
Homebase includes advanced scheduling on Essentials and adds an AI scheduling assistant on its Plus plan. Labor cost management, with overtime alerts and break preferences, sits on its top All-in-One tier. For a small team with steady traffic, that is plenty. For a busy full-service restaurant, the sales-driven forecasting in 7shifts is the stronger tool.
Winner: 7shifts, for forecasting tied to restaurant sales.
Time clock, tips, and payroll
Both include a time clock that ties hours to the schedule. 7shifts includes basic time clocking on Essentials and adds advanced clocking tools on Pro. Homebase includes basic time tracking even on its free Basic plan, which is a real advantage for a small business that just needs accurate hours.
Tips separate the two. 7shifts offers tip management that calculates, distributes, and pays out tips. It is included in Premium and costs $49.99 per location per month as an add-on on other plans, with a $1 fee per instant payout. Homebase sells a Tip Manager add-on at $25 per location per month. If you run a tipped full-service floor with tip-outs to the kitchen and bar, test both on a real week of tips before deciding.
For payroll, Homebase has the simpler path: a payroll add-on at $49 a month plus $6 per active employee, run in the same app as scheduling. 7shifts also offers payroll in the US and connects to outside providers such as ADP, Gusto, and Paychex if you prefer to keep your current one.
Winner: tie. 7shifts for tip-heavy operations, Homebase for owners who want low-cost built-in payroll.
Labor law compliance
Restaurants in cities with predictive scheduling laws, along with anyone managing minors or California break rules, need alerts before a schedule goes out. 7shifts includes labor compliance and labor cost tools on its Pro plan and above. Homebase places HR and compliance features on its All-in-One plan.
Both can help, but you will pay for a higher tier either way. 7shifts frames its compliance tools around restaurant scheduling rules, which is the more natural fit for a multi-location restaurant in a Fair Workweek city. Ask each vendor to demo the exact alert you need, such as a short-notice change or a missed meal break, before you sign up.
Winner: 7shifts, for compliance built around restaurant schedules.
Integrations
7shifts lists dozens of POS connections, including Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, MICROS, Aloha, SpotOn, and TouchBistro, plus payroll connections to ADP, Gusto, Paychex, Paylocity, and others. That depth matters for restaurants on enterprise or niche POS systems.
Homebase integrates with popular small business POS systems including Square, Clover, Toast, and Lightspeed, and with payroll providers such as Gusto, ADP RUN, and QuickBooks. Its free Basic plan includes a POS integration, which is generous at that price.
Winner: 7shifts, for broader restaurant POS coverage. Homebase is fine if you run Square, Clover, or Toast.
Pricing and total cost
Both charge per location, so neither punishes you for a large crew. Homebase is cheaper at the entry level: Essentials is $24 per location per month billed annually ($30 monthly), with unlimited employees. 7shifts Essentials is $39.99 per location per month for up to 30 employees, Pro is $79.99, and Premium is $134.99, and annual billing saves 10%.
Free plans favor 7shifts slightly on headcount (up to 15 employees for one location versus 10 for Homebase), though Homebase’s free plan includes a time clock and POS integration. Add-ons change the math. A 7shifts restaurant that needs tip management outside Premium pays $49.99 extra per location, and a Homebase account that adds payroll pays $49 a month plus $6 per employee. Price your exact setup, with tips and payroll, for 12 months before choosing.
Winner: Homebase, for a lower starting price on a single location.
Hiring, HR, and team communication
Homebase pulls ahead once you look beyond the schedule. It includes hiring tools for posting jobs and tracking applicants, plus employee onboarding and HR features on its higher tiers, and it sells extras such as background checks and job post boosts. For an owner who handles hiring, paperwork, and payroll alone, having all of that in the same app as the schedule saves real time.
7shifts keeps its focus on the shift itself. Team messaging arrives on Essentials, and Pro adds performance and retention tools along with a Manager Log Book for shift notes and handoffs between managers. Premium adds task management for opening and closing checklists. Those features help a restaurant run each service, but they do not replace a hiring or HR system.
Winner: Homebase, for hiring and HR in one place. 7shifts wins on shift-level tools such as the log book.
Support
Both vendors offer live chat and phone support along with help centers. Homebase also runs an AI chat assistant around the clock. 7shifts lists live chat support with extended weekend hours, which suits restaurant managers who often work on Saturdays and Sundays when office-hours support is closed. Enterprise and franchise customers at 7shifts work with its sales team on rollout. Ask either vendor which support channels come with the plan you are buying, since entry tiers sometimes get less.
Winner: tie, with a slight edge to 7shifts for weekend coverage.
Trial and setup
Both make testing easy. 7shifts gives new sign-ups a 14-day trial of its Pro plan with no credit card, then lets you drop to the free Comp plan. Homebase offers a 14-day trial of All-in-One without a card and moves you to Basic if you do not pick a plan. Use the trial on real schedules, real shift trades, and a test payroll run, not on sample data.
Winner: tie. Both trials are long enough to run two real schedule weeks.
Pros and cons
7shifts
Pros
- Built only for restaurants
- Free plan for one small location
- Per-location pricing suits large crews
Cons
- Compliance tools start on the Pro plan
- Tip management costs extra
Homebase
Pros
- Generous free plan
- Scheduling, time clock, and hiring together
- Optional built-in payroll
Cons
- Fewer restaurant-specific features
- Payroll costs extra
Which should you choose?
Choose 7shifts if
- You run a full-service restaurant with tipped staff
- You want schedules built from POS sales forecasts
- You operate in a predictive scheduling city
- You plan to grow into multiple locations
Choose Homebase if
- You run one small cafe or counter-service spot
- You want the lowest paid plan price per location
- You want hiring and onboarding in the same app
- You want simple built-in payroll
See the full ranking
Best Restaurant Scheduling Software in 2026
We compare six restaurant scheduling tools on labor features, ease of use, and price, with picks for single restaurants, growing groups, and chains.
Frequently asked questions
Can you move from Homebase to 7shifts later without losing data?
You can, but plan for some manual work. Export your employee list, wages, and time records from Homebase, then import staff into 7shifts and reconnect your POS and payroll. Historical schedules usually do not carry over cleanly, so keep your Homebase reports for payroll and compliance records before you cancel the account.
Which is cheaper for your restaurant with 25 employees?
Homebase is cheaper at the entry level for one location, at $24 per location per month billed annually with unlimited employees. 7shifts Essentials costs $39.99 per location and covers up to 30 employees. The gap narrows or flips once you add tip management, payroll, or compliance tiers, so compare full monthly totals for your setup.
Do you need 7shifts if Homebase already connects to your POS?
Not always. If you run a small team on Square, Clover, or Toast and mainly need schedules and a time clock, Homebase covers it. 7shifts earns its higher price when you need sales-based labor forecasts, restaurant compliance alerts, tip management, or a POS that Homebase does not support.
Which tool will your staff find easier to use?
Both have well-reviewed mobile apps for viewing shifts, trading, requesting time off, and messaging. Staff at restaurants tend to like 7shifts because it uses restaurant roles and terms, while Homebase feels familiar to anyone who has worked retail. Have a few staff test each app during the free trials before you decide.