PeopleMuster

Best employee scheduling software

When I Work ranks first on published entry price, at $2.50 per user a month on Essentials. PeopleMuster comes second at $3 per person a month, and that one figure buys named shifts, attendance, leave, timesheets and every other module, with no tier above it.

How this was judged

Ranked on the entry price of a paid plan per person per month, with per-location and per-hub plans placed after the per-person ones.

Six scheduling products were compared on 24 September 2026. Each price was read from the vendor's own pricing page that day and is quoted the way the vendor prints it. Four vendors price per person, so they're ranked by their lowest paid figure. Connecteam prices per hub and Homebase per location, so what you pay per head depends on your headcount; both follow the per-person group, in order of their entry figure. Free plans are noted on each card but don't set the rank, because each one caps the team size. Disclosure: PeopleMuster is our product, and it sits where the method puts it.

The ranking

01

When I Work

Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8 per user a month. 14-day trial. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A team that wants the lowest per-person figure for putting people on shifts.
Where it wins
The lowest paid entry price in this set, with all three tiers printed on the page.
Where it falls short
Essentials is the bottom of three tiers. The next one up, Pro, is $5.
02

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month, every module included, no tiers. $30 per person a year on annual billing.
Who it suits
A company that wants shifts, attendance and leave on the same record as its projects and timesheets.
Where it wins
You set up named shifts with their own time windows and assign them person by person, with a full assignment history. Attendance reads against the shift, so on-time rate and late minutes are there without a second tool. Browser check-in opens in a window around each person's shift. The 14 days free come with no card.
03

Deputy

Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user a month. 10% off on annual billing. HR add-on $2 per user. Trial up to 31 days. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A shift-based business that wants scheduling first and can add HR later.
Where it wins
Three published tiers, a discount for paying yearly and the longest trial here.
Where it falls short
HR is a separate $2 add-on on top of whichever tier you pick.
04

Timetastic

Business $1.50, Pro $2.50, Rota & Time Clock $5.50 per user a month. 30-day trial, month to month. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A team that already tracks time off in Timetastic and wants rotas beside it.
Where it wins
A 30-day trial and no contract, with every tier on the page.
Where it falls short
Rotas sit on the top tier, so scheduling starts at $5.50 rather than the $1.50 headline.
05

Connecteam

Priced per hub. Basic $29 a month billed yearly ($35 monthly) for the first 30 users, then $0.50 to $1 per extra user. Advanced $49 ($59), Expert $99 ($119). Free for up to 10 users. 14-day trial. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A deskless team of up to 30 that wants one flat fee for a hub.
Where it wins
A flat hub fee covers the first 30 users, and teams of 10 or fewer can use it free.
Where it falls short
Each hub is billed on its own, so the bill grows with the number of hubs you switch on.
06

Homebase

Priced per location. Basic is free for one location with up to 10 employees. Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location a month. 14-day trial. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A single shop or restaurant with a small crew on one site.
Where it wins
A free plan for one small location, and a price that doesn't move as you add staff at that site.
Where it falls short
Every extra location is another fee, and the free plan stops at 10 employees.

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest employee scheduling software?

On paid entry price per person, When I Work Essentials at $2.50 a user is lowest here, then PeopleMuster at $3 and Deputy Lite at $5. Homebase and Connecteam both have free plans, but each caps the team at 10. PeopleMuster's $3 also covers attendance, leave and timesheets.

How does PeopleMuster handle shifts?

You create named shifts with a start and end time, like a morning or a mid shift, and assign each one to a person from a start date. Every change lands in the assignment history. Attendance then reads each punch against that shift, so late minutes and on-time rate show up on their own.

Can staff clock in without a terminal?

Yes. Once an admin switches it on, people check in and out from the browser inside a window around their shift. By default it opens 60 minutes before the start and closes 120 minutes after, and you can change all four edges. A missed window becomes a punch request that HR reviews.

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