PeopleMuster

Best employee management software for manufacturing

PeopleMuster ranks first for a plant with shift workers: $3 per person a month covers named shifts, terminal or browser check-in, late minutes, leave and the staff record, with no add-on to buy. Deputy ranks second for three published per-user plans with HR sold as a $2 add-on.

How this was judged

Ranked on what one published per-person price covers for a shift-based plant: shift assignment, clock-in, leave and the employee record.

Six products were compared on 24 September 2026. Each price was read from the vendor's own pricing page that day. We noted what sits in the base plan and what is sold on top. A product whose price is quoted rather than published ranks below every product that prints one. Disclosure: PeopleMuster is our product, and it sits where the method puts it.

The ranking

01

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month, every module included, no tiers. $30 per person a year on annual billing, which is two months free.
Who it suits
A plant or workshop that runs two or more named shifts and wants attendance, leave and staff records in one place.
Where it wins
Named shifts with time windows, assigned per person, with a full assignment history. Workers punch in at a ZKTeco terminal on the site network, and each day's row shows check-in, check-out, working hours and late minutes. The attendance card also counts lunches and dinners, which the canteen can plan from.
02

Deputy

Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user a month. 10% off on annual billing. HR add-on $2 per user a month. Trial up to 31 days. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A site that wants per-user shift plans first and adds HR as its own line.
Where it wins
Three published plans, an annual discount and the longest free trial in this set, at up to 31 days.
Where it falls short
HR is an add-on at $2 per user a month on top of the plan price.
03

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 plant that wants the lowest per-user entry price for its shift team.
Where it wins
The lowest published per-user entry price here, at $2.50 on Essentials.
Where it falls short
Three plans, so every feature above Essentials raises the per-user price.
04

Connecteam

Priced per hub. Basic $29 a month billed yearly ($35 monthly) for the first 30 users, then $0.50 to $1.00 per extra user. Advanced $49 ($59), Expert $99 ($119). Free for up to 10 users. Verified 24 September 2026.
Who it suits
A small site of ten or fewer that wants to start on a free plan.
Where it wins
Free up to ten users, then a hub price that covers the first 30 users.
Where it falls short
Each hub is bought on its own, so a plant using several hubs pays for each one.
05

Keka

Priced by region, with India, USA & EU and APAC & GCC tabs, a base price rendered per region and a minimum headcount. Checked September 2026.
Who it suits
A manufacturer that wants attendance, shifts and payroll sold as one product.
Where it wins
HR, payroll, hiring and projects with timesheets are tabs of one product.
Where it falls short
No single published per-seat price, and a minimum headcount sets a floor on the bill.
06

Resourceinn

Quote-gated. No figure is published, checked September 2026.
Who it suits
A multi-site manufacturer that wants its check-in methods configured by the vendor.
Where it wins
Biometric check-in marketed across more than thirty industry configurations.
Where it falls short
No published price, so a plant learns its cost only after a quote.

Questions people ask

Can PeopleMuster run more than one shift a day?

Yes. Each shift is a named window, such as Morning 10:00 to 19:00 or Mid 12:00 to 21:00. Each worker is assigned one with a start date. The Assignment History tab keeps every past change and who made it.

How do late arrivals show up on the shop floor record?

As late minutes on that day's attendance row. The attendance card shows the on-time rate and the late-arrival count. An admin can filter the list to Late Arrivals Only for one department or date range.

What happens when a worker forgets to punch?

They raise a manual punch request, and HR reviews it before it touches the record. You don't get a silent gap, and the activity log keeps the before and after values of every change.

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