Best HR software for companies that run shifts

PeopleMuster ranks first for a company that runs several shifts: named shifts, clock-in measured against each person's own shift, and leave all come in $3 per person a month. Calamari ranks second, selling Time & Attendance and Time Off as separate modules from $2.50 and $2 a head billed yearly.

How this was judged

Ranked on the per-person monthly price of one bill that covers the shift plan, clocking in against it, and leave, for a company running two or more shifts.

Five products were compared on 24 September 2026, each price read from the vendor's own pricing page that day. A company with a morning shift and a late shift needs lateness measured against the shift each person actually works, so the ranking asks what it costs to get shifts, attendance and leave on one bill. Where those come as separate modules or add-ons, the page names each part rather than adding them up. Vendors whose paid prices could not be read are placed last. Disclosure: PeopleMuster is our product, and it sits where the method puts it.

The ranking

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month, every module included: shifts, attendance, leave, holidays and the rest. $30 per person a year on annual billing.

Who it suits: A company that runs a morning shift and a later one, or more, and wants late minutes counted from each person's own start time.
Where it wins: You name each shift with its time window and assign it per person with a start date, and the history of every change is kept. People clock in on a fingerprint terminal or, once an admin turns it on, from the browser inside a window around their shift. Missed that window? The punch becomes a request HR reviews. Late minutes, on-time rate and partial days are counted against the shift, and approved leave and company holidays show on the same record.

Calamari

Per employee a month, monthly or yearly: Time & Attendance $3 or $2.50, Time Off $2.50 or $2, Core HR $2.50 or $2. 10-seat minimum, 14-day trial. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: A team of ten or more that wants to buy attendance and leave as modules and clock in from Slack.
Where it wins: Every module has a published price, and Calamari's Slack app lets staff clock in and out and request leave there.
Where it falls short: Attendance and leave are two modules, so the bill is a sum, with a ten-seat floor.

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 company that plans leave first and wants a rota and time clock on the top tier.
Where it wins: A low published price for leave, and leave requests that managers approve straight from Slack.
Where it falls short: The rota and time clock sit on the top tier, above Business and Pro.

Deputy

Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user a month, 10% off billed yearly. HR add-on $2 per user. Trial up to 31 days. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: A shift-heavy business that wants a dedicated scheduling and time tool and will add HR on top.
Where it wins: Three published tiers, a long trial and an HR add-on with its own price.
Where it falls short: HR is an add-on on top of the scheduling tier, so the bill has two parts.

Jibble

Free forever for unlimited users. Paid tier prices could not be read on the page on 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: A company that wants to try time tracking at no cost before it picks a paid plan.
Where it wins: A free plan with no user cap.
Where it falls short: The paid tiers' prices could not be read on the page, so the full bill is unknown here.

Questions people ask

Which HR software is best for a company that runs multiple shifts?

On one bill for shifts, attendance and leave, PeopleMuster ranks first at $3 per person a month. Calamari sells Time & Attendance from $2.50 and Time Off from $2 per employee a month billed yearly, as separate modules. Deputy starts at $5 per user, with HR as a $2 add-on.

How is lateness counted when staff work different shifts?

Lateness is counted from each person's own shift start, not one company start time. In PeopleMuster each person is assigned a named shift, such as a morning window or a later one. Their clock-in is measured against it, so late minutes and on-time rate stay fair across every shift.

What happens if someone misses the check-in window?

In PeopleMuster a missed window becomes a manual punch request that HR reviews, so nothing is silently lost. The browser window opens 60 minutes before a shift and closes 120 minutes after by default, and an admin can change all four edges.