How to choose a roster app for a small business
Short answer: if you only need to agree who works when, use a free, simple roster app. If you also need clock-in, timesheets and payroll, pay for a workforce suite. Here's how the options compare.
Updated
Start freeThe four ways small teams roster
Most small businesses start in a group chat, move to a spreadsheet, then pick software. Each step fixes one problem and adds a cost.
| Compared on | Group chat | Spreadsheet | RosterLite | Workforce suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Monthly, per person or per location |
| Collecting availability | Messages you read and remember | You type it in | Staff tap the shifts they can work | Staff submit it in an app |
| Seeing the roster | A photo or a pinned message | A shared file or a screenshot | Live on every phone | In the app |
| Last-minute changes | Whoever messages first | Anyone with edit access | Locked for staff inside a window you set | Shift swap approvals |
| Clock-in and timesheets | No | No | No | Yes |
| Payroll | Add it up by hand | Formulas you maintain | CSV of shifts or hours | Payroll integrations, award rules in some |
| Set-up | None | An afternoon | A few minutes | Days, often with onboarding |
| Best for | 2 or 3 people, fixed hours | A steady team that rarely changes | Small teams of casuals and part-timers | Larger or multi-site teams that need time and pay |
Workforce suites include Deputy, Tanda, When I Work, 7shifts and Homebase. Their features and plans vary and change often, so check their own pricing pages.
Questions to ask before you pick
Six questions settle it for most small teams.
How many people?
Under a few dozen casuals suits a simple app. Hundreds across sites suits a suite.
Do you need clock-in?
If you need timesheets from the app, you need a workforce suite.
What will it cost per month?
Per-person pricing adds up for a big casual pool who work a few shifts each.
How do staff give availability?
Tapping shifts on a phone beats messages you have to type in.
Can you stop late changes?
Look for a lock before the day, so Saturday doesn't empty out on Friday night.
Will staff actually use it?
No download and one join link gets a casual team on in a day.
When RosterLite is the right choice
A small team, changing availability, and payroll you already have sorted.
- You run a café, bakery, shop, bar, studio or gym with casual and part-time staff.
- Your roster lives in a group chat or a spreadsheet today and you're tired of chasing availability.
- You want staff to see their shifts on their phone without installing anything.
- You pay staff through payroll software or a bookkeeper, and a CSV of shifts or hours is all they need.
When it isn't
RosterLite does one job. Pick something else if you need more than the roster.
- You need staff to clock in and out, or timesheets generated from the roster.
- You need award interpretation, labour cost forecasting or payroll inside the same tool.
- You roster more than 500 people in one business. RosterLite caps a team at 500.
- You need to plan further ahead than two weeks. RosterLite rosters the next fortnight.
Still on a spreadsheet? See how to move over, or what's in the free roster app.
Simplify your shifts
Free for small teams. Set up in a few minutes.