7shifts vs Homebase vs Deputy: Scheduling Compared
All three build the weekly schedule, run a time clock and message your team. The difference is who they are built for: 7shifts is made for restaurants, Homebase is the cheapest way in for a small team, and Deputy prices per user and leans on demand forecasting.
The short answer
- Pick 7shifts if you run a restaurant or bar and want scheduling, tip pooling, payroll and labour-law compliance from a tool built only for restaurants.
- Pick Homebase if you have one location and a small team. Its Basic plan is free for one location with up to 10 employees, and paid plans start at $30 a location a month.
- Pick Deputy if you have several sites, mixed hotel and food teams, or staff who work few hours. You pay per user (from US$5 a month), with AI demand forecasting from the Core plan up.
How the pricing works
Homebase charges per location: Basic is $0 (1 location, up to 10 employees), Essentials $30, Plus $70 and All-in-One $120 a location a month, with a discount for paying annually. Payroll is an add-on. Deputy charges per user: Lite $5, Core $6.50 and Pro $9 a user a month, with a $30 monthly minimum. 7shifts sells per-location plans in tiers and offers a free trial; check its pricing page for the current numbers.
Per-user pricing is cheap when you have a small core team and expensive when you have 40 part-timers. Per-location pricing is the opposite. Count your active staff before you compare.
What to test in a free trial
- Build next week's schedule from scratch, with your real availability and time-off requests. Time how long it takes.
- Check your POS link. Labour cost against sales is the main reason to pay for these tools. Make sure your POS is supported on the plan you'd buy.
- Tips and payroll. If you pool tips, run last week's numbers through the tool and compare them with what you actually paid.
- The staff app. Ask two or three staff to swap a shift in the app. If they won't use it, the manager will end up texting anyway.
Where AI actually helps
The useful AI here is forecasting: predicting how busy a shift will be from past sales and suggesting how many people to schedule. Deputy includes demand forecasting and auto-scheduling from its Core plan, and Homebase adds an AI scheduling assistant on Plus. Treat the suggestion as a first draft. You still know about the private party on Friday that the model does not.
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3 tools compared
| Tool | Best for | Built for | Pricing (vendor-published) | Key features (vendor-described) | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7shifts Staff Scheduling & HR | Restaurants and bars that want tip pooling and labour compliance built in | restaurants, bars | See pricing page (free trial) | Scheduling; Team communication; Tip pooling | 2026-10-13 |
| Homebase Staff Scheduling & HR | Single-location venues with up to 10 staff who want a free plan | restaurants, bars, b&bs | Free for 1 location up to 10 employees; Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120/location/month | Scheduling; Time clock; Payroll add-on | 2026-10-20 |
| Deputy Staff Scheduling & HR | Multi-site groups and hotels that want per-user pricing and forecasting | restaurants, hotels, bars | From US$5/user/month (Lite); Core $6.50, Pro $9; $30 monthly minimum | AI labour forecasting; Scheduling; Time tracking | 2026-10-20 |
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FAQ
Is Homebase really free?
Homebase's Basic plan is listed at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees, with basic scheduling, time tracking and POS integration. Paid plans start at $30 a location a month.
Is Deputy cheaper than 7shifts?
It depends on headcount. Deputy charges per user (from US$5 a month, $30 minimum) while 7shifts charges per location. A venue with few staff usually pays less on Deputy; a venue with many part-timers may pay less per location.
Which one is best for restaurants?
7shifts is built only for restaurants and bars, with tip pooling and labour compliance. Homebase suits small single-site venues. Deputy is general-purpose and works well for hotels and multi-site groups.