Your small enterprise lives and dies by its staff. That’s why it’s so essential to discover a staff administration platform you possibly can depend on so it can save you time, stress, and cash on key duties like shift scheduling, time monitoring, and employees communication.

However should you’re already utilizing Planday or are wanting into it for the primary time — and suspect it doesn’t fairly do all the pieces you want it to — it is sensible you’re searching for a Planday different. 

We’re right here to assist. We’ve researched six of the very best Planday alternate options in the marketplace utilizing impartial evaluation web sites like G2, Capterra, and Software program Recommendation and in contrast them primarily based on key options, pricing, and person scores. 

We additionally defined:

• What Planday is and what it’s used for
• What you would possibly wish to search for in a Planday different, to assist information your search
• Key options to search for in a Planday different to make it simpler to check instruments

We additionally cowl our personal all-in-one employees administration resolution, Homebase. After all, we could also be just a little biased, however we consider it’s the very best small enterprise platform obtainable, with all of the important instruments you want beneath one digital roof.

What’s Planday and what’s it used for?

Planday is workforce administration software program, which is what the business formally calls “managing your employees.” It’s designed primarily for companies that must schedule hourly staff members and says that its important purpose is to “uncomplicate workforce administration.” 

It goals to assist prospects set employees hours, plan worker shifts round availability, be sure that individuals all the time have entry to the newest schedule, and observe hours labored to allow them to streamline their enterprise operations, even remotely.

This ensures that staff members are all the time in the precise place on the proper time once you want them, you can pay them precisely and promptly, and that your labor prices keep beneath management.

Planday’s options and makes use of embody:

• Shift planning — Scheduling your staff’s hours by expertise, price, and availability.
• Punch clock — Enabling staff to clock out and in of labor by GPS utilizing a digital gadget.
• Reporting — Monitoring income and prices to optimize your price range.
• Employees communication — Protecting employees knowledgeable inside the identical digital area.
• Employees document maintaining — Organizing and storing worker data, certifications, and paperwork.

Why would possibly you search for a Planday different?

Listed here are some causes you is likely to be searching for a Planday different in your small enterprise staff administration wants:

Cause #1: You want extra on a regular basis options

Planday has instruments for time monitoring, scheduling, reporting, and staff communication, however purposefully limits itself to these areas for the sake of simplicity. If that’s what you need, then nice — but it surely’s doubtless that, as a small enterprise proprietor, you’ll additionally want entry to different important options, together with these for payroll, human assets, hiring, and worker engagement and happiness. 

Cause #2: You need an all-in-one resolution

When you discover that you simply want extra options than Planday supplies, you will have two choices. You may pay for and piece collectively separate instruments for every want (for instance, one for payroll, one other for HR, and so forth), spend time determining how one can join them, and hope that they work. This could possibly be costly and time-consuming. Or, you might select an all-in-one software like Homebase that has all these instruments inside the identical platform, so that you solely should pay a single price and received’t have to fret about instruments working collectively.

Cause #3: You want in-person recommendation and assist

Typically within the enterprise world — particularly should you’re a solo entrepreneur or a smaller firm — you simply need somebody to show to for recommendation, or to check out your setup and supply constructive ideas. Planday has a number of options, but it surely doesn’t supply that service (past assist pages and a webchat field). That is in distinction to a software like Homebase, which has a staff of HR specialists on name who might help you to evaluation insurance policies or deal with particular questions through a reside name. So, you’ll by no means be caught with out solutions.

Cause #4: You don’t wish to pay per person

Many staff administration platforms cost per person. This is likely to be fantastic should you work solo, or solely have a few members of employees. Nevertheless, in case your small enterprise has a staff of employees, this might get costly, rapidly. As an alternative, you is likely to be searching for a platform like Homebase, which costs per location and permits limitless staff for one flat price per thirty days (beginning at simply $24.95 per location.)

Key options to search for in a Planday different

After all, the options you’ll search for particularly rely in your motive for wanting a Planday different within the first place. 

However should you’re evaluating small enterprise administration platforms with the intention of discovering essentially the most helpful, time-saving, and reasonably priced possibility, we suggest searching for: 

• Straightforward scheduling — Planday affords this, so it is sensible that any real different would additionally embody it. The most effective suppliers will allow you to create schedules in minutes utilizing copy-and-paste templates, take availability and labor prices under consideration robotically, and allow employees to change shifts simply.
• Correct time monitoring — Once more, a Planday characteristic. Nevertheless, test to be sure that any doable different lets employees use digital units to trace time, sends alerts to keep away from costly time beyond regulation, and makes use of instruments like PINs and GPS monitoring to keep away from time theft and buddy punching.
• Intuitive staff communication — Planday additionally has this, however you could wish to search for a platform that sends the brand new schedule to employees robotically, allows you to set reminders to keep away from costly time beyond regulation, and lets your staff chat to share concepts, notes, and shoutouts. 
• Correct payroll — Planday doesn’t supply this software, so a platform that does will prevent main money and time on having to seek out but one other exterior resolution. Verify it calculates wages precisely, takes day without work and ideas under consideration, and allows you to pay staff rapidly and on time. 
• HR and compliance experience — The most effective staff administration platforms won’t solely show you how to handle administrative human assets duties associated to paperwork, {qualifications}, and depart but additionally supply on-demand, skilled ideas which are tailor-made to your corporation. That approach, you will be certain you keep legally compliant always and persist with the federal, state, and metropolis labor legal guidelines that apply to you. 
• Hiring and onboarding assist — Employees administration options that provide these sorts of options are really complete, in that they show you how to handle present staff members in addition to rent new ones. Search for instruments like templates, integrations with job boards, applicant monitoring, and automatic onboarding processes.
• Worker happiness instruments — In case your employees aren’t completely satisfied, they received’t keep lengthy. Preserve engagement and appreciation ranges excessive by searching for a software that features perks, like letting them money out wages early or sharing shoutouts to hard-working staff members.
• Highly effective integrations — You can also make your digital platform go even additional with inbuilt integrations. When you already know and use some key instruments, test that any different will work seamlessly with them (for instance, Shopify, QuickBooks, or Gusto.)  

The breakdown: 6 high Planday alternate options

• Homebase: Greatest all-in-one resolution
• Deputy: Greatest for simplicity
• Once I Work: Greatest for simple setup
• Quinyx: Greatest for superior analytics
• TCP Humanity Scheduling: Greatest for medium-to-large companies
• Ceridian Dayforce: Greatest for scaling companies

1. Homebase: The most effective all-in-one resolution

Homebase is an all-in-one small enterprise administration platform designed particularly for firms that depend on hourly employees.

It not solely consists of the options Planday affords, but additionally has strong and easy-to-use instruments for staff communication, recruitment, onboarding, and full-service payroll, so you possibly can run your staff inside a single, unified digital platform. 

This eliminates the necessity for a number of software program options or difficult integrations.

With Homebase, user-friendliness is a precedence. Furthermore, our pricing is accessible for small companies and our time monitoring and scheduling options are fully free for groups of as much as 20 employees members at one enterprise location. 

We additionally present distinctive assist, onboarding help, and useful guides to make sure you get essentially the most worth out of your Homebase funding.

Homebase measures up strongly in the case of options that Planday additionally consists of, like:

Scheduling

Homebase’s scheduling software solves your scheduling challenges by enabling you to seamlessly plan shifts every week, utilizing templates and copy-and-paste options from week to week. Your staff can simply change shifts, and you may set your schedule in keeping with your labor forecasts (so that you don’t overspend on labor or over-/beneath schedule for a shift). Homebase additionally lets you share your schedule as you go, so your staff all the time has the newest data, and is aware of precisely what they’re doing and when.

Time monitoring

Homebase’s GPS-enabled time clocks show you how to keep away from time theft and buddy punching, as staff can solely clock in after they’re bodily on-site. This ensures your data are correct and honest. Homebase allows you to flip digital units into worker time clocks, and robotically converts clocked hours into exact on-line timesheets, so you possibly can seamlessly and precisely pay your employees. The time clock and timesheet instruments additionally allow you to implement authorized time clock rounding (should you select), and make it simple to handle time card approval. 

Group communication

Make it simple to share essential particulars along with your staff, and allow them to ship useful shift notes to coworkers, inside the identical staff communication app (with out sharing personal telephone numbers.) Homebase’s app makes it simple to ship messages to people, particular teams, or all the employees. This not solely allows you to share the newest schedule with staff but additionally empowers them to ship shift notes and useful concepts to different employees. You may as well set alerts to remind employees to take breaks or clock out and in of labor on time.

Different notable options

• HR and compliance: Helps guarantee your insurance policies are compliant with federal, state, and native legal guidelines. 
• Forecasting instruments: Create schedules and employees your corporation utilizing clever gross sales and labor knowledge.
• Payroll: Built-in software program that calculates worker paychecks, information and pays payroll taxes, and sends direct deposit funds to your staff. 
• Hiring and onboarding instruments: Rent the very best individuals rapidly through the use of job description templates, e-sign essential paperwork securely, and ship welcome packets, all inside the identical app.
• Cell app: Out there for each managers and employees to make use of, providing almost all of the options obtainable on the desktop model.

Execs and cons

Execs

Cons

• One person mentioned they wished the iPad app was as detailed because the iPhone model.
• One other talked about that they want the app’s font to be just a little larger, and wished that there was a darkish mode.

Pricing

Homebase’s scheduling and timesheet software is totally free. Nevertheless, if you wish to maximize effectivity and get essentially the most out of all the software program, we provide the next packages.

• Primary: Free for one location and as much as 20 staff. It consists of fundamental scheduling and time monitoring, worker administration instruments like Messaging, point-of-sale integrations and entry to e-mail assist. 
• Necessities: $24.95 per thirty days per location. Every little thing in Primary, plus payroll integrations, staff communication, efficiency monitoring,  superior time monitoring and scheduling and entry to reside assist.
• Plus: $59.95 per thirty days per location. Every little thing in Necessities, plus hiring instruments, retention and efficiency monitoring, day without work controls, and departments and permissions.
• All-in-one: $99.95 per thirty days per location. Every little thing in Plus, with HR and compliance, new rent onboarding, labor price controls, and enterprise insights.

Customers may save 20% on their total price after they join an annual plan.

Person scores

Customers have rated Homebase on widespread opinions apps together with: 

• G2: 4.2/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5
• Software program Recommendation: 4.5/5

2. Deputy: Greatest for simplicity

Deputy is a well known platform that additionally affords instruments for scheduling, time monitoring, and labor compliance. It may well work for small, medium, or enterprise-size companies. It goals to assist prospects management labor prices, guarantee safety, and match staffing to demand.

High options

• Scheduling: Schedule your staff by location and function, ship the newest hours to your staff immediately, and allow employees to swap shifts.
• Time clock: Creates timesheets and tracks hours labored so you possibly can join with a separate payroll software to pay your staff. Make any good gadget a time clock.
• Labor compliance instruments: Automated protections in opposition to time beyond regulation and dealing with out breaks, in addition to correct pay necessities and monitoring.
• Cell app: Lets your staff entry options like scheduling and time clocking when on the go.
• Integrations: Deputy affords integrations to different platforms that can assist you run payroll, handle HR, or run POS software program (however doesn’t have its personal instruments for these).
• Electronic mail assist: 24/7 assist through e-mail should you run into a problem.

Execs and cons

Execs

Cons

• Some customers reported that it may be “complicated at first” and one other mentioned they’d difficulties modifying depart requests.
• One other shopper mentioned that the app can “trigger pressure on the eyes” for a “much less pleasing person expertise.” 

Pricing

• Scheduling: $3.50 per person per thirty days. Scheduling, PTO administration, and POS integrations.
• Time & Attendance: $3.50 per person per thirty days. Timesheets, PTO administration, payroll and POS integrations.
• Premium: $4.90 per person per thirty days. Scheduling, Time & Attendance, and reporting. Additionally consists of payroll and POS integration, PTO administration, reporting, and e-mail assist.
• Enterprise: Value on request. Every little thing in Premium, plus superior planning and analytics.

It additionally affords a 31-day free trial.

Person scores

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5:
• Software program Recommendation: 4.63/5

3. Once I Work: Greatest for simple setup

Once I Work makes a speciality of serving to enterprise homeowners and managers schedule, observe time, and talk quicker and extra simply. It’s one other platform that gives scheduling and time clocking. It prides itself on maintaining issues easy and being quick and straightforward to arrange. It’s additionally designed for hourly companies, particularly these in retail.

High options

• Worker scheduling: Straightforward-to-build scheduler that takes worker availability under consideration and allows you to share the newest timetables along with your staff quick.
• Time clock: Helps you to flip any good gadget right into a time clock that manages breaks and day without work and takes labor prices under consideration.
• Group messaging: Allows you to ship group messages or 1-to-1s with out requiring your staff to share numbers.

Execs and cons

Execs

• Shoppers report that it’s “fast and straightforward” to make use of.
• One other praised the straightforward set-up.

Cons

• One person mentioned that the app model doesn’t work in addition to the desktop.
• One other mentioned that it didn’t supply the integrations their firm wanted to develop.

Pricing

• Customary: $4 per thirty days per person. Customary scheduling, time and attendance, and on-demand pay.
• Superior — $8 per thirty days per person. Superior scheduling, time & attendance, and on-demand pay.

Deputy additionally affords a 14-day free trial. 

Person scores

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5
• Software program Recommendation: 4.48/5

4. Quinyx: Greatest for superior analytics

Quinyx distinguishes itself with its synthetic intelligence (AI) capabilities, that means it frequently updates and adapts to employees necessities in actual time. Its standout options embody correct workforce forecasting, schedule optimization, and letting customers intently monitor their enterprise operations and compliance.

High options

• Labor scheduling forecasting — Get real-time updates in 15-minute intervals
• Labor demand and scheduling: Makes use of good occasion monitoring to enhance future planning
• Schedule optimization: Aligns scheduling with enterprise targets for extra effectivity
• Time and attendance reporting: Helps you to handle time monitoring and depart requests
• Automated scheduling and shift administration: Streamlines handbook processes to save lots of time
• Proactive compliance monitoring: Sends automated alerts forward of potential violations
• Cell app: Simplifies staff communication and lets employees swap shifts effortlessly

Execs and cons

Execs

• One person significantly appreciated the “glorious” integration with different providers
• One other mentioned that the automations saved them quite a lot of time.

Cons

• One shopper mentioned that the “huge system” could possibly be “an excessive amount of” for brand spanking new customers.
• One other felt that it took “too many clicks” to get to “the place you wish to go.”

Pricing

Quinyx doesn’t record its pricing publicly, however affords 4 ranges of plan:

• Launch: Scheduling, absence administration, staff engagement, and reporting instruments
• Develop: Every little thing in Launch, plus time and attendance instruments, timesheets, and geo-punching
• Speed up: Every little thing in Develop, plus demand forecasting and labor optimization
• Enhance: Every little thing in Speed up, plus strategic planning and labor budgeting

Person scores

• G2: 4.2/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5 
• Software program Recommendation: 4.27/5

5. TCP Humanity Scheduling: Greatest for medium-to-large companies

TCP Humanity (often known as Humanity) is a cloud-based platform that’s primarily designed for scheduling for small, medium, and enterprise-sized companies with hourly groups. It affords some highly effective options on its higher-priced plans, together with geolocation clock-in and clock-out, in addition to demand-based scheduling, and extra superior analytics. 

High options

• Time & attendance: A collection of options known as TimeClock Plus permits customers to automate time monitoring and management prices.
• Auto-scheduling — Schedule robotically, and be sure you have individuals with the precise expertise scheduled to work on the proper time.
• Time clock: Helps you to automate timekeeping with the choice for touchless readers and biometric scanners to enhance security and keep away from time theft.
• Demand-driven scheduling: Schedule the precise staff on the proper time and scale back useless labor overspending.

• Cell app — Let staff handle their schedule, shifts, availability, and depart through their smartphone and even their Apple Watch.

Execs and cons

Execs

Cons

• One person mentioned that they don’t just like the “restricted entry” that employees should schedules, and their incapability to swap shifts.
• One other shopper mentioned that Humanity is “fairly clunky” and is time-consuming to make use of and cargo.

Pricing

Humanity doesn’t publish its pricing publicly, but it surely does have three ranges of plan:

• Starter — Contains worker scheduling, cell entry, analytics, and 24/7 assist
• Basic — Every little thing in Starter, plus auto-scheduling, labor costing, compliance, payroll export, and messaging
• Enterprise — Every little thing in Basic, plus demand-based scheduling, integrations, and open API entry 

Person scores

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5
• Software program Recommendation: 4.31/5

6. Ceridian Dayforce: Greatest for scaling companies

Dayforce, from Ceridian, is a complete, cloud-based platform. It goals to make it simpler to handle staff, management prices, and make data-driven choices as your corporation grows. It seeks to assist managers automate on a regular basis duties and promote work-life stability for employees, too. It’s additionally one of many few work administration platforms that additionally has HR and payroll instruments.

High options

• HR: Helps you to handle compensation, advantages, and labor prices and provides employees quick access to their pay, scheduling, and duties.
• Payroll: Provides customers a real-time view of payroll prices and lets them observe hours and calculate wages robotically.
• Workforce administration: Schedule staff simply and forestall burnout by guaranteeing balanced workloads and enabling on-demand pay.
• Expertise intelligence: Use knowledge to rent glorious candidates, recruit quicker, take away bias, and personalize and streamline onboarding.

Execs and cons

Execs

• Shoppers report that Dayforce is “very user-friendly” and “easy.”
• One person appreciated how simple it’s to “rapidly discover what I want.”

Cons

• One person mentioned that some options will be “fairly finicky to make use of.”
• A number of reported “fixed issues with the software program loading correctly.”

Pricing

Ceridian doesn’t publish any pricing data on-line about Dayforce however as an alternative invitations potential customers to fill in a request type or name the gross sales staff.

Person scores

• G2: 4/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5 
• Software program Recommendation: 4.3/5

So, which is the very best Planday different for you?

Planday is a well-liked workforce administration platform, however should you’re searching for an alternate, there are some glorious choices value your time.

Deputy affords the identical fundamental options as Planday, but it surely’s less complicated and simpler to make use of. When you’re primarily searching for superior analytics, Quinyx could possibly be an excellent selection. And if your corporation is scaling quick, then Ceridian Dayforce could possibly be your finest guess.

Then again, Homebase is an all-in-one resolution that features time-saving automations and important instruments in your small enterprise. Mainly, we provide the necessities you want at an reasonably priced worth. 

With Homebase, you possibly can spend much less time on repetitive duties, get monetary savings, scale back stress, enhance communication, and plan your small enterprise operations successfully. This lets you deal with rising your corporation and effectively handle your staff.

Homebase is way over a Planday different. It’s a complete resolution that goes past it, with all of the instruments you want to handle your hourly enterprise beneath one digital roof.

All comparisons and opinions are impartial opinions from evaluation web sites like G2, Capterra, and Software program Recommendation, as of June 2023.