MakeShift
MakeShift is a cloud-based employee scheduling software that helps you create rotas faster, track time accurately, and communicate with your team through a simple mobile-first interface.
Planday
Planday is a workforce management platform that simplifies employee scheduling, time tracking, and team communication for shift-based businesses to improve operational efficiency and reduce labor costs.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | MakeShift | Planday |
|---|---|---|
| Website | makeshift.ca | planday.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $2.75/month | $2.99/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Calgary, Canada | Copenhagen, Denmark |
Overview
MakeShift
MakeShift is a people-first scheduling platform designed to eliminate the headaches of manual shift management. You can build complex schedules in minutes using a drag-and-drop interface that accounts for employee availability, qualifications, and labor costs. By moving your rotas to the cloud, you ensure your team always has the most up-to-date information right on their phones.
The platform bridges the gap between management and staff by allowing you to approve time-off requests, manage shift swaps, and track attendance in real-time. It specifically targets industries with fluctuating shifts like healthcare, retail, and hospitality. You can reduce HERO (unnecessary overtime) and ensure your business stays compliant with labor laws while keeping your employees engaged and informed.
Planday
Planday is a flexible workforce management solution designed to take the headache out of managing shift-based teams. Whether you run a single restaurant or a multi-location retail chain, you can build schedules in minutes using templates that account for employee availability, labor costs, and compliance rules. It replaces messy spreadsheets and paper sign-in sheets with a centralized digital hub accessible from any device.
You can track hours accurately with a GPS-verified mobile punch clock and sync that data directly to your payroll provider. The platform also serves as your team's communication center, allowing you to send updates or swap shifts instantly. By giving your staff more transparency and control over their schedules through the mobile app, you reduce administrative friction and keep your labor costs aligned with your actual revenue.
Overview
MakeShift Features
- Drag-and-Drop Scheduling Create and adjust weekly schedules in seconds by dragging shifts across your screen to the right team members.
- Mobile App for Staff Give your team the power to view schedules, request time off, and swap shifts directly from their smartphones.
- Photo Radar Time Clock Prevent buddy punching by having your employees clock in via a tablet that captures a photo for verification.
- Availability Management Let your employees set their own preferred working hours so you only schedule people who are actually available.
- Shift Exchange Enable your staff to trade shifts with qualified colleagues, which you can then approve or deny with one click.
- Real-Time Notifications Send instant alerts to your team's phones whenever a schedule is published or a shift change occurs.
- Labor Cost Tracking Monitor your labor spend as you build schedules to ensure you stay within budget and avoid costly overtime.
- Automated Reminders Reduce no-shows by automatically sending your employees reminders before their scheduled shifts begin.
Planday Features
- Smart Scheduling. Create schedules in minutes using templates and drag-and-drop tools that factor in staff availability and labor costs.
- Mobile Punch Clock. Track exactly when and where your team starts work with GPS-verified clock-ins directly from their smartphones.
- Shift Swapping. Empower your team to trade shifts or claim open slots with manager approval, reducing your administrative workload.
- Labor Cost Tracking. Monitor your wage spend against your budget in real-time to ensure every shift stays profitable.
- Team Messaging. Send instant updates to individuals or entire departments through the built-in chat without sharing personal phone numbers.
- Payroll Integration. Export verified hours to your favorite payroll software with a few clicks to ensure fast, accurate payments.
Pricing Comparison
MakeShift Pricing
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Employee mobile app
- Availability management
- Shift exchange & swaps
- Time off requests
- In-app messaging
- Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Photo Radar time clock
- GPS-enabled clock-in
- Payroll exports
- Advanced labor reporting
- Department-level permissions
Planday Pricing
- Employee scheduling
- Mobile app access
- Shift swapping
- Availability management
- Basic reporting
- In-app messaging
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Punch clock time tracking
- Contracted hours tracking
- Advanced payroll exports
- Revenue data integration
- Overtime rules and alerts
Pros & Cons
MakeShift
Pros
- Extremely intuitive interface for both managers and employees
- Significantly reduces the time spent on weekly schedule creation
- Mobile app is highly reliable for remote shift management
- Excellent customer support team that responds quickly to issues
Cons
- Limited customization options for very complex labor rules
- Reporting tools could be more robust for enterprise needs
- Occasional sync delays between the web and mobile apps
Planday
Pros
- Intuitive mobile app for employees to manage shifts
- Significantly reduces time spent on weekly schedule creation
- GPS-verified clock-in prevents time theft and errors
- Seamless integration with popular POS and payroll systems
Cons
- Initial setup of complex pay rules takes time
- Reporting interface can feel cluttered for new users
- Occasional sync delays with certain third-party integrations