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.
Sling
Sling is a comprehensive employee scheduling and shift planning software designed to help businesses manage hourly workforces through integrated time tracking, team messaging, and labor cost management tools.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | MakeShift | Sling |
|---|---|---|
| Website | makeshift.ca | sling.is |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $2.75/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Calgary, Canada | New York, USA |
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.
Sling
Sling is a specialized scheduling and workforce management platform built to handle the complexities of shift-based work. You can create clear, conflict-free schedules in minutes using drag-and-drop tools and templates that account for employee availability and time-off requests. It helps you eliminate the chaos of paper schedules and endless group texts by centralizing all shift communication and coordination in one mobile-friendly hub.
Beyond simple scheduling, you can track actual hours worked with a built-in time clock and monitor labor costs in real-time to stay within your budget. The platform is designed for businesses of all sizes, from single-location cafes to large enterprise retail chains. By using Sling, you reduce absenteeism, prevent double-booking, and ensure your team always knows exactly when and where they are supposed to work.
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.
Sling Features
- Shift Scheduling. Create and distribute schedules quickly using drag-and-drop tools that flag overlapping shifts and double-bookings automatically.
- Mobile Time Clock. Turn any smartphone or tablet into a digital time clock so your employees can clock in and out with GPS verification.
- Labor Cost Tracking. Set budgets and view real-time labor expenses as you schedule to ensure you never exceed your weekly or monthly targets.
- Internal Messaging. Communicate with individuals or specific groups without sharing phone numbers, keeping all work-related conversations in one professional place.
- Task Management. Assign specific to-do lists to shifts so your team knows exactly what needs to be accomplished during their working hours.
- Shift Exchange. Empower your team to swap shifts or find coverage among themselves, subject to your final approval, reducing your administrative burden.
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
Sling Pricing
- Unlimited employees
- Unlimited locations
- Shift scheduling
- Time off requests
- Internal messaging
- Mobile apps
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Mobile time clock
- Geofencing capabilities
- Labor cost monitoring
- Shift templates
- Auto-scheduling tools
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
Sling
Pros
- Extremely user-friendly interface for both managers and staff
- Robust free version offers more value than most competitors
- Mobile app notifications significantly reduce missed shifts
- Easy to set up and learn without technical expertise
Cons
- Mobile GPS clock-in can occasionally be glitchy
- Reporting features could be more customizable for large data sets
- Limited integration options compared to enterprise-only platforms