MakeShift vs ZoomShift Comparison: Reviews, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2026

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right solution for your team

Updated Apr 2026 8 min read

MakeShift

0.0 (0 reviews)

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.

Starting at $2.75/mo
Free Trial 14 days
VS

ZoomShift

0.0 (0 reviews)

ZoomShift is a cloud-based employee scheduling software designed to help small to medium-sized businesses manage work shifts, track employee time, and streamline team communication through a centralized digital platform.

Starting at $2/mo
Free Trial 14 days

Quick Comparison

Feature MakeShift ZoomShift
Website makeshift.ca zoomshift.com
Pricing Model Subscription Subscription
Starting Price $2.75/month $2/month
FREE Trial ✓ 14 days free trial ✓ 14 days free trial
Free Plan ✘ No free plan ✘ No free plan
Product Demo ✓ Request demo here ✓ Request demo here
Deployment saas mobile cloud mobile
Integrations ADP QuickBooks Sage BambooHR Ceridian Dayforce TSheets Xero Microsoft Teams QuickBooks Xero Gusto ADP Paychex Square
Target Users small-business mid-market enterprise small-business mid-market
Target Industries healthcare hospitality retail hospitality retail healthcare
Customer Count 0 0
Founded Year 2013 2009
Headquarters Calgary, Canada Milwaukee, USA

Overview

M

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.

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ZoomShift

ZoomShift is a visual scheduling tool that helps you move away from messy spreadsheets and paper schedules. You can create entire work schedules in minutes using a drag-and-drop builder, ensuring your shifts are covered without overstaffing. It allows you to manage employee availability, time-off requests, and shift swaps in one central location, giving your team instant access to their hours via mobile or web.

You can also track actual hours worked with the integrated web and mobile time clock, which helps you compare scheduled versus actual labor costs. The platform automatically generates timesheets that you can export directly to your payroll provider, reducing manual data entry errors. It is particularly effective for businesses in hospitality, retail, and healthcare where shift-based work is the standard.

Overview

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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.
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ZoomShift Features

  • Drag-and-Drop Scheduler. Build and edit your weekly schedules visually by dragging shifts into place and notifying your entire team instantly.
  • GPS Time Clock. Allow your employees to clock in and out from their mobile devices with GPS geofencing to ensure accuracy.
  • Shift Swapping. Empower your team to trade shifts or find coverage themselves, which you can approve or deny with one click.
  • Availability Management. View employee time-off requests and preferred working hours directly on the schedule to avoid booking conflicts.
  • Labor Cost Tracking. Monitor your labor spending in real-time against your budget so you can make informed staffing decisions on the fly.
  • Automated Reminders. Send automatic text, push, and email notifications to your staff so they never miss a scheduled shift again.

Pricing Comparison

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MakeShift Pricing

Essentials
$2.75
  • Drag-and-drop scheduling
  • Employee mobile app
  • Availability management
  • Shift exchange & swaps
  • Time off requests
  • In-app messaging
Z

ZoomShift Pricing

Starter
$2
  • Employee scheduling
  • Availability & Time Off
  • Shift Swapping
  • Team Communication
  • Mobile App Access
  • Email Support

Pros & Cons

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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
A

ZoomShift

Pros

  • Extremely intuitive drag-and-drop interface
  • Mobile app makes communication very easy
  • Affordable per-user pricing for small teams
  • Simplifies the shift swapping process significantly
  • Quick setup with minimal learning curve

Cons

  • Mobile app can occasionally lag during sync
  • Limited advanced reporting for enterprise needs
  • No forever-free plan available for users
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