Top 8 best scheduling apps for small businesses to boost productivity

Managing employee schedules can be a real juggling act, especially when your HR department has to keep track of appointments, shift swaps, time-off requests, and everything else that comes with scheduling a dynamic workforce. But there’s good news: Adopting a scheduling app for your small businesses can significantly streamline all these processes, increase efficiency, and ultimately boost productivity. 

In this guide, we’ll dive into the best apps for small businesses who want to simplify employee scheduling. We’ll compare different scheduling tools, explore their features, weigh the pros and cons, and more. Below, you’ll also find:

• What a scheduling app is and how it boosts small business productivity
• Why every small business should adopt scheduling software
• Key benefits of using scheduling tools
• A list of the top eight small business scheduling software solutions
• A quick guide on how to choose the right platform

Whether you run a service based business with multiple locations or a growing team that simply needs better employee schedules, the right scheduling app can make an enormous difference. Let’s dive in.

What is a small business scheduling app?

A scheduling app (also referred to as a scheduling tool or online scheduling platform) is a software solution designed to simplify employee scheduling, manage appointments, and sometimes book appointments with customers or clients. 

Many scheduling apps create a central calendar or shareable booking pages where employees, managers, or even customers can see real-time availability and choose the best timeslot to fit their needs. With integrated features like reminders, calendar syncing, and automated notifications, a robust tool can streamline the day-to-day demands of staffing your small business.

How does a scheduling app boost productivity?

1. Reduces manual work: An employee scheduling platform eliminates many time-consuming tasks. It automates much of the process of creating staff schedules, so you don’t have to manually juggle shift changes or track who needs to reschedule.

2. Boosts communication: Many scheduling tools offer built-in chat features or integrate with platforms like Slack, creating a single source of truth for everyone to use to communicate.

3. Minimizes errors and confusion: Because your entire team sees one unified calendar, it’s harder to double-book or forget about important appointments. Reducing scheduling errors can also reduce payroll errors that result from problems with schedule tracking.

4. Improves customer experiences: For a service based business, letting clients easily book appointments through a booking page means fewer phone calls and scheduling conflicts, and more satisfied customers.

This all ultimately saves time, reduces headaches, and lets your HR team focus on high-level strategy rather than the nitty-gritty of day-to-day employee schedules.

Why every small business needs scheduling software

No matter the size of your company—whether you’re a startup or a growing organization—scheduling software is an invaluable resource. Handling employee scheduling manually often results in avoidable mistakes, from accidental overlaps to missed appointments with potential clients. A structured, automated approach can do wonders for:

• Employee productivity: Easily track shifts, watch for availability, and update or reschedule as needed without confusion.
• Error reduction: Shifting from paper or spreadsheets to scheduling software drastically reduces double-bookings and miscommunication about who’s scheduled when.
• Process automation: You can often set up automated reminders or confirmations that go out via email or text, so employees and customers stay on the same page.

Especially for service based businesses that need to book appointments with clients, a great scheduling tool creates an impressive experience from first click to final purchase.

5 key benefits of small business scheduling apps

Below are some of the top reasons to invest in an employee scheduling app for small businesses. These scheduling tools don’t just keep track of shifts—they can transform your company’s workflow.

Optimize employee scheduling without manual work

With the right tool, employee scheduling can be automated so you’re no longer slogging through spreadsheets or emailing endless updates. 

Once your organization has implemented scheduling software, managers can set up recurring shifts, track availability, and let employees request changes via self-service portals. Many solutions also integrate with your existing calendar, so you can see your day’s workload at a glance.

Reduce no-shows & last-minute cancellations

Last-minute cancellations or no-shows can hurt morale and hamper productivity—especially if you’re trying to book appointments with clients. 

By using scheduling tools that send automated reminders (like email reminders or SMS messages), you help employees and customers remember their scheduled appointments or shifts. Should an unexpected cancellation arise, you can quickly reschedule within the same booking page.

Improve team communication without extra tools

​​Communication is crucial for any team. Instead of juggling Slack channels or frantic group texts, a single scheduling software can centralize announcements, shift swaps, and other notifications related to scheduling and who’s working when. Some platforms offer group chats or push notifications through a mobile app, so you can centralize communication and keep your entire workforce on the same calendar.

Ensure fair & compliant work hours

When you’re dealing with local labor laws like minimum wage regulations and overtime rules,compliance is necessary to avoid potentially costly penalties. 

Many employee scheduling platforms include built-in compliance features. These help you avoid scheduling employees for too many hours and protect your organization from costly errors. 

Adapt schedules instantly based on business demand

For service based businesses with shifting demand, you can’t afford to keep the same schedule year-round. 

Small business scheduling software lets you quickly update team schedules when things change—maybe you need extra hands for a holiday weekend or fewer employees for a slow season. With real-time access to a shared calendar, it’s easy to see who’s available, who’s not, and drop them into a shift without missing a beat.

The 8 best scheduling software for small business

Now, let’s dive into the top eight scheduling tools that can power up your employee scheduling and help your HR team run like a well-oiled machine. Each solution below offers a unique blend of features, automated processes, and customization options to support appointments and shift management.

1. Rippling

Rippling is an all-in-one HR solution that offers scheduling in addition to other features like payroll, time and attendance, recruiting, performance management, learning management, benefits administration, and more. 

What makes Rippling stand apart from other scheduling apps is that it’s natively built—every app in Rippling is built on a single source of truth for employee data. That means you can build smart schedules based on any data from across your organization—demand, employee certifications, and hundreds of other data points. It also means Rippling automatically enforces overtime, meal breaks, and other federal, state, and local labor laws based on each employee’s work location—with built-in compliance notifications when you build schedules with infractions like missed breaks.

Key features:

• Smart schedules based on employee data
• Real-time attendance alerts
• Labor cost monitoring
• Flagging and approvals for overtime and extra pay
• Automatic compliance monitoring
• Drag-and-drop schedule builder
• Employee self-service tools
• Mobile app
• Natively built suite of HR, IT, and finance tools
• Part of a comprehensive HR platform

2. Deel

Deel focuses primarily on international HR and payroll, but it also provides employee scheduling features that can help a global team. If you deal with multiple time zones, pay compliance in different jurisdictions, or other cross-border workforce issues, Deel might be worth a look.

Key features:

• Shift planning across multiple locations
• Multi-jurisdiction compliance
• Calendar integration
• Shift reminders
• Option to set up a booking page for internal appointments or interviews

3. Gusto

Known for its HR tools for startups and small businesses, Gusto also offers an employee scheduling module. It’s simple, clean, and integrates with a number of calendar apps. Gusto is known for being easy to use and offering a decent number of integrations with other tech tools (think Stripe for payment processing, as well as CRM tools).

Key features:

• Customizable shift templates
• Calendar sync with Google Calendar and Outlook
• Email reminders for upcoming shifts
• Straightforward interface

4. BambooHR

BambooHR is an HR software suite that offers HR reporting, hiring, onboarding, time off, benefits administration, employee experience tools, and an integrations marketplace in its base plan, with other HR tools available in premium plans or as add-ons.

While BambooHR is a popular HR software provider—and it offers a time tracking tool as an add-on—it doesn’t currently offer scheduling built into its platform. It does, however, integrate with a number of third-party scheduling apps that may meet many organizations’ needs.

Key features:

• Integrations with a number of third-party scheduling apps
• Suite of HR tools

5. ADP

ADP is a longstanding, well known solution in the payroll and HR software industry. Shift management and employee scheduling are built into its workforce management system, which means that if your small business plans to scale or already has complex payroll requirements, ADP’s robust ecosystem could be one to consider.

Key features:

• Full-service HR and payroll
• Automated scheduling
• Integrations with calendar apps (like Google Calendar)
• Reminders and push notifications via mobile app

6. Paychex

Like ADP, Paychex is a well-known payroll system that also offers employee scheduling capabilities built into its all-in-one platform. Paychex is more specialized than some broader HR tools, so it’s more commonly chosen by businesses that have specific needs around payroll tax automation.

Key features:

• Timesheet tracking and automated payroll
• Single central calendar
• Option to create booking pages for internal processes (e.g., manager reviews)
• Integrations with Stripe for payment processing

7. Paycor

Paycor offers HR management tools, which includes payroll software, talent acquisition, workforce management tools, and more. Its time and attendance and employee scheduling tools are fairly direct: It tracks hours, helps managers plan shifts, provides tools to help manage compliance, and lets employees submit time-off requests or sign up for open shifts.

Key features:

• Modern, customizable scheduling dashboard
• Compliance management tools
• Integrations with communication apps and CRMs
• Employee self-service tools

8. Paylocity

Paylocity rounds out the list with its suite of payroll and HR tools, which includes an employee scheduling feature. It offers an employee portal where staff can see schedules, request time off, and pick up open shifts. If you want a user-friendly solution for shift management plus payroll and other HR tools, it’s worth a look.

Key features:

• Employee self-service portal for shift sign-ups
• Reporting on metrics like labor costs and scheduling trends
• Automated time tracking
• Integrations with common tools like Slack and Google Calendar

How to choose the right scheduling software for your small business

Before you lock in your decision, think through the factors below. The “best” scheduling software depends on your unique business needs, from employee scheduling complexities to budget constraints.

User interface (UI)

A clean, intuitive UI reduces your team’s learning curve. Look for a customizable dashboard and user-friendly design so managers and employees can quickly adopt the new scheduling software. If your staff struggles to find the right calendar or adjust their availability, no one benefits.

Usability

Does the scheduling tool handle employee scheduling for multiple locations? Does it offer one-click ways to reschedule or track time zones? Make sure that the software’s core functionality suits your daily workflows. Also consider if it offers a mobile app, so managers and employees can make changes on the go.

Integrations

Make sure your chosen platform integrates with essential apps like Slack, Hubspot, Stripe, or your CRM. Also, check for calendar sync with common platforms like Google Calendar and Outlook. If you rely on Square appointments, confirm it works well for booking and payment processing—some scheduling tools even let you embed a booking page on your website, which can be essential for service-based businesses that need to have a way for clients or customers to book appointments.

Value for price

Most solutions have paid plans—often with tiered pricing. Some also provide a free plan (or at least a free trial) to help you test the waters. 

Look for added perks—like unlimited user seats, unlimited bookings, or advanced analytics—that can offset the monthly expense. Remember, the best solution isn’t always the cheapest, but it should deliver ROI by automating tasks and reducing errors.

Streamline employee scheduling for your small business with Rippling

With Rippling's employee scheduling software, you can staff your small business with confidence, making sure every shift has the right combination of staff and skill sets to exceed customer expectations thanks to features like labor planning, customizable scheduling rules, and smart alerts.

With Rippling, you can:

• Build schedules in line with sales forecasts and labor targets by analyzing sales data, foot traffic, and other third-party data to meet changing demand.
• Create and automatically enforce custom rules and policies to fit your company’s exact needs—and even build your own rules for staffing.
• Stay on top of staffing with real-time alerts when employees clock in late or miss shifts entirely, or set up a points system to track attendance.
• Monitor labor costs by closely tracking the impact scheduled shifts and changes will have on your budget and flagging shifts that result in overtime or extra pay—and routing them for additional approval if needed.
• Protect your business with automatic compliance enforcement for overtime, meal breaks, and other federal, state, and local labor laws based on each employee’s work location, plus notifications of infractions like if you miss a required break when building a schedule.

You get all these features, plus a simple, intuitive, drag-and-drop schedule builder that can create complex schedules in minutes. And employees can self-serve via the Rippling app, where they can view their own schedules, provide their availability and shift preferences, swap shifts, and more.

Scheduling software for small business FAQs

Below are some commonly asked questions about picking the right appointment scheduling software for your small business:

Is Calendly good for small businesses?

Calendly is one of the most popular appointment scheduling apps on the market, and can be a useful scheduling tool for small businesses. 

Calendly allows you to create a booking page for clients or employees to check availability, book appointments, and receive reminders. You can sync with Google or use calendar sync with other platforms like Outlook, so your calendar stays current. Calendly also offers a free plan with basic features, plus paid plans that unlock unlimited event types, group appointments, integrations, customization options, and more. 

If you need advanced employee scheduling, you might pair Calendly with a platform that focuses on employee schedules, but for pure appointment booking with a shareable booking page, Calendly is used by many types of businesses.

What is the best free scheduling app for small businesses?

There’s no single answer, as the best scheduling app will vary based on your needs. It can be helpful to test a few free plans to see which meets your specific requirements. However, if you want to manage employee scheduling and book appointments with clients simultaneously—in an all-in-one platform that can help streamline and automate many of your administrative HR tasks—look for a platform like Rippling.

How much does scheduling software cost?

Costs vary widely. Some scheduling softwares have a forever free plan with limitations (like a single user or a limited number of appointments each month). Others might start around $10-$15 per month for a basic paid plan. High-end scheduling tools can run $100+ monthly, especially for more extensive team plans. Look at what each tier includes—like unlimited staff accounts, advanced automated features, email reminders, or advanced customization.

Do scheduling apps offer mobile access & alerts?

Most modern scheduling software comes with a mobile app or mobile-friendly site, but not all of them do. You can typically enable reminders or notifications to alert employees and clients about upcoming appointments or shifts, but check your platform’s specific features and functionality to be sure.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of February 25, 2025.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.