Shiftbase is workforce software for businesses that run on shifts. It puts scheduling, time tracking, absence management, HR records and payroll preparation in one system, so a change made on Tuesday still appears in Friday's payroll export.
The company is based in the Netherlands and says more than 8,000 businesses and 250,000 users work with it, mostly across Europe. Its industry pages cover restaurants, hotels, retail, healthcare, transport, production, cleaning and security.
How does Shiftbase work?
Managers build schedules by dragging shifts onto employees, using availability that staff have entered. Employees can swap shifts or claim open shifts in the mobile app, and managers approve the changes instead of chasing them.
Staff clock in on a phone, desktop or shared tablet. Shiftbase applies breaks, rounding rules and surcharges, and managers approve hours in one pass before exporting to payroll or sending data to a connected package.
Key features of Shiftbase
Core tools include drag and drop scheduling, conflict warnings, clock-in on any device, leave and sick-leave tracking with visible balances, employee records, contract management and permission groups. Push notifications, chat and news messages aim to replace WhatsApp groups.
Higher plans add labour cost targets, a KPI dashboard, budgets per team, skill-based scheduling, required shifts, a Flexpool and geofenced clocking. Auto-scheduling and AI revenue forecasting are marked as early access.
Key Features
Drag and drop scheduling — Build schedules by dragging shifts onto employees, with availability, open shifts, shift swaps and conflict warnings.
Auto-scheduling — Fills required shifts for a department using availability and contract hours, for managers to review before applying. Early access on Premium.
Clock in from any device — Staff clock in on mobile, desktop or a shared tablet kiosk, with breaks, rounding rules and surcharges handled, and approval in one pass.
Absence management — Leave requests, sick leave and balances the team can see, with instant impact on the schedule.
Employee records and contracts — Employee profiles, contract management, permission groups and plus-minus hours in one place.
Team messaging — Push notifications, schedule change alerts, diary notes, chat and news messages for the whole team.
Labour cost insights — Set a labour cost target, track live cost against revenue, and compare scheduled with actual hours. Includes a KPI dashboard and budgets on Premium.
Payroll preparation — Live hour totals, surcharges and overtime, period lock and payroll export to Excel, CSV or connected payroll packages.
Skill-based scheduling and geofencing — Only employees with the right skills appear as available, and clocking in can be limited to a GPS radius.
AI revenue forecasting — Predicts how busy next week will be from the company's own turnover data. Listed as early access.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free plan for up to 15 employees with drag and drop scheduling, manual time tracking and a mobile app
Scheduling, time tracking, absence, HR and payroll export share one data set, so changes flow through
Lists over 40 integrations, including Nmbrs, AFAS, Loket, Lightspeed and MplusKASSA
Public per-plan pricing with clear included employee counts and per-user rates
Site is available in English, Dutch, German, Spanish and French, with industry pages for hospitality, retail and care
Card-free 14-day trial, onboarding help and phone, chat and email support
Cons
Per-user fees (€4 to €6 per month) add up once a team passes the included employee count
Auto-scheduling and AI revenue forecasting are early access, and Compliance+ is listed as coming soon
Free plan is limited to 1 department and 5 teams, with manual time tracking only
Phone and chat support hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 CET, and several integrations are European-focused
Pricing
Free €0 per month
Basic €30 per month, includes 6 employees, €4/month per additional user
Premium €72 per month, includes 12 employees, €5/month per additional user
Enterprise €336 per month, includes 48 employees, €6/month per additional user
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shiftbase?
Shiftbase is workforce software for shift-based businesses. It combines scheduling, time tracking, absence management, HR records, communication and payroll-ready hours export. The company is based in the Netherlands and serves businesses across Europe.
How much does Shiftbase cost?
Shiftbase has a free plan for up to 15 employees. Paid plans are Basic at €30 per month (6 employees included), Premium at €72 per month (12 included) and Enterprise at €336 per month (48 included). Extra users cost €4, €5 and €6 per month respectively, and yearly billing saves 10%.
Does Shiftbase have a free trial?
Yes. Shiftbase offers a 14-day trial that does not require a card, and it can be cancelled at any time. Enterprise includes a 30-day trial. There is also a free plan that stays free for up to 15 employees.
Who is Shiftbase best for?
It suits shift-based businesses such as restaurants, hotels, retail, healthcare, transport, production, cleaning and security. It has options for single sites, multi-location groups, franchises and larger enterprises.
What does Shiftbase integrate with?
Shiftbase lists over 40 integrations. Examples include payroll tools such as Nmbrs, Loket, AFAS, Connexie and Buddee, POS systems such as Lightspeed, Bork Horeca and MplusKASSA, and Datafox time clocks. An API is available for custom integrations.
Is Shiftbase good for small businesses?
The free plan covers up to 15 employees and Basic starts at €30 per month, so small teams can start with low cost. Higher plans add features like labour cost targets and skill-based scheduling as teams grow.
Does Shiftbase have a mobile app?
Yes. A mobile app for iOS and Android is included from the Free plan. Staff can also clock in on desktop or a shared tablet kiosk on paid plans.
Can Shiftbase send hours to payroll?
Yes. Approved hours can be exported to Excel or CSV, including contract versus worked hours, surcharges and leave payouts, or sent to connected payroll packages such as Nmbrs, Loket and AFAS.