What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for workforce scheduling software (small businesses) on 2026-10-16

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-16

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best workforce scheduling software for small businesses

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Homebase recommended
   Homebase - My default recommendation for a small hourly team (retail, café, salon, small restaurant).
2. Deputy compared
   Per-user pricing in the ~$2.50-$5/user/month range, which comparisons peg at roughly 40% below Deputy.
3. 7shifts mentioned
   7shifts - If you're a restaurant, start here instead of #1.
4. Connecteam mentioned
   Connecteam - Best fit for deskless/field crews (cleaning, construction, landscaping, security) where you need GPS clock-in, task assignment, and a comms channel in one phone app.
5. Sling mentioned
   Sling - The budget option, $0-$4/user/month.

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

Here's who I'd actually name, roughly in the order I'd suggest you look at them: **1. Homebase** - My default recommendation for a small hourly team (retail, café, salon, small restaurant). It has a genuinely usable free tier for a single location, and it bundles scheduling with a time clock, team messaging, and basic HR so you're not stitching three tools together. Worth noting: its paid team-management plans are priced *per location*, not per employee, which is cheap if you have 15 staff in one shop and expensive if you have three sites. Payroll is a separate add-on (~$39/mo + $6 per employee paid). [joinhomebase.com](https://joinhomebase.com/blog/employee-shift-scheduling-software) · [costbench.com](https://www.costbench.com/compare/deputy-vs-homebase/) **2. When I Work** - The one I'd pick if you want scheduling that just works and nothing else, at the lowest predictable cost. Per-user pricing in the ~$2.50-$5/user/month range, which comparisons peg at roughly 40% below Deputy. Good middle ground for retail, clinics, and anyone who doesn't need complex labor-compliance rules. [capterra.com](https://capterra.com/compare/121248-167811/When-I-Work-vs-Deputy) · [costbench.com](https://costbench.com/compare/deputy-vs-when-i-work/) **3. Deputy** - Step up to this if you run multiple locations or have real compliance exposure (overtime rules, mandated breaks, award interpretation). You pay for it - about $5-$9/user/month - but the cross-site dashboard and rules engine are the reason to. Overkill for a single ten-person location. [capterra.com](https://www.capterra.com/resources/deputy-vs-homebase/) **4. 7shifts** - If you're a restaurant, start here instead of #1. Tip pooling, FOH/BOH scheduling, and sales-vs-labor reporting are built in rather than bolted on; from ~$39.99/month. [costbench.com](https://costbench.com/compare/7shifts-vs-sling/) **5. Connecteam** - Best fit for deskless/field crews (cleaning, construction, landscaping, security) where you need GPS clock-in, task assignment, and a comms channel in one phone app. Free for up to 10 users; paid from ~$29/month covering up to 30 users, which is strong value at that size. [g2.com](https://www.g2.com/compare/7shifts-vs-connecteam) · [costbench.com](https://costbench.com/compare/7shifts-vs-connecteam/) **6. Sling** - The budget option, $0-$4/user/month. Basic scheduling is free, but the time clock, GPS, and reporting sit behind paid tiers, so the free plan is thinner than it first looks. Fine if scheduling is literally all you need. [capterra.com](https://www.capterra.com/p/142542/Sling/pricing/) Two honest caveats: a large share of the "best scheduling software" articles ranking on search are published by Homebase itself, so treat the category rankings with some skepticism - I've leaned on the comparison/review sites where I could. And pricing on all of these shifts often enough that you should confirm the current numbers on each vendor's own pricing page before committing. If you want a one-liner: single location with hourly staff → Homebase; restaurant → 7shifts; multi-site or compliance-heavy → Deputy; mobile field crew → Connecteam.

Near this answer

The same question, recorded on other dates: 2026-10-14, 2026-10-12, 2026-10-11, 2026-10-09, 2026-10-06, 2026-10-03, 2026-10-01, 2026-09-29, 2026-09-27, 2026-09-25, 2026-09-23.

workforce scheduling software, asked for other audiences: remote teams (asked 2026-10-16).

Other categories with a recorded answer: applicant tracking systems, background check services, benefits administration software, contractor management platforms.

Markdown edition · JSON record · the question page, with every recording · Answer Watch · AEO Watch

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.