# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for workforce scheduling software (small businesses) on 2026-10-21

## In short

On 2026-10-21, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best workforce scheduling software for small businesses". It named 17 brands; the first six, in order, were Homebase, 7shifts, Connecteam, Deputy, UK and Toast.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best workforce scheduling software for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-10-21 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 17 |
| Sources cited | 12 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-21 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/workforce-scheduling-software-small-businesses-2026-10-21
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-21 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> ## The short answer
> 
> **Homebase** for most small businesses, **When I Work** if you want scheduling only, **7shifts** if you run a restaurant.
> 
> Here's the full ranked list, with the caveat that a lot of the "best scheduling software 2026" articles that dominate search results are published by the vendors themselves (Homebase and Connecteam both run big content operations), so treat ranking claims in those accordingly. Prices below are list prices and move around - verify before you buy.
> 
> ### 1. Homebase - best default for most US hourly teams
> Priced **per location with unlimited employees**, not per head, which is the single biggest cost lever for a small business. Free tier covers one location up to ~10 employees with scheduling and timesheets; paid plans start around $16-$20/location/month. Scheduling, time clock, team messaging, hiring, and payroll ($39/mo + $6/employee) all in one place. If you have one site and 25 staff, this is dramatically cheaper than any per-user tool. Retail, cafés, salons, gyms.
> 
> ### 2. When I Work - best if you only want scheduling and a time clock
> About **$2.50/employee/month**. The cleanest interface of the bunch, and shift swaps/availability/open-shi

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homebase | mentioned |
| 2 | 7shifts | mentioned |
| 3 | Connecteam | mentioned |
| 4 | Deputy | recommended |
| 5 | UK | mentioned |
| 6 | Toast | mentioned |
| 7 | Square | mentioned |
| 8 | Lightspeed | mentioned |
| 9 | Sling | mentioned |
| 10 | Square Shifts | mentioned |
| 11 | Square POS | mentioned |
| 12 | Square Payroll | mentioned |
| 13 | Microsoft | mentioned |
| 14 | Microsoft Shifts | mentioned |
| 15 | Microsoft 365 | mentioned |
| 16 | QuickBooks | mentioned |
| 17 | QuickBooks Time | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.capterra.com/resources/best-employee-scheduling-software-for-small-business/ (review)
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-employee-scheduling-software/ (other)
- https://capterra.com/compare/153076-167811/Homebase-vs-Deputy (review)
- https://capterra.com/compare/121248-167811/When-I-Work-vs-Deputy (review)
- https://www.capterra.com/resources/deputy-vs-homebase/ (review)
- https://www.g2.com/compare/deputy-vs-when-i-work (review)
- https://www.selecthub.com/employee-scheduling-software/7shifts-vs-sling/ (other)
- https://selecthub.com/employee-scheduling/employee-scheduling-small-business (other)
- https://fitsmallbusiness.com/homebase-review/ (other)
- https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/tools/best-free-employee-scheduling-software/ (other)
- https://joinhomebase.com/blog/best-employee-scheduling-software (other)
- https://connecteam.com/best-employee-scheduling-software/ (vendor)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/workforce-scheduling-software/small-businesses

Alerts and membership: Answer Watch Pro, 79 USD per month: https://bikoosh.com/answers. Bikoosh is monitoring assistance, not complete protection.

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.