7shifts vs Deputy vs Sling vs TimeForge

7shifts is a restaurant team management platform built around employee scheduling, with time clocking, labor compliance, team messaging, tip management, hiring, training and (in the US) payroll. Deputy is workforce management software for shift-based businesses, covering scheduling, timesheets and time clocks, labor-law compliance, messaging and HR, with payroll through an add-on. Sling is employee scheduling software with time tracking, team messaging, task lists and labour cost tracking. TimeForge is labor management software for multi-unit restaurant, grocery and retail operators. All four are listed under Employee Scheduling & Rostering. They differ in price, free plans and audience.

Key differences

  • price

    The vendors price on different terms. 7shifts at CAD 39.99 per location per month; Deputy at USD 5 per user per month; Sling at USD 2 per user per month. The amounts cannot be compared directly. TimeForge does not publish a starting price.

  • free plans

    7shifts and Sling list a free plan; Deputy and TimeForge do not.

  • audience

    Audience differs between the profiles. Listed by one product alone: 7shifts: Single restaurants and small teams; Deputy: Restaurants and hotels with shift teams; Sling: Restaurants, bars and cafes; TimeForge: Multi-unit restaurant operators.

  • integrations

    7shifts names 26 integrations, Deputy names 25 integrations, Sling names 8 integrations and TimeForge names 29 integrations. 1 partner appears in every list.

  • company background

    By founding year, 7shifts (2014), Deputy (2008), Sling (2015) and TimeForge (2004). 7shifts is based in Saskatoon, Canada, Deputy in Sydney, Australia, Sling in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and TimeForge in Lubbock, United States.

Side by side

7shifts vs Deputy vs Sling vs TimeForge: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
Field7shiftsDeputySlingTimeForge
What it is7shifts is a restaurant team management platform built around employee scheduling, with time clocking, labor compliance, team messaging, tip management, hiring, training and (in the US) payroll.Deputy is workforce management software for shift-based businesses, covering scheduling, timesheets and time clocks, labor-law compliance, messaging and HR, with payroll through an add-on.Sling is employee scheduling software with time tracking, team messaging, task lists and labour cost tracking.TimeForge is labor management software for multi-unit restaurant, grocery and retail operators.
Best forSingle restaurants and small teams; Restaurants that want scheduling tied to POS sales; Multi-location groups and franchises; Bars, cafes, bakeries, pizzerias and quick serviceRestaurants and hotels with shift teams; Multi-location and franchise operators; Small teams starting with schedulingRestaurants, bars and cafes; Restaurants that run Toast POS; Small teams that only need scheduling; Businesses with several locationsMulti-unit restaurant operators; Restaurant franchises; Independent and small restaurant groups
Pricing modelSubscription per locationSubscription per userSubscription per userQuote only
Starting priceCAD 39.99 per location per monthUSD 5 per user per monthUSD 2 per user per monthNot published
Free planYesNoYesNo
Free trialYesYesYesYes
ContractNone on standard plans; term agreements only for enterprise discountsNot publishedNot publishedNo contract required (unless you want one)
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
CountriesCanada, United StatesAustralia, United Kingdom, United StatesNot publishedUnited States
LanguagesNot publishedNot publishedEnglishNot published
Number of integrations2625829
CertificationsNot publishedCSA STAR, Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and 1 moreGDPRNot published
Security practicesData processing addendum published, Responsible disclosure programmeNot publishedData stored in Amazon cloud, with role-based, least-privilege staff accessNot published
Founded2014200820152004
HeadquartersSaskatoon, CanadaSydney, AustraliaBoston, Massachusetts, United StatesLubbock, United States
OwnerNot publishedNot publishedToast (the site banner reads 'Sling is now Sling by Toast')Not published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 202629 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

Named by all four

  • Square

Named only by 7shifts

  • Ceridian Dayforce
  • DailyPay
  • Heartland Restaurant
  • HungerRush
  • MarginEdge
  • Qu
  • Restaurant365
  • Oracle MICROS Simphony
  • SpotOn
  • TouchBistro
  • Upserve
  • Wagepoint

Named only by Deputy

  • BambooHR
  • Epos Now
  • NetSuite
  • Okta
  • OnPay
  • Rippling
  • Tapcheck
  • TipHaus
  • TriNet
  • Vend
  • Wagestream
  • Xero
and 1 more
  • Zapier

Named only by Sling

  • Harbortouch

Named only by TimeForge

  • 7shifts
  • ADP Payroll
  • Axonify
  • CompuPay
  • ECRS
  • EdgeServ
  • Employee Navigator
  • Epicor
  • E-Verify
  • FMS Payroll
  • Future POS
  • Harbortouch POS
and 10 more
  • KORONA POS
  • Oracle Micros Res 3700 POS
  • NCR ACS-IR
  • NCR Encor POS
  • PAR Brink POS
  • Payworks
  • PAR PixelPoint
  • Shift4
  • Toshiba ACE POS
  • UKG

Which to choose

7shifts

Choose 7shifts if you fit its listed audience: Single restaurants and small teams; Restaurants that want scheduling tied to POS sales; Multi-location groups and franchises.

Deputy

Choose Deputy if you are in one of these groups: Restaurants and hotels with shift teams; Multi-location and franchise operators; Small teams starting with scheduling.

Sling

Choose Sling if you are in one of these groups: Restaurants, bars and cafes; Restaurants that run Toast POS; Small teams that only need scheduling.

TimeForge

Choose TimeForge if you are in one of these groups: Multi-unit restaurant operators; Restaurant franchises; Independent and small restaurant groups.

Weaker fit: Single-location businesses. The vendor says it is built for multi-unit operators, and free account setup is offered to businesses with more than one location.

What we could not confirm

7shifts

  • US-dollar prices (the pricing page showed Canadian dollars to this reader; US prices may differ)
  • Which countries the software is sold in beyond the US and Canada
  • Interface languages
  • Current employee count
  • Security certifications such as SOC 2
  • Where the Android time clock and task apps are listed
  • Independent verification of the '55,000+ restaurants' claim
  • Company registration details and current HQ address

Deputy

  • Contract length and renewal terms
  • Employee count
  • Funding amounts
  • Interface languages
  • Which integrations are available in which country
  • App store ratings and listing text

Sling

  • Date and terms of the acquisition by Toast
  • Whether the Boston address in the site footer is Sling's own office or its parent's; the about page says Sling was founded in Reykjavik, Iceland and later opened a New York office
  • Team size
  • Countries where Sling is sold and supported; only a 150-country usage claim is given
  • Languages of the web app beyond English (the App Store lists English only)
  • Security certifications such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001; none stated
  • Minimum term, renewal and cancellation terms
  • Support hours and whether support differs by plan
  • Whether the ADP integration shown in older site URLs is still offered
  • Funding history before the acquisition

TimeForge

  • Any price or plan tiers
  • Legal entity name and registration
  • Team size and funding
  • Security certifications
  • Interface languages
  • Countries outside the U.S.

Go further

7shifts profileDeputy profileSling profileTimeForge profile

Other comparisons with these products

Sources

Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.

7shifts, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Plans, prices, features, FAQ, contract termshttps://www.7shifts.com/pricing/
  2. Full integration listhttps://www.7shifts.com/integrations/home/
  3. Integration overview and customer quoteshttps://www.7shifts.com/integrations/
  4. Founder, founding year, officeshttps://www.7shifts.com/about/
  5. Funding newshttps://www.7shifts.com/press/
  6. Payroll, US-only, payroll pricinghttps://www.7shifts.com/payroll/
  7. Compliance featureshttps://www.7shifts.com/labor-compliance/
  8. Legal documentshttps://www.7shifts.com/legal/
  9. Company contexthttps://www.7shifts.com/careers/
  10. iOS app listinghttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/7shifts-employee-scheduling/id731444612
  11. Google Play listinghttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sevenshifts.android
  12. Series C date, investors, HQhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-softbank-leads-80-million-funding-of-7shifts-buying-into-booming
  13. 2021 funding roundhttps://www.businessinsider.com/danny-meyers-enlightened-hospitality-leads-215-million-raise-for-7shifts-2021-5

Sling, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: positioning, features, Toast banner, customer quoteshttps://getsling.com/
  2. Plans, prices, trial, plan feature gridhttps://getsling.com/pricing/
  3. POS and payroll integrationshttps://getsling.com/integrations/
  4. Restaurant fit, integrations namedhttps://getsling.com/restaurant-scheduling-software/
  5. Toast integration, platformshttps://getsling.com/toast/
  6. Time clock featureshttps://getsling.com/employee-time-clock/
  7. Timesheets and payroll exporthttps://getsling.com/payroll/
  8. Founding, founder, address, countries claimhttps://getsling.com/about-us/
  9. Security and GDPR statementshttps://getsling.com/security-faq/
  10. Page discoveryhttps://getsling.com/page-sitemap.xml
  11. iOS app listing, developer, languagehttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/sling-employee-scheduling-app/id922995624
  12. Google Play listinghttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gangverk.sling