7shifts vs Homebase 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. Homebase is a web and mobile app for managing hourly staff. 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. Where the profiles show a difference, it is in price, free plans and audience.

Key differences

  • price

    Starting prices: 7shifts at CAD 39.99 per location per month; Homebase at USD 30 per location per month; Sling at USD 2 per user per month. The currency or billing basis differs, so they are not directly comparable. TimeForge does not publish a starting price.

  • free plans

    7shifts, Homebase and Sling offer a free plan. TimeForge does not.

  • audience

    Not every audience is shared. Entries that only one product lists: 7shifts: Single restaurants and small teams; Homebase: Small single-site food businesses; Sling: Restaurants, bars and cafes; TimeForge: Multi-unit restaurant operators.

  • integrations

    The integration lists differ. 7shifts names 26 integrations, Homebase names 17 integrations, Sling names 8 integrations and TimeForge names 29 integrations. 2 partners appear in every list.

  • company background

    Founding years: 7shifts, 2014; Homebase, 2014; Sling, 2015; TimeForge, 2004. 7shifts is based in Saskatoon, Canada, Homebase in San Francisco, United States, Sling in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and TimeForge in Lubbock, United States.

Side by side

7shifts vs Homebase vs Sling vs TimeForge: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
Field7shiftsHomebaseSlingTimeForge
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.Homebase is a web and mobile app for managing hourly staff.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 serviceSmall single-site food businesses; Restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and bars; Franchisees with several locations; US businesses with tipped staffRestaurants, 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 locationSubscription per userQuote only
Starting priceCAD 39.99 per location per monthUSD 30 per location per monthUSD 2 per user per monthNot published
Free planYesYesYesNo
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 StatesUnited StatesNot publishedUnited States
LanguagesNot publishedNot publishedEnglishNot published
Number of integrations2617829
CertificationsNot publishedNot publishedGDPRNot published
Security practicesData processing addendum published, Responsible disclosure programmeAnnual penetration tests and monthly vulnerability scans, Encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), Private bug bounty programme through Bugcrowd, Two-factor authentication, SSO and role-based access controlData stored in Amazon cloud, with role-based, least-privilege staff accessNot published
Founded2014201420152004
HeadquartersSaskatoon, CanadaSan Francisco, United StatesBoston, 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
  • Toast

Named only by 7shifts

  • Ceridian Dayforce
  • DailyPay
  • HungerRush
  • MarginEdge
  • Paycom
  • Qu
  • Restaurant365
  • Revel
  • Oracle MICROS Simphony
  • SpotOn
  • Tenzo
  • TouchBistro
and 2 more
  • Upserve
  • Wagepoint

Named only by Homebase

  • Bank of America
  • GoDaddy
  • Millennium Payroll Services
  • PAR
  • Square Payroll
  • SurePayroll
  • Wells Fargo

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 are in one of these groups: Single restaurants and small teams; Restaurants that want scheduling tied to POS sales; Multi-location groups and franchises.

Homebase

Choose Homebase if you fit its listed audience: Small single-site food businesses; Restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and bars; Franchisees with several locations.

Our profile lists a weaker fit: Businesses outside the United States that want payroll in the same system. Homebase says its payroll is available only to US-based customers.

Sling

Choose Sling if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Restaurants, bars and cafes; Restaurants that run Toast POS; Small teams that only need scheduling.

TimeForge

Choose TimeForge if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: 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

Homebase

  • Countries where Homebase is sold other than the United States; only payroll availability is stated
  • Interface languages (the App Store listing shows English plus one other language, not named on the vendor's site)
  • Compliance certifications such as SOC 2
  • Terms of service details such as minimum term
  • Funding rounds and investors; none stated on the vendor's site
  • Which plan includes live chat and phone support (the plan grid did not come through in text form)
  • Customer counts are vendor claims and differ between pages (100,000+ on the about page, 150,000+ on the homepage)
  • Names of job board and business tool integrations

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 profileHomebase 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

Homebase, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: positioning, product list, customer count claimhttps://www.joinhomebase.com/
  2. Plans, prices, add-ons, plan comparison, trialhttps://www.joinhomebase.com/pricing
  3. POS and payroll integrationshttps://www.joinhomebase.com/integrations
  4. Food and beverage fithttps://www.joinhomebase.com/food-beverage
  5. Franchise features and named brandshttps://www.joinhomebase.com/franchise
  6. Scheduling featureshttps://www.joinhomebase.com/employee-scheduling
  7. Time clock features, hardwarehttps://www.joinhomebase.com/time-clock
  8. Payroll features, price, US availability, support hourshttps://www.joinhomebase.com/payroll
  9. Mobile and web apphttps://www.joinhomebase.com/app
  10. Security practiceshttps://www.joinhomebase.com/security
  11. Company mission and claimshttps://www.joinhomebase.com/about-us
  12. Foundershttps://www.joinhomebase.com/press
  13. Page discoveryhttps://www.joinhomebase.com/sitemap.xml
  14. iOS app listing, developer namehttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/homebase-employee-scheduling/id871544379
  15. Google Play listinghttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joinhomebase.homebase.homebase&hl=en
  16. LinkedIn company page: headquarters, founding year, team sizehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/homebase-app/

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