Best rota and clock-in apps for UK small businesses (2026)
An honest comparison of RotaCloud, Deputy, Planday, Connecteam, Findmyshift, Sling, Rotaready, BrightHR and WagePilot, and who each suits.
6 min read
Disclosure: this guide is published by WagePilot, which is one of the apps listed. We have tried to be fair, describe each product by its own published pricing model, and say plainly where another tool will suit you better. Pricing models were checked on each vendor’s pricing page on 12 October 2026. Prices change often, so check current pricing before you buy.
What should a UK small business look for in a rota app?
Before comparing brands, decide what matters to you:
- How you are charged. Per user, per employee band, per team, per site, or by quote. This decides whether the bill grows with headcount or with locations.
- Clock-in method. Phone GPS with a geofence, QR codes, a shared kiosk, or a mix. Buddy-punching is real; see how to stop buddy-punching.
- UK compliance. Rest breaks, the 11-hour rest rule, holiday for irregular hours workers and minimum wage checks.
- Payroll handoff. Whether you can export approved hours cleanly to the payroll you already use.
- Who it is built for. A 300-person hospitality group and a five-person café need different things.
Comparison table
| App | Pricing model | Free option | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RotaCloud | Per employee, priced in bands; time and attendance is an add-on | 30-day trial | Clean UK rota planning, leave and absence |
| Deputy | Per user per month (admins count as users), minimum monthly spend | Trial on lower plans | Scheduling, timesheets and demand forecasting |
| Planday | Per user per month on lower plans; top plan by quote | 30-day trial | Hospitality and retail scheduling with payroll integrations |
| Connecteam | Base price per hub covering the first 30 users, then per extra user | Free plan for small teams | All-in-one ops, comms and HR for deskless teams |
| Findmyshift | Per team, not per staff member | Free plan for a small team | Simple, low-cost scheduling |
| Sling | Per user per month on paid plans | Free scheduling for small teams | Low-cost scheduling and team messaging |
| Rotaready (The Access Group) | Quote-based | No public free plan | Hospitality workforce management at scale |
| BrightHR | Per employee per month, in HR packages | Demo / quote | HR, documents and advice with rotas and time tracking |
| WagePilot | Per site per month, unlimited staff on paid plans | Free plan: 1 site, 3 staff | UK pre-payroll: clock-in, rotas, timesheets, holiday and pay estimates |
Sources: RotaCloud, Deputy, Planday, Connecteam, Findmyshift, Sling, Rotaready, BrightHR, WagePilot.
How does each app compare?
RotaCloud
A UK-built rota tool with drag-and-drop scheduling, templates, shift swaps, leave and absence tracking and labour cost reporting. Pricing is per employee in bands, with Time and Attendance as a paid add-on, and there’s a 30-day free trial. Suits: UK businesses that want a polished, dedicated rota planner and are happy to add clock-in separately.
Deputy
A mature global platform covering scheduling, timesheets and time clocking, with auto-scheduling, demand forecasting and budgets on higher plans. It’s priced per user per month, admins and managers count as users, and monthly plans carry a minimum spend. Suits: businesses that want forecasting and a large integrations ecosystem.
Planday
Popular with hospitality and retail, with scheduling, time tracking, leave and payroll integrations on its mid plan. The lower plans are per user per month (the entry plan has a minimum user count), and the top plan is by quote. Suits: multi-site hospitality and retail teams that want deep scheduling and integrations.
Connecteam
An all-in-one app for deskless teams split into hubs: operations (scheduling, time clock), communications and HR. Paid hubs have a base price for the first 30 users plus a per-user charge beyond that, and there’s a free plan for small teams. Suits: teams that want chat, forms, checklists and training alongside scheduling.
Findmyshift
A straightforward online rota tool priced per team rather than per staff member, with a free plan for a small team that limits history and forward planning. Suits: very small teams that need a shareable rota and little else.
Sling
Free shift scheduling for small teams, with paid plans priced per user per month that add more features. Suits: budget-conscious teams that mainly need a rota and messaging.
Rotaready
Now part of The Access Group and positioned as hospitality workforce management, with pricing by quote across its plans. Suits: larger hospitality groups that want forecasting and an enterprise supplier.
BrightHR
Primarily an HR platform: packages include HR software and advice, and all packages include shift and rota planning and time-tracking apps. Priced per employee per month, with a demo recommended for an accurate quote. Suits: businesses that want HR advice, documents and absence management first, with rotas as part of the bundle.
WagePilot
WagePilot is a UK time clock and pre-payroll tool. Staff clock in with geofenced GPS, a QR poster or a shared kiosk; managers build rotas, approve timesheets and track holiday in hours (including the 12.07% accrual for irregular hours workers); and every worker’s rate is checked against the national minimum wage. Pay figures are estimates that you export to your payroll. WagePilot doesn’t run payroll, tax, National Insurance or payslips.
Pricing is per site: a Free plan (1 site, 3 staff), Core at £29 per site per month and Pro at £59 per site per month, with unlimited staff on paid plans. See pricing. Suits: UK businesses with a handful of sites and a growing or high-turnover team, where per-user pricing climbs quickly. Less suited to: businesses that want one app to also run payroll or provide HR advice, or very large groups needing enterprise forecasting.
Who does each app suit?
- Very small team, tight budget: Findmyshift, Sling or WagePilot’s Free plan.
- Many staff at one or two sites: per-site pricing (WagePilot) or per-team pricing (Findmyshift) usually beats per-user.
- Large hospitality group: Rotaready, Planday or Deputy.
- Want HR support in the same bill: BrightHR.
- Want comms, forms and training as well: Connecteam.
- Want a dedicated UK rota planner: RotaCloud.
How do you work out what it will really cost?
Model your own numbers rather than reading headline prices:
- Count every user who needs a login, including managers.
- Count sites, and how they’ll change in a year.
- Add the add-ons you’ll actually use (time clock, SMS, HR).
- Compare annual and monthly billing.
Our savings calculator helps estimate what accurate time tracking is worth, and our rota guide covers building a rota that stays within UK rota laws.
FAQs
Is there a free rota app in the UK?
Yes. Several vendors publish free plans for small teams, including Connecteam, Findmyshift, Sling and WagePilot. Limits differ, so check each plan’s current terms.
Which pricing model is cheapest?
It depends on your shape. Per-user pricing is cheap for small teams and grows with headcount. Per-site pricing stays flat as you hire, but costs more if you have many small sites with few staff.
Can a rota app run my payroll?
Some offer payroll add-ons or integrations. WagePilot does not: it produces approved hours and pay estimates for your existing payroll.
Why are exact prices not listed here?
Vendors change prices and currencies often. We list the pricing model we could verify on each vendor’s page on 12 October 2026 and recommend checking current pricing before you buy.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check GOV.UK or a qualified adviser for your situation. WagePilot handles the tracking automatically, but you remain responsible for your own compliance.