Best for
Best for retailers and other multi-site operators who plan shift teams centrally against demand forecasts and labour budgets.
Shift Scheduling Comparison
Rotageek vs. Zoho Shifts
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for small and mid-sized businesses that want shift scheduling and a mobile time clock at a low per-user price, starting on a free plan.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Rotageek | Zoho Shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not stated Prices are not published; Rotageek offers a demo and a package tailored to the business. | Free up to 25 users; Basic from $1 / user / month Basic and Standard require a minimum of 10 users, so Basic starts at $10 a month and Standard at $2 per user, $20 a month. Billed yearly, Basic is $10 and Standard $20 per user per year, two months off. Prices are also shown in INR, EUR and GBP; pay as you go, with no contract. |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30-day free trial, no credit card required; free plan for up to 25 users |
| Users | Shift teams across multiple locations; the vendor names retail, entertainment and leisure, care homes and hospices, and facilities management | Businesses that staff shifts; the vendor names restaurants, retail, healthcare, professional services, assisted living and universities and schools |
| API | Yes, a REST API with Swagger documentation and signed webhooks, plus CSV exchange by secure file transfer | Yes, a REST API with OAuth 2.0 authentication, from the Basic plan |
| Hosting | Cloud on Microsoft Azure; the vendor states that UK and European customer data is held in Europe | Cloud, in the browser, with mobile apps for iOS and Android |
| Shift planning and templates | Drag-and-drop rota building with saved shifts and rotating patterns, copying a week to future weeks, contracted and maximum hours totalled as shifts are added, multi-week and store-by-store views, activities within shifts linked to skills, and drafts hidden from staff until a manager approves them; the Auto Scheduling add-on drafts rotas to cover targets, rules and budgets | Drag-and-drop scheduling with shift templates, copying schedules from earlier weeks, multiple locations, teams and departments as separate schedules, and break scheduling on every plan; Basic adds advanced scheduling, schedule templates, recurring shifts, job sites, skills management and custom access levels |
| Shift swaps and open shifts | Staff swap shifts with colleagues or drop them for cover in the app, dropped and open shifts go only to staff with the right skills and no clashing shift, and each site chooses manager approval or automatic approval of agreed swaps | On Basic, open shifts employees can pick up, and shift swap, offer and drop between relevant and qualified co-workers |
| Availability and time off | Availability and shift preferences sent from the app, leave types with fixed or accrued allowances in hours or days, blocked key dates and percentage caps per role, time off in lieu, and leave approvers set by role and site | Time off requests on every plan; Basic adds availability preferences and time off management, and Standard adds time off accrual based on hours worked |
| Time clock and attendance | Clocking in on the iOS and Android app, a web timeclock on approved shared devices, or third-party terminals such as Grosvenor, TimeMoto and Sign In App, with site boundaries, optional photos, break clocking, reasons for early or late clock-ins, and timesheets matched to planned shifts | On Standard, clock-in from the mobile app or a shared device running the Shifts Kiosk app, timesheet management that staff can edit, break tracking, time clock rules and reports, GPS tagging and geofencing; attendance shows in real time who is working, on a break or late, with notifications for missed clock-ins and clock-outs |
| Labour cost and forecasting | Labour budgets in hours or money per location or task with live variance while the rota is built and against hours worked, dynamic schedule costing, and with the Forecasting add-on demand predicted in 15, 30 or 60-minute slots from footfall, transactions, orders or check-ins | The vendor describes monitoring staffing expenses while schedules are created; Standard adds shift premiums and custom overtime rules, and reports cover logged hours, time off and availability |
| Breaks, overtime and labour rules | Warnings on shifts that break working time rules on rest, shift length, days worked and breaks, set per person, site, contract or age, with hours left against each maximum; the vendor states that rules warn rather than block a rota | Break scheduling on every plan; Standard adds break tracking, time clock rules and custom overtime rules, and the vendor states that wages and overtime pay are calculated according to the region's labour laws |
| Payroll export and integration | Signed-off hours coded for basic, overtime and other pay by pay rules, sent to the payroll system by API, FTP or file in a layout agreed with the payroll team, with an optional payroll sign-off step | On Standard, timesheets and the pay rates assigned to each employee or designation are reviewed and exported to payroll software, with pay periods set weekly, bi-weekly or monthly |
| Team messaging and notifications | Messages to one, some or all staff received in the mobile app, and push and email notifications when a new or changed shift is approved | Built-in messenger with direct messages, group chats and announcement channels, email and push notifications on every plan, and shift reminders on Basic |
| Platforms and mobile app | Web app, staff app for iOS and Android with calendar sync, web timeclock on shared devices, and single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID, Okta and Google | Web app, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and the Shifts Kiosk app that turns a tablet or mobile device into a shared time clock |
| Integrations and API | Public REST API to create and update people, leave and open shifts and pull approved rotas, timesheets and staffing gaps, signed webhooks for rota approval, timesheet sign-off and changes, scheduled CSV imports by secure file transfer, and integrations with HR, payroll, POS, booking and BI systems | REST API from the Basic plan, authenticated with OAuth 2.0 and scoped per resource, covering employees, shifts, timesheets, time off requests, availability, schedules, positions and job sites; schedules sync with Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar |
| AI features | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS) | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Chat | more entries Chat, Email helpdesk |
| Onboarding | Guided onboarding | Not stated |
| Company size | Not stated | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | more entries ELMO, Grosvenor, TimeMoto, Sign In App, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Google | Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Apple Calendar |
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Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Deployment Rotageek Cloud (SaaS) Zoho Shifts Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based
- Hosting Rotageek Cloud on Microsoft Azure; the vendor states that UK and European customer data is held in Europe Zoho Shifts Cloud, in the browser, with mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Support Rotageek Chat Zoho Shifts Chat, Email helpdesk
- AI features Rotageek Yes Zoho Shifts No
- Users Rotageek Shift teams across multiple locations; the vendor names retail, entertainment and leisure, care homes and hospices, and facilities management Zoho Shifts Businesses that staff shifts; the vendor names restaurants, retail, healthcare, professional services, assisted living and universities and schools
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Rotageek
Strengths
- Dropped and open shifts are offered only to staff with the right skills who are free at that time
- Labour budget and variance shown while the rota is built
- Public REST API with webhooks for approved rotas and signed-off timesheets
- Certified to ISO 27001 and ISO 9001, as stated by the vendor
- Works with existing clocking terminals such as Grosvenor, TimeMoto and Sign In App
Limitations
- Prices are not published
- Auto-scheduling, forecasting, labour modelling and insights are add-ons to the core package
- Working time rules warn on a shift but do not stop a manager approving the rota
- Third-party terminals, forecasts and integrations are set up with the vendor during implementation
Zoho Shifts
Strengths
- Free plan for up to 25 users with scheduling, team messaging and the mobile apps
- 30-day free trial with no credit card required
- Pay-as-you-go subscription with no contract
- REST API included from the Basic plan
Limitations
- Paid plans require a minimum of 10 users
- Clocking in, timesheets and payroll export need the Standard plan
- The pricing page names a payroll export but no specific payroll integration
Plans
Pricing
Rotageek
- Digital Scheduling Not stated Core package; Auto Scheduling, Forecasting, Labour modelling and Insights are add-ons. Prices are not published.
Zoho Shifts
- Free $0 Up to 25 users. Basic scheduling, multiple locations, team messaging, break scheduling, time off requests, schedule reports, shift templates, iOS and Android apps, email and push notifications, chat and email support.
- Basic $1 / user / month Minimum 10 users, so from $10 a month; $10 per user per year billed yearly. Adds unlimited users, open shifts, job sites, schedule templates, recurring shifts, shift reminders, shift swap, offer and drop, availability preferences, custom access levels, skills management, time off management and REST API access.
- Standard $2 / user / month Minimum 10 users, so from $20 a month; $20 per user per year billed yearly. Adds time tracking, mobile and kiosk clock-in, timesheets, time clock rules and reports, break tracking, custom overtime rules, shift premiums, GPS tagging, geofencing, payroll export and time off accrual.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Rotageek
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
Zoho Shifts
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
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Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Rotageek https://www.rotageek.com/ · checked against the official source on 2026-11-07
Zoho Shifts https://www.zoho.com/shifts/ · checked against the official source on 2026-11-06
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.