Best for
Best for hospitality groups that want rotas, time and attendance and HR in one app, with wage costs and sales forecasts visible while the rota is built.
Shift Scheduling Comparison
Rotaready Evo 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 | Rotaready Evo | Zoho Shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not stated | 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 | Hospitality businesses | Businesses that staff shifts; the vendor names restaurants, retail, healthcare, professional services, assisted living and universities and schools |
| API | Open API and webhooks in the Premium plan | Yes, a REST API with OAuth 2.0 authentication, from the Basic plan |
| Hosting | Cloud, with iPhone and Android mobile apps | Cloud, in the browser, with mobile apps for iOS and Android |
| Shift planning and templates | Drag-and-drop rota editor with automated rota scheduling, a rota approval process, notable events, a local 10-day weather forecast and an audit history of all changes, listed on all three plans | 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 | Shift swaps and Shift Broadcast are listed on all three plans, and the vendor names shift swaps and absence requests among the tools in the employee app | 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 patterns, absence and time off, holiday allowances and allowances for any absence type, with automatic holiday accrual from time and attendance | 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 | Clock-in via GPS, PIN code or photo capture, by tablet or mobile, with attendance matched automatically to shifts, automatic issue detection, rounding with custom rules, overtime tracking and approval, and an audited sign-off process | 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 | Live labour calculations while the rota is built, budgeting, custom sales and revenue streams, forecast against actual against budget, and tracking of wages, hours, sales, wage percentage, covers and covers per labour hour. Pro + Forecasting and Premium add sales predictions from historical sales, weather, reservations, notable events and holidays, including pooled data from industry peers | 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 | Automatic application of pay and break policies, live validation of every change and Working Time regulations compliance, listed on all three plans | 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 | Timesheets with overtime and breaks export to third-party payroll providers, with integrations named for payroll systems such as Sage Payroll, BrightPay, PayCaptain and Xero, and a fully managed payroll bureau at extra cost | 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 | Real-time chat, group conversations and messaging between sites, email, SMS and push notifications, and Engage Lite, a feed for posting updates and tagging colleagues | 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 | Cloud-based, with iPhone and Android mobile apps and clock-ins by tablet or mobile. Multiple languages on all plans; multiple time zones and currencies in Premium | 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 | Open API and webhooks in Premium, together with single sign-on through Google and Azure and Sign-in with Rotaready over OIDC. The vendor names real-time integrations with EPoS, reservations, payroll, applicant tracking, training and tips systems, including Tenzo, ICRTouch, OpenTable, NCR Aloha, Zonal, Lightspeed, ResDiary, SevenRooms and Epos Now | 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 | Not stated | Chat, Email helpdesk |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | Not stated |
| Company size | Not stated | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | more entries Tenzo, ICRTouch, Talent Funnel, Comtrex, OpenTable, NCR Aloha, eploy, Tevalis, Monotree, Zonal, Tayl, Centera, Clover, Recruit Genie, PayCaptain, Goodtill by SumUp, PointOne, Epos Now, Staffbase, CPL, Lightspeed K Series, ResDiary, Newbridge, Sage Payroll, TiPJAR, Wagestream, Workvivo, SevenRooms, Yapster, Guestline Rezlynx, Xero, Azuronaut, BrightPay, Temtailor, Lightspeed, Flow Hospitality | Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Apple Calendar |
Add a tool
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 Rotaready Evo Cloud (SaaS) Zoho Shifts Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based
- Hosting Rotaready Evo Cloud, with iPhone and Android mobile apps Zoho Shifts Cloud, in the browser, with mobile apps for iOS and Android
- AI features Rotaready Evo Yes Zoho Shifts No
- Users Rotaready Evo Hospitality businesses Zoho Shifts Businesses that staff shifts; the vendor names restaurants, retail, healthcare, professional services, assisted living and universities and schools
- API Rotaready Evo Open API and webhooks in the Premium plan Zoho Shifts Yes, a REST API with OAuth 2.0 authentication, from the Basic plan
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Rotaready Evo
Strengths
- Wage percentage, covers per labour hour and forecast against budget shown while the rota is built
- Clock-in via GPS, PIN code or photo capture, matched automatically with shifts
- The vendor states its integrations with EPoS, reservations and payroll systems are included free
- Chat, group conversations and messaging between sites on every plan
Limitations
- No amounts appear in the pricing page text; the monthly cost comes from a calculator
- Open API, webhooks and single sign-on are limited to the Premium plan
- Sales forecasting needs the Pro + Forecasting or Premium plan
- The product and its integration list are built around hospitality
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
Rotaready Evo
- Pro Not stated Rota scheduling, HR, wellbeing insights, time and attendance, cost control, payroll export, integrations, messaging and the mobile apps. Includes a customer success plan.
- Pro + Forecasting Not stated Everything in Pro, plus sales forecasting from historical sales, weather, reservations and events.
- Premium Not stated Everything in Pro + Forecasting, plus the open API and webhooks, single sign-on, and multiple time zones and currencies.
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
Rotaready Evo
- 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
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
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Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Rotaready Evo https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/our-brands/rotaready-evo/ · checked against the official source on 2026-11-08
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.