Team scheduling app: shifts, swaps and leave on mobile.

Planned centrally. Shifts and requests on mobile.

Try it free for 14 days

No credit card required · No extra cost for the app

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  • App Store & Google Play
  • Hosted in Frankfurt (EU)
  • Cancel monthly
iOS & Android
Push notifications
Active internet connection
Built on GDPR principles

The next shift, in their pocket.

Record time, check the rota and request leave: explore three features of the employee app for iPhone and Android.

Clock in on your smartphone.

Record the start of work, breaks and clock-out in the app. You can review the entries in your central hours overview.

Shiftdesk employee app showing working time, pause and clock-out controls
Product illustrations with sample data. Interface shown in German.

Clock in on your smartphone.

Shiftdesk employee app showing working time, pause and clock-out controls

Product illustrations with sample data. Interface shown in German.

Your team uses employee access to your business account. App clocking is available when you enable this recording method.

Everything in one app — for employees and team leads

Shifts, time tracking, time off, and team chat right on the phone. One app, one login — for iOS and Android.

Employee in front of a modern building checking the schedule on their smartphone

Your schedule always with you

Daily, weekly, and monthly views right on your phone. Push notifications can alert your team to published changes — no photo of the bulletin board, no outdated WhatsApp screenshot.

Employee on the bus using the team chat in the Shiftdesk scheduling app

Team chat for the workplace

One-on-one and group chats right in the app instead of private phone numbers. Core application data is processed in Frankfurt; push notifications use Apple and Google device services.

Employee with headphones on the bus accepting a shift swap request in the Shiftdesk app

Swap shifts without calling

Employees send a swap request to selected colleagues. After their response, an authorised manager makes the final decision. The interface shown is an illustrative, schematic view of this workflow.

Employee sitting relaxed at home with coffee, requesting time off in the Shiftdesk app

Time off & absences

Request time off from the couch: choose a date range, give a reason and submit. You can see the status in the app; owners, HR staff or location managers process the request through the approval workflow.

Time tracking in the app

Record the start and end of work and breaks directly in the app. An active internet connection is required.

Push notifications

Alerts for published schedule changes, open shifts or new messages on your phone.

Synced online

Schedules, requests and clock-ins are synchronised with the workplace account through an active internet connection.

Set your availability

Mark week by week when you can fill in — and when you can't.

What does the scheduling app cost for your team?

The employee app is part of your business’s Shiftdesk subscription. Your total depends on the plan and employee count.

The Shiftdesk app is included in every plan — at no extra cost.

Your business sets up a Shiftdesk account, chooses a plan and invites employees. They sign in to the app with their personal access. No additional app subscription is required; ongoing business use requires a paid Shiftdesk plan.

Basic
€25 per month for up to 6 employees, then €2.50 per additional employee per month.
Scheduling in the browser, plus shifts, time tracking, leave requests, availability, shift swaps and team chat in the app. Access depends on the role and setup.
Pro
€45 per month for up to 12 employees, then €3.90 per additional employee per month.
All Basic features. Pro also includes the separate tablet time clock, unlimited locations and payroll preparation in the browser.

Example for 10 employees: Basic costs €35 in total and Pro €45 per month. There is no extra charge for the employee app.

Regular prices with monthly billing, excluding VAT. See the pricing page for annual billing, current promotions and the full feature comparison. The 14-day trial requires no credit card; you choose when to purchase a paid subscription.

Basic

€25

per month · 6 employees included

  • Shift scheduling with drag and drop
  • Time tracking (timer + manual)
  • Absences with leave balance
  • Up to 3 locations
Try it free for 14 days
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Pro

€45

per month · 12 employees included

  • All Basic features
  • Unlimited locations
  • Payroll preparation & DATEV
  • Tablet time clock (kiosk mode)
Try it free for 14 days

Enterprise

€120

per month · 30 employees included

  • All Pro features
  • Public REST API
  • Budget management & custom fields
  • SLA support (8-hour response time)
Contact us
See all details and pricing calculator

All prices exclude VAT · Cancel anytime · No credit card required

For employees and team leads — one app, two views

Each role sees the areas enabled for it. Employees manage personal workflows; team leads can also view the team schedule and availability.

For employees

  • View shifts — day, week, month
  • Clock in and out with one tap
  • Request time off and absences
  • Swap shifts right in the app
  • Read messages and announcements
  • Set your availability per week

For team leads

  • View the team schedule and availability
  • Create draft shifts and open shifts
  • Record their own working time in the app
  • Request their own absences and swaps
  • Use direct chat, group chat and announcements
  • Receive personal notifications
Go to desktop planning →

Scheduling app for iOS and Android

Available for iPhone and Android. Included in every Shiftdesk plan — no add-on subscription, no in-app purchases.

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Available on the App Store and Google Play · Try the web app free for 14 days

For every industry with shift work

Wherever work happens on the move, a scheduling app is especially valuable — from the bar to the guard station.

Hospitality

Swap shifts when someone's sick — right in the app, without chaos in the WhatsApp group.

Learn more

Care & nursing

Night shift schedule on the smartphone anytime. Push notifications for last-minute changes.

Learn more

Retail

Part-time and temp teams see the published schedule on mobile. No notice on the bulletin board.

Learn more

Security

Deployment sites and rotating shifts on mobile whenever an internet connection is available.

Learn more

What is a scheduling app?

A scheduling app is a mobile application that lets employees view their shift schedule, clock in and out, request time off, and communicate with the team. It complements browser-based scheduling with mobile access — for everyone who isn't sitting at a desk.

It's important to distinguish between two categories that both show up under the search term “scheduling app”: On one side are consumer apps like Supershift, Mein Dienstplan, or Dienstplan-Kalender. They're aimed at individuals who want to keep their personal shift overview — often as a widget, with color codes and PDF export. Shifts are entered manually there, with no connection to the workplace.

On the other side are team scheduling apps like Shiftdesk, Papershift, or Staffomatic. They're the mobile gateway to a workforce management platform: the schedule is created centrally by the workplace, employees see their shifts automatically, and they can swap, clock in, and request time off. These team apps solve a different problem — they replace paper, email, and WhatsApp as the communication channel for shifts. People who Google “scheduling app” often land in the consumer corner by accident and wonder why there are no team features.

Shiftdesk clearly belongs to the second category: the scheduling app is part of a complete system spanning scheduling, time tracking, and absence management — the scheduling app for the team, not the individual.

Scheduling app vs. WhatsApp group: why workplaces are switching

Monday, 5:30 AM. Early shift at the care home. A colleague writes in the team WhatsApp group: “I'm sick. Can someone cover for me?” Ten minutes later the chat explodes: suggestions, follow-up questions, screenshots of the old plan, a message from the nursing lead with a new PDF. Nobody knows anymore which version is current. The shift lead scrolls through 47 messages to reconstruct who works when.

Scenarios like this are common in shift-work businesses. A scheduling app keeps the published schedule, absence requests, open shifts and swap workflows in the workplace system. Authorised people review requests through defined workflows, while employees do not have to exchange private phone numbers.

Privacy also belongs in the selection process. Private messengers expose phone numbers to the team and mix workplace with personal communication. Shiftdesk processes core application data in Frankfurt and limits access by role; push notifications technically use Apple or Google device services.

Another advantage is documentation: swap and absence requests are recorded in the relevant workflow. When questions arise, managers do not have to search across different chat histories and PDF versions.

What a good scheduling app must do: 7-point checklist

Not every scheduling app is suited for workplace use. These seven points separate good scheduling apps from mere calendar holders — as a guide for making your choice:

  1. 01

    Published schedule in the app

    No photo of the bulletin board and no PDF attachment. A scheduling app should show employees the version published by the workplace, avoiding outdated copies on personal devices.

  2. 02

    Shift swapping right in the app

    Employees should be able to send a swap request to selected colleagues. After a response, owners, HR staff or location managers make the final decision, keeping the workflow traceable in the system.

  3. 03

    Time tracking integrated

    Scheduling and time tracking can be connected in one application. Depending on the configured tracking mode, employees can record the start and end of work and breaks in the app. A tablet terminal can be added at fixed locations.

  4. 04

    Time off and absences

    Employees choose a date range and reason in the app and can see the processing status. Owners, HR staff or location managers decide the request through the approval workflow.

  5. 05

    Push notifications

    Push notifications can alert employees to published schedule changes, open shifts or new messages. Delivery and timing depend on the device, operating system and notification settings.

  6. 06

    Transparent connection requirements

    A workplace app should state clearly whether it works without a network. Shiftdesk currently requires an active internet connection and does not buffer mobile actions locally during a network outage.

  7. 07

    Built on GDPR principles

    Personnel data deserves special protection. Relevant criteria include traceable roles, a data processing agreement and transparent subprocessors. Shiftdesk processes core application data in Frankfurt and documents additional services in the privacy policy.

Check the criteria that matter to your workplace during the 14-day trial.

Try free for 14 days

The Shiftdesk app at a glance

Shiftdesk is a modern workforce management platform with an integrated scheduling app for iOS and Android. The system covers scheduling, time tracking, and absences. For planners there's the browser version with drag-and-drop scheduling, and for complex shift models the shift planner. For mobile time tracking and the digital time clock, you'll find more in the overview of time tracking. For fixed locations, Shiftdesk Terminal offers a dedicated tablet time clock where the whole team clocks in without their own account. The guide “Creating a schedule — step by step” provides practical background on getting started.

Frequently asked questions about the scheduling app

What does the scheduling app cost, and who pays?▼
The app is included at no extra charge in your business’s Shiftdesk plan. Basic regularly costs €25 per month for up to 6 employees, then €2.50 per additional employee. Pro starts at €45 for up to 12 employees, then €3.90 per additional employee. Prices are for monthly billing, excluding VAT. Employees need personal access to the business account, but no separate app subscription. Your business can try Shiftdesk for 14 days without a credit card.
Which devices is the app available for?▼
The Shiftdesk scheduling app is available for iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android (smartphone, tablet). There's also a full-featured browser version for building schedules on the desktop. Employees can use the app, while planners and HR usually prefer working on the big screen.
Can I track time with the app too?▼
Yes. Depending on the configured tracking mode, employees can record the start and end of work and breaks in the app. An active internet connection is currently required; mobile actions are not buffered locally during a network outage.
Can employees swap shifts with each other?▼
Yes. Employees send a swap request to selected colleagues in the app. After their response, owners, HR staff or location managers make the final decision. The workflow remains traceable in the system.
How does the scheduling app support GDPR requirements?▼
Shiftdesk processes core application data in Frankfurt and limits access by role. A data processing agreement (DPA) is available to B2B customers. Details on subprocessors, push services, access rights and encryption are provided in the privacy policy.
Do I need the app, or is the browser enough?▼
They work together. Schedules are mainly created and published in the browser. Employees view their shifts and use personal workflows on mobile. The app currently requires an active internet connection.
iOS & Android
on the App Store and Google Play
Push
alerts for relevant changes
€0
extra cost for the employee app
14 days
free trial, no credit card required

Ready for better shift scheduling?

Start your 14-day free trial now — free and no credit card required. Or book a personal demo.

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