Per-user vs per-location vs flat pricing for scheduling software
Per-user pricing is cheaper for small teams and gets more expensive with every hire, per-location pricing is cheaper when each store has many staff, and flat pricing per business costs the same whatever you add. Which is cheapest for you depends on staff per location: the break-even between a $4-per-user plan (Sling Business) and a $30-per-location plan (Homebase Essentials) is 30 ÷ 4 = 7.5 staff per store.
The three models
| Model | You pay for | Cost rises when | Example vendor (price as shown on 2026-11-12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per user | Each person in the account | You hire, including seasonal staff | Sling Business $4.00/user/month; Deputy Core $7.25/user/month (both billed monthly) |
| Per location | Each store, unlimited staff | You open a store | Homebase Essentials $30/location/month (Homebase Plus $70); ShiftForce ShiftNote+Scheduler $100/location/month (all billed monthly) |
| Bundle / flat | A plan with a user allowance, or the business | You exceed the allowance (bundle) or never (flat) | Connecteam Ops Hub Advanced $59/month incl. 30 users, billed monthly |
Deputy's FAQ says all users, administrators and supervisors count as users, and there is a $30 minimum monthly spend on monthly plans. Every price in this article is the monthly-billing figure; annual billing is lower (Deputy Core $6.50, Homebase Essentials $24, Sling Business $3.40, Connecteam Ops Advanced $49).
Small team: 1 location, 8 staff
| Plan | Math | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Homebase Essentials | 1 × $30 | $30.00 |
| Sling Business | 8 × $4.00 | $32.00 |
| Deputy Core | 8 × $7.25 = $58.00 (above the $30 minimum) | $58.00 |
| ShiftForce ShiftNote+Scheduler | 1 × $100 | $100.00 |
At 8 staff, Homebase Essentials ($30) is $2 under Sling Business ($32), because 8 is above the 7.5-staff break-even; at 7 staff Sling would cost 7 × $4.00 = $28. Free plans also exist: Sling Free covers up to 30 users, and Homebase Basic covers 1 location and up to 10 employees, each with fewer features than the paid plans above.
Three locations, 30 staff (10 per store)
| Plan | Model | Math | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecteam Ops Hub Advanced | Bundle, 30 users included | $59 | $59.00 |
| Homebase Essentials | Per location | 3 × $30 | $90.00 |
| Sling Business | Per user | 30 × $4.00 | $120.00 |
| When I Work (multiple locations) | Per user | 30 × $5 | $150.00 |
| Deputy Core | Per user | 30 × $7.25 (33 with 3 managers: 33 × $7.25 = $239.25) | $217.50 |
| ShiftForce ShiftNote+Scheduler | Per location | 3 × $100 | $300.00 |
At 10 staff per store, Connecteam's 30-user bundle ($59) is lowest; per-location Homebase Essentials ($90) costs less than Sling Business ($120) and Deputy Core ($217.50). Plans do not include the same features: Connecteam's Basic tier allows only 1 schedule and 1 time clock, which is why Advanced is used here. When I Work's pricing FAQ says $5 per user per month for multi-location businesses; its $2.50 single-location price (30 × $2.50 = $75) applies only to one location or schedule. Compare plans on the features you need, not the headline price.
Break-even: when per-location beats per-user
Divide the per-location price by the per-user price to get the staff count per store at which they cost the same.
| Per-location plan | vs. per-user plan | Break-even staff per store |
|---|---|---|
| Homebase Essentials $30 | Sling Business $4.00 | 30 ÷ 4.00 = 7.5 |
| Homebase Essentials $30 | Deputy Core $7.25 | 30 ÷ 7.25 = 4.1 |
| Homebase Plus $70 | Sling Business $4.00 | 70 ÷ 4.00 = 17.5 |
| Homebase Plus $70 | Deputy Core $7.25 | 70 ÷ 7.25 = 9.7 |
| ShiftForce $100 | Sling Business $4.00 | 100 ÷ 4.00 = 25 |
| ShiftForce $100 | Deputy Core $7.25 | 100 ÷ 7.25 = 13.8 |
Example: a store with 22 staff pays 22 × $4.00 = $88 on Sling Business vs. $70 on Homebase Plus, so per-location is $18 cheaper for that store. A store with 10 staff pays $40 vs. $70, so per-user is $30 cheaper.
Count the cost of growth, not just today
- Seasonal hiring: on a per-user plan, adding 10 seasonal staff at $4.00 adds 10 × $4.00 = $40 a month while they are in the account. On a per-location plan it adds $0.
- Opening a store: on a per-location plan, store 4 adds $30 (Homebase Essentials), $70 (Homebase Plus) or $100 (ShiftForce) a month. See opening a second location.
- Managers: on Deputy, managers count as users; 3 managers add 3 × $7.25 = $21.75.
Assistlify uses the third model: one flat monthly price per business, not per location or per user; the price is not published yet while it is in early access. For a side-by-side with one per-location vendor, see Homebase alternatives.
Questions
Is per-user or per-location pricing cheaper for scheduling software?
Per-user is cheaper for small stores; per-location wins once staff per store passes the break-even, e.g. $30 ÷ $4.00 = 7.5 staff per store for Homebase Essentials vs Sling Business.
How much does scheduling software cost for 3 locations and 30 employees?
Connecteam Ops Advanced $59, Homebase Essentials $90, Sling Business $120, When I Work $150, Deputy Core $217.50, ShiftForce $300 (monthly billing, checked 2026-11-12).
Do managers count as users in per-user scheduling software?
On Deputy, yes: its FAQ says all users, administrators and supervisors count toward the user total.
What is flat pricing for scheduling software?
One monthly price for the whole business that does not change when you add staff or locations, unlike per-user plans that rise with each hire.
Sources
- Sling pricing (checked 2026-11-12)
- Deputy pricing (checked 2026-11-12)
- Homebase pricing (checked 2026-11-12)
- When I Work pricing (checked 2026-11-12)
- ShiftForce (ShiftNote) pricing (checked 2026-11-12)
- Connecteam pricing (checked 2026-11-12)