Homebase

Homebase is an all-in-one workforce platform for small businesses with hourly, shift-based teams. Its breadth is useful when scheduling, timekeeping and payroll need to work alongside hiring and HR. The main trade-off is a tiered offering: the free plan is tightly capped, and several capabilities cost extra.

Overview

Homebase spans schedule coordination, time tracking, payroll, hiring, onboarding, HR, compliance and team communication. That range makes it a plausible hub for restaurants, retail shops, beauty and wellness businesses, medical practices and home services teams. The trade-off is that a broad product does not mean every function comes with the base plan: payroll is an add-on, and higher-tier features are reserved for more expensive plans.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, Homebase is operated by Pioneer Works, Inc. Its focus on hourly teams is reflected in tools for tracking shifts and wages rather than a general-purpose workforce suite.

Key features

Scheduling and shift changes

Availability collection, auto-scheduling, time-off management, open shifts and shift swaps cover both building a schedule and handling changes afterward. That combination can help managers coordinate variable availability without treating every change as a separate process. Basic includes only basic scheduling, while advanced scheduling starts with Essentials at $30 a month, billed per location.

Timekeeping and payroll

Employees can clock in and out using mobile or tablet time clocks, with PIN, photo, and GPS or geofencing verification. Approved hours flow into payroll, where Homebase says it calculates wages, overtime, tips and taxes and handles tax filings. The connection between recorded hours and pay is useful for shift-based employers, but payroll is a paid add-on rather than part of the base plans.

Integrations, security and support

POS and payroll connections include Square, Toast, Clover, Shopify, ADP, Gusto and QuickBooks. Homebase also offers an API for custom integrations. Its stated security measures include encryption at rest and in transit, two-factor authentication, SSO, password-less login and role-based access control; it says it conducts annual penetration tests and monthly vulnerability scans. Its Trust Center lists SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS v4.0.0, CCPA, PIPEDA and NIST CSF. Support includes 24/7 AI chat and a Help Center, with live chat and phone support available in plan comparisons.

Pricing

Homebase is freemium, with paid plans billed per location. Basic is free for one location and up to 10 employees, and includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and POS integration. It is a practical starting point for a small single-site team, but the employee cap and basic feature set make it a poor fit for a growing operation or one that needs advanced scheduling.

Essentials costs $30 a month per location, with unlimited employees, advanced scheduling and time tracking, and team communication. It is the clearest step up for a larger team focused on shift operations; payroll remains an add-on. All-in-One costs $120 a month per location and adds employee onboarding, labor cost management, HR and compliance, with a payroll add-on available. Plus costs $700 a month per location and adds an AI-powered Scheduling Assistant, PTO and time-off controls, departments and permissions. Plus is a substantial price jump over Essentials and is best considered by employers who specifically need those additional controls. The page also advertises six months free with payroll for Plus.

The Payroll add-on is priced at $496 a month, with a first-six-months-free offer shown; afterward, it has a base fee plus a per-employee charge. It is available with any Homebase plan, but the per-employee charge means the base price alone does not show the full ongoing cost. Other optional charges include Task Manager at $13 a month for task lists and completion tracking, Tip Manager at $25 a month for POS tip imports and tip-pool calculations, and Hiring Assistant at $99 a month, with the first month free, for job posts, candidate finding and interviews. One-time options are background checks at $30 and job post boosts at $50.

Platforms

Homebase runs on Android, iOS and the web. Mobile and tablet time clocks make it relevant to teams that need staff to record hours on site or on the go.

Who it's for

Homebase fits small hourly businesses that want scheduling and timekeeping connected to wider workforce tasks, particularly restaurants, retail, beauty and wellness, medical, and home services. The free plan suits a single location with no more than 10 employees. Employers with more staff can use paid plans with unlimited employees per location, but should weigh the per-location plan charges and payroll add-on against the functions they actually need.

It is less compelling for a buyer seeking only a low-cost schedule tool or payroll without the broader workforce suite: Homebase's strongest case is bringing several hourly-team workflows together, not keeping every function in the base price.

Pros and cons

Pro: Scheduling, timekeeping, payroll and broader HR functions sit in one product, which can reduce fragmentation for hourly teams.

Pro: Mobile and tablet clock-ins can use PIN, photo and location checks, giving employers multiple verification options.

Pro: The free Basic plan covers one location and up to 10 employees, offering a usable entry point for a small team.

Con: Basic is limited to 10 employees and one location, so businesses that outgrow either cap must move to a paid plan.

Con: Payroll is a separate add-on with a base fee plus per-employee charges after the promotional period, complicating cost comparisons.

Con: Higher-tier features and several useful extras carry additional charges, so the advertised plan price may not reflect a business's full configuration.

Alternatives

For a different restaurant-focused scheduling option, compare 7shifts: its free Comp plan covers one location and up to 15 employees, versus Homebase Basic's 10-employee cap, while its Essentials plan allows 30 employees across unlimited locations.

TabPref is another freemium option, with a free starter plan that combines scheduling, a time clock, team chat and basic labor analytics for small teams.

For tip-focused needs, Rocket Tronc, Grateful, Divvy, Ferry and TipHaus are alternatives to consider; their listed platforms and pricing models differ.

DishOut is another option for buyers comparing workforce tools.

For category-specific comparisons, see Restaurant Tip Management Software, Nonprofit Payroll Software, Restaurant Labor Management Software, Restaurant Scheduling Software, Time and Attendance Software and Gym Staff Scheduling Software.

Verdict

Choose Homebase if you run an hourly team and want shift scheduling and verified timekeeping connected to payroll and broader workforce tools. Its free tier is a useful start for one small location, and paid plans remove the employee cap. Look elsewhere if you need a simpler or more predictable price: payroll is extra, and the location-based plans and add-ons can raise the total substantially.