Scheduling challenges can make or break a small business, especially in the construction industry, where project delays are common. The right small business scheduling app can help you stay on track by simplifying task management, adapting to setbacks, and keeping teams aligned.
We’ve reviewed the seven best small business scheduling apps for 2025 to help you find the best fit. Let’s explore how they can eliminate scheduling headaches and boost efficiency.
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The best work scheduling app and all-in-one solution built for small businesses.
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The go-to app for small businesses for streamlining individual scheduling.
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Appointment and booking software for small businesses, solopreneurs, and freelancers.
Scoring
Key Features
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Simplified task scheduler with real-time notifications
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GPS-enabled time and location tracking
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Built-in job progress tracking and job costing
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Automated workforce compliance
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Integrations with construction-friendly business apps
Integrated scheduling and time tracking
Real-time notifications and instant app notifications
Detailed task assignments by individual, project, or team
Recurring task scheduling for regular jobs
Compliance safeguards to comply with labor laws
No SMS alerts, only real-time app and email notifications
May require onboarding to address privacy concerns
Requires some initial setup to customize features
Best suited for businesses looking for all-in-one solutions
Highlights
Managing complex projects with multiple moving parts is not easy, especially for small construction, field service, or property management companies. One missed deadline or scheduling error can set projects back weeks, costing valuable time and resources.
This is where Workyard shines as a small business scheduling app. It simplifies workforce coordination and keeps projects on track.
Workyard makes organizing teams and assigning tasks a breeze. With its calendar-style, drag-and-drop scheduler, you can create, modify, and finalize schedules in only a few clicks.
Set up recurring tasks or make last-minute changes. Everything updates in real time, keeping your team coordinated and even the most complex projects running smoothly.
Workyard’s GPS-enabled time clock ensures precise time tracking. Clock-out times are also trimmed to reflect employees’ last recorded location.
For end-to-end project visibility, Workyard’s job-tracking software monitors projects from start to finish and automatically tracks costs and provides detailed time and cost reports.
Workyard’s powerful combination of scheduling, GPS tracking, and detailed reporting makes it a comprehensive solution for small businesses.
Now, let’s dive into more of Workyard’s standout features.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We created Workyard – the first app reviewed here – to address issues we encountered while struggling to track and manage construction payrolls for over 700 workers in over 50 construction businesses. We built the Workyard app from the ground up to support construction companies like yours, with industry-essential features like the industry’s most accurate time clock app with GPS and geofencing, intuitive contractor scheduling, construction cost tracking tools, and more.
Learn more about how Workyard works on our main website, or sign up for a 14-day free trial today to see what Workyard can do for your business.
Intuitive Task Scheduling with Real-Time Notifications
Workyard’s scheduling tools eliminate the administrative burden of manual scheduling, providing efficiency for even the most complex projects.
Enjoy quick task creation with its drag-and-drop scheduling. Add tasks with a simple click, assign them to individuals or teams, specify project locations, and set deadlines. You can bulk edit and set up duplicate or recurring tasks.
Workyard’s visual calendar tracks errors, overlaps, or gaps in scheduling at a glance. For tailored insights into your team’s workload, switch between daily, weekly, or monthly views.
Real-time updates and notifications also automatically alert workers via email or app when tasks are scheduled or updated, ensuring everyone stays informed. Everyone also receives detailed instructions and color-coded task labels for quick categorization.
You can manage worker schedules in a snap on Workyard’s web or mobile apps.
Try Workyard’s intuitive drag-and-drop scheduling tools today!
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Accurate GPS Location and Time Tracking
With Workyard’s GPS-enabled time clock, you can ensure transparency and accountability across your teams.
Set up your project geofences to automatically clock workers in or out, prevent early clock-ins, and reduce unnecessary labor costs. You can also view worker locations in real time via a map-based interface, enabling smarter task assignments and faster decision-making.
But that’s not all. Workyard tracks driving time, routes, and mileage for reimbursements and syncs time clock entries with timesheets for payroll accuracy.
Workyard offers the most accurate time-tracking mobile app for construction.
Track every worker in real time and save thousands on payroll with Workyard!
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Meticulous Job Tracking and Costing
Workyard’s job-tracking features help you monitor progress while improving resource allocation and preventing budget overruns.
It allows you to track your labor budget for each task and project. For detailed insights into your labor expenses, you can also assign cost codes to all tasks and projects.
Meanwhile, field teams can share job progress via the Workyard app and attach photos, notes, and checklists for real-time visibility into projects.
And with automatic syncing, time clock entries and job cost reports update in real time, allowing you to make informed decisions quickly.
Workyard’s integrated job costing tools help keep construction budgets in check.
Know your costs and optimize your profitability with Workyard!
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Automatic Workforce Compliance
Labor compliance is built into Workyard to simplify compliance and safeguard your business from disputes and lawsuits.
Workyard reduces your business’s compliance risks with break reminders to ensure your employees take their legally required breaks on time.
Moreover, workers can easily access their time card entries and are notified when adjustments are made. All entries have clear time card approvals and are recorded for FLSA adherence.
Workyard also keeps a comprehensive record of GPS time logs and detailed entries to provide a robust audit trail for every shift.
Construction-Friendly Integrations
To extend its functionality, Workyard has native integrations with popular business tools.
Sync with QuickBooks Online or Desktop for smooth accounting and payroll management. With API Access, you can also customize Workyard by integrating it with your existing systems or other business software, from invoicing tools to project management apps.
These integrations ensure Workyard fits perfectly into your workflow to save time and reduce errors.
Reviews
Field workers using mobile apps find great benefits from Workyard’s time clock, which automatically clocks an employee in or out. Admins and supervisors, on the other hand, find the reports extremely useful in helping them formulate goals and make important business decisions.
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The iOS user below loves Workyard’s automatic clock-in/out feature, which enables workers to still get paid accurately despite forgetting to use Workyard’s time clock.
Accurate employee time cards ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One of the biggest problems we have is that our employees forget to clock in when they arrive on site. Workyard allowed us to set the addresses for all of our job sites so that when an employee arrives to the project Workyard uses GPS to capture their actual arrival time. If they forgot to clock in and do it say an hour later we have that audit trail to compare to. We can see that they arrived on site at 7 AM vs an 8:15 AM clock in. Our workers love it because when they forget to clock in it’s almost always an honest mistake. This way they feel confident their time card is going to be accurate and they’ll get paid what they deserve.
The Android user below finds Workyard effective in tracking workers’ time and calculating labor costs. It gives construction professionals the data they need to keep project expenses under control.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great for keeping track of employee hours. Even better than that I can get reports on the labor costs for each of my projects without any extra effort!
The Capterra user review below finds Workyard a “little expensive,” but its time-saving features balance it out.
Due West Construction Workyard review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: The team from work yard is very helpful and always available to assist.Pros: The ease of set up and use on the daily for our employees. The time saving for our administration team.
Cons: Little expensive but the time we are saving is off setting the cost.
Pricing
Free Trial?
Pro
$13 /mo. per user + $50 / mo. company base fee
Enterprise
Schedule smarter and faster with Workyard
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Scoring
Key Features
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Shareable link for quick scheduling
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Automated scheduling workflows
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Team-based scheduling
Automatically converts schedules into the invitee’s time zone
Syncs with popular calendar apps
Suitable for different meeting types
No job progress tracker
No built-in time tracker
No phone support
Highlights
Calendly is best for quick scheduling of one-on-one or group appointments.
Users can quickly set up their availability or sync the app with Google Calendar (or other calendar apps of their choice) so their customers can only book on days when they have no prior commitments.
With Calendly, users can instantly create a scheduling link and share it with their customers through the website, social media, email newsletter, or wherever they are online.
You can choose what type of meeting you’re going to hold, set up a workflow to automatically send reminders, and easily send meeting invitations in your global invitees’ own time zones.
Calendly specializes in appointment scheduling, making it an ideal choice for booking demos, consultations, and team meetings.
Construction and field service businesses can likewise use it for the above-mentioned purposes, but Calendly isn’t robust enough to handle more complicated scheduling demands.
Reviews
Users across different platforms love Calendly’s simplicity in solving their appointment scheduling pain points.
However, many reviews also point out that the lack of customization options and poor customer service are holding Calendly back.
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The lack of customer phone support makes it difficult to address urgent issues (like the one the iOS user below experienced) promptly.
Terrible customer service ⭐
Their customer service is absolutely awful, reached out to them a few weeks ago explaining that I no longer had access to a work email that my account used to sign up and asked for them to help me with access so I could cancel my subscription which came out of my personal credit card, no answer…..I’ve followed up 2 times since with billing and customer service and STILL have not heard back. They also make it extremely hard to cancel and delete your acct. just scamming people out of money.
While the Android user below loves using Calendly, she also didn’t forget to suggest a feature that would have made her experience so much better.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Phenomenal, but I would love it if you all would had a search function in the scheduled event’s sections. At times, I really need to go back and search for people I’ve met with, and without a search function, it makes it difficult.
Capterra user reviews often provide a detailed breakdown of an app’s shortcomings. The user review below is no exception.
Missing features, sneaky billing for empty seats ⭐⭐
There are dozens of other tools out there that provide this same functionality, and Calendly makes zero effort to come out on top. Deal breakers include 1. not being able to edit availability or any other settings for one-off meetings after you click the button (can’t count how many times I had to start over from scratch); 2. not relaying the chosen event title to the calendar event; 3. forcing this dumb question “please share anything that will help us prepare” for one-off events, which creates extra work for our clients and makes them think we’re not listening; 4. inability to set turnaround for one-off events (so client can book it 20 minutes before the start time); among other flaws.
Pricing
Free Trial?
14 days (no credit card required)
Standard
$12/mo. per user
Teams
$20/mo. per user
Enterprise
Starts at $15k/year
Scoring
Key Features
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Brandable booking page
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Drag-and-drop page builder
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Automatic SMS reminders
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Integration with Google Calendar
Intuitive interface
Easily connects to payment gateways
Built for different types of bookings
The interface isn’t well-suited for construction businesses
No mobile app
Requires credit card number upon signing up
Highlights
For people who’ve outgrown simple appointment scheduling software (like Calendly), Book Like A Boss can be a great alternative. The app’s name is a dead giveaway to its core offering: a brandable booking page builder for freelancers and small businesses.
Book Like A Boss doesn’t sell itself as a scheduling app. Instead, it positions itself as the all-in-one solution for turning visitors into paid bookings. The app comes with a drag-and-drop builder that makes it easy to create your own branded booking page without coding.
Book Like A Boss also integrates with your personal calendar. This “blacks out” dates and times in which you have prior commitments, allowing you to take bookings from customers only when you want to.
The app offers user-friendly tools to help you create booking pages from scratch. Use it to build an appointment booking page or sell digital products and services.
Reviews
Book Like A Boss is a booking page builder with zero presence in the App Store or Google Play Store. A representative confirmed through chat that it’s currently limited to the web app, but the company behind it has plans to launch a mobile app in the future.
While Book Like A Boss offers more features than Calendly, the person below points out the limited customization options to change the aesthetics of the booking page builder.
A good way to manage appointments ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: I have used BLAB for more than 5 years. I do like the product and it has improved over the years. We mostly use the product to manage scheduling consultations.Pros: I like that it is easy to use and implement. It is user friendly and we are able to implement quickly.
Cons: Configuring the booking pages are difficult. There are some functional issues that make it difficult to work with. You cannot change the layout of the pages and the reminders.
Pricing
Free Trial?
14 days (no credit card required)
Espresso
$10/mo.
Mocha
$12/mo.
Cappuccino
$20/mo.
Latte
$30/mo.
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Scoring
Key Features
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Shareable scheduling link
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Seamless syncing with Google Calendar
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Multiple meeting types to choose from
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All-in-one client management tool
Easily set meeting availability
Automated meeting reminders for clients
Brandable email and scheduling page
Old-school “honor system” type of time tracking
Phone support only accommodates billing inquiries
Unsophisticated job tracking tool
Highlights
HoneyBook is in the same scheduling category as Calendly, but definitely not in the same league.
While Calendly doesn’t dare step out of its appointment scheduling zone, HoneyBook has successfully created a client management platform where users can also send invoices, sign contracts, capture leads, and more.
With HoneyBook, scheduling is a breeze. Simply choose a date when you’re available, share your meeting link, and let your client book an appointment. You’re also in control of the meeting type (choose among phone, video, or in-person), time buffers, and branding.
Syncing HoneyBook’s scheduler with Google Calendar is also recommended so you can instantly display your available schedule and never worry about double bookings.
However, HoneyBook doesn’t come with a suite of productivity tracking features, which would have bolstered its scheduling software. The time tracker isn’t equipped with a time clock, so tracking time spent on doing tasks relies on manual data entry and the person’s honesty.
HoneyBook’s task management system is likewise too basic. It only shows users what tasks are due and when. It lacks even a simple notification system, so whoever is assigned the task won’t receive any alerts about task updates or changes.
Reviews
HoneyBook users love the app’s approach to client management, but its lack of solid customer support keeps it from providing a more positive user experience. Let’s see what some users have to say about HoneyBook.
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The iOS user below was frustrated with HoneyBook’s chat support, which took 3 days to finally attend to her concerns.
Need to improve to keep paying members active ⭐⭐
The worst part is their customer service. They do not put priority on things when need to be fix, and when you are running a business and clients are waiting for you to fix the problem with their contract, or other technical issues it looks bad on your part as a business that it takes so long. They only have customer service over chat, and conversation that could have taken 10 minutes turned into 3 days because the company has no urgency for customer support.
DespiteHoneyBook’s limitations, the Android user below loves using the app for its intended purpose.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love having this app at my fingertips to work with clients! it’s not able to do everything that you can do on the site, but it’s a great option!
The Capterra user review below appreciates how the app helped with specific aspects of his business but is disappointed with the lack of customer support.
Good ⭐⭐⭐
Pros: it helps me efficiently manage my finances in my business, and its integration with other softwares that i use is quite good.Cons: the tech support behind them is very poor and sometimes find it difficult to efficiently manage my business.
Pricing
Free Trial?
7 days (no credit card required)
Starter
$19/mo.
Essentials
$39/mo.
Premium
$79/mo.
Scoring
Key Features
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Drag-and-drop scheduling calendar
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Time clock with notifications
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Labor cost tracker
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Manager-approved shift swapping
Quickly duplicates shifts
Edits schedules in bulk
Auto-scheduler for instant shift planning
Scheduling calendar not intuitive
Limited native integrations
No phone support
Highlights
Sling’s scheduling software has the typical drag-and-drop functionality that makes rescheduling or duplicating shifts as easy as pie.
Shift swapping is also a built-in feature, with specific rules managers can set to customize how the team handles it. You can allow employees to exchange shifts with anybody or only with those assigned to the same location and shift. Permission settings can also be adjusted so the shift swapper can either do it with or without the manager’s approval.
While Sling doesn’t lag in terms of features, its overall presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
The scheduling calendar displays all options by default, making it look like a confusing hodgepodge of texts too overwhelming for any first-time user. You can refine the filters so it only shows what you want to see, but this gives a negative impression right off the bat.
Onboarding is likewise not as seamless as I would have liked. There’s a floating checklist you need to cross off as you go through the onboarding process, making it difficult to read text or click buttons hiding behind it.
Reviews
Sling’s simple yet efficient scheduling tool pleases most users. However, negative experiences with its user interface (both on its web and mobile apps) provide an opportunity for Sling to improve its product.
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Sling’s scheduling software is complemented by a time clock for simple employee time tracking. The iOS user below uses the app to manage a cleaning business, and the features apparently meet his expectations.
Great app for small business ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We are domestic cleaning businesses and this app is very helpful for us to make the schedule and clocking in and out. Thank you!
The Android user below uses Sling’s app to select from the list of available shifts before clocking in. Unfortunately, she was met with lackluster results.
⭐⭐⭐
I like the app but with my android I can’t see the available shifts. That is very frustrating since I could miss an opportunity for more hours. No one with an iPhone seems to have this issue. It would be perfect for me, if not for this. I wish it would be fixed.
While the Capterra review below started with positive words for Sling’s basic scheduling features, it ended with honest feedback pointing out Sling’s weaknesses, which are also evident on its web app.
Sling is wonderful! ⭐⭐⭐
Pros: This software is very helpful for scheduling, tracking time punches, and reporting. Especially when integrated with Toast, Sling is excellent! The mobile functionality of Sling is also incredibly important and useful.Cons: The user interface in the mobile app leaves a bit to be desired.
Pricing
Free Trial?
15 days (no credit card required)
Premium
$2/mo. per user
Business
$4/mo. per user
Scoring
Key Features
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Drag-and-drop scheduling calendar
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Single-shift or weekly shift templates
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Auto-scheduling for faster shift creation
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Instant scheduling notifications
One-click shift duplication
Clearly displays shift conflicts
Connects with employees’ personal calendars
Free for businesses with less than 10 employees
No phone support
Expensive for businesses with more than 30 employees
Limited native integrations
Doesn’t work in offline mode
Highlights
Connecteam’s sleek, intuitive, calendar-style scheduler is designed to help managers save a lot of time creating and organizing employee shifts.
The Job Schedule enables employees to set their availability ahead of time, while shift templates make it effortless to create or repeat schedules using recently saved schedule formats.
In addition to its job scheduler, Connecteam provides teams with other tools to manage their deskless employees wherever they are. Its time clock has geofencing rules, so workers are notified each time they forget to clock in.
A basic job tracking feature is also available, making it easy to assign tasks and monitor their progress at a glance.
Connecteam is free for small businesses with up to 10 employees, but pricing increases steeply as the business grows beyond 30 members.
Connecteam’s mobile app is also not offline-ready, making it a poor time-tracking solution for construction crews often assigned to areas with little or no reception.
Reviews
Connecteam tracks the time of non-desk employees from diverse industries like healthcare, retail, and construction. While it’s easier to use Connecteam as an office manager, field workers often encounter issues with using the app due to missing features.
As of this writing, the app has attracted the following numbers:
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The iOS user below believes Connecteam has the potential to be a great all-around app for small businesses. Unfortunately, technical flaws like the poor user interface and repeating schedules you can’t edit in bulk are holding it back.
Could be great, but not quite there yet ⭐⭐
1. The “My availability” feature needs work. I have recurring times when I’m unavailable, so I toggled the “Repeat availability preferences” button on and set it to repeat until a date one year later. I later needed to edit the time, but there is no way to edit the whole batch of dates. The only way to edit is to go through all 52 dates and change each one individually. This is extremely time consuming and frustrating.
2. The single week view/layout is not intuitive. The “week summary” does not match the dates shown above and below it and there is nothing indicating which month the displayed week is in. This is super confusing.
The Android user below apparently wasn’t happy with how Connecteam handled her concerns. Things could have turned out differently if Connecteam had a dedicated phone support team to address customer issues promptly.
⭐
The customer service is such a WASTE OF TIME. I signed up yesterday, I spent more time on chatting with he customer service because they do not understand the problem. They send a video and I tell that I have done that already. My problem is the same. They have zero listening skills!!!! They are well trained like bots on what the perfect response is to a question never stated. It’s ridiculous how a company let this happen to their product and sabotage their growth!! So sad!!
Office employees on Capterra, like the person below, mostly have glowing reviews over Connecteam’s ease of use. However, this is not always the case for field workers who aren’t accustomed to using an app in their jobs.
Little Police Department gets a Big help ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pros: Connecteam was easy to set up and deploy. The changes and improvements that came over the last year and a half or so were timely and (with 1 exception that was only an issue for about a month) improved the value of the program greatly.
Cons: There is a bit of a learning curve for people who are not used to using an app for scheduling ( I still have officers calling me to make changes on the schedule they have permission to do). There are some training videos now, but initially it was a “learn as you go” program. I still don’t know all the uses that the features we pay for can do.
Pricing
Free Trial?
14 days (no credit card required)
Basic
$35/mo. for the first 30 users (+ $0.6/mo. for each additional user)
Advanced
$59/mo. for the first 30 users (+ $1.8/mo. for each additional user)
Expert
$119/mo. for the first 30 users (+ $3.6/mo. for each additional user)
Scoring
Key Features
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Drag-and-drop shift scheduler
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Time clock that works on any device
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Group messaging tool
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Integrated payroll system
Intuitive user interface
Easy shift swapping
Automatic scheduling available
No detailed job tracking
Limited native integrations
No phone support
Highlights
When I Work helps make shift-based workplaces a little less chaotic with its straightforward scheduling tool.
An auto-assign feature is also available, helping business owners or managers instantly create shift schedules in one go. Employees can set their availability so they’re only assigned schedules on days when they’re free.
In case they have already been assigned schedules but won’t make it to their shifts, When I Work allows them to easily find co-workers with whom to trade schedules.
When I Work offers a great scheduling solution for restaurant or retail businesses, but the features aren’t robust enough to handle teams that are not tied to a fixed location.
The mobile app experience also needs a lot of refining. The time clock doesn’t sync with the timesheet in real time, making it challenging for managers to make on-the-spot scheduling or dispatching decisions.
Reviews
Many web and mobile app users find the When I Work scheduling software beneficial.
However, some users also complain about the app’s lack of intuitiveness, zeroing in on features that don’t work exactly as they should, like the in-app messaging tool Workchat.
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Aside from notification issues, the iOS user below points out one particular feature that is not immediately evident unless the user fully explores the When I Work settings. This lack of intuitiveness opens many potential blind spots for users, making scheduling with the app more complicated than it should have been.
Good Ideas…could be more intuitive and informative ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I generally don’t have problems with app. The only thing is when changes are made to my schedule by my employer I don’t get any kind of notifications. If there is a setting for this I haven’t found it. That’s not to say it doesn’t exist but It’s not something that I was prompted to set up. Also it wasn’t completely apparent that I needed to indicate that I wanted my availability to “repeat”. Otherwise what it does essentially is prompt you to list your availability for the following week, but it never prompts you to list your availability beyond that first week. If it weren’t for an incident where I had gotten scheduled for a Sunday which I thought I had indicated I was “unavailable” for but in reality I only listed my preference for any given day for the first week only.
(Click here for more When I Work iOS reviews)
The Android user below shares a more positive experience in using the When I Work app, noting how the app makes it easy to view and confirm upcoming shifts.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great for clocking in/out and taking your lunch break. Handy reminders 😁 for upcoming shifts. Easy to confirm your availability for shifts.
(Click here for more When I Work Android reviews)
The Capterra user review below shares the team’s positive experience in using When I Work, dampened by the faulty in-app messaging feature.
Great for hourly staff ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pros: Employees find it easy to use. Admin uses it daily
Cons: Often faulty. Our manager (Android user) is so frustrated and has contacted support over 10 times.
(Click here for more When I Work Capterra reviews)
Pricing
Free Trial?
14 days (no credit card required)
Essentials
$4/mo. per user (excluding When I Work payroll)
Pro
$7/mo. per user (excluding When I Work payroll)
Premium
$10/mo. per user (excluding When I Work payroll)
Final Thoughts
Fixed schedules are virtually unheard of in the construction industry. Many things can go wrong quickly, prolonging project timelines and increasing the likelihood of budget overruns.
A great small business scheduling app lets you focus on what you can control. Use it to quickly adjust schedules on the fly after project setbacks or leverage other workforce management features to address scheduling conflicts along the way.
Workyard helped the restoration company Accord Group save hundreds of manpower hours by letting the app’s pinpoint-accurate location tracker determine the best place and time to schedule or dispatch jobs.
You can also stop manual scheduling errors from eating away at your company’s dwindling labor budget. Learn more about Workyard’s robust features specifically built for construction, or sign up for the 14-day free trial period to start testing them at your own pace.
Our Scoring System Explained
Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.
We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:
The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.
How We Score Software
All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.
In general, the 0-10 range translates as:
- 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
- 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
- 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
- 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
- 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
- 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.
How We Calculate Overall Scores
The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:
- Ease of Use: 20%
- Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
- Scheduling Features: 15%
- Job Tracking: 15%
- Integrations: 10%
- Customer Support: 15%
- Company: 5%
Methodology for Each Factor
Ease of Use
We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:
- How easy is it to set up this app?
- How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
- How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?
These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.
Time Tracking Accuracy
Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…
- How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
- How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
- How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
- Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
- Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
- Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
- How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?
Scheduling Features
Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.
When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:
- Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
- Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
- Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
- Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
- Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.
Job Tracking
This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.
We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:
- Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
- Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
- Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
- Any built-in job costing views.
- Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)
Integrations
No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.
To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:
- How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
- How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
- Does it have robust data import and export features?
Customer Support
Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.
Customer support scores are calculated based on:
- Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
- Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
- The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
- What other users say about support in online reviews.
Company
A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.
When assessing this score, we’ll examine:
- Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
- Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
- Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
- Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
- Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
- Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).
Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that can address the scheduling needs of all business types. The best scheduling app for small businesses depends on the business’s needs, budget, size, feature requirements, and preferences.
For simple appointment scheduling, both HoneyBook and Calendly offer quick scheduling solutions at a reasonable price. When I Work and Sling are more suited to busy shift-based workplaces, while Workyard has specific features intelligently designed to meet the volatile scheduling needs of construction and field service businesses.
An ideal small business scheduling app evidently has the following basic features:
- User-friendly interface: A simple, intuitive visual calendar without too many unfamiliar options should enable anyone on the team to create or view schedules without much of a learning curve.
- Automated scheduling reminders: Avoid no-shows and missed appointments by choosing an app that sends email, app, or SMS notifications as soon as the schedule is created or updated.
- Collaboration tools: Scheduling has never been a one-man affair. Choose an app that makes it easy for the manager to assign tasks or assign someone (a task watcher) to oversee how the task is being done. The workers must also have a way to give real-time progress updates about the assigned task to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Integration capabilities: The small business scheduling app must be ready to adapt to the business’s changing needs. Native integrations allow users to quickly connect the software with business tools for payroll or accounting, while the developer API allows even more flexibility by connecting the scheduling app to any business tool of their choice.
Calendly is a trusted name for simple appointment scheduling. Small businesses with tight budgets can use it for free to handle their regular employee meetings. It has a user-friendly interface and an optional scheduling poll that enables the team to vote for the best time to schedule their weekly or monthly team meetings.
McDonald’s doesn’t rely on a single scheduling app to manage its workers’ shifting schedules. While the app of choice varies across franchises, regions, and countries, the most common names you will usually find in McDonald’s branches are Altametrics, NEXT, Reflexis, Clearview, and Maxtel Work Buddy.
Calendly simplifies appointment scheduling by allowing users to set their availability and share a link with clients to book meetings directly. It automatically detects time zones, integrates with various calendars (like Google Calendar and Outlook), and provides options for different meeting types, making it ideal for busy professionals.
However, it does not offer features for field-based scheduling like real-time location, availability, and task progress/completion. Workyard offers these features and more, being built for field-based professionals and workers.