Sling

Overview

Sling is workforce-management software for businesses coordinating employee schedules, shift coverage, and staff communication. It suits small and midsize teams, including businesses in industries beyond restaurants. Its free plan covers core scheduling for up to 30 users; time tracking and labor-cost tools require a paid plan.

Key features

Scheduling and coverage

Reusable templates, availability collection, time-off requests, open shifts, shift offers, and swaps cover both routine planning and changes in coverage. Auto-scheduling is also supported. This gives employees ways to participate in schedule changes, while the 30-user ceiling on Free means larger teams must move to a paid plan even if they only need basic scheduling.

Communication and integrations

Private and group messaging, a Newsfeed, Announcements, and notifications by email, push, browser, and sometimes SMS help keep schedule-related updates in the same service. Sling also integrates with Toast, Square, Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager, and POSiTouch. For Toast customers, employee data sync, sales-to-labor-cost comparisons, and timesheet exports to Toast Payroll connect scheduling with restaurant operations.

Time and labor management

Premium adds mobile time tracking, labor-cost management, and overtime tracking. Business adds kiosk time tracking on a shared device, plus reports of hours worked and wages earned. These paid features make Sling more useful for monitoring labor, but teams needing kiosk tracking or those reports must pay the higher Business rate.

Security and support

Sling says it stores customer data in Amazon cloud infrastructure and encrypts communication channels. Most data at rest is not encrypted; passwords are hashed, and social security numbers are encrypted if provided. Sling also says it has verified GDPR-compliant data deletion and retention functionality and processes customer data according to customer instructions. Support is available through its help center and at [email protected].

Pricing

Sling offers a free plan, a 15-day trial, and two paid per-user plans. Premium costs $2 a month per user, with a displayed annual-billing rate of $1.70. It includes everything in Free along with mobile time tracking, labor-cost and overtime management, private and group messaging, and calendar synchronization. This is the step up for teams that need labor oversight or group messaging beyond the free tier.

Business costs $4 a month per user, with a displayed annual-billing rate of $3.40. It includes everything in Premium plus kiosk time tracking, reports, no-shows, sick call-outs, and PTO management. It fits teams that need shared-device clocking and additional attendance and leave tools; smaller teams that do not need those additions can avoid the extra per-user cost with Premium.

Free costs nothing and supports up to 30 users. It includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing, long-term scheduling, and private messaging. It is a credible option for small teams focused on basic coordination, but it does not include the paid plans' time and labor features or group messaging.

Platforms

Sling has Android, iOS, and web access. The mobile app requires iOS 11 or later or Android 5 (API 21) or later, and some actions require a desktop browser. Teams with older devices or workers who rely on mobile for every task should check those constraints before adopting it.

Who it's for

Sling is aimed at small and midsize businesses and says it serves more than 30 industries. It is strongest for teams with recurring shifts, changing coverage needs, and a reason to keep communication alongside scheduling. Restaurant operators using Toast have an additional reason to consider it: the integration links employee data, sales and labor costs, and payroll timesheets. Businesses seeking only basic schedules can start with Free; those needing labor metrics or kiosk time capture should budget for paid seats.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free supports up to 30 users and includes core scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, and private messaging, making it useful for small teams before they pay for labor tools.
• Pros: Paid tiers add time tracking and labor-cost oversight, with kiosk tracking and hours-and-wages reports available at Business.
• Pros: Toast users can sync employee data, compare sales with labor costs, and export timesheets to Toast Payroll.
• Cons: Free is capped at 30 users and lacks the time tracking and labor-management functions that distinguish the paid plans.
• Cons: Some actions require a desktop browser, and the mobile app has minimum operating-system requirements.
• Cons: Most data at rest is not encrypted, a meaningful consideration for organizations with stricter data-security requirements.

Alternatives

7shifts is worth considering for a restaurant team that wants a free plan capped at 15 employees and one location, or an Essentials plan with a 30-employee limit and unlimited locations.

Rosnet Scheduling & Forecasting is a paid alternative available on Android, iOS, and web, with pricing offered by demo request.

Fourth Inventory is a paid, web-based option with demo-request pricing.

Homebase offers a free plan and paid add-ons, including Task Manager at $13 a month and Tip Manager at $25 a month.

Altametrics Workforce Scheduling is a paid option with an Essential plan shown at $75 a month during a 50% off for 3 months offer, with taxes not included.

Deputy is a paid alternative with a free trial and a Lite plan at $5 a month per user.

Fourth Forecast Manager is a paid, web-based alternative.

Harri Applicant Tracking is a paid, web-based alternative.

Browse restaurant labor management software, restaurant scheduling software, employee scheduling software, or gym staff scheduling software to compare more options by category.

Verdict

Sling is a sound fit for small and midsize teams that want schedules, shift changes, and communication together, especially Toast-using restaurants that can benefit from its sales and payroll links. The free plan gives small teams a substantial scheduling starting point, while Premium and Business add increasingly useful labor controls. Look elsewhere if your staff cannot meet the mobile requirements, needs every action on mobile, or your security needs make mostly unencrypted data at rest unacceptable.