Synchro

Overview

Synchro is an on-call scheduling system for medical teams organizing physician coverage. It is most compelling for departments that need to balance nights, evenings, and weekends fairly, rather than simply fill a roster. The hospital beta makes every feature free for departments, while other teams can choose per-user monthly pricing.

Key features

Automatic scheduling assigns shifts around team rules, weighting, and physician constraints. Different weights for nights, evenings, and weekends let teams account for unequal workloads, and weighted totals make that distribution visible. This is more useful for fairness discussions than a raw shift count, though the schedule still depends on the rules and constraints a team provides.

Physicians can state preferences and unavailability in plain language for conversion into structured constraints. That lowers the friction of communicating scheduling needs. When someone releases a shift, an eligible colleague can claim it from an internal board; Synchro updates both the schedule and fairness counters, so a transfer is reflected in the distribution record.

Self-scheduling, availability management, open-shift management, and shift templates support the broader scheduling workflow. Calendar connections are more limited: Google Calendar sync runs one way, while Apple Calendar and iCloud connect through an iCal URL. CSV exports are available for analysis or archiving.

Pricing

Hospital beta: free, billed Free during the entire hospital beta. All users in a department can access every feature with no user cap. For hospital departments, this is the clearest reason to consider Synchro, although the free terms apply during the beta.

FMG annual billing: C$10 a year, billed at $10 CAD per user per month once a year. Every feature is included, and the first month is free. This suits family medicine groups preferring annual billing, but the per-user charge means costs rise with the team.

FMG monthly billing: C$15 a month, billed at $15 CAD per user per month with no commitment. It includes every feature and a free first month. The monthly option costs more per user than annual billing but avoids a commitment. Pricing includes onboarding, training, and support, with onboarding available onsite or by video call.

Platforms

Synchro runs on the web and offers a mobile-optimized interface for iPhone and Android, but there is no native mobile app to install. Its calendar integrations and CSV exports help teams carry schedules into other workflows, but the one-way Google sync is not a two-way calendar connection.

Who it's for

Synchro is aimed at hospital departments, family medicine groups, and medical clinics scheduling physician coverage. It is a strong fit when teams need to account for different shift burdens and want shift claims to update fairness tracking. Teams requiring a native app or two-way Google Calendar sync should look elsewhere.

Synchro says it uses required authentication, role-based access, automatic session timeouts, administrative action logs, and daily backups retained for 30 days. It does not yet hold an externally audited SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification. The maker says the product schedules professionals and does not store patient data.

Pros and cons

• Weighted fairness tracking: Different shift weights and visible totals help teams account for uneven coverage burdens.
• Transfers stay in step: Eligible colleagues can claim released shifts, with schedule and fairness counters updated together.
• Uncapped hospital beta: Departments can use every feature at no cost during the beta, regardless of user count.
• No native app: Mobile use is through a web interface, which may not suit teams seeking an installable app.
• Limited calendar sync: Google Calendar sync is one-way; Apple Calendar and iCloud use an iCal URL.
• No external certification yet: Teams that require audited SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification may need another option.

Alternatives

Healthcare Staff Scheduling Software is the broader category to browse when comparing scheduling products for healthcare teams.

Choose CronShift if you want a freemium scheduling alternative with a free plan and web, Android, and iOS access; its feature details are unclear.

RosterLab may suit teams looking for a free manual rostering tier with simple rule checks, dynamic statistics, colour-coded shifts, and an employee mobile app.

SimpleStaff is worth considering for a smaller team: its free tier supports 15 team members and includes scheduling, shift swaps, time-off requests, and open-shift pickup.

For a paid workforce management option with web, desktop, and mobile platforms, consider Infor Workforce Management.

Lightning Bolt is another paid option, with per-seat licensing and additional licenses required when the number of scheduled individuals increases.

Consider Amion if you need a choice between a Pro plan with up to 10 schedules and an Enterprise plan with unlimited schedules.

Flexzo Rostering is a paid alternative with pricing available by contacting sales.

HealthRota may be a better fit if you prefer a usage-based fee model and the option to start with one department or roll out across a trust.

Verdict

Synchro is a strong choice for medical teams that need rule-based on-call schedules and a visible way to balance unequal shift burdens, especially hospital departments able to use the free beta. Its main reasons to look elsewhere are the lack of a native app and limited Google Calendar sync; teams requiring external security certification should also weigh that gap.