Homebase is a small business workforce management platform with a free plan, popular with restaurants and local businesses. Founded in 2014, it brings together employee scheduling, a time clock, team communication, and hiring and HR basics, designed for small, hourly teams. Its free plan for a single location makes it especially accessible, and its focus on the needs of local businesses, restaurants, cafes, retail and services, with built in communication and fast payroll, has made it a favourite for small employers. For small business teams wanting an affordable, all round tool to schedule, track time and communicate, Homebase is a leading choice.
Homebase's distinction is being genuinely free to start for small teams while covering scheduling, time clock and communication together. Rather than charging from the outset, it offers a capable free plan for a single location, with paid tiers adding features, and strong team communication and local business focus. That free, all round, small business friendly positioning makes it a go to for local employers.
Homebase is best for small, local businesses with hourly teams, such as restaurants, cafes, retail and services, that want an affordable, all round tool to schedule, track time and communicate, ideally starting free. It suits single location and small multi location businesses. It is a weaker fit for larger or more complex businesses wanting robust enterprise features, where Deputy or UKG fit, or deskless teams needing deep task and communication tools, where Connecteam fits.
The core strengths are employee scheduling, a time clock for accurate hours, team communication, and hiring and HR basics, with a free plan for a single location. Homebase offers shift swaps, labor cost tracking, fast payroll, and integrations with payroll and POS. Its free start, all round small business features, and strong team communication, tailored to local businesses, are its defining advantages.
Homebase offers a free Basic plan for up to 20 employees at a single location, covering core scheduling and time clock, with paid plans priced per location per month, from around 20 US dollars, adding more scheduling, HR and features. Its free plan makes it very accessible for small single location businesses, with paid tiers for more needs and locations. Model your locations and features. Confirm current figures on the Homebase pricing page.
Homebase integrates with payroll systems and POS platforms common in restaurants and retail, so scheduled and tracked hours flow to payroll and connect to point of sale. Its integrations, focused on the tools local businesses use, support its role as an all round small business workforce tool, with fast payroll a noted strength.
A core strength is team communication: Homebase includes messaging and tools to keep hourly teams connected and informed, alongside scheduling and time, which matters for local businesses coordinating shifts. For small employers who want scheduling, time and communication in one free or affordable tool, this built in communication is a key reason to choose Homebase.
Homebase is easy to use and well suited to small, non technical teams, scoring highly on ease of use and setup, with the free plan lowering the barrier to start. Its G2 reviews praise the free plan, communication and fit for restaurants, with fewer advanced features than enterprise tools the main consideration for larger needs.
For small, local businesses with hourly teams that want an affordable, all round tool to schedule, track time and communicate, starting free, Homebase is an excellent choice. The main caution is that larger or more complex businesses may prefer Deputy or UKG, and deskless teams needing deep task tools may prefer Connecteam, but for small business workforce management with a free start, Homebase excels.
These workforce management & time attendance tools come up most often against Homebase.
Enterprise workforce management and time tracking
Employee scheduling and time tracking
Scheduling and time clock for hourly teams