Sling alternatives, matched to why you're switching
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Connecteam Reviews · Updated September 30, 2026 · Checked November 1, 2026 · Grounded in 100 recent Sling app reviews
Disclosure: this site reviews Connecteam and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. Connecteam is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
Why teams look past Sling
Sling, now sold as Sling by Toast, has no reviews on Trustpilot, so the clearest recent signal is its Android app. Its 100 newest Google Play reviews (June 29 to September 27, 2026) average 2.66 out of 5, and 59 of them give one or two stars. The complaints are consistent: the app freezes or crashes after updates, notifications stop arriving, and managers find admin buttons missing.
“I am currently unable to create or edit schedules through the app & and have to use desktop which affects daily operations.”Carrie Everhart, Google Play, Jul 2026
“Notifications won't show up until the app is loaded meaning I am missing messages from bosses.”Dak, Google Play, Sep 2026
Even reviewers who like Sling's shift swaps say the app has gone without fixes for months. Beyond the app, the free plan has no time clock, and we found no hiring, onboarding or training tools and no built-in payroll on any Sling plan.
“The low rating is because it seems like the app has been neglected.”Planefan, Google Play, Jul 2026
Match the Sling alternative to your reason for leaving
| Compared on | Best alternative | Check before switching |
|---|---|---|
| The mobile app crashes or drops notifications | Connecteam: 3.48 average on its 200 newest Google Play reviews, against Sling's 2.66 | Connecteam's reviews also mention bugs and late notifications. Test on your staff's own phones during the 14-day trial. |
| You need a time clock without paying | Connecteam: free for up to 10 users, time clock included | Sling's free plan covers 30 users for scheduling. Past 10 users Connecteam is paid. |
| You need training, forms or documents | Connecteam: courses, quizzes, checklists, e-sign | HR and training sit in a separate hub with its own price. |
| You want payroll in the same app | Homebase | Payroll costs $49 a month plus $6 per employee after six free months. |
| Restaurant tip pooling and forecasting | 7shifts | Charged per location; unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.16. |
| You want the same per-user model | When I Work | No public free plan; time tracking is an add-on. |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-09-30. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
The 5 best Sling alternatives
Connecteam
Stronger recent app reviews, plus HR and trainingPulled the same day with the same tool, Connecteam's 200 newest Google Play reviews average 3.48 (March 31 to September 29, 2026) against 2.66 for Sling's 100 newest (June 29 to September 27, 2026). Connecteam's free plan covers up to 10 users and includes the time clock, which Sling keeps for paid plans. On top of scheduling it adds forms, checklists, courses and documents with e-sign. The caveats: Connecteam's own app reviews also report bugs and missed notifications, its per-hub pricing means chat and HR cost extra past the free Limited tier, and it has no built-in payroll either.
Full Connecteam vs Sling comparison →Homebase
Restaurants that want payroll built inHomebase prices per location with unlimited employees on paid plans ($24 a month billed annually for Essentials) and includes POS integrations at no extra charge. Unlike Sling, it runs full-service payroll: $49 a month plus $6 per paid employee after six free months. Its free Basic plan covers one location and up to 10 employees, a third of Sling's free headcount.
Homebase alternatives and caveats →7shifts
Restaurant-specific tools7shifts is built only for restaurants, with tip management, labor forecasting and its own payroll on higher plans. It charges per location: Essentials is $39.99 a month billed annually for up to 30 employees. Its unprompted Trustpilot reviews are poor (1.16 average from 19 in our pull), mostly about payroll errors and billing.
7shifts alternatives and caveats →When I Work
Per-user scheduling with a time clock add-onWhen I Work is the closest like-for-like swap: per-user scheduling from $2.50 a month, with time tracking as a $1.50 to $2 add-on. It has no public free plan, so a team that relies on Sling's free tier will pay more. Its pricing page doesn't say whether the listed prices are annual or monthly rates.
When I Work alternatives and caveats →Deputy
Larger or multi-site teamsDeputy includes geofenced clock-in on its $5 Lite plan (per user, billed annually) and adds demand forecasting and auto-scheduling on Core ($6.50). It has no free plan and a $30 monthly minimum on monthly billing. Its 20 unprompted Trustpilot reviews in our pull average 1.25.
Deputy alternatives and caveats →
When to stay with Sling
Stay if you only need a schedule and your team is between 11 and 30 people. Sling schedules that many users for free, which none of the alternatives here match. It's also cheap once you pay: $1.70 per user a month billed annually for Premium, which adds geofenced time tracking and labor cost tools. Sling is part of Toast, so a restaurant already on Toast can pair it with Toast's own payroll and tips products. Both Sling and Connecteam rate 4.6 on Capterra.
If the app is what's failing your team, or you need a time clock, training or documents alongside the schedule, Connecteam is the alternative to try first. It's free for up to 10 users. Compare them in the full Connecteam vs Sling comparison or read Connecteam's Google Play reviews.
Try Connecteam freeHow we sourced this: Sling has no Trustpilot reviews and our pull returned none, so on September 30, 2026 we pulled the 100 newest Sling reviews from Google Play. We pulled Connecteam's 200 newest Google Play reviews the same day with the same tool. The windows differ because Connecteam receives more reviews, and Google Play doesn't label reviews as invited or unprompted. Prices come from each vendor's own pages on the same date. Quotes are verbatim. See our methodology.
Sling alternatives FAQ
What are the best Sling alternatives?+
Connecteam if you want a free time clock for a small team and more than scheduling in one app. Homebase for built-in payroll, 7shifts for restaurant-only tools, When I Work for a like-for-like per-user scheduler, and Deputy for bigger multi-site teams.
What do Sling reviews say?+
Sling has no Trustpilot reviews, so we pulled its 100 newest Google Play reviews on September 30, 2026. They average 2.66 out of 5, with 42 one-star ratings. Most complaints describe the Android app crashing or freezing after updates, push notifications that stop arriving, and admin menus with missing or unreadable buttons. Positive reviews praise shift swaps and open shifts.
Is Connecteam better than Sling?+
On recent Android app reviews, yes: 3.48 for Connecteam's 200 newest against 2.66 for Sling's 100 newest, pulled the same day. Both score 4.6 on Capterra. Sling is cheaper for scheduling alone: free up to 30 users, where Connecteam's free plan stops at 10.
Is Sling free?+
Sling's scheduling is free for up to 30 users. Time tracking starts on Premium at $1.70 per user a month billed annually ($2 monthly), and Business costs $3.40 ($4 monthly). Toast customers buy Sling through Toast.