Planday review
Affordable scheduling with time tracking, employee requests and payroll support.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Planday is a workforce-management platform for businesses organizing shift-based work. It supports schedule creation, employee availability, open shifts, shift swaps, time-off requests, time tracking, payroll preparation, team communication, reporting and mobile access. Its audience ranges from small teams to larger multi-location operations that need employees and managers to coordinate shift work through web, iOS and Android apps.
The paid plans follow a clear progression. Starter costs £2.99 per user per month when billed monthly and includes scheduling, time tracking, working-time rules and compliance warnings, basic payroll reporting, and team communication. Plus adds advanced scheduling, leave and absence management, payroll reporting and integrations, revenue integration and reporting, API access, and employee information and document management. Pro adds auto-scheduling, custom planning metrics, configurable organizational structure, and custom permissions and user roles. A 30-day free trial is available, but there is no free plan.
Planday’s standout capability is automatic schedule generation using contracted hours, availability, working-time rules and scheduling history. Employees can submit availability, request open shifts, swap or hand over shifts, sell shifts, and submit leave requests for manager approval. Time tracking and a punch clock extend the product beyond schedule publishing, while payroll and revenue integrations plus API access support broader operational workflows. Automatic scheduling is described as a beta rollout for selected organizations or regions, so teams needing a fully established automated-planning workflow may prefer a different option. Planday fits organizations that want scheduling, workforce requests, time tracking and payroll support together; teams seeking a free scheduler or advanced automation available universally should look elsewhere.
Planday pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Automatic scheduling uses availability, contracted hours and working-time rules
- Employees can manage availability, leave, swaps and open shifts from mobile apps
- Payroll reporting, integrations, time tracking and team communication are included
- Where it doesn't
- There is no free plan
- Automatic scheduling is a beta rollout for selected organizations or regions
- Advanced features are split across Plus and Pro plans
Planday fact sheet, pricing and score →
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