Free roster apps, October 2026
Free roster apps: what each one is good for
There is no single best free roster app. There is the one that fits the job: paid staff with timesheets, volunteers picking their own slots, or a team where someone shares out the turns. Here are ten options, with the free plan of each taken from its own website.
First, which kind of roster is yours?
Most confusion about roster apps comes from three different jobs sharing one word:
Staff rosters
Paid shifts, hours, leave and pay. You want time clocks and payroll links. Look at Sling, Connecteam, Findmyshift or RosterShare.
Sign-up sheets
People pick an open slot, like a fete or working bee. Look at SignUpGenius or Doodle-style sign-ups.
Shared-out turns
The same jobs repeat and someone puts people on: the canteen, the bins, the church welcomers. This is what FairTurns is for.
Be honest about which one you have. A payroll app for a netball canteen roster is a lot of setting up; a sign-up sheet for a weekly cleaning roster tends to leave the same people doing most of it.
The list
FairTurns
Free for any number of organisations, teams, people and dates. You add repeating dates, set positions and headcounts, and Fill gives each empty place to whoever has had the fewest turns. People mark the days they’re away. A public roster link shows names and dates with no sign-in. Pro is A$1 a month per organisation, paid one to five years at a time, and adds reminder emails, the schedule email and replies. Suits volunteer groups, clubs, churches, households and small teams where an organiser puts people on. Not for self sign-up, payroll, timesheets or SMS; it is a website, with no phone app to install.
A spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel)
Google Sheets lets you choose who can view, comment or edit, keeps version history and works offline. Suits one small roster that rarely changes. You do the counting and the copying of dates yourself. See spreadsheet vs roster app.
Sling
Free for up to 30 users: shift scheduling, time-off requests, open shifts, news sharing, long-term scheduling and private messaging. Premium is $1.70 per user a month billed annually or $2.00 monthly, in US dollars, and adds mobile time tracking and labour costs. Suits small businesses with paid staff.
Connecteam
Its Small Business plan is free for up to 10 users and includes all hubs and features, according to its pricing page. Paid Operations plans start at US$29 a month for the first 30 users, billed yearly. Suits small crews who want scheduling, time clock, chat and forms in one phone app.
Findmyshift
Free for a team of up to 5 staff with 1 manager, 1 week of history and 1 week of forward planning. Paid plans are priced per team, not per person. Suits a very small staff team rostering a week at a time.
RosterShare
Free to build and print rosters for up to 5 team members, 1 location and 5 positions. Pro is A$3.99 per team member a month billed annually, or A$4.99 monthly, and adds sharing, availability, timesheets and SMS. Suits a small café or shop that mostly prints the roster.
SignUpGenius
Free plan with unlimited sign-up pages and automatic confirmation and reminder emails; paid plans from $107.89 a year on its US site. Suits events where people choose their own slot. See FairTurns and SignUpGenius.
Planning Center Services
Free for up to 5 team members, then from US$15 a month for up to 20. Worship planning, auto-scheduling and a volunteer app. Suits churches planning services and songs each week. See FairTurns and Planning Center.
Teamup
A shared calendar, free for 5 users and 5 sub-calendars with 1 year of history. Suits groups that want a shared calendar of who is where, rather than turns shared out.
Roster Volunteers
An online volunteer scheduling system with fair auto-scheduling; organisations email to see if they qualify for a free licence. Suits volunteer groups happy for members to tick the dates they can do. See FairTurns and Roster Volunteers.
At a glance
| App | Free plan limit | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| FairTurns | No limit on people or dates | Shared-out turns |
| Spreadsheet | None | Anything you type |
| Sling | Up to 30 users | Staff shifts |
| Connecteam | Up to 10 users | Staff shifts and time clock |
| Findmyshift | 5 staff, 1 week ahead | Staff shifts |
| RosterShare | 5 team members, build and print | Staff shifts |
| SignUpGenius | Unlimited sign-up pages | Self sign-up |
| Planning Center Services | 5 team members | Church services |
| Teamup | 5 users | Shared calendar |
| Roster Volunteers | Free licence if you qualify | Volunteer rosters |
How to choose in five minutes
- Write down who is on the roster and whether they are paid. Paid staff usually means a staff app.
- Decide who chooses: the people themselves (sign-up sheet) or an organiser (roster).
- Count the people. Many free staff plans stop at 5, 10 or 30.
- Check how far ahead it plans. Some free plans show only a week.
- Ask whether people will install an app. If not, look for a link that opens in a browser.
Questions
What is a good free roster app for volunteers?
If an organiser puts people on and the jobs repeat, FairTurns is free for any number of volunteers. If volunteers pick their own slots, a sign-up sheet such as SignUpGenius suits better.
Which free roster apps have no user limit?
Of those checked, FairTurns has no limit on people or dates, and SignUpGenius has unlimited sign-up pages. Sling’s free plan covers up to 30 users, Connecteam’s up to 10 and Findmyshift’s up to 5.
Do any free roster apps include payroll?
Staff apps such as Sling and Connecteam focus on time tracking and pay on their paid plans. FairTurns is a roster only, with no payroll or timesheets.
How was this list put together?
Each product’s own pricing and feature pages were read on 24 October 2026. Prices are shown in the currency each site displayed.
Checked against each product’s own pages on 24 October 2026; prices and features change, so check theirs before you decide.
Read next
Spreadsheet or roster app
Excel and Google Sheets can hold a roster. Here is when that works and when an app saves you the evenings.
Volunteer roster
A free volunteer roster app: shifts shared out by turns, away days respected, one link for everyone.
Free roster maker
Type the names, pick the dates, get a fair roster. No sign-up.
Make your roster free
Click a day, add people, share one link. No card, no limit on people or dates.