Workforce
Planday
Planday is workforce management software for shift-based teams. It brings staff rotas, availability, holidays, time recording, team communication and payroll preparation into one system. More advanced labour planning, revenue reporting, integrations and automatic scheduling depend on the package selected.
Independent perspective
Our review
Planday brings rotas, availability, shift swaps, clocking and labour reporting together. Its staff app supports everyday use beyond the manager’s desk, and the recorded UK customer examples cover independents as well as larger groups. We see a clear value for operators still building schedules in spreadsheets and chasing availability through separate messages.
Our main reservation is the full process around payroll and the package needed for connections. Planday sits alongside payroll and wider HR systems rather than replacing them. Public feedback identifies payroll connections as an area to test carefully. The recorded entry plan excludes integrations and API access, so its headline per-person price may not describe the package a hotel needs.
We would run a complete pay period through the proposed setup, including amendments, leave and exports. Confirm the plan, minimum term, implementation scope and payroll support responsibilities. The daily rota may be straightforward even when connecting and configuring the wider process needs preparation.
Our verdict
We recommend considering Planday for hotels and small groups that already have payroll arrangements and want better rota administration and labour visibility. It is less suited to an operator seeking one system for all HR and payroll needs. Test the payroll handover before treating the saving as established.
The assessment
What stands out
Strengths
Makes rotas easier to manage. Managers can build and share shifts, see availability and handle swaps without relying on paper or messaging groups.
Gives staff useful self-service. Employees can see shifts, request leave, clock in and receive updates through the app.
Connects hours to payroll preparation. Approved time records can reduce manual checking before payroll, subject to the payroll connection used.
Supports more than one site. Managers can plan teams across venues and compare labour information with revenue where the appropriate package and integrations are in place.
Worth knowing
Planday does not run payroll itself in every market. Confirm the exact payroll export or integration, the data transferred and who remains responsible for final checks.
Starter, Plus and Pro have different capabilities. Integrations and API access, revenue reporting, document management and advanced planning are not all included in the entry package.
Public feedback is positive overall. Users commonly value straightforward scheduling and payroll preparation, while some mention an initial learning curve, occasional faults and less functionality in the mobile app than on the web version.
Operational fit
Where it fits
- Create and share staff rotas across one or more sites.
- Record availability, leave, shift swaps and worked hours.
- Prepare approved time information for payroll.
- Compare staffing plans with demand and revenue where supported.
Best suited for
Hotels, restaurants, bars and other shift-based operators that want clearer rotas, staff self-service, time recording and better preparation of payroll information across one or several sites.
May not suit
Businesses looking for a complete payroll or HR system without checking the required connections, or very small teams whose simple rota is already managed reliably without duplicated administration.
What it supports
Key capabilities
Workforce scheduling
Native
Time and attendance
Native
Independent public feedback
What customers say
These comments summarise the public reviews checked. They are customer experiences, not proof of every feature or a guarantee of results. Review dates and product versions may differ.
Reported benefits
- Straightforward scheduling, staff access to rotas, time recording, payroll preparation and responsive help.
Reported drawbacks
- An initial learning curve, occasional faults and some tasks being easier on the web version than in the mobile app.
Capterra UK ↗ · 4.3/5 · 58 reviews · Checked 02/10/2026
Product-specific Planday reviews from shift-based organisations, including hospitality users.
Stack compatibility
Connects with
| System | Support | Direction | Data exchanged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apicbase | Unknown | Unknown | Details available from the suppliers |
| Lightspeed Restaurant (K-Series) | Supported | Unknown | Revenue Data |
| Mews | Supported | Unknown | Revenue Data, Sales Data |
| Xero | Verified | Unknown | Details available from the suppliers |
| Square for Restaurants | Supported | One Way | Revenue Data, Daily sales data from Square to Planday |
| TISSL EPOS | Supported | Unknown | Details available from the suppliers |
Evidence
What this assessment is based on
Editorial workflow-quality assessment: 4/5 for Workforce scheduling. The recorded reviews identify a specific operational strength. Based on product-specific public review themes and EHM published assessment. This is not the supplier's overall star score. Implementation effort and commercial terms are assessed separately.
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