Per-User vs Flat-Rate Scheduling Software: What You’ll Pay as You Grow
Updated 17 October 2026 · 7 min read
Scheduling software is usually priced one of three ways: per user (a fee for every person on the roster each month), per location (a fee for each site, often with a staff limit) or flat-rate (one price for the workspace, by team size). Per-user pricing looks cheapest on day one and grows with every hire; flat pricing stays put until you move up a size band. Which is cheaper depends on your headcount, your number of sites and the add-ons you need.
The three ways scheduling software is priced
Pricing models compared
Model
How the bill is worked out
Grows when
Examples
Per user
How the bill is worked out: A monthly fee for each person on the roster
Grows when: You hire anyone
Examples: When I Work, Deputy
Per location
How the bill is worked out: A monthly fee for each site, usually with a staff limit per plan
Grows when: You open a site or outgrow a staff limit
Examples: 7shifts
Flat rate (per workspace)
How the bill is worked out: One monthly price for the business, set by team size
Grows when: You move into a bigger size band
Examples: Rosterly
None of these is a trick. Each one suits a different kind of business. The point of this guide is to work out which one suits yours before the bill surprises you, using real prices rather than “from” headlines.
Per-user pricing: simple to start, grows with every hire
Per-user pricing multiplies a small monthly fee by everyone on the roster. When I Work listed $2.50, $5 and $8 per user per month by plan when we checked, and Deputy’s Australian plans listed A$6.75 (Lite) and A$8.75 (Core) per user per month excluding taxes. See the details in our Rosterly vs When I Work and Rosterly vs Deputy comparisons.
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Good for: very small or shrinking teams, and businesses that only want to pay for exactly who they roster.
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Watch for: casuals and occasional staff count too, so a café with 12 regulars and 10 occasional fill-ins pays for 22 people.
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Watch for: the plan that has the feature you need. Advanced scheduling rules, API access or award interpretation often sit on a higher tier, which raises the price for everyone.
Per-location pricing: great for one site, multiplies with every store
Per-location pricing charges for each site, usually with a limit on staff per site that pushes you up a plan. 7shifts, for example, listed a free Comp plan for one location with up to 15 employees, then CA$39.99, CA$79.99 and CA$134.99 per location per month (billed annually) for its Essentials, Pro and Premium plans, with limits of 30, 60 and unlimited employees. More in our Rosterly vs 7shifts comparison.
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Good for: a single site, especially a small restaurant that fits a free or entry plan.
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Watch for: every new site adds another full plan fee, and passing a staff limit moves that site up a tier.
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Watch for: features tied to a tier per location, such as labour cost or compliance tools, so a group may pay a higher tier at every site to get one feature.
Flat-rate pricing: one price until you change size
Flat-rate pricing charges once for the whole business, set by how many people you roster. Rosterly’s plans are A$29 a month for up to 10 staff, A$59 for up to 25 and A$119 for up to 60, including GST, with every feature and every location on every plan; staff never pay, and annual billing gives two months free. Above 60 staff it is a custom plan.
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Good for: growing teams, businesses with lots of casuals, and groups with several sites.
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Watch for: the step up between size bands. Going from 25 to 26 staff moves you from A$59 to A$119 a month.
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Watch for: a tool priced flat still has to have the features you need. Rosterly, for example, has no payroll integrations, POS connection or award interpretation.
What you’ll pay from 5 to 60 staff
The table below works out a month’s cost at each headcount for one location, straight from the prices in our dated comparison pages. Each tool is shown in the currency it lists; we don’t convert currencies, because exchange rates move and taxes differ. Deputy and Rosterly both price in Australian dollars, so the chart compares those two directly.
Staff
Rosterly A$
When I Work Essentials
When I Work Pro
Deputy Core
7shifts
5
A$29
US$12.50
US$25
A$43.75
Free
10
A$29
US$25
US$50
A$87.50
Free
15
A$59
US$37.50
US$75
A$131.25
Free
20
A$59
US$50
US$100
A$175
CA$39.99
25
A$59
US$62.50
US$125
A$218.75
CA$39.99
30
A$119
US$75
US$150
A$262.50
CA$39.99
40
A$119
US$100
US$200
A$350
CA$79.99
50
A$119
US$125
US$250
A$437.50
CA$79.99
60
A$119
US$150
US$300
A$525
CA$79.99
Monthly cost in Australian dollars: Rosterly vs Deputy Core
Rosterly (flat, incl. GST)
Deputy Core (per user, excl. tax)
25 staff: Rosterly A$59 a month (Team) · Deputy A$218.75 a month
Tap or hover a row to see the amounts.
Rosterly: A$, including GST; above 60 staff is a custom plan. When I Work: US$, Essentials plan, listed 17 October 2026. When I Work: US$, Pro plan, listed 17 October 2026. Deputy: A$ (excl. taxes), Core plan, A$30 minimum, listed 17 October 2026. 7shifts: CA$ (as shown), 1 location, plan that fits the headcount, listed 17 October 2026. Before add-ons; currencies are not converted.
Three things stand out. Per-user costs climb in a straight line: 25 people on Deputy Core is A$218.75 a month before tax and add-ons, against A$59 including GST on Rosterly’s Team plan. A single-site restaurant can be cheaper on a per-location plan such as 7shifts Essentials, or free on Comp up to 15 employees. And flat pricing has steps, so the cheapest tool for your team depends on which side of a band you sit.
The hidden costs to check
The headline price is rarely the whole bill. Before you compare, check each of these on the vendor’s own pricing page:
1.
Add-ons. Deputy listed Payroll at A$5, HR at A$3.50, Messaging+ at A$2.75 and Analytics+ at A$2 per user per month; 7shifts listed Tip Management at CA$49.99 per location per month. Add the ones you need to every user or site.
2.
Invoice minimums. Deputy listed a A$30 minimum per invoice on monthly plans, so a very small team pays at least that.
3.
Per-location fees. With per-location pricing, three stores cost three plans. Multiply before you compare.
4.
Staff limits. Per-location plans often cap employees per site, and passing the cap moves the site up a tier.
5.
Tax. Some prices exclude GST or VAT (Deputy’s Australian prices are listed excluding taxes); Rosterly’s include GST. Compare like with like.
6.
Feature tiers. API access, single sign-on, advanced rules or compliance tools on a higher plan raise the per-user or per-site price for everyone.
7.
Billing period. Annual billing usually costs less (Rosterly gives two months free; 7shifts lists 10% off), but commits you for a year.
8.
Who pays. Check whether staff ever pay for the app. On Rosterly they never do.
Multi-site groups: where the models really diverge
Sites change the maths more than anything else. Take a franchisee with three stores of 20 staff each, 60 people in total. On a per-user tool the bill is 60 times the per-user price. On a per-location tool it is three plans, each chosen by the 20 staff at that store. On Rosterly it is one Business plan at A$119 a month for up to 60 staff across every location.
For groups, ask too whether managers can see every site in one place, whether staff can work at more than one store without being double-booked, and whether each site can keep its own time zone and currency. See how this works for franchise owners with several stores.
Which model suits which business
A rule of thumb, before add-ons and tax
Your business
Often cheapest
Why
One small restaurant, under 15 staff
Often cheapest: Per location (a free or entry plan)
Why: One site fee, or nothing, covers everyone
One site, 10–25 staff, lots of casuals
Often cheapest: Flat rate
Why: Casuals and fill-ins don’t add to the bill
A growing team that hires often
Often cheapest: Flat rate
Why: The price only changes at a size band
Several sites with small teams
Often cheapest: Flat rate or per location
Why: Compare one workspace price with a plan per site
A team that needs awards worked out in the tool
Often cheapest: Per user with award interpretation
Why: Flat-rate tools such as Rosterly leave awards to payroll
Seasonal businesses deserve a second look. If your headcount doubles over summer, a per-user bill doubles with it, while a flat-rate plan may only move up one band, or not at all if you were already near the top of yours. Run the numbers for your busiest month as well as your quietest.
How to work out your own cost
1.
Count everyone you roster in a typical month, including casuals and fill-ins, and the number of sites.
2.
Note the features you can’t do without, and find the plan that includes each one on every tool you’re considering.
3.
Work out a month on each: per user × people, per location × sites (at the right tier), or the flat band for your headcount.
4.
Add the add-ons you need and any minimums, and put every price on the same tax basis.
5.
Repeat for the team you expect in 12 months, because the cheapest tool today may not be cheapest after you grow.
6.
Trial the shortlist with your real roster. Price matters, but so does how long the roster takes to build each week.
Our comparison hub has side-by-side pages for When I Work, Deputy and 7shifts, each with a calculator you can fill in with your own per-person price.
See what flat pricing means for your team
Every feature on every plan, every location included, staff never pay. 14-day free trial, no card needed.