Homebase Review 2026
Homebase bundles scheduling, a time clock, team messaging and optional payroll for hourly businesses, and its free plan covers a single location with up to 10 staff. It is a sensible first workforce tool for a shop or restaurant. Multi-site operators and remote teams will find the pricing model and the missing computer-based tracking work against them.
HiveDesk editorial rating
4.2 / 5
A well-rounded package for single-location hourly teams with a real free tier. Marked down for per-location pricing plus add-ons, PTO controls sitting on the $70 tier, and performance complaints in independent reviews.
What Is Homebase?
Homebase is a team management platform for small businesses with hourly employees: restaurants, retail stores, salons, clinics and local service businesses. The core product is a schedule builder and a time clock that runs on phones, tablets, browsers and supported point-of-sale terminals, with hours flowing into timesheets and, if you add it, into Homebase payroll. Around that core it sells team messaging, hiring and onboarding, HR documents, tip management and task lists as plan features or add-ons.
Pricing is per location rather than per employee. The free Basic plan covers one location with up to 10 employees, and the three paid plans allow unlimited employees at each location. Homebase describes some of its scheduling and hiring features as AI-assisted; we did not evaluate those and treat them as vendor descriptions.
This review is based on the Homebase pricing and time clock pages and its Capterra listing, all fetched in September 2026. We have no commercial relationship with Homebase.
Homebase Pricing in 2026
Four plans priced per location, plus a payroll add-on and several smaller add-ons. The paid tiers include unlimited employees, so the price question for Homebase is always how many locations you run and which add-ons you need.
| Plan | Price | Billing basis | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | Free for 1 location with up to 10 employees | Basic scheduling, basic time tracking, POS integration; payroll available as an add-on |
| Essentials | $30 per location per month | Per location; unlimited employees; monthly rate shown on the pricing page | Everything in Basic plus advanced scheduling, advanced time tracking and team communication |
| Plus | $70 per location per month | Per location; unlimited employees; annual-discount promotions advertised | Everything in Essentials plus the scheduling assistant, PTO and time-off controls, departments and permissions |
| All-in-One | $120 per location per month | Per location; unlimited employees; 14-day free trial of this plan | Everything in Plus plus employee onboarding, labor cost management and HR and compliance tools |
| Payroll add-on | $49 per month base fee plus $6 per month per employee paid | Added to any plan; a promotion offering the first 6 months free was running in September 2026 | Full-service payroll run from Homebase timesheets |
Other add-ons listed on the pricing page
- Tip Manager: $25 per month per location
- Task Manager: $13 per month per location
- Background checks: $30 each
- Job post boosts: From $50 per post
- Hiring Assistant: From $99 per month
Pricing as of September 2026 from the Homebase pricing page. The page shows monthly rates and advertises annual-billing discounts and a promotion of six months free for payroll and the Plus plan; promotions change, so confirm current terms with Homebase.
Key Features
Plan availability comes from the pricing page; the time clock page describes clock-in features without assigning them to tiers, and the table says so where that applies.
| Feature | Availability |
|---|---|
| Clock in from mobile app, web browser, tablet kiosk or integrated POS | All plans; advanced time tracking on Essentials and above |
| GPS time clock with geofencing | Advertised on the time clock page; tier not specified |
| Photo capture and unique PINs at clock-in | Advertised on the time clock page; tier not specified |
| Break tracking, missed punch alerts, auto clock-out, overtime tracking | Advertised on the time clock page; tier not specified |
| Drag and drop scheduling and shift trades | Basic on the free plan; advanced on Essentials and above |
| Team messaging | Essentials and above |
| PTO and time-off controls | Plus and above |
| Hiring and onboarding | All-in-One; hiring tools also sold as add-ons |
| HR and compliance tools | All-in-One |
| Payroll integrations (ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks Online) and POS integrations (Square, Toast, Clover, Shopify) | Named on the time clock page |
| Screenshots or computer activity monitoring | Not advertised on the pricing or time clock pages |
| Desktop tracking app for Windows, macOS or Linux | Not advertised; Homebase is mobile, web and POS based |
What Homebase Does Well
A free plan that a small shop can actually run on
The Basic plan is free for one location and up to 10 employees and includes scheduling, time tracking and POS integration. That is enough for a single cafe, salon or retail store to replace paper schedules and a punch clock without paying anything.
Time clock that works on the hardware you already have
Employees can clock in from a phone, a tablet kiosk, a browser or a supported POS terminal. Photo capture and PINs at clock-in are designed to stop buddy punching, and GPS with geofencing handles staff who clock in off-site.
Scheduling, timesheets and messaging in one app
Managers publish schedules, staff swap shifts and message each other, and hours flow straight into timesheets. Capterra reviewers most often praise the intuitive platform and centralized messaging.
Payroll runs from the same timesheets
The payroll add-on takes approved hours and runs pay without re-entry. For a small business that wants one vendor for scheduling, time and pay, this is the main draw.
Mainstream POS and payroll integrations
Homebase names Square, Toast, Clover and Shopify on the POS side and ADP, Gusto and QuickBooks Online on the payroll side, which covers most small local businesses.
Where Homebase Falls Short
Per-location pricing punishes multi-site businesses
Every paid plan is priced per location. A business with four sites on Plus pays $280 a month before payroll. A per-user tool can be far cheaper for small headcounts spread across several locations.
Most of the platform sits behind add-ons
Payroll, tips, tasks, background checks and hiring are all priced separately on top of the plan fee. The pricing page is transparent about this, but the total cost for a fully equipped location is well above the headline plan price.
PTO controls require the Plus plan
Time-off controls appear on Plus at $70 per location per month, so a small business that wants to manage vacation balances properly has to skip past the $30 Essentials tier.
Performance complaints are common in reviews
In the Capterra review summary, "frequent lags and slow response" is the most negative theme at 81 percent negative among the reviews that mention it, alongside recurring glitches and limited payroll features.
No computer-based tracking or monitoring
Homebase verifies presence at a location, not work on a computer. Screenshots, activity levels and application tracking are not advertised anywhere on its pricing or time clock pages, so it does not serve remote desk-based teams.
Independent review data: Homebase holds a 4.6 out of 5 overall rating from 1,155 reviews on Capterra as of September 2026, with sub-ratings of 4.6 for ease of use and 4.5 each for features, value and customer service.
Who Should Use Homebase?
Homebase is a good fit for:
- Single-location shops, cafes, salons and clinics with up to 10 staff that want a free tool
- Hourly businesses that want scheduling, time clock and payroll from one vendor
- Owners who clock staff in on a tablet or a Square, Toast, Clover or Shopify POS
- Teams that need photo and PIN verification to stop buddy punching
- Businesses that run payroll on ADP, Gusto or QuickBooks Online
Homebase may not be enough for:
- Multi-location businesses sensitive to per-location fees and add-ons
- Remote, hybrid and desk-based teams that need computer time tracking
- Contact centers and BPOs that need screenshots, activity monitoring and schedule adherence
- Businesses that want PTO management on the entry-level paid plan
- Teams that track time by project or client for billing
Homebase Alternatives
Pick by workforce type: on-site hourly staff, or people who work on computers.
- 7shifts is the restaurant specialist, with sales-based labor forecasting and tip management that Homebase only partly matches. Read our 7shifts review.
- When I Work prices per user rather than per location, which can be cheaper for small teams across several sites. See When I Work alternatives and the HiveDesk vs When I Work comparison.
- Connecteam covers deskless teams with a free plan for up to 10 users and per-30-user pricing above that. Read our Connecteam review.
- HiveDesk is the option for desk-based, remote, BPO and contact-center teams: automatic time tracking on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Chrome, screenshots and activity monitoring, scheduling, attendance, leave management, timesheets and approvals for $5 per user per month. It has no POS integration or tip management and is not built for on-site retail or restaurant floors.
- For time tracking alone, see our Clockify review, Toggl Track review and Hubstaff review.
Homebase vs HiveDesk
Homebase is built around a physical location; HiveDesk is built around a computer. The comparison below shows where each one stops.
| Feature | Homebase | HiveDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free for 1 location and 10 staff; paid plans $30 to $120 per location per month | $5 per user per month, one plan |
| Free trial | 14 days of All-in-One | 14 days, no credit card |
| Time clock | Mobile, tablet kiosk, browser, POS | Desktop, mobile and browser apps |
| GPS and geofencing | Yes | No |
| Photo and PIN clock-in | Yes | Not applicable (automatic tracking) |
| Screenshots and activity monitoring | Not advertised | Yes |
| Scheduling | Basic free; advanced on paid plans | Yes |
| PTO and leave management | Plus plan and above | Yes |
| Task and project time tracking | Task Manager add-on | Yes |
| Payroll | Add-on, $49 plus $6 per employee | Timesheet exports; no payroll |
| Integrations | Square, Toast, Clover, Shopify, ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks Online | Asana |
| Best for | Single-location hourly businesses | Remote, BPO and contact-center teams |
14-day free trial · No credit card required · All features included
Frequently Asked Questions
As of September 2026, the Homebase pricing page lists Basic at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees, Essentials at $30 per location per month, Plus at $70 per location per month and All-in-One at $120 per location per month, all with unlimited employees on the paid tiers. Payroll is an add-on at $49 per month plus $6 per employee paid. Tip Manager ($25), Task Manager ($13) and hiring tools are priced separately.
Yes, for a single location with up to 10 employees. The Basic plan includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and POS integration at no cost. Team messaging, advanced scheduling and PTO controls require a paid plan.
Yes. The Homebase time clock page advertises a GPS-enabled time clock with geofencing, photo capture at clock-in and unique employee PINs to prevent buddy punching. The page does not state which plan tier each of these features belongs to, so confirm with Homebase for your plan.
No such feature is advertised on the Homebase pricing or time clock pages. Homebase is built for on-site hourly teams. Remote and desk-based teams that need screenshots and activity monitoring should look at HiveDesk, which includes both at $5 per user per month.
It is one of the better fits for a single-location small business with hourly staff, especially with the free Basic plan. Businesses with several locations should total the per-location fees and add-ons first, and businesses with remote or desk-based staff should look elsewhere.
Homebase payroll costs $49 per month as a base fee plus $6 per month per employee paid, and can be added to any plan. In September 2026 the pricing page advertised the first 6 months free as a promotion. Payroll runs from the timesheets Homebase already collects.
Plus adds the scheduling assistant, PTO and time-off controls, and departments and permissions on top of Essentials, and costs $70 per location per month instead of $30. If you need to manage time-off balances, Plus is the first tier that does it.
7shifts is the closest alternative for restaurants, When I Work for general hourly scheduling with per-user pricing, and Connecteam for deskless teams with a free plan for up to 10 users. For remote, BPO and contact-center teams, HiveDesk provides automatic time tracking with screenshots and activity monitoring, scheduling, attendance and leave management for $5 per user per month. See the HiveDesk comparison hub for side-by-side pages.
Related Reading
- All software comparisons and reviews — every review, head-to-head comparison and alternatives page on HiveDesk in one place.
- Time Clock App — how HiveDesk handles clock-in and clock-out for desk-based teams.
- Best Employee Scheduling Software — scheduling tools compared for shift-based teams.
- Clock In Clock Out Apps — what to look for in a punch clock replacement.
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