A compare, not a teardown.
You are comparing a restaurant platform you have already seen with a smaller floor tool that is still in public beta.
If you run dinner service in Cincinnati or elsewhere in the Midwest, it is the same compare. We are not claiming a local partnership.
7shifts is good at what it is built for.
7shifts is a broad restaurant system: scheduling, messaging, the time clock, labor tools, and — on Premium or as add-ons — payroll, tips, tasks, and training. The brand is easy to find, and the surface is deep if you want one vendor for the floor and a lot of the back office.
Their pricing page is public. Use it. We link it below and date the numbers. If their page moves, their page wins.
Official page: 7shifts pricing · 7shifts.com
Publish the week. Then coverage, clock, and tips.
What is in this beta: publish the week, coverage and open shifts, the clock, and tips kept as records.
Managers use Cut the Shift on the web. Crew use Heard. Heard is the crew app only.
SMS and payroll are parked. We are not going to imply they ship because a competitor bundles them.
After beta the price is per location. We do not publish a seat fee, and we do not put held-for-close rates on this page.
Structure, not a feature contest.
People sometimes call 7shifts per-seat. On 2026-09-22 their public pricing page billed the scheduler per location. Headcount still changes the plan: Comp, Essentials, and Pro cap employees, and Premium is the unlimited tier. Payroll adds a per-employee charge. That is a step, not a pure per-seat meter, and we are not going to mislabel it.
7shifts list prices as shown on their pricing page
| Plan | Month-to-month | Annual billing, per month | Headcount on their page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Free | Free | 1 location, up to 15 employees |
| Essentials | $44.99 / location | $39.99 / location | Up to 30 employees |
| Pro | $89.99 / location | $79.99 / location | Up to 60 employees |
| Premium | $149.99 / location | $134.99 / location | Unlimited employees |
Comp
Month-to-monthFree
Annual billing, per monthFree
Headcount on their page1 location, up to 15 employees
Essentials
Month-to-month$44.99 / location
Annual billing, per month$39.99 / location
Headcount on their pageUp to 30 employees
Pro
Month-to-month$89.99 / location
Annual billing, per month$79.99 / location
Headcount on their pageUp to 60 employees
Premium
Month-to-month$149.99 / location
Annual billing, per month$134.99 / location
Headcount on their pageUnlimited employees
Annual amounts are the per-month prices their page showed with annual billing selected. The page says that option saves 10%.
Payroll on that page: $39.99 per month per location, and $0 per location on Premium, plus $6 per month per employee paid. They also advertise a limited-time first three months of payroll free for new customers. Their terms, not ours.
Tip Management is listed at $49.99 per month per location, and included with Premium.
Structural compare with 7shifts
| Axis | 7shifts | Cut the Shift |
|---|---|---|
| How the bill is built | Per location per month. Employee caps on Comp (15), Essentials (30), and Pro (60) mean a bigger roster can force the next plan. Premium is unlimited employees at the location price. Payroll adds $6 per employee paid. | Public beta is free, with no card. After beta, one price per location, not per seat. Post-beta list prices are on /pricing. No private numbers on this page. |
| What happens when you hire | You may outgrow the employee cap and step up a plan. If you pay people through 7shifts Payroll, the $6 per employee paid line moves with headcount. | Hiring another busser should not raise the software bill. That is the philosophy, not a quote. |
| How you start | Their pricing-page FAQ describes a 14-day trial of the Pro plan with no card. After that, a plan and a card, or the free Comp plan inside its caps. | Self-serve free public beta, no card, at /get-started. Multi-unit, a DPA, or a hands-on setup goes through /contact. |
How the bill is built
7shiftsPer location per month. Employee caps on Comp (15), Essentials (30), and Pro (60) mean a bigger roster can force the next plan. Premium is unlimited employees at the location price. Payroll adds $6 per employee paid.
Cut the ShiftPublic beta is free, with no card. After beta, one price per location, not per seat. Post-beta list prices are on /pricing. No private numbers on this page.
What happens when you hire
7shiftsYou may outgrow the employee cap and step up a plan. If you pay people through 7shifts Payroll, the $6 per employee paid line moves with headcount.
Cut the ShiftHiring another busser should not raise the software bill. That is the philosophy, not a quote.
How you start
7shiftsTheir pricing-page FAQ describes a 14-day trial of the Pro plan with no card. After that, a plan and a card, or the free Comp plan inside its caps.
Cut the ShiftSelf-serve free public beta, no card, at /get-started. Multi-unit, a DPA, or a hands-on setup goes through /contact.
7shifts list prices as of 2026-09-22 (America/New_York) from https://www.7shifts.com/pricing/. We re-check when we update this page. We do not invent competitor prices.
No card required. Free public beta, not a free trial and not a subscription. Paid per-location plans come later. Cancel via the contact page. No partial refunds unless required by law.
What is actually in the beta.
Short on purpose. A yes on their side is not a concession. A parked row on ours is not a roadmap promise.
Floor-tool compare
| Need | 7shifts | Cut the Shift (beta) |
|---|---|---|
| Publish the week | Yes | Yes |
| Coverage / open shifts | Yes — their pricing page lists offer, trade, and claim | Yes |
| Clock | Yes — basic time clocking on Essentials, more on Pro | Yes |
| Tips as records | Tip Management is $49.99 per location per month, included on Premium | Yes — records, not payroll |
| SMS | SMS reminders are listed on their pricing page | Parked |
| Payroll | Included on Premium, or $39.99 per location plus $6 per employee paid | Parked |
| Crew phone | Their mobile app | Heard (crew only) |
Publish the week
7shiftsYes
Cut the Shift (beta)Yes
Coverage / open shifts
7shiftsYes — their pricing page lists offer, trade, and claim
Cut the Shift (beta)Yes
Clock
7shiftsYes — basic time clocking on Essentials, more on Pro
Cut the Shift (beta)Yes
Tips as records
7shiftsTip Management is $49.99 per location per month, included on Premium
Cut the Shift (beta)Yes — records, not payroll
SMS
7shiftsSMS reminders are listed on their pricing page
Cut the Shift (beta)Parked
Payroll
7shiftsIncluded on Premium, or $39.99 per location plus $6 per employee paid
Cut the Shift (beta)Parked
Crew phone
7shiftsTheir mobile app
Cut the Shift (beta)Heard (crew only)
When to stay on 7shifts
- You need payroll, onboarding, and the retention suite on day one. Payroll is parked here.
- You are already deep in 7shifts and the switching cost is the real price.
- You want enterprise forecasting, compliance tooling, and a content library we do not claim to match.
When to try Cut the Shift
- You will start the free public beta with no card, and tell us what breaks.
- You care that a new hire should not be a software price increase after beta.
- You want publish, coverage, clock, and tip records before you buy the whole suite. SMS and payroll stay parked.
Start free
No card required. Free public beta, not a free trial and not a subscription. Paid per-location plans come later. Cancel via the contact page. No partial refunds unless required by law.
Also on this site
Cut the Shift is the company and the manager web app. Heard is the crew app only. No held-for-close prices on this page, and no partnership claims.