# Page 3 | HotSchedules Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 3 - Is HotSchedules the right Workforce Management solution for you? Explore 461 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/52611/HotSchedules/reviews --- HotSchedules 4.4 (461) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/52611/HotSchedules/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 3 - Reviews of HotSchedules ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 51-75 of 461 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use VR Verified Reviewer Operations Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Makes a restaurant run" July 24, 2018 5.0 Internal communications and schedule notifications to a distributed workforce. Pros Hotschedules makes schedule creation and updates ridiculously easy. Not only can you input the schedules you need covered to receive optimization suggestions, but once you post the schedules, you don't have to track down your staff to inform them of their schedules. Cons When I utilizied Hotschedules my employees were not able to input one-off requests or identify preferred shifts, limiting the efficacy of the schedule optimization features. There was also not an option to send internal communication notes to management emails so there was no way to verify when management was reading the information. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Bookkeeper Entertainment Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Very convenient " October 28, 2018 4.0 I really like HotSchedules because it’s so convenient. The program is fairly easy to use but could use improvements like more schedule layout options. Pros HotSchedules is very convenient to use for the business and employees. I love that I can message everyone as a group, a specific job title, or individuals. I love that the employees can view their schedule in real time from anywhere. Cons HotSchedules is time consuming to use. The functionality of the scheduling area could be improved to save time. When it comes to syncing employees with our Micros system it takes too much time and has gotten “hung up” multiple times. Customer service gives great direction but takes too long to get an answer. The layout of the roster is hard to read and offering different layout options would be a huge improvement. Review Source dD diandra D. server Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great scheduling ap" May 16, 2019 5.0 One of the best scheduling websites I've ever seen or used. Pros As a user, I love how easy this product is. You can view your schedule, see who else is working, and swap and release shifts without an issue. It has an easy to use web browser, and mobile ap (although you do pay for it) so you can use hotschedules whichever way you prefer. It also has a great messaging system which allows you to message entire groups of people at once (management, kitchen, servers). It also tells you how many people are ahead of you on a wait list for a shift you picked up. The autopick up function is excellent as well for when you need to get a shift and non are available. Cons I am not a fan of the most recent update. Prior, you would be able to "see all schedule" and see the entire week, alphabetically, where everyone was working etc. Now however, you can't see the weekly schedule at once and you need to click day by day. This can be challenging when trying to swap shifts with other staff, or see others schedules. Review Source ZH ZoeMae H. Level 2 Customer Care Assoicate Furniture Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "HotSchedules Review" January 10, 2023 5.0 overall hot schedules has been extremely effective in my experience with it and i highly recommend it Pros hot schedules is used by all restaurant jobs i have had and is extremely easy to use and navigate. switching shifts or putting in for time off is very easy, and messages can be sent to management directly from the app which is extremely helpful! Cons while the messaging is extremely helpful it sometimes will not send notifications when one is received, however you can find alternate contact info within the app so they can still be contacted outside of the app if necessary! Review Source GL Greg L. Restaurant Service Manager Restaurants Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "This software is easy to use and a great way to communicate." August 8, 2017 4.0 The largest benefit was time management. I have a lot more time to do other things that improve our guest's experience, which is the bottom line of my job. Pros The communication side of it is great. I have less meetings now that I can send out mass messages. The scheduler itself is top notch. I can move shifts around quickly using the quick keys and copying schedules is a snap. Having the freedom to do my schedule anywhere and being able to approve or deny schedule changes from my phone makes those decisions more informed. We use it to document all incidents good and bad on employees, so when an evaluation comes around you have all that information at your fingertips. It makes a great reservation scheduler. The roster report is the first thing I print out in the mornings to make sure everyone is here and where they are supposed to be and if they are not I have all the phone numbers on that sheet. The fact that it gives you the number of hours for everyone helps with creating budgets for the week. Cons My biggest complaint is that part of the expense for the is put on the employee. I know it's very little but some employees don't have a bank account or credit card and have trouble making the purchase. It seems to me that the revenue generated by that could be built into the cost of the software on the employer side. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Substitute Teacher Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "HotSchedules Review" March 21, 2019 4.0 It was good experience. I was able to see when I was working and who was going to work with me. I was able to see the messages that the manager put out. I was able to respond the messages, if need be. Pros I had to have this software when I worked at a restaurant. It was pretty simple and easy to use. Once the manager had posted the schedule, you could see who was working and what shift it was. If there was an open shift, you could grab it and see if it would get approved. You could also switch shifts with someone, if the managers approved it. Message came in and were easy to read. Cons I did not really have any issues with this software. I had to have it and it worked fine with my phone. I was a bit mad that I had to pay for it, but I understood why. Review Source JB Jessica B. Catering Manager Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Hotschedules Is Perfect For The Hospitality Industry" August 9, 2019 5.0 This has helped manage overtime before it even happens. While scheduling employees, the software calculates the hours and gives you a warning for any person that is going into or approaching overtime. This has saved us money and helped better allocate time. Hotschedules is a game changer for the hospitality industry. Pros This software is extremely user friendly. I love that my staff is able to put all of their availability changes, requests for time off and switch shifts through the software. It makes it extremely easy to create the schedule each week. Tracking of overtime is a huge help as a manager as well. This is a must have tool for anyone in the hospitality industry. It will save your scheduling sanity! Cons The only downside to this software is the cost for the app. While it is minimal and you can still log in for free through any web browser, a free app would be ideal for the hourly employees. I honestly have no other bad things to say about this software. I highly recommend it! Review Source RD Rebekah D. Administrative Directors Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Features" September 22, 2020 5.0 It's been very useful and helpful in managing scheduling. The pros definitely outweigh the cons! Pros We use HotSchedules mainly for scheduling and messaging the team (direct messages, broadcasts). The scheduling features are great - we especially love that team members can swap and pick up shifts on their own, that saves us a lot of time. And the broadcast messages are great for getting important information out - everyone looks at their schedule, so everyone sees the broadcasts. Cons The website and app are very slow to use. Creating the schedule can be a pain as the interface is very slow, and the app will load for several seconds between each page while navigating. This can lead to some frustration. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Banquet/Catering Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "This program was easy to learn and very user friendly." January 18, 2018 4.0 The benefits that I get from this software are being able to put out a schedule in real time and get it to my employees in an effective way. It also benefits my employees because they are able to use it and make changes to their schedule if needed. The alerts are great! Pros What I like most about this software is that you can send your employees messages and post schedules that will go directly to their e-mail and/or text. Cons What I like least about this software is that it sometimes will glitch when I'm in the middle of a schedule and then I will have to go back and redo the entire thing. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Restaurant Owner Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Valuable Product" April 23, 2019 5.0 I have worked with HotSchedules in 3 different restaurants. Each experience a little different. As a team member it was amazing, being able to see my schedule, trade shifts and message other team members.. all from my phone without any communication to my manager! As a manager of a multi-unit restaurant, scheduling was a breeze, again no need to speak to team members about shifts. They were easily approved via my own phone WHEREEVER! As a Beverage Manager at a casino with 24 hours-- the logbook and adjusting the system to work within union guidelines was AMAZING! I love hotschedules, once my restaurant expands I plan to use it again! Pros Ease of use, accessibility -- the facebook of scheduling! Cons Honestly, would love to see them work on the ease of the scheduler. I feel like that whole page could be done differently. It just seems that something could be done to streamline it. The shortcuts are nice but not easily remembered. Additionally, I would love if there was a cost effective version for small independently owned restaurants. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Salesforce Application Administrator Banking Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great for restaurants!" July 14, 2023 5.0 Overall it was a great way to keep track of schedules while working in a restaurant! Pros Love that you can log in, pick up or release a shift from your phone. You can keep track your schedule, request to work, request off with ease! Cons If you want the mobile app, it costs $2.99 to download. It's not the end of the world, but if my employer is already paying for the system, I don't like that I had to pay for the app. Review Source BN Briauna N. Supervisor Food & Beverages Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Work smarter Not harder" February 5, 2022 5.0 It has been great than having to do everything by hand or from scratch. Pros This software takes the guess work out. It is easy to understand, conducts the task needed for calendar, scheduling, and attendence. Cons Things sometimes have to be done manually but that's honestly not a huge issue. I would rather do the action of removing an employee manually than to have an error occur and still have to go in an manually fix it. Review Source EF Eric F. Kitchen Manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Restaurant Must have " March 10, 2020 5.0 As a former manager at a Texas Roadhouse, I was familiar with this software, and eager to bring it to my new venture. It immediately eliminated the use of paper schedules, and the chaos of employees switching shifts without making management aware. This increased both labor costs, and morale. Pros It’s easy to use, built for high volume restaurants. I took a restaurant that was still relying on paper, emailed schedules, and converted them to Bot Schedules. This eliminated issues of shift coverage changes, where we expected one employee, but another showed up, and all the associated communication issues. Cons It was much more difficult to order and install that I previously remember. Customer service in the sales department was definitely lacking just a touch. Once we got the ball rolling it was fine, but the initial sale was a bit rocky to start. Reason for choosing HotSchedules Again, I used it heavily while working for the Texas Roadhouse franchise. I was familiar with the product, and knew it was necessary in the restaurant business. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Familiarity, and organization. Review Source Niklaus K. Human Resources Manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love HotSchedules" December 1, 2018 5.0 I've been using HotSchedules for several years and I couldn't imagine running a restaurant without it. Pros Scheduling, messaging, and forecasting have never been easier! If you own a restaurant, you need this. Cons Customer service used to be excellent, but lately, it hasn't been good at all. I went from a 2 minute wait to talk to 6+ hours to get a callback—usually by the time I'm home. I'm confident they're just going through some changes and it will be back to the high standard. Review Source Michael G. Brand General Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good software, they are continually developing and improving. Definitely great for scheduling " January 25, 2018 4.0 Allowed me to spend less time scheduling and communicating with staff. More organization on notes and employee files Pros Great for scheduling and staff communication. Makes handling a large staff easy. Logbook is great for communication on all issues with mangers and staff, even starting to use it to track our hr. Cons Want to see the inventory system improve as well as better ease of use across multiple venues other than that continue to grow and develop Review Source Erik K. Graphic Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Hot schedules review " September 24, 2019 4.0 My overall experience has been very good. I always knew when I was working next and never missed work or was late to a shift because of it! Pros What I liked most about hot schedules is always being organized and being able to see my schedule ahead of time, eliminating the need to write it down or call/go in person to see when I was working next. Cons What I liked least is that not enough companies are using it! It’s a great platform, so I have nothing negative to say. Review Source Leigh L. Project Manager / Entrepreneur Building Materials Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Whatever happened to Schedulefly?" October 26, 2018 4.0 Online scheduling and shift trading is ideal when your staff is young. If you run a business where you employ teens, I strongly advise getting it. Pros I like that your staff can add shifts, swap shifts, put a shift up for grabs, request days off, etc. I like that you can tweak it to require management approval for these things. I like the entire idea of scheduling this way, particularly in a restaurant setting. Cons The cost. Ridiculous. I should not be required to tell my employees they have to pay for an app to have these features. I would've much preferred ScheduleFly. Such a better deal for the employees. Review Source James M. Social Media and Content Marketing Manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great way to manage staff schedules with ease" September 17, 2019 5.0 Was part of a team that used HotSchedules for shift management. Pros I like how shifts can be swapped and picked up without having to involve a manager. Managers can set certain rules, but within those rules employees can handle it on their own. Cons I don't like how clumsy the app was in 2014 when I used it. It was not mobile friendly, and didn't sync well with email and google calendar. This may have changed since then. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer server Hospitality Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy if everyone uses it! ha!" October 24, 2019 4.0 Pros I like the ability to have everything in one place for all employees. I have used this as a server and as a manager and as a manager, being able to see what everyone needs and organize the schedules all in one place is the highlight here. And it allows you to separate different schedules, like server and manager schedules, etc. Cons There are some glitches sometimes, it's slow and doesn't always load on my phone. And other people have complained about this as well. I suppose some of the functions could be easier and a little more user-friendly. Review Source Amy M. Educator Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Helpful in emergencies" November 20, 2018 5.0 This was a great software to use. After having to call-in shift changes and wait on hold for managers for years in restaurant work, this software and its app is a great gift. I also don't have to physically go to the restaurant to see my new schedule when it comes out! Pros I liked most how "shift-swapping" at my restaurant became very simple. I could easily release my shift on my phone app and people would pick it up or if I needed it quick I could message people on the app or call them on my phone. They could easily pick up the shift through their phone app and no need bothering a manager as a go-between. The manager does need to approve the shift, but it is simply done and after I've already got it covered :) I liked how I can change my settings to receive email alerts or not. Cons I did not have any problems with this software. Review Source Michael R. Owner Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "So awesome!!" November 11, 2018 5.0 Overall experience is amazing! This company does amazing work! Pros Love Hotschedules!! They are amazing at what they do and make my life so easy when it comes to scheduling my staff and letting them switch and pick up work shifts. This is definitely something that employers with many employees need to use to make their schedule! Cons Non at all. This software does exactly what it says and it is amazing! Review Source KT Kristian T. Restaurant Manager Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of our most-utilized softwares by far!" April 6, 2021 4.0 Monitoring overtime, communication with staff, easily viewing requests, pay rates, daily line ups and staff logs are just a few day to day features that we utilize. HotSchedules is a must! Pros Online scheduling is a must for an operation of our size. The HotSchedules messaging makes communicating clearly to large groups of employees consistent. The reporting and data is a must. We use HotSchedules multiple times a day. Cons Some of the updates/when the software times out can get frustrating but I understand that they are necessary to make improvements. Review Source EZ Edward Z. Manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Hot for HotSchedules" June 16, 2020 5.0 Over all hot schedules is a solid platform that is definitely beneficial to a smooth running operation as far as scheduling and management communication Pros Hot schedules makes scheduling different departments and coordinating everybody extremely easy. The platforms are easy to understand and can be accessed by anyone given authority to use the system. Cons The system allows for people to request for time off and to make comments. One of the only downsides of this product was that employees talked last to management about scheduling and tried to do literally all of it through hot schedules which sometimes lead to some conflict Over all hot schedules is a solid platform that is definitely beneficial to a smooth running operation as far as scheduling and management communication goes Review Source Ayaz M. Director Of Operations Restaurants Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of best Scheduling Systems on the Market" October 25, 2018 5.0 Worked with it for several years. They are constantly evolving to meet the industry needs. Love the fact that I do not have to have several calls just to approve a shift change. It's all done on line and just a click away. A real time saver. Pros The variety of options available and the ease of multiple users accessibility. Also very user friendly for the staff. Cons A bit complicated for entry level managers Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Waitress Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Shift Swap Simple" February 16, 2021 5.0 Overall, every restaurant should seriously look into an app like HotSchedules. It saves time and stress on all, avoiding hand written notes that get lost. Pros Hotschedules was introduced to the restaurant a few years ago, and it saved so much stress! Employees were able to switch shifts, request time off, and view schedules so easily!! Cons The only con is user error or awaiting on a manager to accept the requests that are sent in. If they are not in the office, they cannot see the requests to accept or deny resulting in the employee calling to confirm the action requested. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Employee Scheduling](https://www.capterra.com/employee-scheduling-software/)[Workforce Management](https://www.capterra.com/workforce-management-software/)[Scheduling](https://www.capterra.com/scheduling-software/) ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.