Staff scheduling software: how to choose, and where Tempora fits
Updated
Tempora is shift scheduling software for businesses with shift workers at one or many sites, such as staffing and temp agencies and security, cleaning, warehouse, logistics, event and hospitality companies. It builds the schedule automatically within labour-law limits, won't assign anyone whose required certification is missing or expired, records hours with QR check-in, and turns those hours into payroll exports and client invoices. Plans start at €29.99 per month excl. VAT, and new agencies get 30 days free with every feature, no card needed.
Who Tempora suits
- Staffing and temp agencies that place workers at client sites and bill clients for the hours worked.
- Security companies that must keep every guard's licence valid and every post covered, day and night.
- Cleaning and facility-services companies with crews spread across many client sites.
- Warehouse and logistics operations with licensed roles (for example forklift drivers) and night shifts.
- Event, hospitality and catering teams that staff large crews at short notice.
- Any business with shift workers that wants automatic scheduling, QR time tracking and certificate checks in one tool, with or without client billing.
- Teams in Europe that need EU data hosting and their workers' own language (12 languages).
When another tool may suit you better
- A single shop, café or small team with a fixed weekly rota and no certificates to track: a simple, general-purpose scheduling app or a shared calendar may be all you need.
- You need scheduling built into a specific point-of-sale, HR or payroll system you already use: check that system's own scheduling module first.
- You need a native app from the App Store or Google Play: Tempora's employee app runs in the phone's browser and can be added to the home screen, but it isn't a store app.
What to compare in any scheduling tool
Whichever tool you look at, these are the questions that separate a rota you still fix by hand from one that runs itself. Here is how Tempora answers each.
- Automatic schedulingFilling a month of shifts by hand takes hours and breaks whenever someone is off.
- Generates the schedule for a period in one step, respecting availability, approved leave, shift preferences, rest periods, weekly hour limits and a fair spread of hours. You preview it, save it as a draft and publish when ready.
- Labour-law limitsRest periods and maximum hours differ by country, and breaking them is costly.
- Built-in limits for the EU Working Time Directive, Estonia, Germany, France, Turkey, US federal rules and California, plus your own stricter rules. Public holidays are flagged by country.
- Certifications and licencesSending an unlicensed guard or forklift driver is a legal and insurance risk.
- Each department lists the certificates it requires; Tempora won't assign anyone without them, warns you and the worker 30 days before expiry, and flags scheduled shifts at risk.
- Time trackingHours should come from who actually turned up, not from the plan.
- Workers check in and out by scanning the site's QR code with their phone, with an optional location check. Missing or off-site check-ins are flagged for review on the Timesheets page.
- Client billingAgencies and service companies get paid per hour worked at each client.
- Hourly rates per client, billable hours by worker and site from real check-ins, CSV export and numbered invoices in one click, plus a read-only client portal.
- Employee appWorkers need to see shifts and swap or report sick without calling the office.
- Browser-based app, no install: shifts, QR check-in, availability, time-off and sick-leave requests, shift swaps, open shifts to claim, payslips, expenses and documents to sign. Calendar sync to Google, Apple or Outlook.
- PayrollRe-typing hours into payroll is where mistakes happen.
- Payroll export of worked hours per employee, plus payslips that workers download from their app.
- Languages and data locationMixed-language crews and GDPR both matter in Europe.
- 12 languages (English, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Turkish), each person in their own. Data hosted in Frankfurt, Germany; a Data Processing Agreement for every customer.
- Security and integrationsLarger customers ask about access control and getting data out.
- Roles, two-factor login, single sign-on (SSO), an audit log, a read-only API and webhooks.
- PricePer-user pricing adds up quickly with a large or seasonal workforce.
- Every plan includes every feature: Starter €29.99 (up to 10 employees), Growth €79.99 (up to 30 employees), Scale €199.99 (up to 100 employees) per month excl. VAT; Enterprise above 100 employees. Monthly billing, cancel anytime, 30 days free with no card needed.
Tempora and general-purpose scheduling apps
Well-known employee scheduling apps such as Deputy, When I Work, Planday, Connecteam, Shiftbase and Homebase are built for a wide range of businesses, and many are a good choice for scheduling your own staff at your own locations.
Tempora is built around a narrower set of needs: many sites (often a client's premises), certificates that must be valid before anyone is assigned, hours proven by on-site check-in, and invoices to the client for those hours. If those needs are yours, compare how each tool handles them; if they aren't, a general-purpose app may be simpler.
What 30 workers cost you
List prices for a team of 30, per month before VAT. Every Tempora plan includes every feature.
Deputy Core
US$195.00/month
30 users × US$6.50 per month. Managers and admins count as users too.
Shiftbase Premium
€169.50/month
€75.00 including 12 employees, plus 18 extra × €5.25.
Tempora Growth
€79.99/month
One flat price for up to 30 employees, every feature included.
Free setup
We import your spreadsheets for you, free of charge. Shiftbase charges €175.00–€600.00 for its onboarding packages.
List prices from each vendor's public pricing page, monthly billing, before VAT, checked on 4 November 2026. They may have changed since: Deputy · Shiftbase
Questions people ask
What is a good tool for scheduling staff?
It depends on your work. For a single location with a simple weekly rota, a general-purpose scheduling app is usually enough. If your people work shifts at several sites, need valid certificates or licences, or you bill clients for their hours, look for automatic scheduling with certificate checks and check-in based time tracking. Tempora is built for that case, and new agencies get 30 days free with every feature, no card needed.
Is Tempora only for staffing agencies?
No. It is designed around staffing agencies, but the same features work for security, cleaning, warehouse, logistics, event and hospitality companies scheduling their own shift workers. Client billing is optional.
Can Tempora replace scheduling in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Import your employees from a CSV file, add your sites as departments and generate the first schedule automatically. Most teams are running within an hour, and the Tempora team can set it up for you.
How much does Tempora cost?
From €29.99 per month excl. VAT. Starter €29.99 (up to 10 employees); Growth €79.99 (up to 30 employees); Scale €199.99 (up to 100 employees); Enterprise above 100 active employees at €1.50 per extra employee. Every plan has every feature.
Does Tempora follow working-time rules in my country?
Tempora has built-in limits for the EU Working Time Directive, Estonia, Germany, France, Turkey, US federal rules and California, and you can set stricter rules of your own. The schedule generator won't break them.
Where is Tempora's data stored?
In the EU: the database and application servers are in Frankfurt, Germany. Tempora is run by ByteTech OÜ in Estonia under EU law.
More answers in the FAQ, and every plan on the pricing page.
Try it on your own schedule
Start with 30 days free and every feature, no card needed, or book a 20-minute walkthrough.