Comparison · verified 2026-11-02
ExpoShift vs Sling
Sling is built for shift-based teams in any industry, from two people to 200+ across multiple locations, with restaurant pages and prices per user per month, three plans: a free plan for up to 30 users with scheduling only, then Premium and Business for time tracking and labor tools. ExpoShift is built for independent full-service restaurants and is $49 a month per location, every feature included, any team size.
Pricing model
- ExpoShift
- $49 per location per month. One plan, every feature, any team size. 30 days free, no credit card.
- Sling
- Premium $2.00 and Business $4.00 per user per month, billed monthly ($1.70 and $3.40 billed annually). Free plan for up to 30 users: scheduling, time-off and available shifts, no time clock.
Built for
- ExpoShift
- Independent full-service restaurants, roughly 20–100 staff, owner still in the building.
- Sling
- Shift-based teams in any industry, from two people to 200+ across multiple locations, with restaurant pages.
Platforms
- ExpoShift
- IOS, Android and web.
- Sling
- IOS, Android and web.
Side by side
Feature by feature
ExpoShift's column comes from the ExpoShift FAQ, pricing page and release notes. Sling's column comes from Sling's own pricing page, product pages and help center, read on November 2, 2026. Where Sling doesn't publish something, the cell says "Not listed", not "no".
| Feature | ExpoShift | Sling |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
| Pricing model | One plan: $49 per location per month, every feature included, any team size. No tiers, no per-seat fees, no add-ons. | Per user per month. Free (up to 30 users, scheduling only), Premium, Business. Pay only for active users. |
| Published monthly price for scheduling + time clock | $49 per location per month, billed monthly. | Premium $2.00 per user per month billed monthly ($1.70 annual); Business $4.00 ($3.40 annual). A 50-person team on Premium is $100 a month at the published rate. |
| Free trial | 30 days, every feature. | 15 days. |
| Credit card to start | No. | Not stated on the pricing page. |
| Contract or commitment | None. Month-to-month, cancel anytime. | Monthly or annual billing; prorated when a user is deactivated. |
| Add-ons that cost extra | None. Every feature shipped next is included. | None listed; features move by plan. |
| Free plan | No free plan; 30-day free trial. | Free for up to 30 users: shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing, private messaging. |
| Built for | ||
| Restaurant-specific | IncludedBuilt for independent full-service restaurants, by people who run one. | Partial'Regardless of your industry'; restaurant pages and restaurant customers, but a general workforce tool. |
| Tip handling included | IncludedTip pools, declared and POS tips, included. | Not listedNo tip pooling or tip calculation found on Sling's site. |
| Position / station scheduling | IncludedEvery shift carries a position; swap rules, pay and tip pools follow the position. | IncludedPositions per employee; eligibility for shift slots on Premium and up. |
| Scheduling & availability | ||
| Schedule builder with auto-draft | IncludedAuto Draft fills the week from availability, school calendars and fair hours; conflicts flagged before publish. | IncludedDrag and drop, shift and schedule templates; auto-assigning on Business. |
| Availability rules (cutoff, blackout dates, advance window, reminders) | IncludedYou set how far ahead staff submit, the weekly cutoff and blackout dates; staff get a reminder before the window closes; weeks lock at the deadline. | Partial'Unavailability' on Premium and up; no submission cutoff, blackout dates, advance window or deadline reminder described. |
| Time-off requests | IncludedStaff mark dates unavailable from the Work tab. | IncludedTime-off requests on every plan; PTO management on Business. |
| Open-shift claims | IncludedPut a shift up for grabs; qualified teammates are notified, first to claim takes it. | IncludedAvailable shifts staff sign up for, on every plan; slots on available shifts on Premium. |
| Shift hand-offs to a teammate | IncludedHand a shift to one qualified teammate. | IncludedShift offers to a coworker on every plan. |
| Partial shift swaps | IncludedOffer just part of a shift, say the second half. | Not listedNot found on Sling's site or help center. |
| Manager approval option for swaps | IncludedInstant or approval required, set per position group. | IncludedA swap goes to a manager 'for approval (if required by your account admin)'; swaps on Premium and up. |
| Labor cost preview while scheduling | IncludedThe Labor tab shows what the week will cost before you publish. | IncludedLabor cost calculated as you schedule, with budget and overtime alerts, on Premium and up. |
| Minor labor guardrails | IncludedUnder-16 school-calendar limits flagged before publish; school calendars on each minor's record. | Not listedNo minor or youth labor rules found on Sling's site. |
| Time clock & timesheets | ||
| Built-in time clock | IncludedStaff clock in and out from their Home screen; turn it on when you're ready. | IncludedMobile time clock on Premium and up; kiosk on Business. |
| Missed clock-out fix | IncludedOne tap: 'I left at my scheduled end' or the real time; the manager approves. | IncludedAuto clock-out and early clock-in prevention on Premium and up. |
| Punch corrections with approval | IncludedStaff flag a punch; managers approve corrections. | PartialEmployees may edit timesheets where the company permits; timesheet approvals by managers. |
| Timecard split by position | IncludedServer → Expo → Server on one timecard. | Not listedTimesheets show the position worked; splitting one timecard across positions is not described. |
| Geofence on punches | IncludedOptional geofence around the building; location is checked on the phone, not stored. | IncludedGeofencing on Premium and up. |
| Exception-only timesheet review | IncludedTimesheets show only what needs a look: missing punches, corrections, big variances. | PartialTimesheet approvals and history on Premium; no-shows, late arrivals and attendance reports on Business. |
| Tips, payroll & comp | ||
| Tip pools from real punches | IncludedSplit by the hours each person actually worked on the receiving position. | Not listedNo tip pooling found on Sling's site. |
| Pay periods that lock | IncludedBuilt from real hours, locked once reviewed. | PartialTimesheets reviewed and approved at the end of each pay period; locking a period is not described. |
| Payroll export file | IncludedExports a file your payroll provider imports, plus a generic CSV; more formats added as customers need them. | Higher planPayroll reports on Business; timesheets sync with or export to payroll software. |
| Per-position wages | IncludedRates by position, admin-only; each employee sees only their own. | IncludedWages set per employee or per position. |
| Raises and bonuses recorded in-app | IncludedGive a raise in two taps; bonus budget and reasons on the Team tab. | Not listedNot found on Sling's site. |
| POS & insights | ||
| POS sales pull | IncludedConnect once; sales and tips pull in nightly where the POS offers an API; manual entry in the meantime. | IncludedSix named POS integrations syncing sales and labor data. |
| Labor % vs sales | IncludedLabor % next to each day's sales. | IncludedLabor percentage against sales, on Premium and up. |
| Sales, kitchen and team reports | IncludedTop items, server rankings, ticket times by hour, station pace, on-time clock-ins. | Higher planLabor, sales, payroll and attendance reports on Business. |
| Team communication & culture | ||
| Direct messages, groups, broadcasts | IncludedDMs, group chats by position, broadcasts, daily schedule notes. | IncludedPrivate messaging on every plan; group messaging on Premium and up; announcements and newsfeed pages. |
| Scheduled messages | IncludedWrite now, send later. | Not listedNot found on Sling's site. |
| Polls and quizzes | IncludedPolls, surveys and quizzes in the News tab. | Not listedNot found on Sling's site. |
| Recognition and rewards | IncludedShoutouts, points for the things you want, monthly winners pick a reward you set. Off until you turn it on. | Not listedNot found on Sling's site. |
| Monthly team newsletter | IncludedDrafts itself each month. | PartialNewsfeed pages for teams or topics; no monthly staff newsletter described. |
| Staff records & compliance | ||
| Certifications with photos and expiry reminders | IncludedA photo of the card on file; reminders before it lapses. | Higher planEmployee documents with expiration dates and alerts before expiry, on Business. |
| Documents with acknowledgements | IncludedDocument Center tracks who has acknowledged each handbook or policy. | Higher planEmployee documents on Business; acknowledgement or e-signature not listed. |
| Staff profiles | IncludedPositions, contact and emergency info, school calendars for minors. | IncludedEmployee profiles with positions, locations, groups and documents. |
| Offboarding and rehire record | IncludedHow they left, notice given, eligible for rehire, last day worked. | PartialDeactivate or reactivate employees; a leaving reason or rehire status is not described. |
| Ops tools | ||
| Food & supplies order guide | IncludedVendors, storage areas, pars, count walk, shop by vendor; works offline. | Not listedNo ordering or order guide found on Sling's site. |
| Equipment maintenance calendar | IncludedAn example maintenance calendar you customize for your restaurant, plus an equipment registry and service log. | Not listedNo maintenance calendar found on Sling's site. |
| Red Book / shift notes | IncludedRed Book entries and daily schedule notes, included. | Not listedNo manager log book or shift notes found on Sling's site. |
| Tasks | IncludedTask completions that managers verify from the Manager Hub. | Higher planTask templates and shift tasks on Business. |
| Platforms & support | ||
| iOS, Android, web | IncludedApp Store and Google Play; web browser for admin work. | IncludedWeb, iOS and Android. |
| Support | IncludedEmail support@exposhift.com; a human who has run a shift answers. | IncludedHelp center and email support; hours not published. |
| Data ownership | IncludedYour restaurant's data belongs to your restaurant; never sold or used for marketing. | Not listedNot checked on Sling's terms. |
Included on the plan named
Partial some of the row, as described
Add-on priced separately
Higher plan on a Sling plan above Premium
Not listed not found on Sling's site or help center
Sling prices and features as published on https://getsling.com/pricing/ and Sling's help center on 2026-11-02. Monthly billing shown; Sling's pricing page defaults to annual billing, which is 15% less. "Premium" is Sling's lowest plan that includes a time clock. Sling is a trademark of Sling, Inc.; ExpoShift is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sling, Inc.
Where Sling may be the better fit
- You have 30 or fewer people and only need a schedule: Sling's Free plan covers shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing and private messaging.
- You have a small team: per-user pricing means a 20-person team on Premium pays about $40 a month at Sling's published monthly rate.
- You run Toast: Sling is 'Sling by Toast', with a Toast POS sales integration and a direct timesheet export to Toast Payroll.
- You run a non-restaurant or multi-site business: Sling positions itself for any industry and any number of locations.
Where ExpoShift is the better fit
- One price, every feature: $49 a month per location, any team size. Sling's per-user price grows with the roster, and the time clock, labor tools, reports and employee documents sit on Premium or Business.
- Built for full-service: tip pools split by the hours each person actually worked on the receiving position, from real punches; per-position wages; raises recorded in-app. Sling's site does not list tip pooling.
- Availability rules you set once: how far ahead staff submit, the weekly cutoff, blackout dates, and a reminder before the window closes. Managers see a 7-day grid split by lunch and dinner.
- Staff cover themselves: hand a shift to a qualified teammate, put it up for grabs, or give away just part of it, instant or with approval per position group.
- Team culture and staff info in the same app: shoutouts, points and monthly rewards, polls and quizzes, a monthly newsletter, certifications with a photo of the card and expiry reminders, documents with acknowledgements.
- Ops tools included: a food and supplies order guide, an example maintenance calendar you customize for your restaurant, the Red Book, and tasks.
Switching
Moving from Sling to ExpoShift
- 1Export your teamFrom Sling: Dashboard → Employees → export icon → XLS export.
- 2Import it hereTeam tab → Import. One row per person, positions comma-separated; there's a one-tap template.
- 3Publish the same dayAdd your positions, build the first week, publish. Staff get an email invite, no codes.
- 4Decide in 30 daysFree for 30 days, no credit card, cancel anytime. A human who has run a shift answers at support@exposhift.com.
Questions
ExpoShift vs Sling: common questions
Is there a free plan?
No. ExpoShift is free for 30 days with every feature, no credit card, then $49 a month per location. Sling has a free plan: Free plan for up to 30 users with shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts, news sharing and private messaging (no time clock).
Do I pay per employee?
No. ExpoShift is $49 a month per location, any team size, every feature included. Sling prices per user per month, three plans: a free plan for up to 30 users with scheduling only, then Premium and Business for time tracking and labor tools.
Does ExpoShift connect to my POS and payroll?
POS: connect once; sales and tips pull in nightly where the POS offers an API, with manual entry in the meantime. They fill your tip pools and feed the sales, kitchen, team and labor insights. Payroll: pay periods build from real hours, lock once reviewed, and export a file your payroll provider imports, plus a generic CSV.
Can I bring my team over from Sling?
Yes. Export your team from Sling (Dashboard → Employees → export icon → XLS export), then import the roster into ExpoShift from CSV or Excel (there's a one-tap template), add your positions, and publish your first schedule the same day. 30 days free, no credit card, cancel anytime. Questions: support@exposhift.com.
How current is this page?
Sling's prices and features were read from Sling's own pricing page and help center on November 2, 2026. This page is re-checked quarterly. If something here is out of date, email support@exposhift.com and we'll fix it.