News Product update
We're Bringing Back Free Rota Planning for Small Businesses (Plus Full AI Scheduling)
By Kieran - Founder
10 July 2026
Small businesses shouldn't have to choose between "free" and "actually good".
For years RotaPlanner was completely free, no limits, no catch. Then we built one of the most powerful AI auto-scheduling engines in the market, added real-time publishing, hours tracking, requestable shifts and a modern calendar experience that people actually love. To keep building at that level we introduced paid plans.
We heard the feedback loud and clear: "We loved you when you were free. The AI is incredible, but we're only 6–8 people. We just want the real thing without a bill every month."
So today we're bringing free back, properly.
From now on, any small business with up to 10 employees can use RotaPlanner completely free, forever, with the full AI auto-scheduling engine included. No credit card. No feature locking. No ads. No "upgrade to unlock the good stuff".
Get started free No credit card required
What's Included in Free Forever (Up to 10 Staff)
Everything you need to run a professional rota without paying a penny:
- Full AI auto-scheduling, the same engine our paid customers use. Set availability, skills, contracted hours and rest rules once. Click Auto-Populate and watch a fair, balanced, compliant rota appear in seconds.
- Unlimited shifts, locations and recurring patterns
- Real-time updates, changes go out by email instantly; staff always see the latest version
- Hours worked vs contracted hours tracking, plus live cost visibility while you build
- Requestable shifts, multi-person shifts, printable PDF schedules
- Beautiful modern calendar view that works perfectly on mobile
- Free shift pattern generator and ready-made templates (4-on-4-off, DuPont, café patterns, and more)
- No watermarks. No "Powered by…" badges. No upgrade nags on core features.
Why This Free Plan Beats Every Other "Free" Rota Tool
We looked at what "free" actually means elsewhere:
- Findmyshift, free for 5 staff only, and you're limited to planning one week ahead with almost no advanced features.
- Most other free tiers (Homebase, Sling, Connecteam, etc.), either cap you at 10 but strip out automation, AI, history, or advanced rules, or hit you with ads and constant upgrade prompts the second you try to do anything serious.
- RotaPlanner Free, 10 staff, unlimited planning horizon, full AI auto-build, modern UI, real-time everything. We simply refuse to cripple the free experience.
Quick comparison:
| What you get | RotaPlanner Free (up to 10) |
Typical competitor free |
|---|---|---|
| AI auto-scheduling | ✓ Full AI engine | ✗ None or toy version |
| Staff limit | 10 | 5–10 |
| How far ahead you can plan | Unlimited | Often 1 week only |
| Real automation & fairness rules | ✓ Yes | ✗ Manual only |
| Feel | Premium free product | Crippled trial |
If you're a small business that actually wants to stop living in Excel and WhatsApp groups, this is the free tool that finally works.
How the AI Actually Works (Yes, Even on Free)
- Tell RotaPlanner about your people, availability, skills, contracted hours, preferred rest times.
- Define what each shift needs (or grab one of our free templates).
- Hit Auto-Populate. The AI evaluates thousands of combinations in seconds and builds a rota that is fair, meets contracted hours, respects rest rules, and matches skills.
- Tweak anything you want, then publish. Your team gets the update by email instantly and can view the live rota on any device.
There's also a sidebar AI Agent that can answer natural language questions like "Who is free and trained for floor duty this Saturday?" or "Build next week's rota based on last month's busiest days." It works on Free too.
Perfect For
- Cafés, coffee shops and small restaurants
- Independent retail & high-street shops
- Small care providers, clinics and dental practices
- Charities and volunteer organisations
- Any small business of 10 or fewer that's done with spreadsheet hell
Get Started in Under 5 Minutes
- Visit rotaplanner.app and click Get started free, no credit card required.
- Add your team (up to 10 people).
- Set availability and your first shift pattern (or use a free template).
- Click Auto-Populate and let the AI build your first rota.
- Publish. You're live.
Ready to take back control of your rota?
Full AI auto-scheduling. Free forever for small businesses with up to 10 employees.
Get started freeNo credit card • Takes under 5 minutes
When (or If) You'll Want to Upgrade
The Free plan is not a trap. Stay on it forever if 10 people is all you need.
If you grow past 10, or need multi-location permissions, WhatsApp notifications, full audit logs or API access, our paid plans start at just £1 per employee per month on Core, still one of the best-value full-featured rota tools available.
We'll never make Free feel broken just to force an upgrade. That's a promise.
Built by a team that still replies to feature requests (often within 24 hours). Made for real small businesses who just want a rota that works.
Questions or ideas to make Free even better? Drop us a note via the feedback form or support, we read everything.
Kieran
Founder, RotaPlanner.app