Soon vs 7shifts: what you get when you leave the restaurant specialist
Most people reading this already run 7shifts and have hit one of its walls: auto-scheduling is Premium-only and wants 15 weeks of POS history before it recommends anything, live support stops at Essentials after 60 days, tips, tasks, and the log book are paid add-ons, and the July 2025 plan restructure moved the goalposts. Soon is priced per user, generates the schedule from staffing requirements on the Grow plan, plans timed activities inside each shift, and syncs two-way with Google and Outlook Calendar in real time. It has no POS integrations and no tip pooling, and this page says so. Here is the trade.
| Feature | Soon | 7shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user: $4 to $16 per user per month billed yearly | Per location: Comp is free for one location and up to 15 employees; Essentials, Pro, and Premium are priced per location per month, with paid add-ons for tips, log book, and tasks |
| Free plan | None; 14 to 60 day free trial depending on plan, no credit card | Comp: one location, up to 15 employees, no time clock |
| How the schedule gets built | Generated from staffing requirements, skills, and availability from the Grow plan up | Auto-scheduling from labor targets and projected sales on Premium only; hourly labor recommendations need a POS integration and 15 weeks of sales history |
| Forecasting | Native demand forecasting for service and contact volume, converted into staffing requirements per interval, on every plan | Machine-learning sales projections from the POS; hourly labor recommendations by role need Pro or Premium plus a POS integration and about 15 weeks of history |
| Planning inside a shift | Timed activity scheduling, intraday coverage requirements and tracking, automated on Scale | Headcount per hour in the day view; Tasks add-on attaches checklists with photo or temperature proof, not timed activities |
| Time clock | None; hours export to your payroll or time system | 7punches from Essentials; break enforcement, geofencing, and overtime alerts on Pro and Premium |
| Labor compliance | Working time, rest, and contract rules enforced during generation on every plan | Jurisdiction rules for overtime, minors, breaks, and Fair Workweek exceptions such as clopening and notice, on Pro and Premium |
| Calendar sync | Real-time two-way Google and Outlook Calendar sync | Pull-only iCal URL for Google and Apple Calendar |
| Restaurant tooling | None | Around 30 direct POS integrations, 14 payroll integrations, tip pooling, log book, and on-demand pay |
| Integrations and API | Zendesk, Freshdesk, Front, Twilio Flex, Amazon Connect, Slack, Teams, Shopify, Square, Stripe; REST API on every plan | Self-serve API tokens on every plan; webhooks on Premium only |
| Support | Email on Start, in-app chat on Grow, priority support on Scale | In-app chat 9am to 7pm Eastern on weekdays; live support on Pro and Premium, and only for the first 60 days on Essentials |
| Best fit | Support, healthcare, logistics, security, and operations teams that plan coverage by the hour | Restaurants, bars, cafes, and franchise groups, from one site to many |
The verdict
Choose Soon if you are leaving 7shifts because schedules take too long to build, auto-scheduling sits behind Premium, or you are not a restaurant: Soon builds the schedule from hourly requirements and plans the work inside each shift. Stay on 7shifts if POS forecasts, tips, and 7punches matter most.
Try Soon FreeFrequently asked questions
Why do teams leave 7shifts for Soon?
Three reasons come up most. The first is the Premium gate: schedule generation from labor targets is Premium-only, and the hourly labor recommendations behind it need a POS integration plus roughly 15 weeks of sales history before they say anything useful. Soon generates schedules from staffing requirements on the Grow plan from day one. The second is planning inside the shift: 7shifts shows headcount per hour but cannot schedule timed activities, while Soon plans and tracks them. The third is fit: support desks, clinics, and logistics teams that ended up on 7shifts are paying per location for POS and tip features they never use.
Should a restaurant ever stay on 7shifts?
Often, yes, and it is better to hear that here than after a migration. If your schedule is driven by projected sales from the POS, you pool tips, and your staff clock in on 7punches, 7shifts is built around exactly that workflow and Soon has no equivalent for tips or POS. The restaurant operators who do well on Soon are groups running a central reservations, delivery, or support desk where coverage has to follow hourly demand, and those whose main complaint was the Premium gate on auto-scheduling.
Does 7shifts have auto-scheduling?
Yes, on the Premium plan only. 7shifts builds schedules from labor targets and projected sales, and its hourly labor recommendations require a POS integration plus roughly 15 weeks of sales and scheduling history. Pro adds Quick Fix, which reassigns shifts with warnings. Soon generates schedules from staffing requirements on the Grow plan, with advanced auto-fill options and automated intraday activity scheduling on Scale.
How does 7shifts pricing compare with Soon?
They are priced on different units. 7shifts charges per location per month: Comp is free for one location and up to 15 employees, and Essentials, Pro, and Premium step up in price and employee limits, with add-ons for tip management, log book, and tasks. When we checked, the vendor page showed annual prices of about $40, $80, and $135 CAD per location. Soon charges per user: $4 to $16 per month billed yearly. A 12-person cafe is cheaper on 7shifts; a 60-person support team is usually cheaper on Soon.
What changed in 7shifts pricing in 2025?
On 2 July 2025, 7shifts renamed and restructured its plans. Comp, Entree, The Works, and Gourmet became Comp, Essentials, Pro, and Premium, and legacy customers kept their old plan names. The free Comp plan now covers one location and up to 15 employees. If you are reading a comparison that still quotes Entree or The Works, it predates this change.
Can 7shifts plan what happens inside a shift?
Partly. The day view shows how many employees are scheduled in each hour, and the Optimal Labor Tool compares scheduled with recommended labor by role. The Tasks add-on attaches checklists to a shift or day with photo or temperature proof, which suits kitchens well. There is no timed activity schedule inside a shift. Soon schedules timed activities, tracks coverage per activity through the day, and automates that assignment on the Scale plan.
Does 7shifts sync with Google or Outlook Calendar?
7shifts publishes a pull-only iCal URL that Google Calendar and Apple Calendar can subscribe to; Outlook is not documented. Changes appear when the calendar next polls the feed. Soon syncs two-way with Google and Outlook Calendar in real time, so a shift change shows up immediately and a calendar edit flows back.
How do I move from 7shifts to Soon?
Export your employee list from 7shifts, import it into Soon via CSV, then define staffing requirements and shift templates. A single-site team is usually publishing its first Soon schedule the same afternoon, and Soon's team will build it from your export at no charge if you prefer. 7shifts bills monthly or annually with cancellation taking effect at the end of the current cycle, so time the switch to your billing date. Keep in mind that 7punches and tip management have no equivalent in Soon.
More comparisons
Need the wider field? Read our guides to the best employee scheduling software and best AI shift scheduling software.
How does the switching process work?
Switch from 7shifts to Soon with confidence.
There are multiple ways to move from 7shifts to Soon. You can transition at your own pace, or reach out so we can help with your migration.
- 01
Create your Soon workspace
Sign up and create your first team. It takes less than two minutes and no credit card is needed.
- 02
Import your team
Add your employees manually or import them from a CSV file. Set roles, skills, and contract hours.
- 03
Set your scheduling rules
Define shift templates, coverage requirements, rest period rules, and any constraints your team needs.
- 04
Run a pilot alongside your current tool(optional)
Most teams run a 1 to 2 week pilot with one team before rolling out to the full organization.
- 05
Go live
Publish your first schedule and invite your team. Our support team is available if you need help along the way.
Your next schedule could take 2 minutes.
Import your team, set your rules, hit auto-fill. Most teams are live the same day.
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