Skip to content

Scheduling software review

TimeForge

Labor scheduling and time and attendance for multi-unit operators, with sales forecasting from the POS, auto-scheduling and labor law compliance. Pricing is by quote, in four packages.

By TimeForgeParent company: Orcus Technologies

RTC SCORE

6.3

#9 of 14 with enough data

Not enough verified data yet

We've verified 9 of 12 key facts for this scheduling app. Until we reach 80%, this page shows what we have, with sources, and it isn't a full review.

Our verdict

A strong fit for restaurant groups that schedule from POS sales, including Shift4 POS and Toast. Ask which package you need and get the signed terms in writing, since the public terms defer to your agreement.

What we like

  • Sales from the POS drive the forecast and the schedule, with integrations for Shift4 POS, Toast and Square.
  • Clock in on the web, the employee app, a fingerprint wall clock or through the POS, with location limits on every plan.
  • Under the public terms you can stop at the end of the period you paid, with no exit fee.

What to watch

  • No published price for any package.
  • Shift swaps, availability and forecasting need Core Labor; team messaging and predictive scheduling need Workforce Plus.
  • A signed agreement overrides the public terms, so check the term and exit rules in yours.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score6.3out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness71%

We could verify 71% of the scoring data

Strongest points
Time clock, Hours into payroll, Labor cost against sales
Weakest point
Published pricing

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 22%No data
  • Time clockWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • POS systems it connects toWeight 8%5.7 out of 10
  • Hours into payrollWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Labor cost against salesWeight 6%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%Weakest0.0 out of 10
  • Shift swaps and open shiftsWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • POS sales on the scheduleWeight 5%4.3 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 5%No data
  • Refund when you cancelWeight 4%0.0 out of 10
  • Free planWeight 3%0.0 out of 10
  • Availability and time offWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Labor law alertsWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Location check at clock-inWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Breaks and overtimeWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Tip pooling and payoutsWeight 3%No data
  • Phone supportWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Automatic schedule builderWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Team messagingWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
How the price is countedQuote onlySource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Base feeQuote onlySource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Per user, each monthQuote onlySource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Who counts as a paid userUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)TimeForge doesn't publish whether it charges per location or per employee. Core Labor and Workforce Plus list unlimited employees; Simple doesn't.
Published pricingQuote onlySource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Paying for the yearAvailable; discount not publishedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Terms §5: you choose monthly or annual billing. No annual discount is published.
Free planNo free planSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)No free plan; TimeForge offers a free trial.
Free plan limitN/ASource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Setup feeUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Setup is free with the trial; TimeForge doesn't publish whether setup costs anything on a paid plan.
Minimums and other feesUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Event scheduling and task management are add-ons on Workforce Plus, without a published price.
Scheduling
Data pointValue
Shift swaps and open shifts in the appYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Core Labor and Workforce Plus; not on Simple.
Availability and time-off requestsYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Core Labor and Workforce Plus; not on Simple.
Labor cost against salesSales forecast from your POS, with labor cost on the scheduleSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Labor and sales forecasting and labor budgeting start on Core Labor; Simple has departmental costing.
Automatic schedule builderYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Core Labor and Workforce Plus.
Team messagingYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Only on Workforce Plus; the other plans send email and text alerts.
Labor law alertsOvertime and breaks, plus predictive scheduling (fair workweek) rulesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Predictive scheduling and meal and break penalties are on Workforce Plus; every plan has overtime, break and punch alerts.
Time clock and attendance
Data pointValue
Time clockIncluded in the comparable planSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Web and mobile clock-in on every plan; the integrated time clock and buddy-punch prevention start on Core Labor.
Ways to clock inWeb browser, Phone app, Physical time clock, At the POSSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Web (Today page), the employee app, the Time Machine wall clock with fingerprint, and punches pulled from integrated POS (Toast, Shift4 POS).
Location check (GPS or geofence)YesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Every plan; managers can also limit clock-ins to specific IP addresses.
Photo at clock-inUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)TimeForge documents fingerprint clock-in on its Time Machine, but not a photo at clock-in.
Breaks and overtime on timesheetsYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Tip pooling and payoutsUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)TimeForge tracks declared tips per shift (Core Labor and up). It doesn't document tip pooling or how tip payouts work.
POS and payroll
Data pointValue
POS systems it connects toToast, Square, Shift4 POS, Heartland (Genius), OthersSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Also NCR, Dinerware, ECRS, Future POS, Shopify and others. Shift4 POS has its own integration, plus a centralized one for older Shift4 systems. Clover, Lightspeed, SpotOn and TouchBistro aren't listed.
POS that send salesToast, Square, Shift4 POSSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)The Toast and Shift4 POS pages also say sales come in. The Genius page doesn't say which data moves.
POS that send clock-ins or employeesToast, Shift4 POSSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Shift4 POS sends positions, employees, attendance and breaks; Toast sends employee information and time punches.
Getting hours into payrollHours sync to payroll providersSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Payroll providers it connects toADP, Paychex, Paycor, Paylocity, OthersSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Also Heartland Payment Systems, SurePayroll, CompuPay, UKG (Ultimate Software), Workday and others. Gusto, QuickBooks and Rippling aren't listed.
Several locations in one accountYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termQuote onlySource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Under the public terms the period is monthly or annual, as you choose; a signed agreement can set another term.
Automatic renewalQuote onlySource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)It renews for the same billing period you chose (a month or a year).
Notice to avoid renewal0 daysSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Terms §5: notice any time before the current period ends, unless your signed agreement says otherwise.
Refund when you cancelNo refund of the period already paidSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Terms §16, unless your signed agreement says otherwise.
Leaving earlyUnder the public terms there's no fee to leave: access runs to the end of the period you paid, and that period isn't refunded (§16). A signed agreement can set other terms, and TimeForge says you can choose a contract.Source: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)The terms have no clause on fee changes; §4 lets TimeForge revise the agreement with notice, and changes to a signed agreement need both signatures.
Your records when you leaveOn requestSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)Terms §17; after that, TimeForge deletes your data. Extra migration help is billed at its hourly rates. Reports can also be exported to PDF or Excel while you're a customer.
Support
Data pointValue
Phone supportYesSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)
Live chat supportUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)TimeForge lists phone, email and support tickets, but doesn't mention live chat.
Live support hours a weekUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)TimeForge doesn't publish support hours.
Language
Data pointValue
Employee app in SpanishYes, documented by the vendorSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)The guide is from 2020.
Manager dashboard in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)TimeForge doesn't document a Spanish version of the web dashboard.
Help articles in SpanishNoSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)The knowledge base manuals we browsed are in English only.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: TimeForge (opens in a new tab)timeforge.com is in English only (timeforge.com/es/ doesn't exist).

More about TimeForge

How we score