Free rota app for a pub: free rota maker, staff rota templates and free plans

I run a pub and I’ve done the rota every way there is: a whiteboard in the cellar, a spreadsheet, a photo in the staff group chat, and apps. You don’t have to pay to do a good rota. What you do need, whichever way you go, is to know what each day costs before you post it. That’s where most free options fall down.

Everything below was checked on the vendor’s own site on 1 November 2026.

Free rota options for a pub, compared

A trial isn’t free in the long run. After it ends you pay or move everything again, so pick the one you’d be happy paying for.

Free rota maker: see each day’s staff cost as you build

I built the free pub rota maker because the thing I wanted most from a rota app was the one thing I couldn’t get from a spreadsheet without an evening of formulas: what Monday costs, what Tuesday costs, what Saturday costs, while I’m still moving people about. You put your staff and their rates in, lay out the week, and each day’s cost adds up as you go.

It doesn’t clock anyone in, book holidays or do payroll. It’s a planning tool, and it’s free.

Free staff rota template: the spreadsheet way

A spreadsheet is still a perfectly good rota. If you’re going that way, this is the layout I’d use:

• One row per person, one column per day, with start and finish times in each cell.
• A column for each person’s hourly rate.
• A total hours and total cost row at the bottom of each day.
• A row underneath for what that day usually takes, so you can see wages as a percentage of takings.
• A notes row for deliveries, functions, match days and quiz night.

The catch is the hourly rate isn’t the real cost. Holiday pay, employer’s National Insurance and pension all sit on top. Run your rates through the staff hour cost calculator and use the real figure in your template, or the totals will flatter you. Bizimply also gives away a free Excel rota template on its site if you’d rather start from theirs.

Free rota apps

Connecteam (free for up to 10 users)

The only genuinely free-forever app plan I found. Their page says all hubs and features are free for up to 10 users on the Small Business plan, with a list of what’s covered. It has clocking in, scheduling and checklists. Go over 10 people and the Operations hub starts at $29/month billed yearly ($35 monthly) for the first 30 users, shown in US dollars when I checked. For a lot of pubs, 10 is tight once you count weekend staff.

ShiftComplete (60 days free)

Not free forever, but the longest no-card trial I found, then £1.49 per staff member per month with everything included. Rotas from staff availability, shift swaps, holiday requests, clocking in and labour cost while you build, plus temperature logs and allergens. No payroll or payroll software link, by its own description.

RotaCloud, Planday and Deputy (free trials)

All three let you try without a card: RotaCloud for 30 days, Planday for 30 days of its Plus plan, Deputy for up to 31 days. After that, RotaCloud is priced by headcount band (£40/month on Standard for 11 to 20 staff, clocking in extra). Planday Starter is £2.99 per user per month. Deputy Lite is £3.25 per user per month on annual billing, ex taxes. The full comparison has the detail.

When free stops being enough

• You’re over 10 staff and want everyone to see the rota in an app.
• You want staff to clock in so you can check hours against the rota.
• Holiday requests and swaps are eating your week in WhatsApp.
• Your payroll person needs hours exported.

At that point a paid rota app earns its money. Until then, a free rota maker and knowing your real cost per hour will do more for your wage bill than any app.

Where StockTap fits (and where it doesn’t)

I’ll be straight, because I’m the one selling it. StockTap is a stocktaking app first. Alongside the stock side it has a staff list, a simple rota screen, clock in and out on a phone, and a weekly board showing wages as a percentage of takings. That’s it on the staff side.

It does not run payroll, book holidays, handle shift swaps, send anything to HMRC, or forecast your rota for you. If you need those, use one of the proper rota apps on this page. If you already do stock and you’d like your wage % sat next to your GP on the same screen, StockTap is £19 a month at the founding price for the first 50 customers (£39 standard), with a 14-day free trial, no card.

Common questions