Roster Flow vs Square Shifts
Two rostering and timecard products with free plans for the smallest teams. What each company’s public pages say, checked on the same day.
Checked 2 October 2026 against each company’s public pagesWho each may suit
Not a winner. Which kind of business each option tends to fit, from what the public pages say.
- Teams that hand approved hours to Xero
- Teams that want a phone clock in with an optional photo and distance check
- Teams that want tips and commission management alongside shifts
- Teams of up to five on the free plan
How the price is worked out
The public pricing model, and what counts toward it.
| Roster Flow | Square Shifts | |
|---|---|---|
| How the price is set | By the number of active people: bands up to 250 staff, and agreed with us above that | Per team member per month |
| Lowest paid price | $29 a month for up to 10 staff | Plus from $5 per team member per month, with discounts for larger teams |
| Free plan | Free for up to 5 staff | Free for up to five team members |
| Free trial | 28 days on a paid plan, with no card to start | 30 days on Plus |
| Minimum spend or seats | No minimum; teams over 250 contact us for pricing | Not stated on the pages checked |
| Currency and tax | Australian dollars, GST included | Not stated on the pages checked |
The same week, step by step
One ordinary week, from building the roster to handing the hours to payroll.
| Roster Flow | Square Shifts | |
|---|---|---|
| Build next week | Copy last week, adjust it, and watch the estimated cost as shifts go on | Roster and shift management |
| Tell the team | Publish, and everybody rostered is told on their phone | Not stated on the pages checked |
| Record the hours worked | Staff clock in and out on their phone; differences from the roster are flagged | Automatic timecards |
| Approve the week | Clear the flagged rows and approve the week | Not stated on the pages checked |
| Hand the hours to payroll | Send approved hours to Xero as draft timesheets, or export a CSV | Payroll prep |
Features, from the public pages
“Not stated on the pages checked” means the page did not say. It does not mean the product lacks it.
| Roster Flow | Square Shifts | |
|---|---|---|
| Building and publishing rosters | Yes: copy last week, see the estimated cost, publish to staff phones | Roster and shift management |
| Clocking in and out | From the employee’s own phone in the browser, with an optional photo and distance check | Time tracking and attendance, with automatic timecards |
| Shift swaps | Yes, agreed between staff and approved by a manager | Shift swapping |
| Award interpretation | No. The business enters its own rates and multipliers | Not stated on the pages checked |
| Running payroll | No. Pay runs, payslips and superannuation stay in the payroll system | Not stated on the pages checked |
| Payroll connections | Xero, with MYOB coming soon, and a CSV export for anything else | Payroll prep is listed |
| Prices published | Yes | Yes |
Limits and notes
- It does not interpret awards or work out what anybody is paid
- It does not run pay runs, payslips, superannuation or Single Touch Payroll reporting
- It connects to Xero only, with MYOB coming soon; other payroll systems take a CSV
- There is no app to install: staff use the browser on their phone
- It does not build rosters automatically or forecast staffing from sales
- There is no single sign-on
- Labour cost reporting and time-off requests are listed
- Tips and commission management are listed
Method and update log
Every statement about Square Shifts comes from the pages below, read on 2 October 2026. Roster Flow’s prices come from its own plan list, the same one the pricing page reads. Nothing is taken from review sites, forums or memory, and prices change, so check the source before deciding.
- Square: Shifts (Australia), read 2 October 2026
- Roster Flow pricing, from the product’s plan list
Still to do on this page:
- Every price, plan and feature against Square’s public pages on the day of release
- That the use of the Square name is descriptive, and cleared in the trademark review
- That the “may suit” lists stay neutral and are supported by the sources
- The currency and tax treatment of Square Shifts prices
Questions
How much does Square Shifts cost compared with Roster Flow?
Square Shifts publishes Plus from $5 per team member per month, with discounts for larger teams, priced per team member per month. Roster Flow is $29 a month for up to 10 staff, priced by band rather than per person, so the bill does not move when a busy month adds casuals.
Does Square Shifts have a free plan?
Square Shifts lists free for up to five team members. Roster Flow has free for up to 5 staff, permanently, with every venue and every feature but the payroll connection.
Does Square Shifts work out award rates?
The pages checked do not say whether Square Shifts interprets awards, so treat that as a question to ask rather than a yes. Roster Flow does not: the business enters its own rates, and pay calculation stays in payroll.
Where do the facts about Square Shifts on this page come from?
From Square Shifts's own public pages, read on 2 October 2026 and listed at the bottom of this page. Nothing here comes from a review site, a forum or a sales call, and where a page did not say, this one says so rather than guessing.