7shifts is one of the most popular restaurant scheduling apps in North America. ShiftMaster is a newer, Canadian-built alternative. If you're choosing between them for your Canadian restaurant, café, or retail business — this comparison will help you decide.
Bottom line up front: 7shifts is a solid product with strong features. But for Canadian small businesses that need payroll integrated into scheduling, ShiftMaster wins on price, payroll integration, and simplicity.
Side-by-Side Feature Comparison
| Feature | 🍁 ShiftMaster | 7shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan available | ✅ Yes — free to start | ⚡ Free up to 1 location / 30 staff |
| Pricing (paid) | ✅ Lower — starts at ~$29/mo | From $29.99 USD/mo (~$41 CAD) |
| Built in Canada 🍁 | ✅ Yes — Canadian company | ❌ US-based (Canada support only) |
| Canadian payroll (CPP/EI/tax) | ✅ Built-in — fully automated | ❌ Not included — need separate payroll tool |
| Alberta tax calculation | ✅ Yes — automatic | ❌ Manual or third-party integration |
| AI auto-scheduling | ✅ Yes — learns your patterns | ⚡ Available on higher-tier plans |
| Employee availability management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Labour cost tracking | ✅ Yes — real-time as you schedule | ✅ Yes |
| Mobile app for employees | ⚡ Browser-based (mobile-friendly) | ✅ Native iOS/Android app |
| Shift templates | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Export to CSV/PDF | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Manager permissions control | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Setup time | ✅ < 10 minutes | ⚡ 30–60 minutes |
| Built for 5–30 staff | ✅ Optimised for small teams | ⚡ Better suited for 15+ staff |
Best for Canadian small businesses: ShiftMaster
The built-in CPP/EI payroll calculation alone saves Canadian restaurant and café owners hours of work every pay period — and it's included in the base price. 7shifts requires a separate payroll tool to achieve the same result.
Where 7shifts Still Has an Edge
To be fair, 7shifts is a mature product with some features ShiftMaster doesn't yet have:
- Native mobile apps — 7shifts has polished iOS and Android apps; ShiftMaster is browser-based
- Larger ecosystem — 7shifts integrates with more POS systems (Square, Toast, Lightspeed)
- Communication tools — 7shifts has in-app messaging and announcement boards
- Time clock / punch-in — 7shifts includes a built-in time clock feature
If you have 50+ employees or need deep POS integration, 7shifts might serve you better. For a typical Canadian café or restaurant with 5–25 staff who want scheduling and payroll in one place, ShiftMaster is the faster, cheaper, and more Canada-friendly choice.
The Canadian Payroll Difference — The Hidden Cost of 7shifts
This deserves more attention. If you use 7shifts in Canada, you still need to:
- Export hours from 7shifts
- Import into a Canadian payroll tool (Wagepoint, Payworks, Ceridian — typically $50–$200/mo)
- Reconcile the numbers manually
- Calculate CPP, EI, and income tax deductions
- Submit CRA remittances separately
ShiftMaster handles all of this internally. For a 10-person café, that's the equivalent of saving a full day of administrative work every month — plus the cost of a separate payroll subscription.
Try ShiftMaster free — no credit card required
See why Canadian restaurants and cafés are switching from 7shifts. Built-in CPP/EI payroll, AI scheduling, and a setup time under 10 minutes.
Start Free Today →Verdict: Which Should You Choose?
Choose ShiftMaster if: You're a Canadian café, restaurant, or retail business with 5–30 staff, you want scheduling and payroll in one tool, and you want to get set up quickly without a big learning curve.
Choose 7shifts if: You need native mobile apps, have 50+ staff, require deep POS integration, or have multiple locations across different provinces.