Common questions about Auto Scheduler—automated shift scheduling, Playground free trial, free and paid plans, features, billing, and security. Start free without signing in.
Auto Scheduler is a cloud service that optimizes staff shift schedules: it finds assignments that satisfy required headcount per time slot, individual availability, and—depending on your plan—labor rules, fairness, and shift preferences. It is built on nurse-scheduling style optimization and is used by teams that need fair, constraint-based rosters (healthcare, retail, hospitality, contact centers, and more).
Typical users include:
• Managers and planners who build weekly or longer rosters under staffing rules
• Organizations that outgrow spreadsheets for shift planning
• Teams that want to review an optimized schedule before publishing
• Accounts that need history, saved staff, and exports on supported plans
Auto Scheduler is designed for constrained optimization, not only manual grid editing:
• You define slot needs, who can work when, and a simplified labor-time model (rest/breaks by jurisdiction) is available on free and paid tiers
• The engine searches for feasible solutions and returns one assignment to review
• Playground lets you try the core optimizer without an account (with tight limits)
For a deeper spreadsheet comparison, see the blog: Auto Scheduler vs Excel (https://autoschedulers.com/en/blog/auto-scheduler-vs-excel).
It fits well when:
• You must meet required headcount per time slot under each person’s availability
• Weekly or recurring roster work is slow or error-prone in spreadsheets
• You want an optimized assignment to review before publishing
• You need saved staff, history, and CSV export on signed-in plans
Consider other tools if you mainly need:
• A personal calendar or meeting-booking product
• Payroll, time clocks, or a full HRIS as the primary system
• Only a tiny team where dragging names on a simple grid is enough
Auto Scheduler focuses on constraint-based staff shift assignment—not payroll or personal scheduling.
Compared with Excel or Google Sheets: those are manual grids; Auto Scheduler searches for feasible assignments from coverage needs and availability. See https://autoschedulers.com/en/blog/auto-scheduler-vs-excel
Compared with broader employee scheduling / workforce apps (for example tools in the When I Work or Deputy category): many emphasize messaging, clock-in, and day-to-day shift operations. Auto Scheduler’s core is optimization under constraints, with review before publish. See https://autoschedulers.com/en/blog/auto-scheduler-vs-when-i-work
High-level capabilities (exact limits depend on your plan):
• Playground: try optimization without logging in (caps on staff count and schedule length)
• Schedule settings, staff roster, weekly shift wishes, feasibility checks, and shift planning flows in the account app
• One optimized assignment to review and confirm when the engine completes
• Paid options may include finer time granularity (e.g. 15 minutes), planning up to two weeks, and modules such as load balancing, preference weighting, emergency shift replanning, two-week detailed forecasting, and per-staff labor masks—per subscription. A simplified labor-time model is available on the free plan too
• UI and help content are available in multiple languages
In broad terms:
• Playground: no login; small caps (e.g. staff and horizon limits); results via polling on the page
• Free plan (signed in): login required; higher caps than Playground on staff and horizon within product limits; history and saved staff where enabled
• Paid: contract-based limits and optional features (granularity, compliance, two-week forecasting, etc.)
You can download assignments as CSV (opens in Excel), PDF, or PNG from the playground results and from the signed-in review screen.
Yes. APIs exist for schedule-related workflows (e.g. submitting conditions and retrieving results). See the API documentation in your account area after signup for scopes and authentication.
Plans include Playground (no login), a free signed-in tier, and paid subscriptions. On paid plans, billing is per registered staff seat (not per admin login): Japan ¥600/seat/month excl. tax, eurozone €3.50/seat/month excl. tax, elsewhere USD $4/seat/month, billed through Stripe. Currency follows company country; there is no currency picker.
Seat count follows your staff roster; adding or removing staff updates your subscription quantity and Stripe may prorate.
Exact fees, limits, and included options change over time—use the Pricing page and the payment page for authoritative numbers.
Features we describe as paid options (e.g. emergency shifts, detailed labor masks) are not separate add-on charges in Stripe—they are part of what the paid plan unlocks. A simplified labor-time model is available on the free plan too. You are billed one subscription: one seat price × the number of registered staff.
In Japan, 5 registered staff on a paid subscription is about 5 × ¥600 = ¥3,000/month (excl. tax). In the eurozone, about 5 × €3.50 = €17.50/month (excl. tax). Elsewhere, about 5 × $4 = $20/month (USD, before taxes). That differs from the free plan’s “up to 5 staff” with no subscription fee—on paid, all five seats are billed.
Cards go through Stripe. To save or change a card while staying on the free plan, use Manage payment methods on the Payment page (Customer Portal)—saving a card alone does not start seat billing. Paid plans start only via Start billing → confirm → payment page.
On Account → Payment, choose Start billing to open a confirmation that you are upgrading to paid.
After you agree, register a card on the Stripe payment page to start the paid plan; seat fees for registered staff are charged right after payment. Cancel the confirmation to stay free. To save a card while staying free, use Manage payment methods.
The free plan allows up to 5 registered staff. If you return to free after having 6 or more on paid, the roster remains but shift optimization is blocked until you reduce to 5 or restart paid billing.
Yes. The Playground lets you run the optimizer without an account (subject to size limits). You can also open a free account for features that require sign-in, within plan limits.
Yes. We may update plans and prices with reasonable notice where required. Check the Pricing page and Terms of Service for the latest information.
We apply standard cloud security practices:
• Authentication with passkeys (Face ID, Windows Hello, etc.)
• Encryption in transit (TLS) and strong protections for stored data
• Access control aligned to account roles
• Audit logging for important actions where the product provides it
Yes. On Account → User information you can add up to 5 passkeys.
Registering a second device or security key helps you stay signed in if one passkey is lost.
You cannot remove your last passkey. If all are lost, use Account recovery or ask another admin to reset passkeys.
Operational data is stored on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure (e.g. AWS). Details of subprocessors and regions are described in our Privacy Policy.
We maintain a Privacy Policy and handle personal data in line with applicable regulations (e.g. GDPR, Japanese APPI) where relevant to our users.
For specifics—including retention, transfers, and your rights—read the Privacy Policy and, if applicable, our Data Processing terms.
Use in-app support (such as tickets) or other contact channels offered in your account.
Supported languages and response times may vary by plan and load.
Suggested flow:
1. Open the Playground from the home page to try the optimizer
2. Create an account when you need history, saved staff, or higher limits
3. Complete company and schedule settings, maintain your staff roster, then run shift planning from the account app
4. Upgrade to a paid plan if you need paid-only options or higher limits
See the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Legal / commercial disclosures, and Pricing page linked from the site footer. They govern use of Auto Scheduler and billing.
Start free, check pricing, or contact support—whichever you need next.