Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Float VS ShiftDispatch

Compare Float VS ShiftDispatch and see what are their differences

Float logo Float

The leading resource management software for agencies, studios, and firms. With a simple, drag and drop interface and powerful editing tools, Float saves you time and keeps projects on track.

ShiftDispatch logo ShiftDispatch

Staff scheduling and workforce coordination for shift-based teams.
  • Float Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-11

Float is the world's leading resource management software for agencies, studios, and firms. Since 2012, Float has been helping the worldโ€™s best teams including RGA, VICE, Deloitte, and Buzzfeed schedule and deliver over 5.5million tasks, in more than 150 countries.

With an easy to use, intuitive interface, drag and drop features, and powerful editing tools, Float makes planning your projects and scheduling your team's time visual and simple. Search your schedule for practically anything and track your team's utilization with powerful reporting tools. Forecast your budget spend and plan ahead based on your team's real capacity and resources.

Integrate your schedule with Slack, Google Calendar and 1,000+ of your apps via Zapier. Access and update your Float schedule from anywhere with apps for iOS and Android.

By providing a single view of your real resource capacity and a shared calendar of who's working on what, Float makes team scheduling across multiple projects faster, easier and more efficient.

  • ShiftDispatch Staff scheduling calendar by worksite
    Staff scheduling calendar by worksite //
    2026-08-04
  • ShiftDispatch Mobile staff schedule and open shifts
    Mobile staff schedule and open shifts //
    2026-08-04
  • ShiftDispatch Team messaging for coverage coordination
    Team messaging for coverage coordination //
    2026-08-04
  • ShiftDispatch Printable event staffing schedule with QR code
    Printable event staffing schedule with QR code //
    2026-08-04

ShiftDispatch helps staffing coordinators and operations managers build staff schedules, publish them clearly, and keep teams aligned when assignments or coverage change.

ShiftDispatch Builder โ€” Free - Create schedules without signing up - Start from a spreadsheet, template, or blank schedule - Organize staff, worksites, positions, and shifts - Print weekly schedules or publish an expiring read-only link with a QR code - Save private drafts locally in the browser

ShiftDispatch Pro โ€” $49/month - Store schedules in a shared cloud workspace - Give staff mobile access to current assignments - Send schedule updates, reminders, and notifications - Track confirmations and coordinate open-shift coverage - Keep announcements, group conversations, and direct messages connected to the schedule

ShiftDispatch is designed for shift-based teams working across changing worksites, roles, and coverage needs, including security teams, event staff, paid police details, field crews, and hospitality operations. It focuses on schedule creation and live workforce coordination rather than payroll or time tracking.

Float

Website
float.com
$ Details
$5.0 / Monthly ($5/person scheduled/month)
Platforms
Browser iOS Android
Release Date
2012 February

Float features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Float offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.
  • Collaboration Tools
    Float provides robust collaboration features, including real-time updates and team communication capabilities, which enhance team coordination.
  • Resource Management
    The platform excels at resource management, allowing for efficient allocation and tracking of team members and project resources.
  • Integrations
    Float integrates with popular tools like Slack, Trello, and Asana, streamlining workflows and improving productivity.
  • Mobile Accessibility
    With mobile accessibility, users can manage schedules and resources on-the-go, adding flexibility to their project management.

Possible disadvantages of Float

  • Cost
    Float may be considered expensive for small businesses or startups due to its subscription pricing model.
  • Limited Customization
    Users may find limitations in terms of customization options for specific needs or preferences.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly design, there may still be a learning curve for users who are new to project management tools.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report occasional performance issues, such as slow loading times or lag, particularly with larger projects.
  • Reporting Features
    While adequate for basic needs, the reporting and analytics features may not be as advanced as some competitors.

ShiftDispatch features and specs

  • Schedule Builder
    Create staff schedules by worksite, position, and shift without signing up.
  • Mobile Staff Access
    Give staff a current mobile view of assigned work and available open shifts.
  • Schedule Notifications
    Send schedule updates and reminders when assignments or coverage change.
  • Spreadsheet Import
    Start a schedule by importing personnel, worksites, and positions from a spreadsheet.
  • Print and QR Sharing
    Print weekly schedules or publish an expiring read-only link with a QR code.
  • Open Shift Coverage
    Surface unfilled shifts and let eligible staff view or claim available work.
  • Staff Confirmations
    Request and track staff confirmation of upcoming assignments.
  • Team Messaging
    Keep announcements, group conversations, and direct messages in the workspace.
  • Cloud Workspaces
    Store schedules centrally so coordinators and staff work from the current plan.

Analysis of Float

Overall verdict

  • Float is generally well-regarded and is a strong choice for teams looking for a reliable resource management solution. While it may not suit all businesses, particularly those seeking a broader project management suite, it excels in its niche.

Why this product is good

  • Float is considered good due to its user-friendly interface, robust features, and seamless integrations with various project management tools. It allows teams to efficiently plan, schedule, and track resources, ensuring optimal utilization and project efficiency.

Recommended for

  • Project managers who need to allocate resources quickly and effectively.
  • Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a straightforward resource management tool.
  • Teams that integrate with other popular project management software and need complementary resource scheduling.

Float videos

Sonic NEW Lemonberry Slush Float Review ๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ“

More videos:

  • Review - Swimways Baby Float Review | Dude Dad
  • Review - Glorious G Float Review.. Should You Upgrade To Ceramic Mouse Feet?

ShiftDispatch videos

No ShiftDispatch videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Float and ShiftDispatch)
Resource Scheduling
100 100%
0% 0
Employee Scheduling
98 98%
2% 2
Workforce Management
0 0%
100% 100
Time Tracking
100 100%
0% 0

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Float and ShiftDispatch.

What makes your product unique?

ShiftDispatch's answer:

ShiftDispatch connects two jobs that are often split across separate tools: building a staff schedule and coordinating what happens after it is published. The free Builder lets teams create, import, print, and share a useful schedule without signing up. Pro adds mobile staff access, confirmations, reminders, open-shift coverage, messaging, and live updates so the team can keep working from the current plan. The product is deliberately focused on schedules, worksites, roles, and coverage rather than becoming a payroll or time-tracking suite.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

ShiftDispatch's answer:

  • ShiftDispatch does not publicly disclose customer names at this time.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ShiftDispatch's answer:

Choose ShiftDispatch when your main problem is creating a clear schedule and keeping staff aligned as assignments and coverage change. Builder is free, requires no signup, and supports spreadsheet setup, printing, and read-only sharing with QR codes. Pro provides a focused $49-per-month workspace with mobile staff access, notifications, confirmations, open-shift coordination, messaging, and live schedule updates. It is a practical fit for teams that do not need a larger HR, payroll, or timekeeping platform.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ShiftDispatch's answer:

ShiftDispatch is built for staffing coordinators and operations managers who schedule shift-based teams across changing worksites, roles, and coverage needs. Its strongest use cases include security teams, event staffing, extra-duty and off-duty police details, field crews, and hospitality operations. Staff members also use the mobile experience to check current assignments, confirm upcoming work, view available open shifts, and stay informed when plans change.

What's the story behind your product?

ShiftDispatch's answer:

ShiftDispatch began while I was working with a friend who runs a school security staffing and extra-duty officer scheduling business. He was dealing with a recurring operational problem: school security assignments, paid details, staff schedules, and coverage changes were spread across spreadsheets, phone calls, and text threads. Last-minute changes made it difficult to keep officers, worksites, roles, and open posts aligned.

We started building ShiftDispatch to make extra-duty scheduling and security workforce coordination clearer and easier. The original goal was practical: create the schedule, see which posts were covered, and give staff one current place to see their assignments. That grew into the free Builder for creating, printing, and sharing schedules, and Pro for handling reminders, confirmations, open shifts, messaging, and live schedule changes.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ShiftDispatch's answer:

  • TypeScript
  • React 19
  • React Router 7
  • Vite
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Prisma ORM
  • PostgreSQL
  • Zod

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Float and ShiftDispatch

Float Reviews

20 Best Capacity Planning Software Tools
Why Choose FloatIf you value simplicity and need a visual, easy-to-use tool, Float is one of the best in the market. Perfect for design and creative shops.

ShiftDispatch Reviews

We have no reviews of ShiftDispatch yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Float seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Float mentions (2)

  • 2022 Accounting/time billing ideas for SW dev consulting? On my second, not really happy
    You wouldn't want something like NetSuite just for time entry. Try float.com, one of my clients uses this and it seems to be work and is simple. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Project/Team Management software/platform assistance needed
    Schedule more than one task to a team member per day i.e. Hours per task per day - float.com and avasa.com allows this. Source: almost 5 years ago

ShiftDispatch mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ShiftDispatch yet. Tracking of ShiftDispatch recommendations started around Aug 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Float and ShiftDispatch, you can also consider the following products

ResourceGuru - Resource management software that helps teams schedule with clarity, plan with flexibility, and deliver projects with confidence.

ZoomShift - Employee scheduling

MIDAS - MIDAS is a web based Room Booking & Resource Scheduling Software system. Available to download & run on your server or as an online hosted cloud application

Sling - Sling is a free shift scheduling and communication software. It is built around four main features - shifts, messages, newsfeed and tasks, making it possible for managers to organize all aspects of their work on a single platform.

When I Work - When I Work is an employee scheduling and communication app using the web, mobile apps, text messaging, social media, and email.

Deputy - Deputy is a software for employee scheduling, time and attendance and communication management.