Connecteam vs Homebase (2026): Pricing Models and Who Each Suits
Connecteam and Homebase both give hourly teams a schedule and a time clock on a phone, and they price it in opposite ways. Homebase charges per location with unlimited employees, which makes it free for a ten-person cafe and expensive for a chain of five. Connecteam charges per hub with the first 30 users included, which makes a 25-person crew across three shops a third of the price. Homebase adds hiring and its own payroll; Connecteam adds GPS, geofenced sites, chat, tasks and forms. The deciding question is whether your people work in one building or many.
This comparison uses October 2026 prices from both vendors' pages, worked out for five real team shapes, and names the features each pricing page actually maps to a plan, because the pages that rank for this query describe free plans with the wrong employee limits.
The verdict
Homebase for a single-site restaurant, cafe or shop: free for ten employees at one location, scheduling, time clock, hiring and its own payroll in one app, priced per location so a 25-person site pays the same as a 12-person one.
Connecteam for deskless teams spread across sites or in the field: GPS clock-in, geofenced sites, chat, tasks, forms and training in one hub, priced flat for the first 30 users and cheap per user after.
The deciding question is whether your people work in one building or many. Homebase's per-location pricing punishes multi-site operators; Connecteam's per-hub pricing punishes a single small site that only wants a clock.
Starting points by situation.
Side by side, October 2026
| Homebase | Connecteam | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per location per month, unlimited employees on paid plans | Per hub per month, first 30 users included, then per extra user |
| Free plan | Basic: 1 location, up to 10 employees, scheduling and basic time clock | Small Business plan: up to 10 users across all hubs |
| Paid plans | Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location; annual saves about 20% | Operations hub Basic $29, Advanced $49, Expert $99 per month on annual billing ($35, $59, $119 monthly) for 30 users; extra users $0.80, $2.50, $4.20 (annual) |
| Time clock | Phone, tablet and POS clock-in with location-based punches; break and overtime preferences on paid plans; early clock-in blocking on All-in-One | Phone with GPS from Basic; shared-device kiosk; geofence sites up to 10 on Advanced, unlimited on Expert; auto clock-out from Advanced; 1 to 6 time clocks by plan |
| Scheduling | All plans; AI scheduling assistant on Plus | All plans; 1 schedule on Basic, up to 6 on Advanced, 12 on Expert |
| Payroll | Homebase Payroll, $49 base plus $6 per employee after a free period; integrations with major providers | Integrations with payroll providers; plan mapping not published on the pricing page; no native payroll |
| Communication | Team messaging | Chat, updates, directory, surveys in the Communications hub (priced separately) |
| Operations beyond the clock | Hiring and applicant tracking, labor cost tools on All-in-One | Tasks, checklists, forms, training and knowledge base, by hub |
| Job and location costing | Not a feature | Jobs and sub-jobs in time clock |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, tablet and POS kiosk | Web, iOS, Android, shared device |
| Trial | 14-day All-in-One trial | 14-day trial |
What each costs for real teams
| Team | Homebase | Connecteam (Operations hub, annual) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 people, one cafe | $0 (Basic) | $0 (Small Business plan, up to 10 users) | Both free; Homebase includes scheduling and the clock |
| 20 people, one restaurant | $30 (Essentials) to $120 (All-in-One) | $29 (Basic) to $99 (Expert) | Roughly equal; Homebase adds hiring and payroll, Connecteam adds chat and forms |
| 25 people across 3 shops | $90 to $360 (3 locations) | $29 to $99 (one hub, under 30 users) | Connecteam is a third of the price or less |
| 45 field technicians, 6 sites | Per-location pricing fits poorly | $29 to $99 plus 15 extra users at $0.80 to $4.20 = $41 to $162 | Connecteam, with geofences on Advanced or Expert |
| 60 people, one hospital kitchen | $30 to $120 (one location) | $29 to $99 plus 30 extra users = $53 to $225 | Homebase, unless chat and forms matter |
Monthly figures at October 2026 published prices. Homebase's payroll add-on, $49 plus $6 per employee after the free period, and Connecteam's other hubs are extra in both cases.
Where each is built to work
Homebase is built around the single-site shift business: the schedule, the clock on the counter tablet or the POS, the shift swap in the app, the labor cost against sales, the hiring post, and payroll from the same timesheets. Everything is priced per location because the customer is a location. Add a second or third site and the price multiplies while the product stays the same.
Connecteam is built around the deskless workforce wherever it is: field crews, cleaners, security, logistics, multi-site retail. The time clock punches with GPS and can be fenced to job sites, and the same app carries chat, task lists, inspection forms, training modules and a knowledge base. The first 30 users cost a flat $29 on the Operations hub, which is why a 25-person team spread over three shops pays a third of Homebase's price. The costs are that payroll is an integration rather than a product, hiring is absent, and the chat and training features live in separately priced hubs.
Which one fits
Two tools, so the chooser shows the better fit and the margin.
Each tool in detail
Homebase
The single-site shift business in one appWhat it is
Homebase bundles scheduling, a time clock with location-based punches on phones, tablets and POS devices, messaging, hiring and its own payroll, priced per location. Break and overtime preferences, PTO controls, the AI scheduling assistant and labor cost management arrive on the paid tiers.
Where it wins
- Free for ten people at one site, with scheduling and the clock
- Hiring, scheduling, clock and payroll in one product
- Unlimited employees per location on paid plans
- Counter tablet and POS clock-in
Where it loses
- Per-location pricing is poor value past two sites
- GPS and geofencing are not named as such on the pricing page
- No tasks, forms or training
- No job costing
Choose it if
You run one or two shift-based sites and want payroll and hiring in the same app.
Connecteam
The deskless workforce in one hubWhat it is
Connecteam's Operations hub carries a GPS time clock with geofenced sites (up to 10 on Advanced, unlimited on Expert), auto clock-out from Advanced, scheduling with 1 to 12 schedules by plan, tasks, checklists and forms. Chat, updates and surveys sit in the Communications hub and training and documents in the HR hub, each priced separately.
Where it wins
- Flat $29 for 30 users on annual billing
- GPS, geofencing and job costing for field crews
- Chat, tasks, forms and training alongside the clock
- Free for 10 users on every hub
Where it loses
- Payroll is an integration, not a product; plan mapping is not published
- No hiring or applicant tracking
- Geofence sites capped on lower tiers
- Three hubs to price if you want everything
Choose it if
Your people are spread across sites or in the field and you want communication and tasks with the clock.
Moving between them
- Export employees and the current schedule period from the old tool; both import employees from CSV.
- Rebuild the payroll connection once: Homebase to its own payroll or your provider, Connecteam to your provider through its integration.
- Set break and overtime rules in the new tool against your state's law before the first shift; our clock in clock out app review covers the six states with meal-break rules.
- Run both for one pay period and reconcile hours.
How this comparison was made
Both products were checked on the same criteria used across our tool reviews: pricing model and published prices, free-plan limits, clock-in methods and GPS, scheduling, payroll, communication and operations features, and platforms. Prices and plan contents were read from joinhomebase.com/pricing and connecteam.com/pricing in October 2026; where a page did not map a feature to a plan the table says so. No vendor paid for placement and there are no affiliate links.
Key takeaways
- Homebase prices per location with unlimited employees: free for 10 at one site, then $30, $70 or $120 per location per month.
- Connecteam prices per hub: free for 10 users, then $29, $49 or $99 a month covers 30 users on annual billing, with extra users from $0.80.
- A 25-person team across three shops pays $90 to $360 on Homebase and $29 to $99 on Connecteam.
- Homebase has hiring and its own payroll; Connecteam has GPS, geofenced sites, chat, tasks, forms and training.
- Geofencing on Connecteam is capped at 10 sites on Advanced and unlimited on Expert; Homebase's pricing page does not name geofencing.
- Both import employees from CSV; rebuild the payroll connection once and run one pay period in parallel.
Frequently asked questions
Is Connecteam or Homebase better?
Homebase for a single-site shift business that wants scheduling, a clock, hiring and payroll in one app, free for ten employees. Connecteam for field crews or multi-site teams that need GPS, geofenced sites and chat, with $29 a month covering 30 users.
Which is cheaper, Connecteam or Homebase?
It depends on how many locations you have. One site with 20 people costs $30 to $120 on Homebase and $29 to $99 on Connecteam. Three sites with 25 people cost $90 to $360 on Homebase and $29 to $99 on Connecteam, because Homebase charges per location and Connecteam per hub.
Is Homebase really free?
Yes, the Basic plan is free for one location and up to 10 employees, with scheduling, a basic time clock and messaging. Paid plans start at $30 per location per month and payroll is a separate add-on at $49 plus $6 per employee after a free period.
Is Connecteam free?
Yes, the Small Business plan is free for up to 10 users on all hubs. The Operations hub then costs $29, $49 or $99 a month on annual billing for the first 30 users, with extra users from $0.80 to $4.20 each.
Which has GPS and geofencing?
Connecteam has GPS clock-in on its Basic plan and geofenced sites, up to 10 on Advanced and unlimited on Expert. Homebase offers location-based clock-in on mobile; its pricing page does not name geofencing as a feature.
Which has payroll?
Homebase runs its own payroll at $49 base plus $6 per employee per month after a free period, from the same timesheets. Connecteam integrates with payroll providers but does not run payroll itself, and its pricing page does not map integrations to plans.
Which is better for restaurants?
Homebase, for one or two locations: the counter tablet and POS clock-in, shift swaps, labor cost against sales, hiring and payroll are built for that business. A restaurant group with five or more sites should price Connecteam, because Homebase's per-location fee multiplies.
Can I use Connecteam just for the time clock?
Yes. The time clock is in the Operations hub, which is $29 a month for 30 users on annual billing; chat and training are in separately priced hubs you do not have to buy. For a team under 10 the Small Business plan is free.