Craft records 703,417 monthly visits with +8.9% month-over-month growth and Freemium pricing. Timely records 1,679 monthly visits with -40.6% growth and Paid, Contact for Pricing pricing.
–Some of the most capable features — AI, publishing and advanced structure — sit behind the Plus subscription
–Very advanced relational database needs may exceed what Collections offer
–The richest experience is on Apple platforms, so cross-platform teams should test Windows and Android first
Timely
AI builds the schedule. Your team gets a text. No app required.
AI schedule generation
Describe your week in plain English and Timely generates a full schedule respecting availability, roles and your custom rules, then lets you fine-tune with drag and drop.
SMS-first publishing
Publish a schedule and every employee receives it by SMS automatically — no downloads, no logins, with open rates around 98% as the site claims.
Enforceable schedule rules
Set max hours, required rest between shifts, minimum staffing or 'always have a keyholder on' and Timely warns or blocks the save before a bad shift is published.
Live overtime and labor cost
A live payroll preview updates as you build, showing regular hours, overtime and estimated gross wages so you catch overtime mid-week rather than on payday.
Strengths & Pros
+Employees need no app or login — schedules and reminders arrive by SMS
+Plain-English scheduling removes most manual schedule building
+Overtime and labor cost are visible live while you build, not after payroll
+Schedule rules engine can block or warn before an invalid shift is published
+
Flat per-tier pricing avoids per-user fees that scale with headcount
+Direct integrations with Square, Gusto and QuickBooks
Limitations
–SMS-first workflow assumes employees have a phone and are comfortable with texts
–QuickBooks, Gusto and Square integrations are the focus, so other payroll stacks may need workarounds
–Higher tiers step up by location and employee limits, so costs rise as you expand
–Free plan caps at 1 location and 5 employees with no SMS notifications
