Pricing model
Swapste: £24.99 for one venue per month with unlimited staff, with lower rates for multi-site groups.
RotaCloud: pricing varies with employee count and selected plan or add-ons.
HONEST COMPARISON
Looking for a
RotaCloud alternative?
Swapste is a per-venue rota and workforce system built specifically for independent hospitality businesses. It focuses on rotas, cover, swaps, attendance, payroll-ready hours and labour performance without charging per employee.
£24.99
per venue / month
Unlimited staff. Smart Labour included. First 30 days free.
Swapste
Hospitality focused
£24.99
Staff limit
Unlimited
Smart Labour
Included
Shift cover & swaps
Built in
Pricing
Per venue, not per employee
✓
FIRST THINGS FIRST
RotaCloud is a strong product. Swapste is a different proposition.
RotaCloud is an established workforce management platform with advanced scheduling, integrations, HR tools, payroll connections and optional Time & Attendance.
Swapste is deliberately narrower. It is built around the everyday problems of independent hospitality venues: rotas, short-notice cover, direct swaps, holidays, clocking, attendance, payroll-ready hours and labour percentage.
The better option depends on what your business actually needs.
SWAPSTE VS ROTACLOUD
Where the two systems differ.
Labour planning
Swapste: Smart Labour is included in the standard £24.99 subscription.
RotaCloud: labour forecasting and budget caps are part of its Pro feature set.
Clocking & attendance
Swapste: GPS location verification at clock-in and clock-out, attendance exceptions and manager corrections.
RotaCloud: offers mobile and tablet clocking, timesheets and wider Time & Attendance tooling.
Shift changes
Both systems support shift changes. Swapste is heavily centred around cover requests and direct swaps with manager approval.
Payroll
Swapste: payroll-ready Excel reporting from confirmed worked hours.
RotaCloud: has broader payroll export and direct integration options.
Integrations
Swapste: currently focuses on its own core hospitality workflow rather than a large integration ecosystem.
RotaCloud: offers integrations including payroll, EPOS and automation services.
Industry focus
Swapste: designed specifically around independent pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés.
RotaCloud: serves hospitality alongside many other industries.
Setup & support
Swapste: first rota setup and initial manager and staff training are included.
RotaCloud: provides its own UK support and onboarding resources.
SEE WHAT SWAPSTE INCLUDES
A focused hospitality workflow from rota to payroll.
Swapste combines the rota, labour planning, attendance management and payroll preparation tools independent venues use every week.
Weekly rota
Give managers and staff a clear view of the working week.
Smart Labour
Compare expected sales with scheduled wage cost and your target labour percentage.
Attendance management
Keep missing clock-ins and clock-outs visible until a manager has dealt with them.
Payroll-ready hours
Export scheduled, worked and payable hours with review statuses shown by employee.
WHEN SWAPSTE MAKES MORE SENSE
Choose Swapste if these matter most.
01
Predictable price
You want one flat venue price without the subscription changing when you hire more staff.
02
Hospitality workflow
Cover, swaps, attendance and labour percentage matter more than having a broad HR platform.
03
Simple payroll prep
You are happy exporting confirmed worked hours rather than needing direct payroll integrations.
04
Hands-on setup
You value the first rota setup and initial team training being included.
WHEN ROTACLOUD MAY SUIT YOU BETTER
There are businesses where RotaCloud is the stronger fit.
RotaCloud may make more sense if you need a mature integration ecosystem, direct payroll connections, broader HR and document features, tablet clocking or more advanced multi-industry workforce management.
It also has a more advanced native rota-building experience, while Swapste currently supports its own rota workflow and Excel workbook upload.
We would rather tell you that clearly than pretend every venue needs the same software.
THE SWAPSTE DIFFERENCE
What the standard Swapste subscription includes.
Unlimited staff
Add new starters, weekend workers or seasonal staff without increasing the monthly Swapste subscription.
Smart Labour
Expected sales, labour target, projected wage cost, actual sales, confirmed wage cost and actual labour percentage.
Cover & direct swaps
Staff can solve many shift problems themselves while managers retain final approval.
Attendance to payroll
Clocking issues stay visible until corrected, then confirmed worked hours feed payroll reporting and actual labour cost.
SIMPLE SWAPSTE PRICING
£24.99 for one venue. Lower rates for multi-site groups.
Swapste
£
24.99
/ venue / month
- ✓ Unlimited staff
- ✓ Rota management
- ✓ Shift cover requests
- ✓ Direct shift swaps
- ✓ Holiday requests
- ✓ GPS clock-in/out
- ✓ Attendance management
- ✓ Manager clocking corrections
- ✓ Staff pay rates
- ✓ Smart Labour
- ✓ Actual sales & labour performance
- ✓ Payroll-ready hours export
- ✓ First rota setup included
- ✓ Initial training included
No long-term contract.
Cancel anytime.
Try Swapste free for 30 days
ROTACLOUD ALTERNATIVE FAQ
Before you decide.
Is Swapste cheaper than RotaCloud?
Not necessarily for every team size. Swapste uses a flat £24.99-per-venue price with unlimited staff, while RotaCloud pricing varies by employee count, plan and optional features. The better value depends on your team size and what features you need.
Does Swapste have the same features as RotaCloud?
No. There is overlap around rotas, leave, shift changes, attendance and labour cost, but RotaCloud has a broader integration and HR ecosystem. Swapste focuses more narrowly on independent hospitality operations.
Does Swapste charge per employee?
No. Swapste costs £24.99 per venue per month with unlimited staff.
Does Swapste include labour forecasting?
Smart Labour is included. Managers can set expected weekly sales and a labour target, see projected labour percentage and then compare actual sales against confirmed wage cost.
Does Swapste integrate directly with payroll software?
Not currently. Swapste provides payroll-ready Excel reporting. If direct payroll integrations are essential to your business, RotaCloud currently has the stronger integration offering.
Can I try Swapste before switching?
Yes. The first 30 days are free, with first rota setup and initial manager and staff training included.
TRY IT YOURSELF
You do not need to decide from a comparison table.
Try Swapste with your own venue for 30 days and see whether the simpler hospitality-focused approach works for your team.