Alternative to Planday

Planday is built for shifts — not for routes, customers or invoicing

Planday is a solid platform for shift scheduling in shops, restaurants and service businesses with fixed working hours. But if your business runs in the field — with routes, customer agreements and invoicing — you end up fighting the tool instead of being helped by it. Clientflow is built for field service from the ground up.

Why are you looking for an alternative?

Planday does one thing well: it schedules shifts for employees who report to a fixed location. It's purpose-built for shops, restaurants, hotels, fitness and care facilities. But if your business sends people out to customers — with routes, jobs and invoicing — Planday only fills a small slice of what you actually need. You end up using Planday for shifts, a spreadsheet for routes, a calendar for customer appointments, and an accounting tool for invoicing.

It works until it doesn't. With 5+ employees in the field and 50+ regular customers, you lose time syncing between four tools every morning — and that means errors, missed appointments and delayed invoices. The right alternative isn't a better shift scheduler; it's a field service platform that handles the whole value chain.

What you get in Clientflow that Planday doesn't have

Clientflow is designed for businesses where work happens at the customer, not at a fixed location. That means a different class of features.

AI route optimization

The day's customer appointments are automatically built into the optimal route. Saves driving, fuel and time every single day.

Complete customer record

All customers, contact info, agreement history and notes in one place. Not just a name on a shift — a full customer relationship.

Invoicing per job

Time tracking per customer visit, automatic invoice with Dinero and Billy integration. No more moving numbers between systems.

Leads & quotes

Capture new customers, send quotes, and convert to agreement with one click. Not a separate function — part of the same platform.

Recurring customer appointments

Set up recurring visits (weekly, monthly, quarterly) — and let the system plan the entire year ahead.

Automatic customer communication

SMS reminders before each visit, automatic status updates, and a customer portal with booking and history.

Materials and equipment tracking

Track what's in each van, which employees have which keys, and which equipment is due for service.

Job-level reports

See profitability per customer, job type or employee. Decisions on data — not gut feel.

Planday

What Planday is still better at

We're not against Planday — just honest about where it's strongest.

  • Shift scheduling for employees at a fixed location (shops, restaurants, hotels, fitness, care)
  • AI-powered shift scheduling
  • Absence management and employee communication (built-in messenger + SMS)
  • Payroll integrations (Xero, Sage 50, QuickBooks Online, ADP, Paychex) and POS integrations (Square, Lightspeed, Zettle, Clover)
  • Industry focus on hospitality, healthcare, hotels, retail, entertainment and fitness
  • Well-established shift-scheduling platform (founded 2004) used internationally

Which one fits you?

Choose Clientflow

  • You run a field service business (window cleaning, cleaning, landscaping, plumbing, electrical, etc.)
  • Your employees drive to customers — not to a fixed location
  • You have recurring customer agreements and visits
  • You need route optimization, invoicing and customer records
  • You want everything in one system, not four that have to sync

Stay on Planday

  • Your employees report to a fixed location (shop, warehouse, restaurant)
  • Shift scheduling is your main challenge — not routes or customers
  • You have heavy needs for built-in HR and payroll
  • You don't have customers you invoice per visit

Verified facts about Planday

Only facts we have confirmed against the provider's own public pages are shown here.

  • Product categoryWorkforce management platform (shift scheduling)

    Planday is a shift-scheduling/workforce platform — not a field-service tool.

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/

  • FoundedFounded 2004 (© 2004–2026 Planday)

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/

  • Industry focusHospitality, healthcare, hotels, retail, entertainment, fitness

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/

  • StarterPer user/month (amount not shown); from £2.99; min. 5 users

    Priced per user/month in GBP (£). The exact per-user amount is not shown on the pricing page — only 'from £2.99' and a 5-user minimum. DKK/EUR prices are not published.

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/pricing/

  • PlusPer user/month (amount not shown); marked 'Most popular'

    The exact per-user amount is not shown on the pricing page.

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/pricing/

  • ProCustom / book a demo

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/pricing/

  • Free trial30-day free trial, no credit card

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/pricing/

  • Shift schedulingAI-powered shift scheduling

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/

  • Clock in/outClock in/out via mobile app

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/features/punch-clock/

  • Geofencing on clock-inGeolocation-restricted clock-in

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/features/punch-clock/

  • Payroll integrationsXero, Sage 50, QuickBooks Online, ADP, Paychex

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/integrations/

  • POS integrationsSquare, Lightspeed, Zettle, Clover

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/integrations/

  • Employee communicationBuilt-in messenger + SMS

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/

  • Absence managementAbsence management

    Last verified: 2026-06-30 · Source: www.planday.com/

Prices and features are verified as of the dates shown against the provider's public pages. Verify current terms at the source.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Planday and Clientflow together?
Yes, many businesses do during a transition period. If you have a mix of field and location-based employees, Planday can run shifts for the location team while Clientflow handles the field. But typically you'll consolidate to one system long-term — and if most of your business is in the field, it's Clientflow that replaces Planday.
Can Clientflow handle shifts for non-field employees?
Clientflow has employee management, day plans and time tracking — but isn't designed for classic retail shift scheduling. If your main need is shifts for a shop, restaurant or warehouse, Planday is the right choice. If your main focus is field service, it's Clientflow.
Can I move my employee data from Planday?
Yes. We import employees, contact details and roles directly. If you have historical shift data you want to bring along, we can assess it as part of onboarding.
What does Clientflow cost vs Planday?
Clientflow has public pricing from 199 kr/mo (Starter) to 1,199 kr/mo (Enterprise) plus 99-229 kr/mo per user, the first one included. Planday is priced per user per month with a 5-user minimum — the verified prices, tiers and trial are shown in the facts box on this page. A direct number-to-number comparison is hard because the two tools solve different jobs: Planday schedules shifts, while Clientflow also replaces your calendar, routing and invoicing tools. So compare on total value, not just price per user.
Do I have to switch everything at once?
No. Many businesses run Planday and Clientflow in parallel during migration. You decide the pace — we support the migration.

Ready to consolidate
the field in one system?

Try demo and see how much time you save by having routes, customers and invoicing in one place. No commitment.

Try demo