gastromatic alternative: SMARTCHILLI vs. gastromatic compared (2026)
gastromatic is the market leader for staff management in hospitality and covers the whole chain right through to payroll. SMARTCHILLI operates one step earlier: at the staffing itself, when hundreds of positions need filling on a single day and the team is mostly made up of casual staff. This comparison shows when each system is the right one.
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The short answer
gastromatic is strong if you run an ongoing hospitality or hotel operation and want rota planning, time tracking, staff management and payroll preparation from a single provider. Its coverage of hospitality-specific processes is the deepest in this comparison.
SMARTCHILLI is strong if staffing itself is the bottleneck: many positions per day, a large pool of casual staff, short-notice changes and clients who want to see the status in real time. You pay by planning load, not by headcount.
The rule of thumb: an ongoing operation with a stable team points to gastromatic. Event business with changing areas, a large casual-staff pool and clients in the process points to SMARTCHILLI. Many businesses use both side by side.
SMARTCHILLI and gastromatic head to head
| Criterion | SMARTCHILLI | gastromatic |
|---|---|---|
| Product and audience | ||
| Provider and location | SMARTCHILLI GmbH, Cologne, Germany | gastromatic GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany |
| Core principle | Job- and assignment-based planning, built for high assignment density. Open shifts are shown to staff as cards; a swipe to the right is the commitment. | Classic rota planning with staff management and payroll preparation — "a digital home for HR management" |
| Target audience | Event catering, catering, trade fair construction, event organisers, hotels, staffing providers and temporary work | Hospitality, hotels, chain restaurants, retail |
| Features | ||
| Shifts claimed by staff | Core mechanic of the product. Staff claim open shifts themselves. | Availability and coordination via the app. Self-service claiming is not a core mechanic. |
| Clients in the system | Yes. Organisers, service providers and staff work on one platform; the client sees the staffing status in real time. | Not offered |
| Planning scale | Built for high assignment density: many positions per day, several areas and deployment points inside the same operation, large pools of casual staff. | Built for ongoing operations with recurring patterns |
| Time tracking | Real-time capture on the smartphone, documented in a legally compliant way | Yes, integrated into planning and payroll |
| Digital HR file and payroll | Deliberately not the focus. SMARTCHILLI follows a best-of-breed approach and delivers exports for payroll preparation. | Fully covered, including document management and payroll preparation |
| Employee app | Progressive web app. No installation, no app store, no storage space on the device. | Native app |
| Price and terms | ||
| Pricing logic | Per shift at peak, meaning by maximum simultaneous shift load. No per-employee licence, no location fee, all modules always included. | Monthly package price (Starter, Professional, Enterprise) |
| Entry price | €49 per month (Start, 50 shifts, around €0.98 per shift) | Starter from €69.50 per month, Professional from €99.50 per month, Enterprise on request |
| Trial | 30 days free, no credit card, cancel monthly | Demo, trial period by arrangement |
Product and audience
Provider and location
SMARTCHILLISMARTCHILLI GmbH, Cologne, Germany
gastromaticgastromatic GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany
Core principle
SMARTCHILLIJob- and assignment-based planning, built for high assignment density. Open shifts are shown to staff as cards; a swipe to the right is the commitment.
gastromaticClassic rota planning with staff management and payroll preparation — "a digital home for HR management"
Target audience
SMARTCHILLIEvent catering, catering, trade fair construction, event organisers, hotels, staffing providers and temporary work
gastromaticHospitality, hotels, chain restaurants, retail
Features
Shifts claimed by staff
SMARTCHILLICore mechanic of the product. Staff claim open shifts themselves.
gastromaticAvailability and coordination via the app. Self-service claiming is not a core mechanic.
Clients in the system
SMARTCHILLIYes. Organisers, service providers and staff work on one platform; the client sees the staffing status in real time.
gastromaticNot offered
Planning scale
SMARTCHILLIBuilt for high assignment density: many positions per day, several areas and deployment points inside the same operation, large pools of casual staff.
gastromaticBuilt for ongoing operations with recurring patterns
Time tracking
SMARTCHILLIReal-time capture on the smartphone, documented in a legally compliant way
gastromaticYes, integrated into planning and payroll
Digital HR file and payroll
SMARTCHILLIDeliberately not the focus. SMARTCHILLI follows a best-of-breed approach and delivers exports for payroll preparation.
gastromaticFully covered, including document management and payroll preparation
Employee app
SMARTCHILLIProgressive web app. No installation, no app store, no storage space on the device.
gastromaticNative app
Price and terms
Pricing logic
SMARTCHILLIPer shift at peak, meaning by maximum simultaneous shift load. No per-employee licence, no location fee, all modules always included.
gastromaticMonthly package price (Starter, Professional, Enterprise)
Entry price
SMARTCHILLI€49 per month (Start, 50 shifts, around €0.98 per shift)
gastromaticStarter from €69.50 per month, Professional from €99.50 per month, Enterprise on request
Trial
SMARTCHILLI30 days free, no credit card, cancel monthly
gastromaticDemo, trial period by arrangement
Information on gastromatic based on publicly available details from the provider's website, as of August 2026.
What costs what
The two pricing models cannot be compared directly: gastromatic works with package prices, SMARTCHILLI charges by the number of shifts planned. The comparison shows what determines the price in each case.
| Criterion | SMARTCHILLI | gastromatic |
|---|---|---|
| Billing basis | Per shift at peak | Monthly package price |
| Entry price | €49 per month (50 shifts) | from €69.50 per month |
| What drives the price | Number of shifts planned | Package choice and feature scope |
| Extra costs | none, all modules included | Enterprise add-ons on request |
Based on the publicly listed prices of both providers, as of August 2026. Your actual cost depends on your specific planning structure.
When gastromatic is the better choice
If your core business is an ongoing operation — restaurant, hotel, canteen — and you want rota planning, time tracking, staff management and payroll preparation in one system, gastromatic is the more complete solution. Payroll and document management are areas SMARTCHILLI deliberately leaves out.
gastromatic has been established in the industry for years and covers hospitality-specific edge cases very precisely. If you're looking for a complete solution for day-to-day operations, it's a strong choice.
When SMARTCHILLI is the better choice
SMARTCHILLI is not built for the weekly rota in a restaurant, it is built for the assignment. The difference is not the number of addresses but the volume: as soon as hundreds of positions have to be filled on a single day and the line-up keeps changing until the evening before, the comparison tips over.
Many deployment points, not many addresses
An arena is one single operation and still runs entrances, blocks, bars, kitchens and boxes for every event. SMARTCHILLI bills by planning load — neither the number of locations nor the number of areas affects the price.
A large pool of casual staff
If three hundred people sit in your pool but each of them works only a few days a year, a per-head licence is the wrong model. With SMARTCHILLI the pool itself costs nothing; only the shifts you actually organise count.
The client plans along
With SMARTCHILLI, organisers, service providers and staff work on one platform. The client sees the staffing status in real time instead of waiting for a call back.
Staffed in minutes instead of days
Open shifts go out to the pool as cards and staff commit with a swipe. Instead of chasing people by phone, the roster fills while dispatch keeps working.
Switching from gastromatic to SMARTCHILLI
- 01
Import your master data.
Staff and qualifications are imported as a list — no manual re-entry.
- 02
Plan the first assignments in parallel.
Run one or two weeks side by side in live operation before switching over.
- 03
Activate the pool.
Staff get access to the PWA — no app store, no installation. Integrate it into your website and post jobs.
You are usually productive within two days. A human guides you through onboarding, not a knowledge base.
Frequently asked questions about gastromatic and alternatives
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Comparison data: all information on gastromatic is based on publicly available details from the provider's website gastromatic.de. As of August 2026. Features and prices may change.
Note: SMARTCHILLI GmbH is the commercial operator of this comparison page. gastromatic is a trademark of gastromatic GmbH; it is named solely to describe the subject of the comparison.
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