Papershift alternative: SMARTCHILLI vs. Papershift compared (2026)
Papershift is one of the best-known rota planning tools in the German-speaking market and covers a wide range of industries. Its price depends on the number of users. SMARTCHILLI charges by the number of shifts planned — the difference matters most where a large pool of casual staff each work only a few days a year.
From €49 per month · no credit card · cancel monthly
The short answer
Papershift is strong if your team is manageable in size and largely fixed, and you want a broad HR software with rota templates, time tracking and reporting. Its feature scope is large and its market presence long-standing.
SMARTCHILLI is strong if many people sit in your pool but each works only a few days a year. A per-head licence is then the wrong model — with SMARTCHILLI the pool itself costs nothing, and only the shifts you actually organise are counted.
The rule of thumb: few employees with many shifts points to Papershift. Many employees with few assignments each points to SMARTCHILLI.
SMARTCHILLI and Papershift head to head
| Criterion | SMARTCHILLI | Papershift |
|---|---|---|
| Product and audience | ||
| Provider and location | SMARTCHILLI GmbH, Cologne, Germany | Papershift GmbH, Karlsruhe, 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. | Rota templates with automatic shift assignment based on availability, qualification and time-account balance; AI chat as an HR assistant |
| Target audience | Event catering, catering, trade fair construction, event organisers, hotels, staffing providers and temporary work | SMEs through to large enterprises across all industries, with a dedicated events industry page |
| Features | ||
| Shifts claimed by staff | Core mechanic of the product. Staff claim open shifts themselves. | Yes, applying for open shifts with automatic assignment |
| 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. | Scales with the number of users, not the number of assignments |
| Time tracking | Real-time capture on the smartphone, documented in a legally compliant way | Yes, including clock-in app and time accounts |
| Digital HR file and payroll | Deliberately not the focus. SMARTCHILLI follows a best-of-breed approach and delivers exports for payroll preparation. | Yes, staff management and payroll preparation |
| Employee app | Progressive web app. No installation, no app store, no storage space on the device. | Native app for iOS and Android |
| 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. | Per user per month, modular; support packages billed separately |
| Entry price | €49 per month (Start, 50 shifts, around €0.98 per shift) | Core €4, Premium €6, Professional €9 per user per month. Rota planning is included from Premium upwards. Support billed separately from €39 per month. |
| Trial | 30 days free, no credit card, cancel monthly | 14 days free |
Product and audience
Provider and location
SMARTCHILLISMARTCHILLI GmbH, Cologne, Germany
PapershiftPapershift GmbH, Karlsruhe, 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.
PapershiftRota templates with automatic shift assignment based on availability, qualification and time-account balance; AI chat as an HR assistant
Target audience
SMARTCHILLIEvent catering, catering, trade fair construction, event organisers, hotels, staffing providers and temporary work
PapershiftSMEs through to large enterprises across all industries, with a dedicated events industry page
Features
Shifts claimed by staff
SMARTCHILLICore mechanic of the product. Staff claim open shifts themselves.
PapershiftYes, applying for open shifts with automatic assignment
Clients in the system
SMARTCHILLIYes. Organisers, service providers and staff work on one platform; the client sees the staffing status in real time.
PapershiftNot 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.
PapershiftScales with the number of users, not the number of assignments
Time tracking
SMARTCHILLIReal-time capture on the smartphone, documented in a legally compliant way
PapershiftYes, including clock-in app and time accounts
Digital HR file and payroll
SMARTCHILLIDeliberately not the focus. SMARTCHILLI follows a best-of-breed approach and delivers exports for payroll preparation.
PapershiftYes, staff management and payroll preparation
Employee app
SMARTCHILLIProgressive web app. No installation, no app store, no storage space on the device.
PapershiftNative app for iOS and Android
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.
PapershiftPer user per month, modular; support packages billed separately
Entry price
SMARTCHILLI€49 per month (Start, 50 shifts, around €0.98 per shift)
PapershiftCore €4, Premium €6, Professional €9 per user per month. Rota planning is included from Premium upwards. Support billed separately from €39 per month.
Trial
SMARTCHILLI30 days free, no credit card, cancel monthly
Papershift14 days free
Information on Papershift based on publicly available details from the provider's website, as of August 2026.
What costs what
Papershift charges per user, SMARTCHILLI by the number of shifts planned. Which model is cheaper depends on how many people sit in your pool and how often they work. Two examples.
Example 1 — 80 staff in the pool, around 300 shifts per month
80 × €6 + €39 = €519
€249 per month
Result: SMARTCHILLI is significantly cheaper here.
Example 2 — 12 staff, around 900 shifts per month
12 × €6 + €39 = €111
€449 plus 300 extra shifts at €0.70 = €659
Result: Papershift is cheaper here.
Based on the publicly listed prices of both providers, as of August 2026. Your actual cost depends on your specific planning structure.
When Papershift is the better choice
If your team is small and largely fixed, with many shifts falling on few heads, per-user billing works in your favour. Papershift brings a broad range of HR functionality with it: rota templates, time accounts, reporting and payroll preparation.
Papershift has been active in the DACH market for many years, has a large user base and an extensive knowledge base. If you're looking for an established all-purpose rota planning solution, it's a strong option.
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 Papershift 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 Papershift and alternatives
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Comparison data: all information on Papershift is based on publicly available details from the provider's website papershift.com. As of August 2026. Features and prices may change.
Note: SMARTCHILLI GmbH is the commercial operator of this comparison page. Papershift is a trademark of Papershift GmbH; it is named solely to describe the subject of the comparison.
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