Planday alternative: SMARTCHILLI vs. Planday compared (2026)
Planday belongs to the Xero group and is especially popular among chains and multi-site operators: an affordable per-user entry price, strong payroll integration, and an international footprint. SMARTCHILLI charges by shifts planned and is built for high assignment density in the events and hospitality business.
From €49 per month · no credit card · cancel monthly
The short answer
Planday is strong if you manage several sites with a largely fixed team, want day-accurate control of labour costs, and benefit from the Xero integration. Its entry price is one of the lowest in the market.
SMARTCHILLI is strong if the pool is large and the assignment frequency per person is low. With per-user billing, you then pay for people who work only a few days a year.
The rule of thumb: a fixed workforce across several sites points to Planday. A large casual-staff pool with changing assignments points to SMARTCHILLI.
SMARTCHILLI and Planday head to head
| Criterion | SMARTCHILLI | Planday |
|---|---|---|
| Product and audience | ||
| Provider and location | SMARTCHILLI GmbH, Cologne, Germany | Planday, Copenhagen, Denmark; part of Xero |
| 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 templates and day-accurate labour cost control |
| Target audience | Event catering, catering, trade fair construction, event organisers, hotels, staffing providers and temporary work | Hospitality, retail, chains and franchise operators, internationally |
| Features | ||
| Shifts claimed by staff | Core mechanic of the product. Staff claim open shifts themselves. | Yes, open shifts and shift swaps via the app |
| 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 and sites |
| Time tracking | Real-time capture on the smartphone, documented in a legally compliant way | Yes |
| Digital HR file and payroll | Deliberately not the focus. SMARTCHILLI follows a best-of-breed approach and delivers exports for payroll preparation. | Absence tracking and payroll export; deep payroll via the Xero integration |
| 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, sometimes plus a monthly base fee |
| Entry price | €49 per month (Start, 50 shifts, around €0.98 per shift) | Starter from €2.49 per user per month, Plus from €4.49. Market comparisons also cite a base fee of €25 per month for the Plus plan. |
| Trial | 30 days free, no credit card, cancel monthly | 30 days free, no credit card |
Product and audience
Provider and location
SMARTCHILLISMARTCHILLI GmbH, Cologne, Germany
PlandayPlanday, Copenhagen, Denmark; part of Xero
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.
PlandayClassic rota planning with templates and day-accurate labour cost control
Target audience
SMARTCHILLIEvent catering, catering, trade fair construction, event organisers, hotels, staffing providers and temporary work
PlandayHospitality, retail, chains and franchise operators, internationally
Features
Shifts claimed by staff
SMARTCHILLICore mechanic of the product. Staff claim open shifts themselves.
PlandayYes, open shifts and shift swaps via the app
Clients in the system
SMARTCHILLIYes. Organisers, service providers and staff work on one platform; the client sees the staffing status in real time.
PlandayNot 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.
PlandayScales with the number of users and sites
Time tracking
SMARTCHILLIReal-time capture on the smartphone, documented in a legally compliant way
PlandayYes
Digital HR file and payroll
SMARTCHILLIDeliberately not the focus. SMARTCHILLI follows a best-of-breed approach and delivers exports for payroll preparation.
PlandayAbsence tracking and payroll export; deep payroll via the Xero integration
Employee app
SMARTCHILLIProgressive web app. No installation, no app store, no storage space on the device.
PlandayNative 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.
PlandayPer user per month, sometimes plus a monthly base fee
Entry price
SMARTCHILLI€49 per month (Start, 50 shifts, around €0.98 per shift)
PlandayStarter from €2.49 per user per month, Plus from €4.49. Market comparisons also cite a base fee of €25 per month for the Plus plan.
Trial
SMARTCHILLI30 days free, no credit card, cancel monthly
Planday30 days free, no credit card
Information on Planday based on publicly available details from the provider's website, as of August 2026.
What costs what
Planday charges per user, SMARTCHILLI by the number of shifts planned. Which model is cheaper depends on pool size and the number of assignments. Two examples.
Example 1 — 150 staff in the pool, around 300 shifts per month
150 × €4.49 + €25 = €698.50
€249 per month
Result: SMARTCHILLI is significantly cheaper here.
Example 2 — 20 staff, around 900 shifts per month
20 × €4.49 + €25 = €114.80
€449 plus 300 extra shifts at €0.70 = €659
Result: Planday 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 Planday is the better choice
If you're planning a manageable, fixed workforce across several sites, Planday is hard to beat on price. Day-accurate labour cost control and the Xero integration are a genuine advantage for chains.
Planday has an international footprint and is the more obvious choice for operations with sites in several countries. If you already work with Xero, you get a seamless chain right through to payroll.
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 Planday 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 Planday and alternatives
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Comparison data: all information on Planday is based on publicly available details from the provider's website planday.com. As of August 2026. Features and prices may change.
Note: SMARTCHILLI GmbH is the commercial operator of this comparison page. Planday is a trademark of Planday, part of Xero; it is named solely to describe the subject of the comparison.
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