Three apps come up more than any others when Shopify retailers search for help managing staff: Homebase, EasyTeam, and StaffHub. Choosing between them is harder than it should be, because they get lumped together in "best Shopify staff app" round-ups despite solving notably different problems.
This is an honest 3-way comparison. We'll cover what each app actually does, where they overlap, and the decision framework for picking one (or two — many merchants run a combination).
Disclosure: StaffHub is built by JMS Dev Lab. We've tried to keep this fair — Homebase and EasyTeam both have real strengths that StaffHub does not match, and we'll say so where it's true.
If you only have one minute: pick StaffHub for training and multi-location comms; pick EasyTeam for Shopify-native time-clock and payroll; pick Homebase if you need broad workforce features and don't care about Shopify-native integration.
| Feature | Homebase | EasyTeam | StaffHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native to Shopify | No | Yes | Yes |
| Time-clock | Yes — strong | Yes — POS-integrated | No |
| Payroll integration | Yes — major US processors | Yes — payroll-ready exports | No |
| POS sales commission | No | Yes | No |
| Shift scheduling | Yes — strong | Yes — drag-and-drop | Basic |
| Training modules with quizzes | No | No | Yes — core feature |
| Announcements with read receipts | Team chat — no read receipts | Limited | Yes — per shop, per role, scheduled |
| Peer tips / recognition | No | No | Yes |
| Multi-location native | Paid tier only | Multi-loc messaging behind enterprise tier | Yes — from day one |
| HR document storage | Paid tier — yes | No | No |
| Free tier | Yes — single location | No — 14-day trial | No — 14-day trial |
| Pricing model | Per-location tiers | Base + per-seat | Tier (no per-seat) |
| Cost: 10 staff, 1 location | ~$24.95/mo (Essentials) | ~$50/mo | $12.99/mo (Basic, up to 15) |
| Cost: 25 staff, 3 locations | ~$60-90/mo (Plus, 3 locations) | ~$125/mo + multi-loc tier | $24.99/mo (Pro) |
The single most useful question when choosing between these three apps is: what's the most painful problem with our current setup? Each of the three apps solves a different version of that problem.
Pick: EasyTeam (if you're on Shopify and want native integration) or Homebase (if you want more general workforce features and don't mind a non-Shopify-native tool).
Why not StaffHub: StaffHub doesn't do time-clock or payroll. Trying to retrofit it for these would be like asking a project-management tool to replace your accounting software.
Pick: StaffHub.
Why not the others: Neither Homebase nor EasyTeam has training modules with quizzes and completion tracking. They have team messaging and document storage but those are not the same thing.
Pick: StaffHub.
Why not the others: Both Homebase and EasyTeam treat multi-location as an upgrade-tier feature. StaffHub treats it as the default. The difference shows up in announcements (StaffHub has read receipts per location), permissions (per-shop role assignments), and reporting (per-location dashboards). For a 2-5 shop retailer specifically, the multi-location-native data model removes a lot of friction.
Pick: Homebase free tier.
Why not the others: EasyTeam doesn't have a free tier. StaffHub doesn't cover the breadth of workforce features Homebase does. For a single-shop operator who just wants basic scheduling, time-clock, and team chat, Homebase free is the cheapest sensible answer.
Many Shopify retailers end up running two of these apps in parallel because no single app covers the full surface area. The most common patterns:
EasyTeam handles time-clock, payroll, and POS commission. StaffHub handles training, multi-location announcements, peer tips, and recognition. Both are Shopify-native, so you don't run a parallel staff database. Combined cost is typically $40-60/mo for a 10-staff multi-location retailer — less than EasyTeam Plus or Homebase Plus alone.
Homebase handles time-clock, payroll, HR document storage. StaffHub handles training and multi-location comms. Downside: you'll maintain staff records in two systems (Shopify staff + Homebase employee profiles), which is feasible for a small team but creates real overhead at 25+ staff.
Don't run both Homebase and EasyTeam. They overlap heavily on time-clock and scheduling, so you'll be paying twice for similar features. Pick whichever fits your binding constraint and stop there.
Pricing models for these apps are different enough that direct list-price comparison is misleading. Here's what a typical multi-location Shopify retailer actually pays at various team sizes:
Solo or single-shop, <5 staff:
Single-shop, 10 staff:
3 shops, 25 staff:
5 shops, 50 staff:
The pattern is clear: StaffHub's tier-based pricing scales differently from per-location or per-seat models. It is dramatically cheaper at scale on the training-and-comms slice. It does not cover time-clock or payroll, so you'd add EasyTeam (~$50-200/mo depending on team size) on top if you need those.
Three rules of thumb:
All three apps offer free trials (Homebase has a permanent free tier; EasyTeam and StaffHub both run 14-day trials with no credit card required). Don't pay for anything until you've actually used the trial in your real workflow.
If you want a more detailed head-to-head on any single pair of these apps:
StaffHub is live on the Shopify App Store with a free plan for up to 5 staff and a 14-day free trial on paid tiers, no credit card required. $12.99-$49.99/mo, tier-based pricing for up to unlimited staff.
Install StaffHub on Shopify — 14-Day Free Trial
Want a free starting point before picking a tool? The Multi-Location Rota Template Builder generates a printable weekly rota for 2–5 shops. No signup.
Or browse our full list of Shopify apps and services, or get in touch if you'd like a 15-minute call to talk through which combination of apps fits your specific Shopify retail setup.
Related reading: StaffHub vs EasyTeam (head-to-head) · StaffHub vs Homebase (head-to-head) · Multi-location staff scheduling guide · EasyTeam alternatives.