Short answer on Homebase pricing: it charges per location, not per person, with four plans from a free Basic tier to $120 a month, and sells payroll, a task manager and tip management as add-ons. That makes it cheap for one busy site with many staff and dearer as locations multiply. Full disclosure: we build Wrkbase, and the last section says when it is and is not an alternative.
The four plans
Homebase's pricing page lists four plans per location per month, with an annual and monthly toggle and a Save 20 percent badge. The page does not say which billing mode the listed prices reflect. Prices on 31 October 2026:
| Plan | Per location | Employees | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | Up to 10, one location | Basic scheduling, basic time tracking, point-of-sale integration, payroll add-on available |
| Essentials | $30 | Unlimited | Advanced scheduling, advanced time tracking, team communication |
| Plus | $70 (shown as $0 with $70 crossed out) | Unlimited | AI scheduling assistant, PTO and time-off controls, departments and permissions, 6 months of free payroll |
| All-in-One | $120 | Unlimited | Employee onboarding, labor cost management, HR and compliance tools |
The free trial and the free plan
Homebase offers a 14-day free trial of All-in-One with no credit card. If you pick no plan by the end, the account moves to the free Basic plan. Teams with more than 10 employees or more than one location are asked to choose a paid plan. The page shows Plus as $0 with $70 crossed out and does not explain why, so treat $70 as the list price and confirm at checkout.
Add-ons
Payroll is an add-on on any plan: the first 6 months are free as a limited-time offer, then a $49 monthly base fee plus $6 per employee paid. The page also lists $29 a month for teams up to 5. Other add-ons are Task Manager at $13 a month per location, Tip Manager at $25 a month per location, background checks at $30 each, job post boosts from $50 per post, and a Hiring Assistant from $99 a month with the first month free.
What it costs at one, three and five locations
Because the price is per location, headcount does not change it. Monthly cost at list prices from the plan table above. Basic is limited to one location, so it is not shown for three or five.
| Plan | 1 location | 3 locations | 5 locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $30 | $90 | $150 |
| Plus | $70 | $210 | $350 |
| All-in-One | $120 | $360 | $600 |
What payroll adds for a team of 10
At the standard rate after the free months, payroll for 10 employees is $49 plus 10 x $6, so $109 a month. On Essentials at one location that makes $139 a month; on Basic it would be $109, though Basic's 10-employee limit makes it the edge case. Compare that with the other tools in Homebase alternatives.
Who it suits, and where Wrkbase fits
Homebase fits one or two fixed locations with many hourly staff, a register and a wish to start free. Per-location pricing works against it when the same people are spread across several sites. See Homebase vs When I Work for the per-user alternative.
Wrkbase is not a shift-first tool. Its shift scheduling is a weekly rota with no open shifts, shift swaps or register integration, and it does not file payroll taxes. It is an alternative when the rota is one part of a wider job: attendance, timesheets, tasks, leave, team chat and payroll tracking are in one workspace, free for up to 5 people and $8 per member per month on Team. The line-by-line version is on Wrkbase vs Homebase.
Questions this post answers
Is Homebase really free?
Yes, within limits. The Basic plan is free for one location with up to 10 employees and includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and the point-of-sale integration. Teams with more than 10 employees or more than one location are asked to choose a paid plan.
How much is Homebase payroll?
The page lists the first 6 months free as a limited-time offer, then a $49 monthly base fee plus $6 per employee paid. It also lists $29 a month for teams up to 5. For 10 employees at the standard rate that is $109 a month on top of the plan.
How much does Homebase cost for three locations?
Pricing is per location, so at list prices three locations on Essentials are $90 a month, on Plus $210 and on All-in-One $360, whatever the staff count.
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