Real pricing of retail scheduling software in 2026: Combo, Skello, Factorial, Squadra

> Scope: these are the tools a European buyer shortlists. Combo, Skello and Factorial are widely used in France, Spain and Italy, and the prices below are in euros, taken from their own pricing pages. If you are shopping in the United States, your shortlist is more likely Homebase, When I Work, 7shifts and Sling: those are compared in the free scheduling apps for small business.

Why this article exists

Scheduling software vendors don't love displaying their prices. Most require a demo before sharing a rate. This article gathers public pricing, verified customer feedback and hidden tiers for the 4 main players: Combo, Skello, Factorial, and Squadra Planning.

Updated May 2026. Prices change fast, verify with vendors for recent contracts.

Combo: €5.50/employee/month (Performance plan)

Combo charges per employee with 3 tiers:

• Start (basic scheduling): not publicly disclosed
• Performance (scheduling + time clock + payroll): around €5.50/employee/month
• Premium (with API): custom quote

Hidden costs: paid onboarding on Start and Performance (€300 to €800 one-shot). No free plan. Annual commitment often required.

Breakdown by size:

Employees	Monthly cost	Annual cost
10	€55	€660
50	€275	€3,300
100	€550	€6,600
200	€1,100	€13,200

For details, see the Squadra vs Combo page.

Skello: from €5/employee/month (Starter plan)

Skello is the restaurant specialist. 3-tier pricing:

• Starter: €5 per employee per month minimum
• Premium: €9 per employee per month
• Success: custom quote for groups

Hidden costs: paid onboarding on Starter (often €500 one-shot), Premium imposes a customer success team at €2,000 to €5,000/year depending on contract. No publicly accessible free plan.

Breakdown (Premium plan):

Employees	Monthly cost	Annual cost
10	€90	€1,080
50	€450	€5,400
100	€900	€10,800
200	€1,800	€21,600

Skello stays relevant for pure HCR restaurants. For retail, see Skello alternative.

Factorial: €6 to €8/employee/month (full HR suite)

Factorial is an HRIS that includes scheduling, payroll, recruiting, e-signature, performance. Modular pricing:

• Core HR: ~€6/employee/month
• HR + Recruitment: ~€8/employee/month
• Full suite: ~€10/employee/month

Hidden costs: optional modules (training, ATS) billed separately. Paid onboarding. No free plan for scheduling module alone.

Breakdown (Core HR):

Employees	Monthly cost	Annual cost
10	€60	€720
50	€300	€3,600
100	€600	€7,200
200	€1,200	€14,400

For direct comparison, see Squadra vs Factorial.

Squadra Planning: $29/month flat

3-plan pricing (see full Pricing page):

• Free: €0/month, forever. Limit 10 employees and 1 store.
• Pro: $29/month flat. Unlimited employees and stores. All features.
• Enterprise: custom quote for 200+ employees (SSO, SLA, dedicated support). Around €150 to €400/month.

No hidden cost. No paid onboarding on Pro. No commitment. 14-day trial without credit card.

Breakdown:

Employees	Recommended plan	Monthly cost	Annual cost
5	Free	€0	€0
10	Pro	$29	$348
50	Pro	$29	$348
100	Pro	$29	$348
200	Pro or Enterprise	$29 to €200	$348 to €2,400

Summary at 100 employees

Software	Monthly cost	Annual cost	Pricing model
Combo	€550	€6,600	per employee
Skello Premium	€900	€10,800	per employee
Factorial Core HR	€600	€7,200	per employee
Squadra Pro	$29	$348	all inclusive

The gap is 18x to 30x. For 100 employees, you pay each year what you pay in 6 days at Combo.

Hidden gaps to check before signing

1. Onboarding: half of vendors charge between €300 and €2,000 for setup. Squadra includes everything.
2. Optional modules: Skello and Factorial charge separately for the payroll module, e-signature, ATS. Squadra includes everything in Pro.
3. Commitment: Combo and Skello often require annual commitment. Squadra has no commitment, monthly cancelable.
4. Support: Skello bills certain tiers for an account manager. Squadra includes 4h business hour support.

How to decide?

Three questions:

• How many employees? Under 5 → Squadra Free. 6 to 200 → Squadra Pro. Beyond → Squadra Enterprise or Skello.
• Activity? Pure HCR restaurants → compare Skello and Squadra. Multi-store retail → Squadra. Full HRIS needed → Factorial or Lucca.
• Commitment? If you want monthly flexibility, Squadra.

To estimate real savings, use the Squadra savings calculator or the Excel hidden cost calculator if you are still on spreadsheets.

Test before paying

All good vendors offer a free trial. Verify:

• Forever-free plan available (Squadra: yes. Combo, Skello, Factorial: no on scheduling module)
• Paid plan trial period (Squadra: 14 days without credit card)
• Ability to import your data to test in real conditions (CSV)

Open test accounts on 2 or 3 tools in parallel for 1 week before deciding. It is the only way to truly compare.