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HotSchedules vs. SmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    HotSchedules

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AHotSchedules is a cloud-based scheduling, labor and communication management software solution serving the restaurant and hospitality industry. According to the vendor, key benefits include: Build & Communicate Schedules The scheduling and labor management software reduces the time it takes managers to create and communicate schedules. All scheduling and employee information is stored in one central location, so managers have access to time-off requests,…

    $2

    per month per employee

    SmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ASmartRecruiters was acquired by SAP in late 2025, and its functionality will be integrated into SAP SuccessFactors HCM. Check out the Sap SuccessFactors HCM listing for the latest updates.N/A
    Pricing
    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Editions & Modules
    Essentials
    $2
    per month per employee
    Plus
    $4
    per month per employee
    Quote-Based
    Quote-based pricing
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—The software subscription is determined by the number of a company's full time employees. There is a one time cost to set up software, including customizations, integrations, data migration and training.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Considered Both Products
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    No answer on this topic
    SAP
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Would buy again
    27 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    22 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    28 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    16 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    16 Answers
    Features
    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of HotSchedules and SmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Feature
    HotSchedules
    -
    Ratings
    SmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    8.6
    127 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings9.8109 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.9114 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.5112 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
    Customized Application Form00 Ratings9.7104 Ratings
    Resume Management00 Ratings5.6119 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings9.6114 Ratings
    Candidate Search00 Ratings8.1122 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings9.9126 Ratings
    Collaboration00 Ratings9.6117 Ratings
    Task Creation and Delegation00 Ratings9.997 Ratings
    Email Templates00 Ratings9.7114 Ratings
    User Permissions00 Ratings9.7109 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.9119 Ratings
    Reporting00 Ratings1.7105 Ratings
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    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
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    Jolt
    Score9.7 out of 10
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    Score9.1 out of 10
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    Jolt
    Score9.7 out of 10
    CareerSiteBuilder
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
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    JobDiva
    Score8 out of 10
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    User Ratings
    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Likelihood to Recommend
    1.0
    (167 ratings)
    7.9
    (129 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    6.0
    (15 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (12 ratings)
    9.1
    (12 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (10 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.1
    (12 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    HotSchedulesSmartRecruiters, now part of SAP SuccessFactors
    Likelihood to Recommend
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    For small to medium-sized companies HotSchedules works great when business is very static. If you are simply using HotSchedules for a schedule writing tool, it is phenomenal. However, it does miss the mark as a labor control software. Needs more controls to keep managers aware of spending versus historical sales data.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    SmartRecruiters has allowed us to enable our hiring managers to self-service their requirements for recruitment, simplifying our internal processes. We have visibility of recruitment requirements and significantly improved our approvals process using the software. We have been able to configure our hiring processes relevant to different areas of the business. Collaboration for our hiring teams (managers and business partners) is simple and effective. Candidate experience is enhanced and engaging. The platform has brought many benefits to our Resourcing business partners and hiring managers. We have visibility and insightful data which has integrity, allowing us to make informed business decisions. Our offer process has seen significant improvements and provides an engaging candidate experience, previously this was a labour-intensive process that is now streamlined and automated. The recently launched Community for collaboration amongst customers is very helpful and insigtful for how other people are using the software and exploring ideas with each other
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    • Communication is so simple on HotSchedules. Whether it is communicating a new schedule release, or a quick note about tonight's shift we as managers are able to easily communicate and know that it will reach our team through text notifications, or email notifications.
    • The Meal Break planning tool is very useful in being able to help our floor leaders clearly understand and plan for what breaks are needed throughout the shift. This allows them to come up with a strategic game plan quickly and spend more time with our guests.
    • Shift Swaps and Releases are so seamless. This is our favorite tool as it makes helping our team cover shifts extremely easy and painless. On the flip side it also makes staff who want more hours be able to find what is available in real time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • Job Referrals - can easily refer others to a job posting and view the status
    • Job Postings - can easily search for job openings and read job description and criteria
    • Application online - Can easily apply for the job directly and see who the hiring manager and hiring recruiter is
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    • Clocking In and out can be a little slow. It takes longer to clock in then our previous method. Before we just had a card you swiped and it would clock you in. Took 2 seconds. Now with the Hotschdules method we use it take 30 seconds or so. Not a huge issue but it can add up if you have one computer and a line of employees waiting to clock in.
    • Time Cards. It does not allow you to view someones current time until the "punch" has ended. If the manager would like to check what time the employee clocked in/out from lunch they have to wait until the employee has clocked out for the day before the record is generated. As a shift lead you may send and employee to lunch but forget to note what time you sent them. Awhile passes and you feel like they should be back by now, so you want to go in and see what time they left for lunch but it does not show you that punch record because the employee is still "clocked in" they are just on their "Meal Break"
    • The ability to customize the restrictions for Clocking in and out. You can set it up so that employees can only clock in from a specific location, however if you have a manager who is allowed to work from home they would not be able to clock in without being at the same location as set in the software. It would be nice to see it able to be customized per user.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • Settings page can be difficult to navigate & find what you're looking for
    • Job approval chains would be better with additional qualifying fields so that we can segregate different areas of the business better
    • The ability to edit an existing offer template in-system would improve the experience, rather than having to edit offline and upload a whole new version.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    Ease of use, efficiently creating and posting staff schedules.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    I thoroughly enjoy using SmartRecruiters and have shared this feedback with those responsible, however I am not a decision maker in the process. I understand that at the moment there are lots of factors affecting the economy and business outcomes, so I cannot comment with certainty on the renewal of SmartRecruiters at this time, not involved in the confirmation of renewal.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    6 Years of Experience provides me the insight on the upgrades and changes that HotSchedules has done to improve the experience of its users. There are so many features that we still have not started or used to the fullest, but we believe that we are currently getting a strong value out of the money that is paid for this product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    I would give this rating as overall it a great combo of all your problems. With just one click you can get away with all your problems such as recruitment, candidate update, Interview scheduling, updating candidates, reports of a job perspective, and recruiters perspective. Usability is worth of SmartRecruiters. The dashboard is also very attractive and once you open you will love working on this platform again and again. I would say it is the best platform to use once for smooth work in your organization.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    No answers on this topic
    SAP
    Rarely is there an issue and if the product is down, it typically is restored quickly.
    Read full review
    Performance
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    No answers on this topic
    SAP
    I have no complaints about performance. The system works virtually flawless.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    On rare occasions a phone call has been required to find the solution to a problem, the HotSchedules response staff have been helpful, courteous, and genuinely seem to care for their clients and take pride in what they do. The consistent development and fine tuning of the platform, interface, and mobile environment shows that this is not a program full of people who rest on their laurels.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Response is normally very fast. There are times, however, when the response is not useful. It is difficult to work with the reporting and the offer letter templates, and the front line support agents usually are not very knowledgeable. Second, if there are any issues with integrations, the regular support agents will not be able to help you. You'll have to create that ticket and ask them to escalate it to an integration specialist.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    No answers on this topic
    SAP
    Quick and easy to learn.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    No answers on this topic
    SAP
    It really was a painless and easy process to switch to SmartRecruiters.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    I have not used any other Scheduling software for employees. As a campground manager in the summer season, we are using campground master for reservations. it is very similar in process to employee scheduling. the ability to the user of that program to set up their own parameters for time and reservations is something that would benefit the employee scheduling software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    I've really enjoyed using SmartRecruiters, but these other ATSs that we've checked out offer better reporting features and price points. Over time, we may be transitioning off of SmartRecruiters to one of these ATSs because the price is a set price where SmartRecruiters has employee-based pricing model. Also, these other software products offer better reporting features that would eliminate some of our manual tracking process that we're currently doing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    No answers on this topic
    SAP
    No explanation really, just a great product.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    HotSchedules and Fourth
    • Saving time on scheduling means our managers can focus more on guest experience, managing the floor and other areas that contribute to the success of our business.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • In terms of ROI, SR helped our business greatly in returning precious time to my productivity in business management, as well as my team's, so that we could get back to the main work we were hired for. The SR process did most of the heavy lifting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    HotSchedules Screenshots

    Screenshot of Time-Off, Availability, Employee Hours, Sales Volume are all available in the scheduler.Screenshot of Employees are able to swap and pick-up shifts from the HotSchedules Mobile App. All shift changes or requests require a manager's approval.Screenshot of Managers and employees can communicate with each other from the mobile and web apps - from anywhere and at anytime.Screenshot of Employees can submit a time-off, request - paid, or unpaid - and can request to work or request off right from the mobile app.Screenshot of Managers can view sales and labor data from their phone.