Across this series, we've covered how Shiftaru
- automatically matches requests to availability (Post 2)
- never sends your customer data anywhere (Post 3)
- handles real-world complexity — home care, tutoring, on-location shoots, multi-store retail — with structure instead of willpower
This post closes the loop with the two questions that actually decide anything: how do I try it, and what does it cost?
🔧 Note
Shiftaru is in active development. Right now you can try the free practice mode (sample data, no signup).
👉 https://shiftaru.com
Start in practice mode — no signup, nothing to install
There's no email registration and no install. Open it in a browser, click "Try with sample data," and a full set of fictional customers and staff loads instantly. From there you can run the whole loop, all the way through matching.
You also choose the size. 20 customers × 10 staff, or 500 × 50 — pick numbers close to your actual operation and see how the speed and the workflow hold up at that scale.
What's free vs. what a license unlocks
This is the part that matters, so let's be blunt about it.
Free (practice mode)
- Industry presets, plus every setting: areas, services, certifications, and more
- Sample data at the size you choose
- Running the matching — the real algorithm, not a demo of it
- The results table, the calendar, the timeline views
- Settings backup (a JSON file with no personal data in it)
Unlocked by a license
- Importing your real data (sheet URL, Excel/CSV, or manual entry)
- CSV / Excel export — taking the finished schedule out with you
- Google Form auto-generation — building the intake form that collects availability
In short: you can see everything, you just can't take it out. Judge the quality of the matching against your own scale before you spend a cent. The license only kicks in when you move into real operations — your data in, a real schedule out.
Pricing
- Weekly | $40 / week — the low-commitment way in
- Monthly | $150 / month — for ongoing use, and cheaper per week
One license activates on up to 3 devices.
Not sure? Start with practice mode
With scheduling software you never really know whether it fits your operation until you run your own numbers through it. So we made the entire algorithm available before purchase.
Load practice mode at your scale and run one full cycle. If your reaction is "this would make every week easier," that's the moment to buy a license — and not before.
Summary
- Practice mode is free and needs no signup — run the full loop through matching
- Set the number of customers and staff to match your real operation
- You pay only for real data import, CSV export, and form generation (i.e. real operations)
- $40/week or $150/month, one license for up to 3 devices
- ▶ https://shiftaru.com — free practice mode, no signup
- ▶ Read more: Shiftaru Blog