Roz vs Spreadsheets
Short answer: Pick a spreadsheet if you roster a small team that rarely changes. Pick Roz once you're chasing sick-call cover, checking rest breaks by eye, or sending the roster to staff one by one.
Last updated 27 September 2026 · Reviewed by the Roz team
A spreadsheet is free and flexible, but it can't check itself. Rest breaks, who's qualified, and who's over their hours all rest on you, by hand, every single week. Roz drafts the roster, checks it against the rules you set, and messages staff to confirm — priced per site with unlimited management users.
| Roz | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Core focus | AI-first rostering that drafts, rebuilds, and repairs the roster, then reaches staff to confirm the change. | A blank, fully flexible grid you build and maintain yourself — no scheduling logic built in. |
| AI capability | Roz rebuilds the roster after a sick call, proposes rule-compliant swaps, and flags coverage gaps and overtime risk before you publish. | None. Every change, swap, and sick-cover replacement is found and entered manually. |
| Compliance handling | Fixed rules you set for rest hours, qualifications/certifications, and availability blackouts, checked on every roster build. | No built-in awareness of award rules, notice periods, or minimum-break requirements — a person has to know the rules and check them manually, every time. |
| Staff communication | Roz messages staff on WhatsApp, Telegram, and email; staff reply on WhatsApp, Telegram, or in the Roz app to request leave, swap a shift, or say they're running late. | No built-in delivery. Typically exported, printed, or manually messaged to each person, with no automatic confirmation they've seen it. |
| Cost | Per site + active staff, with unlimited management users on every plan. From $49/month AUD, incl. GST, published on the pricing page. | No subscription fee if you already own Excel or use Google Sheets free. The real cost is manager time spent building, fixing, and manually enforcing rules — plus compliance risk if record-keeping falls short (see below). |
| Best for | Businesses with 1 to 8 sites, especially once the roster changes weekly and rules need checking every time. | A single person, or a very small, stable team where nothing changes week to week. |
Fair Work facts checked 27 September 2026 from fairwork.gov.au and awards.fairwork.gov.au. Roz pricing from rozhq.com/pricing.
What a spreadsheet leaves to you
A spreadsheet doesn't know your award, and it won't remind you when a rule applies. Under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, staff need "a minimum break of 10 hours between when the employee finishes ordinary hours on one day and starts ordinary hours on the next," or 8 hours for a roster changeover (clause 15.5(e)) — Roz checks this if you set it as a rule, on every roster build. Two more examples a spreadsheet won't catch: under the General Retail Industry Award, permanent roster changes need "at least 7 days' written notice" (clause 15.9(e)), and "the minimum daily engagement for a part-time employee is 3 consecutive hours" (clause 10.9). Roz doesn't check notice periods or minimum engagement either — your award and your payroll tool cover those.
The record-keeping obligation most spreadsheets miss
Fair Work's guidance is direct: "Employers have to keep time and wages records for 7 years." Those records come from your timesheets and payroll, not your roster. Roz doesn't do timesheets or pay, so keep your payroll tool for that. While your account is active, Roz keeps a dated history of every roster draft, edit, and publish; if you cancel, your data stays read-only for 90 days so you can export it. Fair Work can fine businesses that don't keep proper time and wages records — see fairwork.gov.au for current amounts.
When a spreadsheet is the better fit
If you're the only person on the roster, or you run a stable team where the schedule barely changes, a spreadsheet is a completely reasonable choice — it's free, flexible, and you already know how to use it. There's no subscription to justify, and building the discipline to check the rules above manually is entirely possible at that scale.
When Roz is the better fit
The switching point is usually the first time a spreadsheet roster starts costing real time: chasing a replacement for a sick call under pressure, second-guessing whether a shift breaches the minimum-break rule, or manually messaging every affected person when a shift changes. Roz's AI roster editor drafts and repairs the roster, checks it against rest-hour, qualification, and blackout rules on every build, and messages affected staff on WhatsApp, Telegram, or email automatically — so the checking and the messaging stop being manual work.
Roz for your industry
Roz is built for cafes, retail, and clinics — see how it fits your business.
Common questions
Is Roz a spreadsheet alternative?
Yes, for teams past the point a spreadsheet keeps up. A spreadsheet is free and flexible, but rest breaks, who's qualified, and who's over their hours all rest on you, by hand, every week. Roz drafts the roster, checks it against the rules you set, and messages staff on WhatsApp, Telegram, or email once it's published.
What does a spreadsheet roster actually cost?
No subscription fee if you already own Excel or use Google Sheets free. The real cost is manager time — building the roster, fixing it after every sick call, checking rest hours and qualifications by eye, and re-sending it to staff. Work it out with your own numbers: if that's 3 hours a week and your time is worth $40 an hour, that's about $520 a month. Photograph your paper roster or export your spreadsheet, and Roz imports the staff and shifts.
Does a spreadsheet track Fair Work rules automatically?
No. A spreadsheet has no built-in awareness of award rules — minimum breaks between shifts, roster-change notice periods, or minimum engagement lengths — unless a person builds and maintains those checks manually, and keeps maintaining them as awards change. Roz checks the rules you set — rest hours, qualifications, and availability blackouts — on every roster build. Roz doesn't check notice periods or minimum engagement; your award and your payroll tool cover those.
How long do I have to keep time and wages records?
Seven years. Fair Work's own guidance states: "Employers have to keep time and wages records for 7 years." Those records come from your timesheets and payroll, not your roster — your roster tool doesn't hold these; your payroll tool does.
What happens if I get record-keeping wrong?
Fair Work can fine businesses that don't keep proper time and wages records. See fairwork.gov.au for current amounts. Those records come from timesheets and payroll — Roz doesn't do either, so keep your payroll tool for that.
Can staff get shift updates automatically from a spreadsheet?
Not on their own — someone has to export, print, photograph, or manually message the change to every affected person, with no built-in confirmation they've seen it. Roz messages affected staff on WhatsApp, Telegram, or email automatically when a shift changes, and staff reply on WhatsApp, Telegram, or in the Roz app.
Which is better for a brand-new, single-person business?
A spreadsheet is a completely reasonable place to start if you're the only person on the roster — there's nothing to coordinate yet. The switching point is usually the first time you're juggling more than a couple of staff or covering a sick call under time pressure.
Is my staff data safe with an AI?
Your roster data is stored in Sydney. Roz's AI runs on Claude, made by Anthropic, which doesn't train on your data. Roz suggests changes, and no roster change goes out until you approve it. Read more on our security page.
Other comparisons
The Fair Work facts above are quoted directly from fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/paying-wages/record-keeping, the General Retail Industry Award (MA000004), and the Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009), checked 27 September 2026, plus rozhq.com/pricing for Roz. This page isn't legal advice — check the award that applies to your business and, if in doubt, Fair Work's own guidance or a workplace-relations adviser. We haven't invented any statistic about how much time a spreadsheet roster costs; that depends on your business.