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PeopleBridge vs Sling · 2026

An honest comparison — including where Sling wins.

Sling was acquired by Toast in 2022 and rebranded as Toast Payroll & Team. It's the default many Toast operators end up on. We built PeopleBridge as a deeper Toast integration without the per-employee billing. Here's where each one actually wins.

FeaturePeopleBridgeSlingNotes
Free tier✅ First month free, 1 loc / 10 employees✅ Free scheduling tier (limited)Sling free is usable for scheduling only
Pricing for 3 locations$1/employee/mo + $30 (3 locations)$1.70–$2.90 per employee/mo + Toast Payroll feesSling adds up at scale; ours is one simple plan
Per-employee billing model✅ $1/active employee/mo + $10/location✅ Per-user pricingSling gets expensive past ~20 employees
Toast POS data depth✅ Sales + tips + tax + applied discounts + server attribution✅ Direct (owned by Toast)Sling is owned by Toast — same data, different presentation
Tip pool calculator✅ Pro-rata by hours, Lock & Pay snapshot, payroll CSV⚠️ Via Toast Payroll moduleOurs is standalone and works without Toast Payroll subscription
GPS-verified time clock✅ Included for everyone✅Comparable
Drag-and-drop scheduling✅✅
Onboarding (W-4, I-9, DD)✅ Included⚠️ Toast Payroll moduleSling requires Toast Payroll subscription for full onboarding
Operational AI features✅ All AI included⚠️ Auto-scheduling onlyWe have OT predictor, demand forecasting, document extraction
Native iOS / Android app❌ PWA only✅ Native appsSling has the Toast app ecosystem behind it
Shift trades + open shifts✅✅
Multi-location scheduling✅ $1/employee + $10/location✅ Per-employee per locationMath favors us above ~20 employees per location
Works without Toast Payroll✅ Standalone⚠️ Most features require Toast PayrollBig deal if you use Gusto/ADP/QuickBooks instead
CPA-ready monthly tax export✅ With Toast integration⚠️ Via Toast PayrollWe export to standalone QuickBooks/Gusto/ADP/Paychex
Team messaging✅ Per-location targeting✅
Nonprofit discount✅ 10% off❌ Not advertised

The honest takeaway

Pick PeopleBridge if…

  • You're on Toast POS but use a non-Toast payroll provider (Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks)
  • You have 20+ employees and Sling's per-user billing hurts
  • You want the full feature set (onboarding, tip pool, AI) without Toast Payroll subscription
  • You want CPA-ready tax reports independent of your payroll tool
  • You want nonprofit pricing

Pick Sling if…

  • You're already paying for Toast Payroll & Team and want one vendor
  • Native iOS / Android app distribution is non-negotiable
  • You're a single-location restaurant with <15 employees on Sling's free tier
  • You don't need W-4/I-9 digital onboarding (Sling free is scheduling only)

Common questions

Isn't Sling part of Toast now?
Yes. Toast acquired Sling in 2022 and re-marketed it as Toast Payroll & Team. The scheduling and time-clock pieces are still recognizable as Sling, but most useful features (full onboarding, tip pool distribution, payroll automation) are gated behind Toast Payroll subscription. If you use a non-Toast payroll provider, you lose access to those.
Why would I pick PeopleBridge over Sling if I'm already on Toast?
Two real reasons: (1) You don't want to be locked into Toast for payroll — we work great with Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks, Paychex. (2) Sling's billing hurts at scale. At 30 employees on 3 locations, Sling can run $150-200/mo. PeopleBridge is one simple plan — $1 per active employee/mo + $10 per location/mo — so that's $60/mo total, everything included.
Do I lose Toast POS depth by leaving Sling?
No. PeopleBridge pulls the same Toast data Sling does — sales, tips, tax, applied discounts, server attribution — via Toast's Standard API. The integration depth is comparable; the difference is pricing model and payroll independence.
Can I trial both?
Yes. Sling has a free scheduling-only tier; PeopleBridge is free for your first month with the full feature set (up to 1 location and 10 employees, no card). Run both for a week and compare. The price gap typically shows up at the second location or above 15 employees.
How hard is the migration?
Export your employee roster from Sling as CSV (Settings → Export). Upload to PeopleBridge via Settings → People → Import. Names, emails, pay rates, and location assignments come over. Historical schedules are usually rebuilt — most teams treat that as a fresh start.

Trial both. See for yourself.

Free for your first month, no credit card. If Sling is the right fit for your team, we'll be the first to say so.

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