Breakroom vs Crew
Crew was bought by Square and discontinued. Get the same features you loved about Crew before the buyout, without the enterprise complexity or unclear pricing.
Why Teams Are Leaving Crew
"So we used Crew for many years and that worked great for us. I could send a message to one location only and not bother everybody with it, or I could send a message out to everybody across the whole organization or make announcements that the employees can't reply to. That worked great for us. But then Crew was bought out by Square and it changed. So they didn't just buy Crew, they actually absorbed it and said, okay, we bought Crew, we're discontinuing that. You got to use Square, and Square did not work the same way, and we didn't like it."
Crew was acquired by Square in 2021. The original Crew app was simple and worked well for frontline teams. After the acquisition, users were forced to migrate to Square's ecosystem, which doesn't work the same way. Many Crew customers are now looking for what Crew used to be: simple, focused team communication and scheduling.
We built what Crew was before Square bought it. Location-based messaging, announcements, scheduling, and nothing else. No forced migrations, no enterprise bloat.
Pricing Comparison
What Happened to Crew
2014-2021
Crew App Era
Crew was a simple, effective tool for frontline teams. Features included location-based messaging, announcements, scheduling, and recognition. Many restaurant, retail, and healthcare teams loved it.
2021
Square Acquisition
Square acquired Crew and announced the shutdown of the original Crew app. All users were forced to migrate to Square's platform.
Post-2021
Square Migration
"Square did not work the same way, and we didn't like it."
Many Crew customers left to find alternatives that worked like the original Crew app.
2024-Present
Teams Still Looking
Former Crew users are still searching for the simple, focused tool they lost when Square bought Crew.
Features Comparison
✅ Unlimited schedules
✅ Schedule templates
✅ Copy week-to-week
✅ Recurring shifts
✅ Open shifts
✅ Role-based assignments
✅ Team availability overlay
✅ Time-off requests & approvals
✅ Blackout dates
✅ Shift swapping with manager approval
$25/month
✅ Basic scheduling features
✅ Shift coverage
✅ Open shift claiming
❌ "A little difficult to use for scheduling when there are various job roles and departments"
❌ "Wish the SCHEDULE feature was more dynamic than just a photo of the printed schedule"
❌ Service discontinued - migrated to Square
✅ Group chats & 1:1 messaging
✅ Announcements (read-only broadcasts)
✅ File sharing (unlimited files)
✅ Role-based auto chats
✅ Kudos & recognition
✅ Automated birthday/anniversary messages
✅ Read receipts & reminders
✅ No phone numbers shared
$29/month
✅ Team messaging
✅ Announcements that employees couldn't reply to
✅ Location-specific messaging
✅ 1:1 messaging without sharing phone numbers
✅ Recognition with Gold Stars
❌ "Notorious among staff for sending way too many annoying notifications"
❌ Service discontinued in 2021
✅ Unlimited schedules
✅ Schedule templates
✅ Copy week-to-week
✅ Recurring shifts
✅ Open shifts (post for auction)
✅ Team availability overlay
✅ Open shifts (post for auction)
✅ Time-off requests & approvals
✅ Blackout dates
✅ Mobile schedule building
$29/month
❌ Advanced scheduling features (geofencing, breadcrumb tracking) locked to Advanced+ ($49-$99/month)
❌ Some scheduling features only in Expert tier ($99/month)
❌ Need to choose Operations module + tier level
❌ Pay more for features you need
✅ Unlimited schedules
✅ Schedule templates
✅ Copy week-to-week
✅ Recurring shifts
✅ Open shifts (post for auction)
✅ Team availability overlay
✅ Open shifts (post for auction)
✅ Time-off requests & approvals
✅ Blackout dates
✅ Mobile schedule building
$29/month
❌ Advanced scheduling features (geofencing, breadcrumb tracking) locked to Advanced+ ($49-$99/month)
❌ Some scheduling features only in Expert tier ($99/month)
❌ Need to choose Operations module + tier level
❌ Pay more for features you need
Former Crew Customers
Melissa's Experience:
6 locations, 135 employees
Used Crew for many years
What She Loved About Crew:
What Happened:
After Crew:
Organization-wide announcements: Included
Read-only announcements: Included
Everything Crew had before Square: $29/month
Dennis's Experience
Multiple locations
Used Crew for communication
The Problem:
Crew's Limitation:
SMS backup notifications: Included
Unified scheduling + communication: $29/month
Works with existing schedule builders: Included
What Crew Users Actually Say
From Verified User Reviews
Too Many Notifications
"It's a little difficult to use for scheduling when there are various job roles and departments. It also is notorious among staff for sending way too many annoying notifications."
— Verified User Review,
Schedule Photo Limitations
"Wish the SCHEDULE feature was more dynamic than just a photo of the printed schedule."
Verified User Review,
Feature Removal After Changes
"When app changed it did not offer features we used before. To continue using it, it was an additional cost.
Verified User Review,
What Breakroom Does Differently
BEING HONEST
Why Crew Died
WHAT MADE CREW GREAT (2014-2021):
Simple, mobile-first interface for frontline teams
Location-specific messaging
Announcements without replies
No phone number sharing
Recognition and culture features
Focused on communication and basic scheduling
WHAT WENT WRONG:
Square acquired Crew in 2021
Original Crew app was discontinued
Users forced to migrate to Square ecosystem
Square didn't work the same way
Many customers left to find alternatives
WHY BREAKROOM IS THE REPLACEMENT:
Same core features Crew had before Square
Independent company (no acquisition risk)
Simple flat pricingActive development and support
Built specifically for what Crew users want
Everything You Loved About Crew
Communications Features:
✅ Location-based messaging
✅ Organization-wide broadcasts
✅ Announcements (read-only)
✅ 1:1 and group messaging
✅ No phone number sharing
✅ File sharing
✅ Employee recognition
Scheduling Features:
✅ Shift scheduling
✅ Shift coverage requests
✅ Open shifts
✅ Time-off management
✅ Schedule notifications
Team Features:
✅ Birthday celebrations
✅ Work anniversaries
✅ Kudos and recognition
✅ Mobile-first design
What Breakroom Adds:
✅ SMS backup notifications
✅ Read receipts with reminders
✅ More robust scheduling tools
✅ Schedule templates
✅ Availability tracking
Moving From Crew (or Square) to Breakroom
Most teams fully migrated in under 1 hour
All features unlocked
Import your existing team
No credit card required
QR code, link, or phone invite
Same simplicity Crew had
Takes 5 minutes
Just like Crew's location system
Message by location or organization-wide
Announcements (read-only like Crew)
Location-specific groups
Recognition system
Pricing Breakdown
Breakroom saves you $71-$471/month for typical teams (30-100 employees)
Built for teams who loved Crew before Square bought it. Simple, focused, and independent.