A LibStaffer alternative that stands on its own
LibStaffer is the scheduling feature of a content suite. Kickstool is the whole product — with a staff experience your desk workers won't need training for, and volunteers who never cost a seat.
Free 30-day pilot · No credit card · Export your data anytime
Why libraries look for a LibStaffer alternative
LibStaffer is established, reliable, library-specific software. The libraries that go looking for an alternative usually aren't angry — they're paying for friction in three places:
Staff find it hard to love
The most consistent user feedback: the interface feels busy and takes time to learn. The people who feel it most are desk staff who only want to see their shifts and swap coverage.
Volunteers count as seats
There's no volunteer concept — every scheduled person is a user. Libraries that grow their volunteer program watch the invoice grow with it.
The bundle is the deal
LibStaffer's best economics come from being deep in the Springshare Suite. Running it standalone means paying an ecosystem tax for one feature you use.
Pricing takes a sales call
There's no public price. For a director who has to defend every line to a board, a quote-based number is one more meeting.
Kickstool vs. LibStaffer, honestly
Both are real library scheduling tools. Here is where they actually differ — including the places LibStaffer is still ahead.
| What you're scheduling | LibStaffer | Kickstool |
|---|---|---|
| Library-specific scheduling | Real library coverage: branches, service points, desk shifts, cross-branch swaps. | Same territory: service points, desk shifts, multi-person assignments, coverage requests. This is table stakes for both. |
| Frontline staff experience | The most common complaint from its own users: the interface can feel busy and takes time to learn — especially for staff who just want to see shifts and swap coverage. | Staff mostly don't log in at all: shifts sync live to Google or Apple Calendar, and time off or coverage offers take a few taps on a phone. |
| Volunteers | Volunteers are users like any other — they occupy paid seats. | Volunteers are always free, scheduled right next to staff, with hours totaled for grant reports. No email address required to add one. |
| Pricing transparency | Quote-based — you ask, they price your account. | Published flat price per branch, same for everyone, on our public pricing page. |
| Ecosystem | Part of the Springshare Suite — strongest value when you're also on LibCal, LibGuides, and LibAnswers. | Standalone by design. No suite to adopt, and one-click export of everything means no suite to leave, either. |
| Time clock | Built-in clock in / clock out. | Deliberately not built — we track scheduled and worked hours and export them for your payroll system instead of replacing it. |
Who should switch — and who shouldn't
Different libraries, different right answers. We'd rather tell you now than after you've moved your schedule.
Kickstool is the better fit if
- You run LibStaffer standalone, or you're evaluating it without the rest of Springshare
- Your volunteer corps is real — volunteers are free here, never seats
- Desk staff resist the tool, and you want shifts to just appear in their calendar app
- You want a published price you can put in a board packet without a sales call
LibStaffer may still serve you better if
- You're deep in the Springshare Suite (LibCal, LibGuides, LibAnswers) — the bundle discount is real, and honestly it's hard to beat
- You need built-in clock in / clock out — we export hours to payroll instead
Switching is our job, not yours
Send us your current schedule
Any format works: a LibStaffer export, a spreadsheet, even a photo of the whiteboard. You don't clean it up first.
See your own library, not a demo account
We import it for you, so the first time you open Kickstool it already shows your people, your desks, and your next two weeks.
Run both, then decide
Most libraries keep the old tool open alongside during the pilot. Month to month, no contract on our side, and one click exports everything you ever entered.
LibStaffer comparison questions
- Is Kickstool part of a suite like LibStaffer is?
- No. LibStaffer is part of the Springshare Suite, and its best economics come from being bundled with LibCal, LibGuides, and LibAnswers. Kickstool is standalone by design: no suite to adopt, and one-click export of everything means no suite to leave, either.
- Do volunteers count as paid seats in Kickstool?
- No. Volunteers are always free, scheduled right next to staff, with hours totaled for grant reports. You don't even need an email address to add one. In LibStaffer, every scheduled person occupies a paid seat.
- What does Kickstool cost?
- One flat published price per branch, the same for everyone, listed on the public pricing page. No quote request or sales call needed — a number you can put straight into a board packet.
- Does Kickstool have clock in / clock out like LibStaffer?
- No, and that's deliberate. Kickstool tracks scheduled and worked hours and exports them for your payroll system instead of replacing it. If a built-in time clock is a requirement, LibStaffer serves you better there.
- When is LibStaffer the better choice?
- If your library is deep in the Springshare Suite, the bundle discount is real and honestly hard to beat. Kickstool makes the most sense when you run LibStaffer standalone or are evaluating scheduling on its own merits.
Build the whole week on one screen.
Not a dated spreadsheet you have to decode. People down the side, the week across the top, every shift in its place. Flip to Service points to read the same week by desk — and spot the desks nobody's covering yet.
See your whole week on one screen.
Pilot Kickstool free, set up your library this afternoon, and schedule a real week — staff and volunteers together.