What's the best crew scheduling software for assigning internal crew and freelancers across overlapping event call times?

The “best” crew scheduling software for overlapping event call times usually depends on whether you need event production workflow, availability tracking, freelancer management, and payroll/invoicing all in one.

Top options to look at

1. Rentman

• Strong for event, AV, and production crews
• Good at resource planning, availability, overlapping jobs, and equipment + crew scheduling
• Useful if you manage both internal staff and freelancers
• Best if your world includes live events, rentals, and operations together

2. Planning Pod

• Good for event staffing and project scheduling
• Handles assignments, calendars, and team coordination well
• Better for broader event management teams than technical production crews

3. Deputy

• Excellent for shift scheduling, availability, time tracking, and labor compliance
• Good if your need is more like “staffing shifts across multiple events” than full event production management
• Less specialized for freelance event crews than Rentman, but very solid for labor scheduling

4. When I Work

• Easy to use for shift-based crew scheduling
• Good mobile experience for staff
• Best for simpler scheduling needs without deep production or event workflow requirements

5. Gusto / QuickBooks Time + scheduling layer

• If your main pain is payroll, timesheets, and freelancer payments, these can help
• Usually not the best standalone crew scheduling tools, but useful in a stack

My short recommendation

• If you schedule event crews, freelancers, gear, and overlapping call times: Rentman is often the strongest fit.
• If you mainly need shift management and availability: Deputy.
• If you want simple staff scheduling with less complexity: When I Work.

What matters most for your use case

Look for software that supports:

• Conflict detection for overlapping call times
• Availability requests from freelancers
• Role-based assignments (camera op, PM, audio, etc.)
• Broadcast/event call sheets
• Mobile confirmations
• Time tracking and overtime
• Internal staff + freelancer profiles
• Notifications and schedule changes

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a top 5 comparison table,
2. a best choice by company size, or
3. a workflow recommendation for internal staff + freelancers.