What Thinking Software does

Thinking Software (legal entity Restranaut Ltd) is a UK-based, privately held software vendor founded around 1998 and headquartered in Asthall Leigh, Oxfordshire. The company develops and sells two cloud-based workforce products: RotaOne, a time and attendance and rota planning platform covering shift scheduling, absence management, HR reporting, payroll exports, and an employee self-service mobile app with GPS clock-in verification; and Musterd, a dedicated real-time roll call and evacuation management system that integrates access control, visitor management, and HR data and uses What3words for precise muster point location. Both products are built on a multi-tenant cloud architecture accessible from any internet-enabled device, with native iOS and Android apps, and supported by Suprema biometric clocking hardware (BioStation 3, BioStation 2a, BioEntry W2/W3).

The company's business model is subscription-based SaaS sold primarily through direct enterprise sales with quote-based pricing, supplemented by professional services revenue for implementation, training, and ongoing support. GTM is sales-led, demo-driven (60-minute RotaOne and 45-minute Musterd live sessions), and supplemented by product-led adoption via the Employee Self-Service App. Pricing follows a bundled 'One App. One Price' model for RotaOne, while Musterd is a separately priced subscription.

Thinking Software targets six primary verticals — manufacturing, hotels and hospitality, care homes, logistics and transportation, retail, and construction — plus a use-case vertical around emergency evacuation compliance (Martyn's Law). The customer base includes enterprise and mid-market organisations such as Olympus Global, Belron, General Dynamics, Ardagh Group, Eddie Stobart, Holiday Inn, and North Ayrshire Council. The company claims to manage the working time of over 100,000 employees worldwide and to process over £2 billion in payroll annually, has 25+ years of operational history, holds ISO 27001 certification, and reports 98.4% customer satisfaction. Distribution is entirely direct with no disclosed channel partners, and the company is self-funded with no external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the source data.

Name

Thinking Software

Legal name

Restranaut Ltd

Website

https://thinking-software.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thinking Software (Restranaut Ltd) is a UK-based vendor of RotaOne, a cloud-based time and attendance and rota planning SaaS, and Musterd, a real-time roll call and evacuation management system, serving manufacturing, hospitality, care homes, logistics, retail, and construction enterprises across 100,000+ managed employees globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Management & Scheduling (BPACAPAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB), Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ), Workplace Technology & Smart Office Support (Room Booking Systems, IT/AV Liaison) (IMAIALAK), Managed Workplace Services (DaaS/Workplace-as-a-Service) (BPAEAIAA)

Keywords

• Workforce management software
• Time and attendance
• Rota planning software
• Evacuation management system
• Employee scheduling

Headquarters

HQ city

Witney

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. RotaOne Subscription: RotaOne is sold as a cloud-based SaaS workforce management platform under a 'One App. One Price.' model. Pricing is subscription-based with a single package covering all features including time and attendance, rota planning, HR tools, payroll tools, and the built-in roll call report. Billing is likely annual or monthly per organisation or per employee seat.
2. Musterd Subscription: Musterd is offered as a separate product with dedicated roll call and evacuation management capabilities. It is priced as a separate ask-for-quote offering, suggesting a subscription or licence model distinct from the included RotaOne roll call feature.
3. Professional Services (Support, Implementation, Training): Thinking Software generates revenue from support services (dedicated support engineers, remote support via TeamViewer), implementation (dedicated Implementation Manager per new customer), and training services offered at reasonable rates. These are supplementary to the core SaaS subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Thinking Software sells two cloud-based software products: RotaOne, a workforce management platform that handles staff rota planning, shift scheduling, time and attendance recording, absence and holiday management, HR reporting, and payroll exports with a mobile employee self-service app; and Musterd, a separate real-time roll call and evacuation management system that integrates with access control, HR, payroll, and visitor management data to track personnel during emergencies across multi-site organisations. Both products integrate with biometric clocking terminals and a broad partner ecosystem of 40+ access control vendors, 8+ payroll providers, 6+ HR platforms, and visitor management systems.

Product overview

Thinking Software offers two core products: RotaOne and Musterd. RotaOne is a cloud-based time and attendance and workforce management platform providing staff rota planning, shift scheduling, time and attendance tracking, absence management, HR reporting, payroll tools, and an employee self-service mobile app. Musterd is a dedicated roll call and evacuation management system that integrates with access control, HR, and visitor management systems to provide real-time headcount tracking during emergencies. Both products share integration capabilities with access control systems, payroll software, HR platforms, and visitor management tools, enabling unified workforce data across the platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RotaOne: Cloud-based time and attendance and rota planning system that helps manage shifts and staff rotas, record employee time and attendance, control employee holidays, absences and more. Includes an Employee Self-Service App.
• Musterd

Products and services

• RotaOne Cloud-based time and attendance and workforce management system that handles staff rota planning, shift scheduling, time and attendance recording, absence and holiday management, HR reporting, payroll exports, and employee self-service via iOS and Android mobile apps. Sold under a bundled "One App. One Price" subscription and targeted at organisations in manufacturing, hospitality, care homes, logistics, retail, construction, and other shift-based sectors.
• Musterd Dedicated real-time roll call and evacuation management system that tracks who is on-site, off-site, or missing during emergencies, monitors fire marshal safety, and supports multi-site evacuations from a single command view. Uses What3words location technology to pinpoint muster points to a 3m x 3m square and integrates with access control, RotaOne, HR, and visitor management systems to support Martyn's Law compliance.
• Clocking Devices Hardware clocking terminals supplied as part of the Thinking Software solution, including Suprema BioStation 3 (facial recognition/RFID), BioStation 2a (fingerprint/RFID), BioEntry W2 (fingerprint), and BioEntry W3 (facial recognition). Integrated with RotaOne and Musterd for biometric time tracking and access-controlled attendance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.4% customer satisfaction rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers36 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration50 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

37 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ACRE (ACT)coreTechnology or IntegrationACRE's ACT access control system integrates with RotaOne for seamless personnel data synchronisation, enabling real-time attendance tracking alongside access control.
• ASSA ABLOYcoreTechnology or IntegrationASSA ABLOY access control hardware integrates with RotaOne and Musterd, enabling combined access control and time & attendance management.
• AvigiloncoreTechnology or IntegrationAvigilon access control and video security integration with RotaOne and Musterd.
• OpenpathcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenpath cloud-based access control integrates with RotaOne for mobile credential-based time tracking.
• BrivocoreTechnology or IntegrationBrivo cloud access control platform integrates with RotaOne.
• C-CURE 9000coreTechnology or IntegrationC-CURE 9000 security management system integrates with RotaOne and Musterd for unified physical security and time & attendance.
• CEM SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationCEM Systems access control integrates with Thinking Software products.
• GallaghercoreTechnology or IntegrationGallagher security management platform integrates with RotaOne for combined access control and time tracking.
• GeneteccoreTechnology or IntegrationGenetec security centre (access control, video surveillance) integrates with RotaOne and Musterd.
• HoneywellcoreTechnology or IntegrationHoneywell building management and access control systems integrate with Thinking Software's workforce management platform.
• Inner RangecoreTechnology or IntegrationInner Range access control systems integrate with RotaOne.
• NedapcoreTechnology or IntegrationNedap physical access control and ID management integrates with Thinking Software products.
• Paxton (Net2)coreTechnology or IntegrationPaxton's Net2 access control system integrates with RotaOne for combined access and attendance management.
• SALTOcoreTechnology or IntegrationSALTO smart lock and access control platform integrates with RotaOne.
• Siemens (SiPass)coreTechnology or IntegrationSiemens SiPass access control integrates with RotaOne and Musterd.
• SupremacoreTechnology or IntegrationSuprema biometric hardware including BioStation 3, BioStation 2a, BioEntry W2, and BioEntry W3 are supported clocking terminals for RotaOne and Musterd, providing fingerprint and facial recognition-based time tracking.
• ZenitelcoreTechnology or IntegrationZenitel intercom and communication systems integrate with Thinking Software products.
• ZKTecocoreTechnology or IntegrationZKTeco biometric access control and time clocks integrate with RotaOne.
• Access PaysuitecoreTechnology or IntegrationAccess Paysuite payroll software integrates with RotaOne for automated time & attendance data to payroll processing.
• ADPcoreTechnology or IntegrationADP payroll platform integrates with RotaOne for seamless payroll export of time and attendance data.
• iChriscoreTechnology or IntegrationiChris payroll software integrates with RotaOne.
• MoorepaycoreTechnology or IntegrationMoorepay payroll and HR software integrates with RotaOne for automated data exchange.
• Opera 3 (Eden Systems)coreTechnology or IntegrationOpera 3 business management software integrates with RotaOne for payroll and accounting.
• SagecoreTechnology or IntegrationSage accounting and payroll software (including Sage 50) integrates with RotaOne for automated payroll exports.
• SAP SuccessFactorscoreTechnology or IntegrationRotaOne links to SAP SuccessFactors to import people, departments, and pay rates, then exports payroll and time & attendance summaries back to SAP. Supports nearly real-time synchronisation between the two platforms.
• Xero PayrollcoreTechnology or IntegrationXero payroll software integrates with RotaOne for cloud-based automated payroll data exports.
• PeopleHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationPeopleHR human resources management system integrates with RotaOne to avoid data duplication and synchronise employee records.
• BambooHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationBambooHR HR software integrates with RotaOne to synchronise employee data and reduce manual HR administration.
• Breathe HRcoreTechnology or IntegrationBreathe HR platform integrates with RotaOne for employee data synchronisation.
• HiBobcoreTechnology or IntegrationHiBob HR platform (Bob) integrates with RotaOne for unified HR and workforce management data.
• Oracle NetSuitecoreTechnology or IntegrationOracle NetSuite ERP and HCM integrates with RotaOne for unified workforce management across the enterprise.
• Sage HRcoreTechnology or IntegrationSage HR software integrates with RotaOne to provide unified HR and time & attendance management.
• EntrySigncoreTechnology or IntegrationEntrySign visitor management system integrates with RotaOne and Musterd to synchronise visitor and employee attendance data.
• InventrycoreTechnology or IntegrationInventry visitor management integrates with Thinking Software products for unified personnel tracking.
• Signin AppcoreTechnology or IntegrationSignin App visitor management platform integrates with RotaOne and Musterd.
• VisitUscoreTechnology or IntegrationVisitUs visitor management system integrates with Thinking Software products.
• Epos NowcoreTechnology or IntegrationEpos Now point-of-sale system integrates with RotaOne, potentially enabling POS-triggered clock-in or sales-linked labour cost analysis.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group): Largest pure-play workforce management and HCM vendor globally, formed by the merger of Kronos and Ultimate Software. Directly competes with RotaOne on time & attendance, scheduling, and absence management across enterprise and mid-market.
• Ceridian Dayforce: Cloud-native HCM platform with deep workforce management capabilities including time & attendance, scheduling, and compliance. Competes head-to-head with RotaOne in mid-market and enterprise deployments across the UK and globally.
• WorkForce Software: Specialist workforce management vendor focused on complex shift scheduling, compliance, and absence management for manufacturing, hospitality, and care home operators — directly overlapping with Thinking Software's primary verticals.
• Quinyx: Cloud-native workforce management platform serving retail, hospitality, and manufacturing with AI-powered scheduling and demand forecasting. Closely comparable to RotaOne in vertical focus and target customer profile.
• Deputy: Workforce management SaaS targeting shift-based industries with mobile-first employee scheduling, time tracking, and payroll integrations. Directly competes with RotaOne in hospitality, healthcare, and retail.
• Planday: European-headquartered (Denmark/UK) workforce management platform for shift-based industries with strong hospitality and retail presence. Highly comparable to RotaOne in geography, customer segment, and feature set.
• Humanity: Cloud-based employee scheduling and time & attendance platform serving hospitality, healthcare, and retail. Direct overlap with RotaOne's shift planning and rota functionality.

Broad incumbents

• ADP Workforce Now: Largest global payroll and HCM provider with an integrated time & attendance module that competes with RotaOne, particularly where buyers prefer a single-vendor suite covering payroll, HR, and workforce management.
• Sage HR: UK-headquartered HCM and payroll vendor with time tracking capabilities that overlap with RotaOne. Already an integration partner but also competes for the same UK mid-market HR/WFM budget.

Emerging players

• BambooHR: Cloud HR platform increasingly expanding into time tracking and scheduling. Already an integration partner of RotaOne but represents a downstream competitive risk as it bundles workforce management into its HR suite.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thinkingsoft
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Thinking-software
• Facebookfacebook.com/96543499137
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thinking-software
• Instagraminstagram.com/thinking_software
• TikToktiktok.com/@thinkingsoftware

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thinking Software