Atto vs When I Work
We give Atto a 2.2 GPA and When I Work a 2.8, out of 4.0. When I Work grades higher on value for money, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Atto
GPS time clock and shift scheduling for field crews
When I Work
Staff scheduling with auto-fill, shift trades and an add-on time clock
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAttoFair | 2.8GPAWhen I WorkGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $5.65 a user a month billed yearly, so 15 staff pay $84.75 a month. That's the dearest figure in this category for a team that size. Team chat and live GPS tracking need Plus at $7.95 a head. | CEssentials is $2.50 a user a month, so 15 staff pay $37.50 for scheduling, the middle of this category for a team that size. Add the time clock and it's $4 a user, or $60. The page doesn't say whether these are monthly or yearly rates. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of Advanced with no credit card needed. Two weeks is enough to see whether your crew takes to it. | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial with every feature and no credit card needed, which covers a couple of schedule cycles. |
| Features | CThe time clock side is strong: GPS punches, a kiosk, automatic timesheets and mileage logs. The scheduling half covers templates, open shifts, trades and covers, but nothing on record fills shifts from availability, and time-off requests need Advanced. | BAuto-scheduling from availability, templates, multi-week and multi-location schedules, forecasting, shift trades, messaging and payroll exports, with a time clock as an add-on. That's the whole job. |
| Ease of use | B4.58 from 3,784 App Store ratings. Clocking in is a tap on the phone, which is most of what a crew will ever do in it. | A4.79 from 57,666 App Store ratings. Swapping or picking up a shift is a couple of taps for staff. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android. Payroll links are just QuickBooks Online and Xero, and the API only comes with Expert, which you buy through sales. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with payroll partners such as Rippling, Gusto, Square Payroll, Paychex, QuickBooks Online and OnPay, plus Zapier. API keys need Premium, and there's no desktop app. |
| Best for | GPS time clocks for field crews | auto-filled schedules for hourly teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Atto and When I Work. How we grade
Price against what you get
Atto starts at $5.65 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. When I Work starts at $2.50 a month for each person and scores 3.3.
When I Work scores higher and starts $3.15 a month lower. Of the other shift scheduling apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Atto for less, and none scores higher than When I Work for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Atto starts at $5.65 per user / month, billed annually (Starter). When I Work starts at $2.50 per user / month (Essentials, without time tracking).
- Atto also covers payroll.
- When I Work also covers auto-scheduling.
At a glance
| Atto | When I Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5.65 per user / month, billed annually (Starter) | $2.50 per user / month (Essentials, without time tracking) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Advanced plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial with every feature, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Specta Labs, Inc. | When I Work, Inc. |
| Price read from | attotime.com | wheniwork.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Atto
- Construction, landscaping and home services crews working on job sites
- Owners who want proof of where each clock-in happened
- Teams that reimburse mileage and want drives logged automatically
When I Work
- Restaurants, retail stores and call centers scheduling hourly staff
- Managers who want shifts filled automatically from availability
- Multi-location businesses sharing staff between sites
Worth knowing
Atto
- Payroll is a US-only add-on at $5.95 per payroll user a month plus a $39.95 monthly base fee.
- Real-time GPS tracking and team chat start on Plus; mileage tracking, time-off requests and job costing need Advanced.
- API access comes only with Expert, which is bought through the sales team.
- Seats are paid upfront and recounted at the start of each billing cycle; downgrades and cancellations apply at the end of the cycle.
When I Work
- The time clock, breaks and attendance are an add-on that raises each plan by $1.50 to $2 per user a month, though the page's FAQ says every plan includes them.
- The pricing page offers monthly or annual billing but does not say which basis the listed prices use.
- API keys, webhooks and SAML single sign-on need the Premium plan.
- Payroll runs through partners; Rippling, the preferred partner, offers When I Work customers six months free.
Key features
Atto
- GPS time clock
- Workers clock in and out from the iOS or Android app or a browser, with the location of each punch recorded and optional limits on clocking in away from the job site.
- Shared kiosk
- A time clock kiosk lets a whole crew clock in from one device at the job site.
- Automatic timesheets
- Clock-ins become timesheets with breaks and overtime worked out, ready to review and approve, and they connect to QuickBooks Online and Xero for payroll.
- Shift scheduling
- Managers build, copy and publish schedules with open shifts and templates, staff send trade and cover requests, and reminders nudge people who forget to clock in.
- Location and mileage tracking
- Higher plans show who is on the clock and where in real time, keep a location history report and log drives automatically for mileage reimbursements.
- Team chat and activity feed
- One-to-one and group chats, plus a daily feed of clock-ins, locations, jobs and status changes.
When I Work
- Auto-scheduling
- Managers enter the coverage they need and the app assigns shifts from employee availability and qualifications in one click.
- Templates and multi-week schedules
- Saved templates such as a weekend rush or holiday plan are reused to build schedules weeks ahead, across several locations.
- Shift trades and OpenShifts
- Employees swap or pick up open shifts from the app, and managers approve or decline each request before the schedule updates.
- Time clock on any device
- With the time tracking add-on, staff clock in from phones, tablets or terminals, with GPS or geofencing, break tracking and overtime tracking tied to the schedule.
- Team messaging
- Managers and staff message individuals or the whole team in the app without sharing phone numbers.
- Payroll exports
- Approved hours go to payroll services including Rippling, Gusto, Square Payroll, Paychex, QuickBooks Online and OnPay.
Plans
Atto
Starter$5.65
per user / month, billed annually ($6.95 billed monthly)
Time tracking on mobile and web, shift scheduling, automated timesheets, job codes, breaks and notes.
Plus$7.95
per user / month, billed annually ($9.95 billed monthly)
Adds team chat, real-time GPS tracking, basic time-off management and automated pay calculations.
Advanced$10.75
per user / month, billed annually ($12.95 billed monthly)
Adds mileage tracking, advanced shift controls, time-off requests and job costing. Marked most popular.
Expert$16.55
per user / month, billed annually ($19.95 billed monthly)
Adds priority support, concierge onboarding, custom implementation and API access. Sold through sales.
When I Work
Essentials$2.50
per user / month ($4 with time tracking and attendance)
Unlimited users. Auto-scheduling, multi-week and multi-location schedules, templates, forecasting, messaging, OpenShifts and swaps.
Pro$5
per user / month ($7 with time tracking and attendance)
Adds scheduling rules, role permissions, labor sharing, custom forecasting units, custom reports and callout reporting.
Premium$8
per user / month ($10 with time tracking and attendance)
Adds API keys, webhooks and SAML single sign-on.
Ways to pay less
Atto
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
Annual billing brings Starter, Plus, Advanced and Expert to $5.65, $7.95, $10.75 and $16.55 per user a month, against $6.95, $9.95, $12.95 and $19.95 monthly.
When I Work
No public discounts listed.
