Push Operations vs When I Work (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Push Operations if

• Fits if you run a restaurant of up to 15 staff and want payroll and HR in the same tool
• Works for operators who want POS-linked scheduling and are fine with a quote

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you have a small team, because $200 a month per location is the floor
• Skip it if you need auto scheduling, as it is on the Supreme plan
• Not for you if you have over 50 staff and want a published price
• Watch out: plans can't be customised, and no trial is named

Pick When I Work if

• Fits if building the schedule eats your Sunday evenings
• Works for call centers and retail stores sharing part-timers across locations

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you need the time clock, since it adds $1.50 to $2 a user on every plan
• Skip it if you want a free plan to stay on, as there's only a 14-day trial
• Not for you if you need an API, webhooks or single sign-on without paying for Premium at $8 a user
• Watch out: the page doesn't say whether prices are monthly or yearly, and its FAQ says the clock is included when the plans charge extra
• Watch out: payroll runs through partners, and scheduling rules, role permissions and custom reports need Pro at $5 a user

Push Operations

• Only the Essentials price is published; Signature, Supreme and Enterprise prices come from a quote, and teams over 50 employees are asked to request one.
• The $200 starting price is per location per month, and goes up with plan and employee count.
• Push bills on the day of signing and monthly after that; the page names no free trial.
• Add-ons can be bought, but the services in each plan cannot be customized.

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.

Push Operations

Team scheduling

Scheduling with labor forecasting, labor cost controls, shift swapping and compliance alerts; auto scheduling is on the Supreme plan.

POS integrations

Connects to POS systems so sales and labor data feed forecasts and reports, including sales versus labor.

Time tracking

Time tracking with photo capture to prevent buddy punching, and e-sign for forms.

Payroll

Payroll including multi-province and multi-location management and a full-service migration, on Signature and above.

Hiring and HR

Paperless digital onboarding, an applicant tracking system, turnover reporting and license and visa expiry tracking.

Reporting

Workforce costing, employee statistics and sales versus labor reports.

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.

Push Operations

• Essentials$200

  per month for up to 15 employees, per location

  Recommended for a single location with 15 employees or fewer.

• SignatureCustom

  Adds payroll, HR and onboarding, scheduling with POS integrations, time tracking, reporting and leave management as an add-on.

• SupremeCustom

  Signature plus auto scheduling, comprehensive leave management and multi-location employee linking.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For larger and multi-location operators; the page gives no price or feature list for it.

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.