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

Pick RosterElf if

• Fits if you run an Australian team and need award rules on a low per-user price
• Works for businesses that already run payroll in Xero or MYOB

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want annual billing for a small team, as it needs at least 10 seats
• Not for you if you want payroll run inside the app, since it exports to Xero or MYOB
• Watch out: admins and managers are billed as active users
• Watch out: billing is in Australian dollars plus GST, and the Flex plan for volunteers is not in the plan table

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

RosterElf

• Billed in Australian dollars plus GST, per active employee, including admins and managers.
• Annual billing needs at least 10 seats; monthly billing needs at least 3 active staff. Enterprise pricing starts above 250 employees.
• Payroll is exported to Xero or MYOB rather than run inside RosterElf.
• A Flex plan at $10.60 per rostered staff member a month, for volunteer and event teams, is not in the plan table.

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.

RosterElf

Rostering

Roster templates, staff availability, open shifts, shift swaps, break planning and labour cost forecasting, with roster warnings.

Time and attendance

Clock in with GPS and photo proof, or on a tablet time clock, with timesheet approvals and live attendance.

Award interpretation

Applies award rates to each shift and exports payroll-ready hours to Xero or MYOB.

HR Hub

Employee profiles, digital onboarding and contracts, policies, certificates and a document store, on the HR and Full Suite plans.

Team communication

Team messaging, staff notifications, shift notes, tasks and a newsfeed inside the staff app.

Analytics

Reports across rosters, wages, attendance and leave.

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.

RosterElf

• HRA$3

  per user / month + GST, billed annually (A$4 billed monthly)

  HR tools only: employee profiles, digital onboarding, contracts, policies, certificates and leave.

• CoreA$6

  per user / month + GST, billed annually (A$8 billed monthly)

  Rostering, time and attendance, award interpretation, Xero and MYOB exports, team chat, shift swaps and leave.

• Full SuiteA$7

  per user / month + GST, billed annually (A$10 billed monthly)

  Everything in Core plus the HR Hub, digital onboarding and contracts and the Workwise AI compliance assistant.

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.

RosterElf

• Annual discount

  Up to 30% off with annual billing

  Annual billing saves up to 30%: Full Suite drops from A$10 to A$7, and Core and HR by 25%. Annual plans need at least 10 seats.

When I Work

No public discounts listed.