Shiftbase vs When To Work (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Shiftbase if

• Fits if you pay surcharges for nights, Sundays and public holidays and run payroll through Nmbrs, AFAS or DATEV
• Works for teams of up to 15 who want a free rota instead of a spreadsheet

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you pay in dollars, as prices are in euros or pounds only
• Tight if you stay free and need clock-ins, as the free plan only takes typed hours and has 1 department
• Pricey if you need several integrations, since App Center+ is €20 a month on top outside Enterprise
• Watch out: each staff member past the plan's count adds €3.60 to €5.40 a month, and labor targets need Premium
• Skip it if you might cancel early, as yearly plans are paid up front with no refund and monthly plans need a month's notice

Pick When To Work if

• Fits if you manage a team of up to 10 and want one price with no feature tiers
• Works for seasonal businesses that can pause the account in the off-season

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need a built-in time clock
• Tight if your team is bigger, as the price grows with the employee count
• Watch out: the page calls current rates reduced introductory pricing, with no end date
• Watch out: payment is by credit card or check, in US dollars

Shiftbase

• Prices are shown in euros or pounds only; there is no dollar price.
• Each paid plan includes a set number of employees; every extra one costs €3.60 to €5.40 a month billed yearly (€4 to €6 monthly).
• Most payroll, POS and HR integrations and API tokens need the App Center+ add-on at €20 a month (€17.50 yearly), except on Enterprise. Basic includes three free integrations.
• The Free plan has no clock-in, only hours typed in by hand. Yearly plans are paid up front and not refunded; monthly plans have one month's notice.

When To Work

• The price depends on the maximum number of employees: the pricing page shows $38 a month for up to 10 and recalculates for larger teams.
• It does not provide a time clock; the FAQ points to exports for time clock and payroll programs.
• The pricing page calls the current rates reduced introductory pricing and gives no end date.
• The page states payment is by credit card or check, in US dollars.

Shiftbase

Drag-and-drop scheduling

Shifts are dragged onto employees, staff share availability, swap shifts and claim open ones, and Premium adds skill-based scheduling, required shifts and a flexpool.

Clock-in and kiosks

From Basic, staff clock in on mobile, desktop or a shared tablet kiosk; Premium allows unlimited kiosks and limits clock-ins to a GPS radius.

Absence and leave

Leave requests, approvals, sickness and balances are handled in the app, with surcharges for Sundays, public holidays and, on Premium, night rates.

Labor cost targets

Premium sets labor cost or hours budgets per team and day, shows whether the schedule stays inside them, and has a KPI dashboard and AI revenue forecasts.

Payroll export

Contract versus worked hours, surcharges and leave payouts export as Excel or CSV, or go to payroll systems such as Nmbrs, AFAS and DATEV through the App Center.

Employee records and news

One profile per person with contact and emergency details, plus news messages to the whole team; the HR Pro add-on generates and e-signs contracts.

When To Work

Drag-and-drop scheduling

Schedules are built by drag and drop from reusable templates, with spreadsheet-style list, calendar and multi-location views.

AutoFill

A one-click AutoFill fills open shifts.

Requests and trades

Managers approve time-off requests and shift trades or pickups; employees can pick up open shifts.

Messages and alerts

Email, text and shift alerts keep staff informed, and managers can send urgent alerts from the app.

Free mobile app

The mobile app is free for managers and employees, with iOS and Android store links on the vendor's site.

Pause for the off-season

The vendor says an account can be suspended for the off-season at no cost while keeping employee data and past schedules.

Shiftbase

• Free€0

  Up to 15 employees, 1 department and 5 teams: scheduling, manual time entry, employee profiles and team news.

• Basic€27

  per month for up to 6 employees, billed yearly (€30 billed monthly)

  Adds availability, swaps and open shifts, clock-in on phone, desktop or one kiosk, absence management and payroll export. Extra staff €3.60 each (€4 monthly).

• Premium€64.80

  per month for up to 12 employees, billed yearly (€72 billed monthly)

  Adds labor cost targets and budgets, skill-based scheduling, geofenced clock-in and unlimited kiosks. Extra staff €4.50 each (€5 monthly).

• Enterprise€302.40

  per month for up to 48 employees, billed yearly (€336 billed monthly)

  Adds App Center+, API access, custom integrations and a success manager. Sold through a demo. Extra staff €5.40 each (€6 monthly).

When To Work

• 1 month$38

  per month for up to 10 employees

  All features, all managers and employees included. The price grows with the employee count entered on the page.

• 3 months$100

  for 3 months, up to 10 employees, paid in advance

  The page shows a $14 saving against three monthly payments.

• 6 months$164

  for 6 months, up to 10 employees, paid in advance

  The page shows a $64 saving against six monthly payments.

• 1 year$273

  for 1 year, up to 10 employees, paid in advance

  The page shows a $183 saving against twelve monthly payments.

Shiftbase

• Annual discount

  Save 10% with yearly billing

  Yearly billing takes 10% off every paid plan and extra employee, for example Basic at €27 instead of €30 a month.

• Nonprofit

  Discount for charities and non-profits

  Charities and non-profits get a discount that depends on team size and plan, through a proposal from the sales team.

When To Work

• Annual discount

  Save by paying ahead

  For up to 10 employees the page shows $100 for 3 months, $164 for 6 months and $273 for a year against $38 a month, saving $14, $64 and $183.