When I Work
Staff scheduling with auto-fill, shift trades and an add-on time clock
When I Work report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for auto-filled schedules for hourly teams
When I Work is good at the bit managers hate: filling the schedule. You enter the cover you need and it assigns shifts from staff availability. The catch is that the time clock costs extra, so the $2.50 price you see is for scheduling only.
Who When I Work is for
- Great if building the schedule eats your Sunday evenings
- Handy when you share staff between several locations
- Good for call centers and retail stores juggling lots of part-timers
Who When I Work is not for
- 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 or single sign-on without paying for Premium
Why When I Work gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyEssentials 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.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial with every feature and no credit card needed, which covers a couple of schedule cycles.
- BFeaturesAuto-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.
- AEase of use4.79 from 57,666 App Store ratings. Swapping or picking up a shift is a couple of taps for staff.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from When I Work's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/when-i-work#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/when-i-work.svg" alt="When I Work: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where When I Work stands among shift scheduling apps
When I Work's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 8 of 12) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $2.50 a month for each person, against a middle price of $5.65 for the category: 2 of the 12 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 13 shift scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. When I Work’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 12, level with 6
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 12, level with 6
- BFeaturesAbove 4 of 12, level with 8
- AEase of useAbove 8 of 12, level with 4
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 12, level with 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 shift scheduling apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep When I Work, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace When I Work you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade. It costs $30 a year.
What you could make
- Time off: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- A scheduler that rearranges your day as things move.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Rippling, Gusto and Square Payroll among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. When I Work’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is When I Work?
When I Work is a scheduling app for hourly teams in restaurants, retail, healthcare and call centers. Managers fill shifts by hand, from templates or with auto-scheduling based on availability, staff trade and pick up shifts in the mobile app, and an optional time clock records hours, breaks and overtime for payroll exports.
When I Work is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $2.50 per user / month (Essentials, without time tracking). See every plan
Good for
- 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
- 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
- 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.
When I Work pricing
- Starts at
- $2.50 per user / month (Essentials, without time tracking)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial with every feature, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $2.50per 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 | $5per user / month ($7 with time tracking and attendance) | Adds scheduling rules, role permissions, labor sharing, custom forecasting units, custom reports and callout reporting. |
| Premium | $8per user / month ($10 with time tracking and attendance) | Adds API keys, webhooks and SAML single sign-on. |
Read from wheniwork.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with When I Work before you buy.
How people rate the When I Work app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars86%
- 4 stars11%
- 3 stars2%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star1%
57,666 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 18, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
- Rippling
- Gusto
- Square Payroll
- Paychex
- QuickBooks Online
- OnPay
- Zapier
- GoCo
When I Work alternatives
- When I Work vs Homebase
Free plan · from $24/mo
- When I Work vs Sling by Toast
Free plan · from $1.70/mo
- When I Work vs Deputy
Free trial · from $5/mo
- When I Work vs 7shifts
Free plan · from $39.99/mo
- When I Work vs Connecteam
Free plan · from $29/mo
Common questions
Is When I Work free?
No, When I Work is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial with every feature, no credit card required.
How much does When I Work cost?
When I Work lists 3 plans. Essentials: $2.50 per user / month ($4 with time tracking and attendance). Pro: $5 per user / month ($7 with time tracking and attendance). Premium: $8 per user / month ($10 with time tracking and attendance). Prices were read from wheniwork.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does When I Work work on?
When I Work is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is When I Work rated?
When I Work's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 57,666 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does When I Work have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. When I Work is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does When I Work have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. When I Work is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is When I Work open source?
When I Work is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does When I Work have an API?
Yes. When I Work offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does When I Work integrate with?
When I Work's listing names Rippling, Gusto, Square Payroll, Paychex, QuickBooks Online, OnPay, Zapier and GoCo. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes When I Work?
When I Work is made by When I Work, Inc.
What are the alternatives to When I Work?
The closest alternatives to When I Work in our directory are Homebase, Sling by Toast, Deputy, 7shifts and Connecteam. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with When I Work.
How does When I Work compare with other shift scheduling apps?
When I Work's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade, and level with 1. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 8 of 12) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Is When I Work good value for money?
ToolGPA grades When I Work C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $2.50 a month for each person, against a middle price of $5.65 for the category: 2 of the 12 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of When I Work?
To replace When I Work you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 12 other shift scheduling apps we grade. It costs $30 a year. What you could not make: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts. Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when. A scheduler that rearranges your day as things move. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.