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What Is When I Work? What It Does, Plans and Pricing

When I Work is a scheduling app for hourly teams, with a time clock built in. Here is what it does, what each plan costs, and what changed.

See the alternatives

Plans and prices checked on 30 July 2026.

Definition

What When I Work is, in one sentence

What it is

When I Work is a scheduling app for hourly teams, with a time clock built in. A manager sets out who works which shift next week, sends it out, and the team sees it on their phones. Staff swap shifts with each other, set the days they are free, and ask for time off in the same app, then clock in when they turn up. Two things trip people up. It is not the same product as WhenToWork, a separate tool at whentowork.com. And it no longer has a free plan. The old one covered up to 75 staff and has been retired, so any review still promising it is out of date.

Who needs this

Managers of hourly teams in restaurants, shops, clinics and warehouses, where the hard part is covering next week rather than billing a client. If your main job is working out who is on the floor on Tuesday, this is built for exactly that. If your main job is proving how many hours went to which client, it is the wrong shape of tool.

In practice

What teams actually use When I Work for

The eight jobs below are what the app is bought to do. Everything on this list is in the app itself, apart from payroll, which is sold as an add-on.

Covering next week

The main job. A manager fills in who works which shift, leans on saved templates or the auto fill so they are not starting from a blank grid every Sunday, then sends the week out. Staff get it on their phones instead of squinting at a photo of a paper sheet in a group chat.

Shift swaps and open shifts

Someone cannot make Thursday. They offer it up, a colleague picks it up, and the manager approves the trade instead of fielding five text messages about it. Shifts nobody is assigned to can be posted as open for anyone qualified to claim.

Clocking in and out

The time clock is part of the same app, so the hours people actually worked land next to the hours they were meant to work. That comparison is the point. It is what turns a rota into an attendance record.

GPS clock-in

A punch records where it was made. This is on every plan, including the cheapest one, which is unusual. Most tools in this price range hold location back for a middle or top tier.

Availability and time off

Staff mark the days and hours they can work, and ask for leave in the app. The manager sees both while filling in the week, so the classic mistake of putting somebody on a day they already booked off gets caught before the week goes out.

Team messaging

One-to-one and group chat sit inside the app. It is there so shift chat stops living in a personal WhatsApp group that managers cannot see and leavers never get removed from.

Overtime and breaks

The app tracks overtime and breaks against the hours worked, so a manager can spot somebody heading for expensive hours partway through the week rather than reading about it on the payroll run.

Payroll, as an add-on

When I Work sells its own payroll product on top of any plan. It is not included. It carries a separate base fee plus a per-person charge, which is the main reason the real monthly bill comes out higher than the headline per-user price.

Pricing

What each When I Work plan costs and includes

Reviews quote five different entry prices for this product. That is because some use the monthly rate, some the annual one, and a few still list plans that were retired. These are the annual rates.

Comparison dimensionEssentialsProPremium
Price per user a monthAbout $2.50About $5About $8
Free planNone, 14-day trial onlyNone, 14-day trial onlyNone, 14-day trial only
Rota building and templatesYesYesYes
Time clock and attendanceYesYesYes
GPS clock-inYesYesYes
Shift swapping and open shiftsYesYesYes
Availability and time offYesYesYes
Overtime and break trackingYesYesYes
Multiple time zone viewsNoYesYes
PayrollAdd-on, separate base feeAdd-on, separate base feeAdd-on, separate base fee

Prices checked on 30 July 2026 and rounded. Two of the six reviews ranking for this term still say the software is free for up to 75 staff. That plan was retired.

Pros and cons

The real strengths and limits of each

We make TimeTracker, so read the second card knowing that. Both write-ups follow the same rule. Strengths and limits carry equal weight, nothing is invented, and every price was read off the vendor's own site on the date shown.

When I Work

Best for

Managers of hourly teams whose main problem is covering next week's shifts.

Pricing

No free plan, just a 14-day trial. Essentials is about $2.50 per user a month billed annually, Pro about $5, and Premium about $8. Payroll is an add-on with a separate base fee.

Checked 30 July 2026

More on When I Work

When I Work does the job TimeTracker does not do at all. It covers the rota, the swaps and who is free to work, and it puts a time clock and GPS clock-in in the same cheap app. For a restaurant, a shop or a clinic, that is the whole problem solved in one place from about $2.50 a person a month.

Where it wins

  • One of the cheapest ways to get real scheduling plus a time clock, at about $2.50 per user a month
  • GPS clock-in, shift swapping and overtime tracking are on every plan, not held back for a higher tier
  • Managers rate how fast a week goes out, which is the whole job in a shift business
  • One app covers the week, the clock and team chat, so staff only learn one thing

Where it falls short

  • The free plan for up to 75 staff has been retired. There is a 14-day trial and nothing else
  • No client billing, budgets or invoicing, so it cannot tell you what a project cost
  • Reporting is thin next to workforce platforms like Deputy
  • Multiple time zone views and advanced coverage need the Pro plan
  • Payroll is a paid add-on with its own base fee, so the headline per-user price is not the whole bill

TimeTrackerOurs

Best for

Teams who bill clients for hours, or whose hours get checked by somebody later.

Pricing

Free for up to 3 people, no credit card needed. Paid is $15 per user a month, or $12 per user a month billed yearly.

Checked 30 July 2026

More on TimeTracker

TimeTracker is not a scheduling tool and is not trying to become one. It answers a different question: where did the hours go, and will the answer survive being checked. Hours land against a client, a project and a task, and the period locks once it is approved. If nobody bills or audits your hours, you do not need this.

Where it wins

  • Approved periods lock against edits, and every change made afterwards is recorded
  • Rounding to 6, 15 or 30 minutes always keeps the exact raw duration beside the rounded one
  • Location rules can block a clock-in from outside an allowed place, and you can preview who a rule will stop before it goes live
  • Time off runs on real accrual policies, with opening balances, requests and approvals

Where it falls short

  • No rota, no shift swaps, no availability. When I Work wins that outright and it is most of what people want here
  • Costs far more per seat at $15 a month against about $2.50
  • Free plan covers 3 people, and there is no shared-device mode, so everyone signs in as themselves
  • A clock-in needs a connection, so it will not work where the signal drops out
  • Exports to CSV for payroll, with no direct sync to a payroll provider
See all When I Work alternatives
Which to pick

Do you need next week, or last week?

Choose When I Work when…

  • You need to know who is working next Tuesday.

    When I Work covers rotas, swaps and availability. We have none of it.

  • Your staff trade shifts between themselves most weeks.

    Swapping and open shifts are built in. We cannot help here at all.

  • Budget is tight and you have 40 hourly staff to cover.

    About $2.50 a person a month against our $15.

  • You want the location a punch was made from, on the cheap plan.

    GPS clock-in is on every When I Work plan, including Essentials.

  • One app should hold the week, the clock and the team chat.

    When I Work does all three. We only do the hours.

Choose TimeTracker when…

  • You bill clients for time and the invoice gets questioned.

    Hours sit against a client, a project and a task, ready to show.See how

  • You round billable time and must show the real figure too.

    Both the exact duration and the rounded one are stored.See how

  • Approved hours must not change quietly after the fact.

    The period locks and every later edit is on the record.See how

  • Leave balances need real accrual, not a spreadsheet.

    Time off runs on policies with accrual, requests and approvals.See how

  • A clock-in should only count from an approved place.

    Location rules use geofences, IP ranges and accuracy limits.See how

FAQ

Common questions about When I Work

These are the questions asked on the pages that rank for this term, answered straight.

What is When I Work used for?
It is used to work out who is on shift and to record whether they turned up. A manager fills in next week and sends it to the team. Staff swap shifts, set their availability and book time off in the same app, then clock in. It is built for hourly teams in shops, clinics and restaurants, not for billing clients by the hour.
How much does When I Work cost?
Essentials is about $2.50 per user a month billed annually, Pro about $5, and Premium about $8. Paying monthly costs more. Payroll is a separate add-on with its own base fee, so the real bill is usually higher than the per-user figure. Prices checked on 30 July 2026. Ours is $15 per user a month, which buys a different job entirely.
Is When I Work free?
No. There is a 14-day trial and no free plan. This catches a lot of people out, because When I Work used to be free for up to 75 staff and several reviews ranking for this term still say so. That plan has been retired. If a genuinely free tier is the deciding factor, we cover the ones that still exist in our When I Work alternatives roundup.
Is When I Work the same as WhenToWork?
No, they are two different companies with two very similar names. When I Work is at wheniwork.com. WhenToWork is at whentowork.com, and it is an older, plainer tool priced per organisation rather than per user. Searching the phrase turns up both, so check the address bar before you enter a card number. Being on the wrong site is the most common mistake with this brand.
Does the When I Work app track location?
Yes. GPS clock-in records where a punch was made, and it is included on every plan rather than being held back for a higher tier. It captures the location at clock in and clock out, not a continuous trail through the shift. If location rules matter to you, our time clock app can block a punch from outside an allowed place, not just record where it happened.
Can employees manage their own schedules with When I Work?
Partly. Staff can set the days and hours they are available, request time off, pick up open shifts and offer their own shifts to colleagues. What they cannot do is assign themselves work. A manager still approves swaps and sends the week out, so the team handles the fiddly changes and the manager keeps control of the result.
What tools does When I Work provide for time tracking?
A time clock with GPS clock-in, break tracking and overtime tracking, all on every plan. Hours worked are compared against hours planned, which is the useful part. It stops short of client and project work: there is no billable rate, no budget and no invoice, so it will not tell you what a job cost. That is the gap our timesheets fill.
How does When I Work integrate with payroll systems?
Two ways. It sells its own payroll product as a paid add-on on top of any plan, and it connects to a set of outside payroll and point-of-sale tools so approved hours can move across. TimeTracker does neither. We export timecards, leave and balances to CSV and you load that file yourself.
Does When I Work have a mobile app?
Yes, on iPhone and Android, and it is the main way most staff use it. People check their shifts, swap them, mark availability, message colleagues and clock in from the phone. The manager app can fill in and send out the week too. Judging by the app store listings sitting at positions 2 and 3 for this search, most people are looking for the app rather than the website.
Who is When I Work best for?
A restaurant, clinic, shop or warehouse of roughly 10 to 100 hourly staff whose weekly headache is covering the shifts. It fits badly when hours have to be billed to a client, when a budget has to be tracked against a project, or when approved hours get audited later. If that is your problem instead, compare us in the alternatives roundup, or read our explainer on Clockify.

Need the hours, not next week's shifts?

When I Work is the better tool for covering next week, and we will not pretend otherwise. If your problem is the week that already happened, and hours that must hold up when a client or an auditor asks, try TimeTracker free for up to 3 people.

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