Scheduling software review

When I Work

Name: When I Work
Rating: 7.1

Scheduling, time clock and team messaging app priced per user: $2.50 a month for a single location and $5 for several locations. Hours sync to payroll providers such as Gusto, Paychex, QuickBooks Online, Rippling and Square Payroll; it documents no POS integration.

By When I WorkVerified Oct 17, 2026

RTC SCORE

7.1

#7 of 14 with enough data

What we like

Published per-user price with scheduling, time clock and team messaging, billed month to month.
Shift swaps, open shifts, GPS radius for clock-ins and overtime alerts.
Live chat every day, 75 hours a week.

What to watch

No documented POS integration, so sales don't reach the schedule from your POS.
No refund of the period already paid, and access ends as soon as you cancel.
Tips are only reported by employees; there's no tip pooling.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score7.1out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness98%

We could verify 98% of the scoring data

Strongest points: 12-month cost (reference restaurant), Time clock, Hours into payroll
Weakest point: POS systems it connects to

Score by criterion

12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 22%Strongest9.6 out of 10
$450 over 12 months
Time clockWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
POS systems it connects toWeight 8%Weakest0.0 out of 10
Hours into payrollWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
Labor cost against salesWeight 6%5.0 out of 10
Published pricingWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
Shift swaps and open shiftsWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
POS sales on the scheduleWeight 5%0.0 out of 10
Initial termWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
Refund when you cancelWeight 4%0.0 out of 10
Free planWeight 3%0.0 out of 10
Availability and time offWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
Labor law alertsWeight 3%6.0 out of 10
Location check at clock-inWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
Breaks and overtimeWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
Tip pooling and payoutsWeight 3%0.0 out of 10
Phone supportWeight 2%No data
Automatic schedule builderWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
Team messagingWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data point	Value
How the price is counted	Per userVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Base fee	$0/moVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Priced only per user; no base fee is published.
Per user, each month	$2.50/moVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Single-location plan; $5 per user for several locations. The pricing page tests different layouts and prices, so the price you see may differ.
Who counts as a paid user	Everyone with an account, managers includedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Text from the savings calculator on the pricing page; the help center doesn't define a billable user.
Published pricing	PublishedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Paying for the year	Available, with a published discountVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)The help center shows a 5% discount for yearly billing; the pricing page publishes no yearly price. On a yearly plan you can't lower the number of seats.
Free plan	No free planVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)The pricing page shows only paid plans and a 14-day trial.
Free plan limit	N/AVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)No free plan.
Setup fee	$0 one-timeVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Minimums and other fees	The pricing page lists no other charges. Paying for the year is possible; the help center mentions a 5% discount, but no yearly price is published.Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)

Scheduling
Data point	Value
Shift swaps and open shifts in the app	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Availability and time-off requests	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Availability and time-off requests are managed in the app, and managers approve or decline them.
Labor cost against sales	Labor cost on the schedule, without salesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Labor cost and scheduled versus budgeted hours on the schedule. No sales import from a POS is documented.
Automatic schedule builder	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)One-click shift assignment based on availability and qualifications; the pricing page lists auto scheduling on Essentials.
Team messaging	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Labor law alerts	Overtime and break alertsVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)Overtime alerts and automatic deduction of scheduled breaks. We found no predictive scheduling (fair workweek) rules.

Time clock and attendance
Data point	Value
Time clock	Included in the comparable planVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)The pricing FAQ says every plan includes time and attendance. The same page also shows an "Add Time Tracking & Attendance" switch without a price, and older help articles describe it as an add-on.
Ways to clock in	Phone app, Shared tablet or kiosk, Web browserVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)Phone app, a dedicated time clock terminal and a personal computer (each can be turned on or off).
Location check (GPS or geofence)	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)GPS radius of 100 meters or more on the phone app; on a computer it checks browser location or a static IP address.
Photo at clock-in	UnconfirmedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)We found no When I Work page about taking a photo at clock-in.
Breaks and overtime on timesheets	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)
Tip pooling and payouts	Not offeredVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)Employees can report their tips at clock-out; no tip pooling or payout is documented.

POS and payroll
Data point	Value
POS systems it connects to	Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)The pricing page mentions POS integrations, but neither the integrations page nor the help center names a POS; Square appears only as Square Payroll.
POS that send sales	Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)No POS sales integration is documented.
POS that send clock-ins or employees	Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)No POS employee or clock-in sync is documented.
Getting hours into payroll	Hours sync to payroll providersVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)Hours sync to Gusto, QuickBooks Online, Rippling and Square Payroll; Paychex gets a CSV file. No payroll of its own.
Payroll providers it connects to	Gusto, Paychex, QuickBooks Payroll, Rippling, Square Payroll, OthersVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)Others: OnPay and SimplePay (supported by those providers). The ADP integrations are no longer offered to new customers after June 2026.
Several locations in one account	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)

Contract and exit
Data point	Value
Initial term	Month to monthVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Terms §11.1: monthly or yearly, paid in advance; the monthly plan is month to month.
Automatic renewal	1 monthVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Billing periods follow the term you chose; renewals are charged to your card.
Notice to avoid renewal	0 daysVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)You cancel in Account & Billing; an email or phone request doesn't count as cancellation.
Refund when you cancel	No refund of the period already paidVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)Terms §11.3 and §12.1: no refunds or credits for partial months.
Leaving early	No fee to leave. The month already paid isn't refunded, and access ends as soon as you cancel.Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise prices	Terms §11.1: When I Work can change prices with at least 30 days' notice, by email or on its site or app.Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)
Your records when you leave	You can download them yourselfVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)You export it yourself before canceling; access ends when the cancellation takes effect (terms §12.1).

Support
Data point	Value
Phone support	UnconfirmedVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)The support page lists tickets and live chat, with no phone number.
Live chat support	YesVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)
Live support hours a week	75Verified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)Live chat 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends (tickets until 9 p.m. on weekdays).

Language
Data point	Value
Employee app in Spanish	Yes, documented by the vendorVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)The iOS and Android apps come in Spanish, following the phone's language.
Manager dashboard in Spanish	NoVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)The web app is in English only; When I Work suggests the browser's translation.
Help articles in Spanish	NoVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work Help Center (opens in a new tab)The help center is published in English only (the /es path doesn't exist).
Website in Spanish for the US	NoVerified Oct 17, 2026Source: When I Work (opens in a new tab)wheniwork.com has no Spanish version (the /es path returns 404).

More about When I Work

How we score