An honest When I Work review 2026:
Pricing, features, pros & cons

When I Work review - quick summary

Overall Score

7.6/10

Visit When I Work

Score breakdown

Who is when I Work?

When I Work is a US-based employee scheduling and time tracking platform designed for hourly workforces. Founded in 2010, it serves businesses primarily in hospitality, retail, healthcare, and other shift-based industries. We found it focuses on making scheduling simple and giving employees self-service tools to manage their availability and shifts.

From our testing, When I Work's strongest areas are ease of scheduling, shift swapping workflows, and mobile app usability. It's a practical step up from spreadsheets for businesses that want straightforward rostering without complex setup.

Where we found When I Work shows limitations is in deeper workforce management needs. It's not designed to be a full HR system, lacks native integration with Australian payroll systems like Xero and MYOB, and doesn't include built-in award interpretation. For Australian businesses with compliance-heavy requirements, this creates gaps that may require workarounds or additional software.

When I Work review methodology

We tested When I Work by creating a live account, building rosters, and evaluating core features as both a manager and employee. This review is based on actual product use, not marketing claims.

• Built schedules, tested shift swaps, and evaluated the drag-and-drop interface
• Tested mobile clock-in/out on iOS and Android devices
• Reviewed integration options and timesheet export workflows
• Evaluated pricing tiers and feature access at each level

This means you can trust our assessment is based on real-world experience with When I Work — not vendor-provided demos or marketing materials.

What other users say

Beyond our own testing, When I Work has accumulated a significant volume of reviews across major software review platforms and app stores. The high review counts — particularly on mobile app stores — suggest broad adoption among shift-based teams.

App store ratings typically reflect the employee experience (checking shifts, swaps, notifications), while Capterra and G2 feedback often reflects manager and admin perspectives. We reviewed both to validate our findings.

When I Work ratings on key platforms

What users highlight positively

• Easy scheduling — Templates, drag-and-drop, and availability visibility praised by managers
• Shift swapping — Employees can swap shifts and pick up open shifts, reducing manager workload
• Mobile experience — Staff adoption is strong due to intuitive mobile apps

Common concerns from users

• Mobile reliability — Some users report clock-in glitches, refresh issues, and sync delays
• No phone support — Limited to email and chat with restricted hours
• Limited integrations — No direct Xero or MYOB integration for Australian businesses

What users are saying

"Value for the money, the customer support, the ease of use, the user interface, the features to track absences and days off requested, reporting, employee management and just a nice format for setting up schedules."

— Capterra reviewer, 5/5 stars

"Many times I find that my clock in or clock out submission does not go through - it's like the app glitches and doesn't allow me to do anything."

— App store reviewer

Pros & cons

When I Work rostering and scheduling

Scheduling is where When I Work performs best. In our testing, we found it easy to learn, quick to use, and practical for managers who want to build rosters without wrestling with the tool.

The features that stood out include templates, schedule copying, availability visibility while scheduling, open shifts and pick-up workflows, shift trades with approvals, and a responsive drag-and-drop interface.

Strengths

• Availability visibility reduces guesswork and scheduling conflicts
• Shift swapping and open shifts are frequently described as "the feature that makes staff buy in"
• Templates speed up weekly schedule creation
• Many teams frame it as a clear step up from spreadsheets

Limitations

• Complex rule-based scheduling may hit edges where the platform feels lighter
• No built-in Australian award interpretation
• Labour cost forecasting not emphasised in the core scheduling flow
• Teams wanting a broader operations layer may find it "scheduling-first"

Pros & cons

When I Work time tracking and attendance

When I Work supports time tracking through mobile clock-in/out and kiosk-style setups. In our testing, it covers essential needs well, though we did encounter occasional mobile friction that could frustrate staff in busy environments.

The core capabilities include mobile clock in/out, GPS geofencing for clock-in restrictions, photo verification, break handling, and scheduled vs worked comparisons.

Strengths

• Kiosk/terminal options are practical for on-site teams
• Scheduling and timesheets connected in one place
• GPS restrictions help prevent buddy punching

Limitations

• Mobile reliability complaints: refresh issues, sign-outs, sync delays
• No continuous GPS tracking — only at clock-in/out points
• Internet required for all clock-ins (no offline mode)

Pros & cons

When I Work payroll integrations

When I Work's payroll workflow works in two ways: exporting timesheets for manual processing, or syncing with a smaller set of payroll tools via direct integrations.

The available integrations include ADP, Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks, Paychex, and Square Payroll. An optional built-in payroll add-on is also available (approximately $39/month plus $6/user).

Strengths

• Integrates with major US payroll providers
• Timesheet exports available for manual processing
• Clear "approve time → send to payroll" workflow

Limitations

• No direct Xero integration — significant gap for Australian businesses
• No direct MYOB integration
• No built-in Australian award interpretation
• May require middleware (Zapier) for unsupported systems

Pros & cons

When I Work communication tools

When I Work includes in-app messaging and schedule notifications. We'd describe the communication layer as "supporting infrastructure" rather than a full collaboration tool.

The convenience factor is clear: staff are already in the app for shifts, so it makes sense to keep schedule-related communication there too.

Strengths

• Messages and announcements reduce need for personal phone numbers
• Schedule change notifications support the rostering workflow
• 1-to-1 and group messaging available

Limitations

• Messaging is functional but not sophisticated
• Notification consistency concerns mentioned by some users
• Not designed to replace dedicated team communication tools

When I Work mobile apps

Mobile is a clear strength. We tested both iOS and Android apps, and found them intuitive and well-designed. When a scheduling platform fails, it often fails because staff don't adopt it — so strong mobile experience matters significantly.

The app store ratings (4.8/5 on iOS with ~51K ratings, 4.7/5 on Android with ~73K reviews) back up what we experienced. That said, we did encounter occasional friction — small bugs, refresh issues, and sync delays that align with what users report.

Strengths

• High app store ratings suggest strong employee experience
• Core features accessible: check shifts, request changes, swap, pick up open shifts
• Available on both iOS and Android
• User-friendly interface praised in reviews

Limitations

• Clock-in glitches can cause friction at critical moments
• Some reviews mention app freezing or slow loading during peak usage
• Occasional sync delays reported

When I Work HR tools

When I Work isn't designed as a full HR platform, and we wouldn't position it that way. It's scheduling plus attendance, with some people admin around the edges.

HR-adjacent features include staff profiles, availability and time-off management, PTO request workflows, and basic employee management that supports scheduling.

Strengths

• Time-off and availability sit close to scheduling where they're most useful
• For teams that don't want an HR suite, this level may be enough

Limitations

• No document management or digital contracts
• No onboarding workflows
• No compliance document tracking
• Teams wanting broader HR workflows will find it too light

When I Work reporting and analytics

Reporting is adequate for core workforce needs — timesheets, scheduled vs worked comparisons, and payroll exports. In our testing, we found the more "power user" your reporting expectations, the more likely you'll hit limitations.

Strengths

• Baseline reports cover what many SMB teams need for payroll prep
• Labour cost tracking available on higher tiers
• Export functionality available

Limitations

• Deeper analytics and custom reporting are limited
• No demand forecasting
• Some users describe reporting as "basic"

When I Work pricing and plans

When I Work pricing is per-user, per-month with multiple tiers. The key detail we'd highlight: time and attendance is often a module or plan upgrade, so the "starting price" doesn't always match what a time-tracking team will actually pay.

For current pricing, visit When I Work's pricing page. Note: Pricing is in USD.

Pricing overview

Optional payroll add-on

Some reviews describe an optional payroll processing add-on at approximately $39/month plus $6/user. Availability may vary by region.

Pros & cons

When I Work use cases: who is it best for?

In our assessment, When I Work's fit is clearest when you run shift-based teams, want scheduling plus time tracking plus basic communication in one place, and need staff adoption without heavy training.

Best suited for:

• Restaurants, cafes, and hospitality venues
• Retail stores and multi-site operations
• Healthcare clinics with frequent shift changes
• Small to mid-sized teams moving away from spreadsheets
• High-change environments where swaps drive the weekly workload

Less suited for:

• Compliance-heavy environments requiring deep rule automation
• Australian businesses needing native Xero/MYOB integration
• Organisations wanting robust operational workflows as a core feature
• Teams requiring phone support as a baseline

When I Work security

We reviewed When I Work's security features based on what's available in the platform and vendor documentation:

When I Work customer support

We tested support responsiveness and found it adequate for basic queries. Frustration tends to appear when support channels don't match expectations — especially when phone support is important to the buyer.

Available support channels

• Email/ticket support
• Live chat (limited hours)
• Help center documentation
• No phone support available

Pros & cons

When I Work review: final verdict

When I Work is a scheduling-and-attendance platform that does the basics well and earns loyalty through simplicity. Based on our testing, it's clearly positioned for shift-based teams that want to get rosters out cleanly without wrestling with complex software.

Score summary

The clearest positives from our testing:

• Fast rostering with practical scheduling tools
• Strong staff self-service around swaps, open shifts, and requests
• Broad mobile adoption and generally positive sentiment
• Competitive per-user pricing for scheduling-first teams

The most consistent cautions we'd raise:

• Not designed to be a full HR or operations suite
• No direct Xero or MYOB integration for Australian businesses
• No phone support and limited chat hours
• Mobile reliability concerns surface in some feedback

When I Work is best suited to:

• Hospitality, retail, and service businesses
• SMBs wanting simple, mobile-first scheduling
• Teams that rely heavily on shift swaps and open shifts
• Businesses using US-based payroll systems (ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks)
• Workplaces prioritising staff self-service and mobile adoption

When I Work may be less suitable for:

• Australian businesses needing native Xero or MYOB integration
• Teams requiring phone-based customer support
• Compliance-heavy industries needing built-in award interpretation
• Businesses wanting HR document management or onboarding tools
• Companies requiring advanced workforce analytics

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