Compare
Zchedule vs When I Work
When I Work covers employee scheduling, time and attendance and team messaging on every plan, with payroll and POS integrations. Its pricing page lists auto scheduling, shift swapping, forecast tools and a GPS time clock, priced per user with a 14-day free trial.
Zchedule covers much of the same scheduling and time-clock ground, without team messaging or payroll integrations. It's priced per team rather than per user, with a free plan for small teams.
Reviewed from When I Work's public pages. Plans and features change, so check their site for current details.
Side by side
- Pricing model
- ZcheduleFlat monthly price per team, not per user. Starter covers up to 30 people; Pro is unlimited.When I WorkPriced per user, per month
- Free plan
- ZcheduleUp to 10 people, no time limitWhen I Work14-day free trial
- Shift scheduling
- ZcheduleWeekly board, templates, publish checkWhen I WorkEmployee scheduling
- Automatic scheduling
- ZcheduleSchedule generator, four modes (Pro)When I WorkAuto scheduling with templates
- Employee availability
- ZcheduleHours, days off and blocked datesWhen I WorkCheck their site
- Shift swaps
- ZcheduleSwaps (Starter); coverage requests (Free)When I WorkShift swapping and open shifts
- Time clock
- ZcheduleApp, browser and kiosk (Starter)When I WorkTime and attendance
- GPS / geofenced clock-in
- ZcheduleZones with warn, review or block (Pro)When I WorkGPS / geofencing time clock
- Shared tablet kiosk
- ZchedulePIN kiosk on a tablet (Pro)When I WorkCheck their site
- Team chat
- ZcheduleAnnouncements and notifications, no chatWhen I WorkTeam messaging
- Payroll
- ZcheduleNo payroll; hours export as CSVWhen I WorkPayroll integrations
- Demand forecasting
- ZcheduleNoWhen I WorkForecast tools
“Check their site” means we couldn't confirm it on When I Work's public pages, not that it's missing.
The main differences
- Pricing
- When I Work charges per user each month, so cost grows with headcount. Zchedule charges one flat price per team.
- Integrations
- When I Work lists payroll and POS integrations. Zchedule has none; it exports hours as a CSV.
- Messaging
- When I Work includes team messaging. Zchedule has announcements and notifications but no chat.
Which one might suit you
When I Work may suit you if
- You want your schedule to sync with a payroll or POS system.
- You want team chat and forecasting in the scheduling tool.
Zchedule may suit you if
- You want scheduling, availability, requests and the time clock, and don't need chat, HR or payroll inside the same tool.
- You'd rather pay one flat price for the team than a price per person. Free covers up to 10 people.
Try Zchedule with your own team
Build a real week on the free plan. It takes a few minutes, and you'll know quickly whether it fits the way you schedule.
Harbor Cafe
Jun 22 – Jun 28
Jordan K. is scheduled for 45h, 5h over the 40h limit. Fix it, or publish anyway.
FAQ
Questions worth answering up front.
Yes, for up to 10 people with no time limit. When I Work's pricing page lists a 14-day free trial.
No. It exports a CSV of hours, breaks and overtime that most payroll systems can import.
Sources
- When I Work pricing (read September 29, 2026)
Related
- Pricing
Free for small teams, then one flat monthly price per team, not per person.
- Employee scheduling
Build the week on one board, check it, and publish it to your team's phones.
- Employee time clock
Clock in from the app, a browser or a shared tablet. Every punch is matched to a shift.
- Compare
How Zchedule differs from Connecteam, Homebase, 7shifts, When I Work and Deputy.
See how your week looks in Zchedule.
Free for small teams, one flat price per team above that.
No credit card needed.