Does WhenToWork have a free plan?

No. WhenToWork does not offer a free plan. It offers a free trial period so you can evaluate the software before subscribing. If you need a free scheduling tool to start with, Homebase and 7shifts both offer limited free tiers. WhenToWork charges a per-active-employee monthly rate from day one after the trial ends.

How does WhenToWork charge, per user or flat fee?

WhenToWork uses a per-active-employee monthly pricing model. You pay based on the number of employees on your schedule each month. This is different from a flat-fee model (where you pay one price regardless of headcount) and different from a per-location model (where you pay based on the number of sites). Your total monthly cost scales linearly with the number of active employees.

Is WhenToWork the same as When I Work?

No. WhenToWork (whentowork.com) and When I Work (wheniwork.com) are completely separate companies with different products, different pricing models, and different feature sets. Buyers frequently confuse them due to the similar names. When I Work offers tiered per-employee pricing with broader features including time tracking. WhenToWork focuses on scheduling.

Is per-employee pricing right for a multi-location business?

It depends on your headcount-to-location ratio. If you have many employees spread across a few locations, per-employee pricing means you pay for every person regardless of site count. If you have many locations with small teams at each, a per-location model (like Homebase or 7shifts) can cap your total cost more effectively. Calculate your total monthly cost under both models before deciding.

Can WhenToWork replace a time tracking system?

No. WhenToWork is a scheduling tool, not a time and attendance system. It handles shift creation, availability, swaps, and notifications, but it does not provide verified time capture, biometric clock-in, overtime calculation, or payroll integration. If you need both scheduling and time tracking, you will need either a second system or an integrated platform that handles both.

What hidden costs should I watch for with scheduling software?

Ask about how the vendor defines an 'active employee' for billing purposes, setup or onboarding fees, integration costs for payroll or HRIS connections, overage charges during seasonal headcount spikes, and cancellation or early-termination penalties. Also factor in the cost of a separate time tracking system if the scheduling tool does not include verified time capture.

WhenToWork Pricing in 2025. Plans, Models & Buyer Benchmarks

What Is WhenToWork and How Does Its Pricing Model Work?

WhenToWork is a web-based employee scheduling application designed for shift-based teams. It focuses on schedule creation, shift swaps, availability tracking, and manager notifications. Its pricing model charges a per-active-employee monthly subscription fee. You pay based on the number of employees who appear on your schedule in a given billing period, not based on the number of locations, managers, or features used.

This per-employee model means your monthly cost is directly tied to headcount. If you add seasonal workers during a busy period, your bill increases proportionally. If headcount drops, your bill should decrease (subject to any minimum commitment terms). There is no published free plan and no freemium tier. WhenToWork does offer a free trial period so you can evaluate the software before committing.

One important disambiguation: WhenToWork (whentowork.com) is a separate product from When I Work (wheniwork.com). Buyers frequently confuse the two because of the similar names. They are built by different companies, use different pricing structures, and serve somewhat different markets. This guide addresses WhenToWork specifically and references When I Work only where the pricing-model comparison is relevant.

How Does Per-Employee Pricing Scale for Different Team Sizes?

Per-employee monthly pricing creates a linear cost curve. Your total monthly spend equals the per-employee rate multiplied by your active employee count. This is straightforward to budget for but creates specific trade-offs at different team-size bands.

For small teams (under 25 employees), per-employee pricing keeps the entry cost low. You pay only for who you have. For mid-size teams (25 to 100 employees), the linear model means your scheduling software cost grows steadily, and you should evaluate whether a flat-fee or per-location model would cap your costs more favorably. For larger teams (100 to 200+ employees), per-employee pricing can become the most expensive model category unless the per-employee rate drops with volume, which WhenToWork does not publicly advertise.

The key question at each band is whether you are paying for value that scales with headcount. Scheduling complexity does tend to increase with team size, but not always linearly. A 200-person single-site warehouse may have simpler scheduling needs than a 50-person multi-site operation. Per-employee pricing does not account for that difference.

Team Size Band	Per-Employee Model Behavior	Flat-Fee Model Behavior	Per-Location Model Behavior
Under 25 employees	Low entry cost; scales proportionally	May overpay if flat fee is set for larger teams	Cost depends on location count, not headcount
25 to 100 employees	Steady linear growth in cost	Flat fee can cap total cost favorably	Attractive if headcount per location is high
100 to 200+ employees	Highest total cost unless volume discounts apply	Best cost control if flat fee holds	Depends on ratio of locations to total headcount

How Does WhenToWork's Pricing Model Compare to Scheduling Alternatives?

The most useful comparison is structural, not dollar-to-dollar, because each competitor uses a different pricing architecture. Per-employee, per-location, freemium, and tiered models each create different cost curves depending on your team size, location count, and feature requirements.

Product	Pricing Model	Free Plan Available	Annual Commitment Option	Best Structural Fit
WhenToWork	Per active employee, monthly	No (free trial only)	Not publicly detailed	Single-site teams with stable headcount
When I Work	Tiered per-employee, monthly	No (free trial only)	Yes	Multi-tier needs; scheduling + time + attendance
Homebase	Per-location, tiered	Yes (limited features)	Yes	Multi-location small businesses with small per-site teams
Deputy	Per-user, tiered	No (free trial only)	Yes	Shift-heavy operations needing scheduling + time tracking
7shifts	Per-location, tiered	Yes (limited features)	Yes	Restaurants and food service specifically

The structural takeaway: if you operate a single site and want scheduling-only functionality, WhenToWork's per-employee model is simple and transparent. If you operate multiple locations with small teams at each site, a per-location model (Homebase, 7shifts) may cap your costs more effectively. If you need scheduling bundled with time tracking and payroll integration, When I Work or Deputy offer broader functionality at a higher per-employee rate. Each model has a scenario where it wins, and a scenario where it becomes the most expensive option.

What Should You Ask About Pricing Before You Buy?

The published per-employee rate is only part of your total cost. Before committing to WhenToWork or any scheduling tool, ask these questions to understand the full financial picture.

How is "active employee" defined? Does an employee who works one shift in a month count the same as one who works 20? Some platforms charge for any employee on the roster; others charge only for employees who clock in or appear on a published schedule.
Are there setup or onboarding fees? Some scheduling platforms charge a one-time implementation fee. WhenToWork does not prominently advertise one, but ask explicitly.
What happens if you cancel mid-term? Understand whether you are locked into a minimum commitment period and whether prepaid months are refundable.
Are integrations included or extra? If you need your scheduling data to flow into payroll, time tracking, or an HRIS, ask whether that integration is included in the base price or requires an add-on.
Is there a volume discount at higher headcounts? Per-employee pricing without volume breaks becomes expensive fast. Ask whether pricing adjusts at 50, 100, or 200 employees.
What is the overage policy for seasonal spikes? If your headcount fluctuates seasonally (common in construction, warehousing, staffing, and hospitality), understand how billing adjusts during peak periods.

These questions protect you from surprise costs that can make an apparently affordable per-employee rate significantly more expensive in practice.

When Does Per-Employee Scheduling Pricing Fit and When Does It Not?

Per-employee pricing is the right model when your headcount is stable, your scheduling needs are straightforward, and you operate from a single location or a small number of sites. It is the wrong model when headcount fluctuates dramatically, when you need combined scheduling and time tracking, or when your multi-site structure makes per-location pricing more economical.

Scenario	Per-Employee Fit	Better Alternative Model
Single-site retail or office with 10 to 40 stable employees	Strong fit; low total cost, simple billing	N/A
Multi-location restaurant group (5+ sites, 10 to 15 per site)	Weak fit; total cost grows with aggregate headcount	Per-location (Homebase, 7shifts)
Construction crew with seasonal headcount swings (30 to 150 workers)	Weak fit; billing spikes during peak season	Platform with seasonal seat adjustment or flat fee
Warehousing operation needing scheduling + biometric time capture	Does not fit; WhenToWork is scheduling-only	Integrated time tracking + scheduling platform
Small team (<10) testing scheduling software for the first time	Moderate fit; per-employee cost is low but no free tier to start	Freemium option (Homebase free plan)

The critical distinction for buyers in construction, manufacturing, warehousing, transportation, and staffing is that scheduling-only tools leave a significant gap. You still need a separate system for time capture, overtime calculation, payroll integration, and compliance documentation. That second system adds cost, creates data re-entry work, and introduces reconciliation risk between your schedule and your actual time records.

Where Does Time Tracking Fit Into the Scheduling Pricing Decision?

If you need both scheduling and verified time capture, buying them separately almost always costs more than buying an integrated platform. A scheduling-only tool like WhenToWork gives you shift planning, but the moment employees clock in, you need a separate system to record, verify, and approve those hours before payroll.

That gap matters most in industries where inaccurate time records create real financial exposure. Per the EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software manufacturing solution overview, inaccurate time records can cost employers 2 to 5% of gross payroll, and manual timesheet errors can add up to $2,300 per employee annually. Those costs come from missed punches, rounding errors, buddy punching, and manual re-entry mistakes between disconnected systems.

For operations that run on job sites, factory floors, cold storage facilities, or across multiple locations, the scheduling decision and the time tracking decision are linked. You can buy them separately, but you should price them together when evaluating total cost. A per-employee scheduling fee plus a separate per-employee time tracking fee plus integration or re-entry labor can exceed the cost of a single platform that handles both. Ask every vendor whether their pricing includes time capture, overtime automation, and payroll integrations, or whether those capabilities require separate purchases.

What This Means for Your Operation

WhenToWork is a focused scheduling tool with a transparent per-employee pricing model. For small, stable, single-site teams that need shift scheduling and nothing more, it is a reasonable option with a low barrier to entry. For teams in construction, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, or staffing, the scheduling-only scope and per-employee cost curve create real limitations.

If your operation needs verified time capture alongside scheduling, consider platforms that integrate both into one system. EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software combines biometric time clocks with scheduling and 20+ payroll integrations, so your schedule and your actual time records live in the same platform. That eliminates the re-entry gap between scheduling and payroll, and it gives you audit trails, overtime automation, and compliance documentation that scheduling-only tools do not provide.

Before you commit to any pricing model, map your actual needs. Start with these questions: Do you need scheduling only, or scheduling plus time tracking? How many locations do you operate? Does your headcount fluctuate seasonally? Do you need biometric verification for punch accuracy? Do you need payroll integration or will you export manually? The answers will tell you whether a per-employee scheduling tool fits or whether you need a broader platform. Use the gap assessment tool to evaluate where your current process is leaving money on the table, then request quotes from vendors whose pricing model matches your operational reality.

How EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software Compares

EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software takes a different approach from scheduling-only tools. The platform combines biometric time clocks, employee scheduling, time and attendance, and payroll integration into one system with quote-based pricing that includes hardware. For operations in construction, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, and staffing, EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software eliminates the gap between schedule and actual time capture, with most sites going live within days. If your evaluation of scheduling software pricing has revealed that you also need verified time tracking and payroll accuracy, request a quote to see how the platform's integrated approach compares to buying scheduling and time tracking separately.

WhenToWork Pricing in 2025. Plans, Models & Buyer Benchmarks

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