Homebase vs When I Work: pricing and features compared

Homebase charges per location: $0, $30, $70, or $120 per location per month as listed in August 2026, whatever the staff count. The free Basic tier covers one location with up to 10 staff. When I Work charges per user: Essentials at $2.50, Pro at $5, and Premium at $8 per user per month, as listed on 9 October 2026. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.

For 10 people at one location, Homebase is $0 on Basic or $30 on Essentials, and When I Work is $25 on Essentials or $50 on Pro. At 20 people on one site, Homebase Essentials is still $30 while When I Work Essentials is $50. Split 10 people across three locations and it reverses: Homebase Essentials is $90, When I Work Essentials is still $25.

Scheduling is the core of both. When I Work puts auto scheduling, schedule templates, multi-location scheduling, open shifts, and shift swapping on its lowest plan, and adds scheduling rules and role permissions on Pro. Homebase has basic scheduling on the free tier, advanced scheduling from Essentials, and an AI scheduling assistant on Plus at $70 per location.

Homebase includes basic time tracking from the free tier and integrates with point-of-sale systems, so staff can clock in at the register. When I Work offers Time Tracking and Attendance as an option switched on per plan. Its pricing page did not show the price of that option when we checked, so confirm it before comparing totals. When I Work says its time clock supports GPS and geofenced clock-ins.

When I Work includes in-app team messaging on every plan. Homebase's team communication starts at Essentials. Neither includes payroll in a base plan: Homebase payroll is an add-on at a $39 monthly base fee plus $6 per employee paid, and When I Work lists payroll integrations with no payroll price of its own. Homebase sells a Task Manager as a $13 per location add-on. When I Work's pricing page does not mention task management.

Pick Homebase for one or two fixed locations with many hourly staff, a register, and a wish to start free. Pick When I Work for a team spread across several sites, or a small crew where per-user pricing stays low and shift swapping matters from day one. Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page on the dates above; confirm them before deciding. If the clock matters more than the rota, Buddy Punch vs Homebase covers that side.

Wrkbase is not a shift-first tool. Its shift scheduling is a weekly rota you build, copy from last week, and publish, with no open shifts, shift swaps, or register integration. If those are the requirement, choose between the two above. It is an alternative when the rota is one part of a wider job: attendance with a phone clock, timesheets with overtime, tasks, leave, team chat, and payroll tracking are in one workspace. It is free for up to 5 people, and $8 per member per month on Team, which is the plan that includes scheduling. The line-by-line version is on Wrkbase vs Homebase.

It depends on how many people work at one location. Homebase charges $0 to $120 per location a month whatever the staff count. When I Work charges $2.50 to $8 per user a month. At one location, Homebase Essentials at $30 becomes the cheaper of the two paid entry plans once you pass 12 people.

No. When I Work has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, then every plan is paid. Homebase's Basic tier is free for one location with up to 10 staff.

Neither includes it in a base plan. Homebase sells payroll as an add-on at a $39 monthly base fee plus $6 per employee paid. When I Work lists payroll integrations on its pricing page and no payroll price of its own.