Short answer on When I Work alternatives: for a small crew, When I Work is already the cheapest entry plan in this comparison, so the reasons to leave are flat-fee pricing as you grow, a free plan, or features it does not list. Homebase and Connecteam stay cheap as headcount rises, Deputy goes deeper on scheduling at a higher per-user price, and Clockify is the lightest if you only need hours logged. Wrkbase suits an office or remote team that wants attendance, tasks, leave and payroll records in one workspace. Full disclosure: we build Wrkbase, and the last section says when it is not the right pick.
Why teams look for When I Work alternatives
When I Work charges per user: Essentials at $2.50, Pro at $5 and Premium at $8 a month, as listed on 9 October 2026. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Auto scheduling, templates, multi-location scheduling, open shifts and shift swapping are on the lowest plan, and scheduling rules and role permissions are added on Pro.
Because the price is per user, the bill grows in a straight line: 10 people on Essentials is $25 a month, 25 is $62.50 and 40 is $100. Time Tracking and Attendance is an option switched on per plan, and its price was not shown on the pricing page when we checked. The page lists payroll integrations and gives no payroll price, and it does not mention task management. Those are the usual reasons to compare When I Work alternatives. The plan-by-plan detail is in When I Work pricing.
What it costs at 10, 25 and 40 people
Monthly cost on each tool's entry paid plan, worked out from the prices each vendor lists (Homebase August 2026, the others October 2026). When I Work Pro is included because it adds scheduling rules and role permissions. Homebase is per location, shown for one. Confirm current prices before you decide.
| Tool | 10 people | 25 people | 40 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| When I Work Essentials ($2.50 per user) | $25 | $62.50 | $100 |
| When I Work Pro ($5 per user) | $50 | $125 | $200 |
| Connecteam Basic (free to 10 users) | $29 | $29 | $37 |
| Homebase Essentials, one location | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Clockify Basic ($3.99 per user, yearly) | $39.90 | $99.75 | $159.60 |
| Deputy Lite ($5 per user) | $50 | $125 | $200 |
| Wrkbase Team ($8 per member; free up to 5) | $80 | $200 | $320 |
Homebase and Connecteam: flat fees
Homebase charges per location, $0 to $120 a month, with a free Basic tier for one location with up to 10 staff, so one busy site stays cheap whatever the headcount. Connecteam lists a free plan for up to 10 users and Operations plans of $29, $49 or $99 that include the first 30 users. Both beat When I Work Essentials on price from about a dozen people up, as the table shows. See Homebase alternatives and Connecteam alternatives.
Deputy and Clockify
Deputy is the like-for-like scheduling swap, at $5 a user on Lite against When I Work's $2.50, with auto-scheduling and demand forecasting from Core and a $30 monthly minimum on monthly plans. Clockify is a timer first, free for up to 5 users, with scheduling and GPS from Pro. See Deputy alternatives and the Clockify review.
Where Wrkbase is and is not an alternative
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 or shift swaps, and it does not file payroll taxes. If those are the requirement, stay with When I Work or move to Homebase or Deputy. It is an alternative when the rota is one part of a wider job: attendance with a phone clock, timesheets, tasks, leave, team chat and payroll tracking in one workspace, free for up to 5 people and $8 per member per month on Team. That is the dearest plan in the table at every size, so it only pays off if it replaces several tools. The line-by-line version is on Wrkbase vs When I Work.
Questions this post answers
What is the best free When I Work alternative?
When I Work has no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Connecteam's Small Business plan is free for up to 10 users, Homebase's Basic tier is free for one location with up to 10 staff, and Clockify and Wrkbase are free for up to 5 users. Clockify's free plan covers basic time tracking only.
Is anything cheaper than When I Work for 40 people?
Yes, the flat-fee tools. At 40 people When I Work Essentials is $100 a month and Pro is $200. Homebase Essentials at one location is $30 and Connecteam Basic is $37. At 10 people the order reverses: When I Work Essentials at $25 is the cheapest entry plan in the table.
Do When I Work alternatives include payroll?
Not in a base plan. When I Work lists payroll integrations, Deputy sells Deputy Payroll as an add-on at $8 per user plus a $49 monthly base fee in the US, and Homebase sells payroll as an add-on too. Clockify's reports feed an outside payroll system. Wrkbase tracks payroll from attendance hours but does not file payroll taxes.
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