Short answer on When I Work pricing: three per-user plans at $2.50, $5 and $8 a month, a 14-day trial instead of a free plan, and a time clock that is a separate option with no price shown. For 10 people that is $25 on Essentials, $50 on Pro and $80 on Premium, before the time clock. Full disclosure: we build Wrkbase, and the last section says when it is and is not an alternative.
The three plans
When I Work's pricing page lists three plans per user per month. It says billing can be monthly or annual but gives no annual rate, and states no minimum fee. Prices on 31 October 2026:
| Plan | Per user | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $2.50 | Auto scheduling, multi-week and multi-location scheduling, schedule templates, forecast tools, in-app team messaging, open shifts and shift swapping, payroll and POS integrations |
| Pro | $5 | Advanced scheduling, scheduling rules, role permissions, labor sharing, custom unit forecasting, callout reporting, custom reporting, overlapping open shifts |
| Premium | $8 | API key access, webhooks and SAML single sign-on |
A discrepancy on the page
The plan list puts multi-location scheduling in Essentials at $2.50. The page's FAQ says pricing is $2.50 for single-location teams and $5 for multi-location businesses. We could not reconcile the two, so if you run several sites, ask When I Work which plan you need before you budget.
The trial, the time clock and payroll
There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial with full access and no credit card. Each plan has an Add Time Tracking and Attendance toggle, and the page does not list its price. The page mentions GPS for the time clock during the trial but does not say which plans include it. Payroll comes through integrations, plus a separate Rippling offer of six free months of Rippling payroll and HR for new customers, with no end date stated. Task management is not mentioned.
What 5, 10, 25 and 40 people pay
Monthly cost at the listed per-user prices, before the time tracking option. Prices as listed on 31 October 2026; confirm on When I Work's own page.
| Plan | 5 people | 10 people | 25 people | 40 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $12.50 | $25 | $62.50 | $100 |
| Pro | $25 | $50 | $125 | $200 |
| Premium | $40 | $80 | $200 | $320 |
Who it suits, and where Wrkbase fits
When I Work fits a small crew or a team that mostly wants a rota with open shifts and shift swapping, and its Essentials plan is the cheapest entry plan in our 10-person comparisons. The bill grows in a straight line with headcount, so flat-fee tools overtake it from about a dozen people; see When I Work alternatives.
Wrkbase is not a shift-first tool. Its shift scheduling is a weekly rota with no open shifts or shift swaps, and it does not file payroll taxes. It is an alternative when the rota is one part of a wider job: attendance, timesheets, tasks, leave, team chat and payroll tracking are in one workspace, free for up to 5 people and $8 per member per month on Team. The line-by-line version is on Wrkbase vs When I Work.
Questions this post answers
How much does When I Work cost for 10 people?
At the listed per-user prices, October 2026: Essentials $25 a month, Pro $50 and Premium $80. That is before the Time Tracking and Attendance option, whose price the page does not show.
Does When I Work have a free plan?
No. It has a 14-day free trial with full access and no credit card, then every plan is paid.
Does When I Work include a time clock?
It is an option. Each plan has an Add Time Tracking and Attendance toggle, and the pricing page does not list what it costs, so ask before comparing totals.
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