Deputy vs When I Work: deeper scheduling or a lower price per user
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Connecteam Reviews · Updated September 30, 2026 · Checked November 1, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews Connecteam and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. We have no relationship with Deputy or When I Work. The comparison below is about those two; Connecteam appears only in its own section at the end.
Deputy vs When I Work: the verdict
Pick Deputy if you schedule a large or multi-site workforce against demand. Its Core plan adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, and wage budgets, it has a face-unlock kiosk clock on Core and up, and it sells payroll (through Paycor) and HR add-ons. Expect to pay more per user, and read the contract terms: monthly plans carry a $30 minimum and annual plans can't be downgraded or refunded.
Pick When I Work if you want a straightforward schedule and time clock at a lower price per user. Its entry plan already includes auto scheduling and forecast tools, but time tracking is a paid add-on, and payroll now runs through a Rippling partnership.
Deputy vs When I Work at a glance
| Compared on | Deputy | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user; every admin and manager counts | Per user |
| Plans | Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user a month billed annually ($5.50, $7.25, $10 monthly); Enterprise custom | Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8 per user a month (the page doesn't say whether these are annual or monthly rates) |
| Time tracking | Clock-in apps and geofencing on Lite; face-unlock kiosk on Core and up | Add-on: $4.00, $7.00, $10.00 per user with time tracking and attendance switched on |
| Minimum spend | $30 a month per invoice on monthly plans (from Sep 1, 2025) | None stated |
| Free plan | None | None shown |
| Free trial | Up to 31 days, no credit card | 14 days, no credit card |
| Scheduling depth | Templates, shift swaps, availability on Lite; auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, wage budgets on Core | Templates, auto scheduling, multi-location, forecast tools on Essentials |
| Payroll | Deputy Payroll enabled by Paycor: $8 per user + $49 base a month, annual Core or Pro, US | Promotes Rippling (first six months free); own payroll page redirects |
| HR add-on | $2 per user: hiring, onboarding, documents, performance | Not found |
| SMS | Extra: US 1c per 160 characters | Not stated |
| Trustpilot | 2.9 (131 reviews) | 3.8 (6 reviews) |
| Trustpilot, invited / unprompted | 4.47 (30) / 1.25 (20), Aug 2024 to Sep 2026 | No invited reviews; 5 unprompted, too few to compare |
| Capterra | 4.6 (773 reviews) | 4.5 (1,300 reviews) |
| Company | Sydney; founded 2008; CEO Silvija Martincevic | Minneapolis; founded 2010 |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-09-30. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
Deputy vs When I Work pricing for a real team
Using each company's published prices for a 20-person team:
- Deputy Lite, monthly: 20 x $5.50 = $110 a month. Core: 20 x $7.25 = $145.
- Deputy Lite, annual: 20 x $5 = $100 a month, committed for 12 months.
- When I Work Essentials with time tracking: 20 x $4.00 = $80 a month. Without time tracking: 20 x $2.50 = $50.
Deputy counts every admin and manager as a user, so include them in the headcount. Small Deputy accounts on monthly billing also hit the $30 minimum: a 4-person team pays $30, not $22. When I Work is cheaper at list price, but its page doesn't say whether the per-user prices are the annual or monthly rate, so confirm before you commit.
Scheduling depth: where Deputy pulls ahead
Deputy's Core plan adds auto-scheduling, micro-scheduling, demand forecasting, and wage budgets, the tools a manager uses to build a roster around expected traffic and a labor budget. When I Work lists auto scheduling and forecast tools on Essentials and custom unit forecasting on Pro, which covers many small teams. If you plan rosters around demand and labor cost, that is what Deputy's Core plan is built for.
Contracts, support, and what reviewers say
Deputy's invited and unprompted Trustpilot reviews are far apart. The 30 invited reviews in our sample average 4.47; the 20 unprompted ones average 1.25, and most of those complain about support that starts with a chatbot, price increases after the move to Lite, Core, and Pro plans, and annual contract terms. When I Work has only six Trustpilot reviews, so there is no pattern to read; one long-time customer complains about an annual plan deadline.
“It is easy to manage my employee's timecards on a daily basis.”Jesse F., G2 (Deputy), Mar 2026
“When something goes wrong, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming to reach a resolution because there is no option to speak to someone over the phone.”Samantha Long, Trustpilot (Deputy, unprompted), Jan 2026
“We missed the alterations to the annual plan deadline by less than a week due to being off work with a sick child.”Jessie Hudson, Trustpilot (When I Work), Aug 2024
Where Deputy wins
- Auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, and wage budgets on Core.
- Geofenced clock-in on its entry plan, and a face-unlock kiosk on Core and up.
- Payroll through Paycor and a $2-per-user HR add-on for hiring and onboarding.
- A longer free trial: up to 31 days.
Where When I Work wins
- Lower list prices: $2.50 per user, or $4.00 with time tracking.
- No minimum spend stated, so very small teams pay only for their users.
- Auto scheduling and forecast tools already on the entry plan.
- A scheduling-only option for teams that don't need a time clock.
When neither Deputy nor When I Work fits
Both charge per user from the first person and neither has a free plan. Connecteam takes a different approach: its Small Business Plan is free for up to 10 users, and paid hubs cost a flat $29 a month billed yearly for the first 30 users on the Operations Hub, so the price doesn't change between 11 and 30 users. It also puts forms and checklists, training courses, and announcements in the same app as the schedule and time clock.
On Trustpilot, Connecteam's 49 most recent reviews collected through a link the company shares average 4.67 (Sep 21 to 29, 2026), against 4.47 for Deputy's 30 invited reviews. The trade-offs: its auto-scheduling is on the Expert plan, it has no built-in payroll, and each hub is billed separately. See Connecteam vs Deputy and Connecteam vs When I Work, or Deputy alternatives and When I Work alternatives.
Try Connecteam freeDeputy vs When I Work FAQ
Is Deputy or When I Work cheaper?+
When I Work's list prices are lower: Essentials is $2.50 per user a month, or $4.00 with time tracking and attendance switched on. Deputy Lite is $5 per user a month billed annually or $5.50 monthly, and monthly Deputy plans have a $30 minimum per invoice. For 20 users on monthly billing, Deputy Lite is $110 and When I Work Essentials with time tracking is $80. When I Work doesn't say whether its prices are the annual or monthly rate.
Does Deputy or When I Work have a free plan?+
Neither shows one. Deputy offers a free trial of up to 31 days and When I Work 14 days, both without a credit card.
Which is better for auto-scheduling and forecasting?+
Deputy goes further. Its Core plan adds auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, and wage budgets. When I Work lists auto scheduling and forecast tools on its Essentials plan and custom unit forecasting on Pro. Deputy has more tools for scheduling against sales or demand data.
Which has better reviews, Deputy or When I Work?+
On Capterra, Deputy has 4.6 from 773 reviews and When I Work 4.5 from 1,300. On Trustpilot, Deputy's 30 invited reviews in our sample average 4.47 and its 20 unprompted ones 1.25 (Aug 2024 to Sep 2026); When I Work has only 6 Trustpilot reviews, too few to compare.