Homebase vs When I Work: pay per location or pay per person
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 Homebase or When I Work. The comparison below is about those two; Connecteam appears only in its own section at the end.
Homebase vs When I Work: the verdict
Pick Homebase if you run one location, or a few, with a lot of hourly staff. Its price is per location with no cap on employees, it has a free plan for 1 location and up to 10 employees, and it can run full-service payroll in the same app.
Pick When I Work if you have a small number of people per location, or several locations with a few staff each, and mainly need a schedule people can see and swap on their phones. You pay per user, so the bill tracks headcount. Budget for the time tracking add-on, since the base price doesn't include it.
Homebase vs When I Work at a glance
| Compared on | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per location, unlimited employees | Per user |
| Plans | Essentials $24, Plus $56, All-in-One $96 per location a month billed annually ($30, $70, $120 monthly) | 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 | Time clock included; location-based mobile clock-in from Essentials | Add-on: $4.00, $7.00, $10.00 per user with time tracking and attendance switched on |
| Free plan | Basic: 1 location, up to 10 employees | None shown |
| Free trial | 14 days of All-in-One, no credit card; then drops to Basic | 14 days, no credit card |
| Payroll | Built-in US payroll add-on: $49 a month + $6 per employee paid, first 6 months free | Promotes Rippling (first six months free); own payroll page redirects |
| Hiring and onboarding | Free job posts and applicant tracking; onboarding and e-sign in All-in-One | Not found |
| Trustpilot | 3.8 (328 reviews) | 3.8 (6 reviews) |
| Trustpilot, invited / unprompted | 4.22 (93) / 3.86 (7), Jul 14 to Sep 30, 2026 | No invited reviews; 5 unprompted, too few to compare |
| Capterra | 4.6 (1,156 reviews) | 4.5 (1,300 reviews) |
| Company | Pioneer Works, Inc., San Francisco | When I Work, Inc., 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.
Homebase vs When I Work pricing: where the lines cross
The two price models favor different shapes of team. Using each company's published monthly prices:
- One location, 25 people: Homebase Essentials is $30 a month. When I Work Essentials with time tracking is 25 x $4.00 = $100 a month.
- Three locations, 8 people each (24 users): Homebase Essentials is 3 x $30 = $90 a month. When I Work Essentials with time tracking is 24 x $4.00 = $96, or 24 x $2.50 = $60 if you only need the schedule.
- One location, 8 people: Homebase Basic is free. When I Work has no free plan.
Homebase is cheaper for most single-location teams. When I Work closes the gap when you have many small locations or don't need its time clock. Its pricing page doesn't say whether the per-user prices are the annual or monthly rate, so confirm before you compare an annual Homebase price.
Payroll and HR: Homebase does more in one app
Homebase runs full-service US payroll itself; its FAQ says it can make direct payments and file taxes automatically. It also lists job posts and applicant tracking as free, with onboarding paperwork and e-signatures in All-in-One. When I Work sticks to scheduling, time tracking, and team messaging, and for payroll it now points customers to Rippling. If you already have a payroll provider you like, that difference matters less; both integrate with payroll tools.
What reviewers say about Homebase and When I Work
Homebase's recent Trustpilot reviews are mostly invited and mostly about support calls. The critical ones mention glitches, payroll errors, and cost surprises. When I Work has too few Trustpilot reviews to draw a pattern; the handful there are from 2022 to 2025.
“Homebase is so easy to learn and use!”Ben L, Trustpilot (invited), Sep 2026
“Was not clear that time clock on a app was going to cost so much.”Jen, Trustpilot (invited), Sep 2026
“Time clock is great. The push notification for admin alerts don't always work, and they need to allow you to schedule breaks.”A customer, Trustpilot (When I Work), Aug 2022
Where Homebase wins
- Free plan for 1 location and up to 10 employees.
- Per-location price with unlimited employees; cheaper for one busy site.
- Built-in, full-service US payroll with the first 6 months free.
- Free job posts and applicant tracking.
- Many more Trustpilot reviews to judge it by (328 vs 6).
Where When I Work wins
- Per-user pricing that starts at $2.50, cheaper for small teams across several locations.
- Scheduling-only option if you don't need a time clock.
- Auto scheduling, templates, and forecast tools on its entry plan.
- Rippling partnership if you want to move payroll and HR to Rippling.
When neither Homebase nor When I Work fits
Both apps center on scheduling and time tracking. If your team works in the field or across sites and you also want forms and checklists, training courses, and company announcements in the same app, Connecteam covers more ground. Its Small Business Plan is free for up to 10 users with geofenced clock-in and GPS breadcrumbs, and paid hubs cost a flat $29 a month billed yearly for the first 30 users on the Operations Hub.
On Trustpilot, Connecteam's 49 most recent reviews collected through a link the company shares average 4.67 (Sep 21 to 29, 2026), against 4.22 for Homebase's 93 invited reviews. The trade-offs: no built-in payroll, each hub billed separately, and reviewers who complain about upsells. See Connecteam vs Homebase and Connecteam vs When I Work for the full comparisons, or the best employee scheduling apps for the wider field.
Try Connecteam freeHomebase vs When I Work FAQ
Is Homebase or When I Work cheaper?+
It depends on headcount per location. Homebase charges per location with unlimited employees ($24 a month billed annually or $30 monthly on Essentials), so a single busy location costs the same at 10 or 40 people. When I Work charges per user ($2.50 on Essentials, $4.00 with time tracking), so it is cheaper for a few staff spread over several locations. At 25 people on one site, Homebase Essentials is $30 a month monthly and When I Work Essentials with time tracking is $100.
Does When I Work have a free plan like Homebase?+
Not publicly. When I Work shows a 14-day free trial with no credit card and no free plan on its pricing page. Homebase has a free Basic plan for 1 location and up to 10 employees, with weekly scheduling.
Which has payroll, Homebase or When I Work?+
Homebase sells built-in, full-service US payroll that files taxes, for $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid, with the first 6 months free. When I Work's pricing page now promotes a Rippling partnership with six months of Rippling free, and its own payroll page redirects to the homepage.
Which has better reviews, Homebase or When I Work?+
Both score well on Capterra: Homebase 4.6 from 1,156 reviews, When I Work 4.5 from 1,300. On Trustpilot, Homebase has 328 reviews (3.8) and When I Work only 6 (3.8), too few for a like-for-like comparison.