Deputy
Deputy helps operations teams schedule workers, manage labor coverage, and reduce frontline coordination friction.
Per-user pricingCloudFree trial
Reviewed Mar 4, 2026Updated Apr 9, 2026Enterprise Employee Scheduling SoftwareWorkforce Management Software
Deputy vs When I Work: Which Is Right for Your Team in 2026?
Deputy and When I Work both show up when buyers search this category, but they're built for different needs. This page breaks down pricing, features, and what should actually decide this — in plain English, for buyers, not vendors. Not sure which fits? Take the quick quiz below to find out in 30 seconds.
Deputy and When I Work both handle shift scheduling and time tracking for hourly teams, but they differentiate on scale and feature depth. When I Work is built for simplicity — fast schedule building, employee self-scheduling, and team communication for teams that want a scheduling tool without administrative overhead. Deputy handles larger workforces with more complex compliance requirements, labor cost modeling, and integrations with payroll systems. Small teams value When I Work's speed and simplicity. Multi-location teams with compliance complexity tend to prefer Deputy.
What are Deputy and When I Work?
When I Work
When I Work helps operations teams schedule workers, manage labor coverage, and reduce frontline coordination friction.
Per-user pricingCloudFree trial
How do Deputy and When I Work compare?
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, deployment, platform support, and trial availability.
Pricing modelPer-user pricingPer-user pricing
Deployment modelCloudCloud
Supported platformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
Free trialAvailableAvailable
Where does Deputy differ from When I Work?
Deputy and When I Work are both workforce scheduling tools built for hourly teams in restaurants, retail, healthcare, and hospitality. When I Work has historically been the simpler, more affordable option — it targets small and mid-size teams who need clean scheduling without complexity. Deputy has broader functionality and compliance depth, targeting operations with stricter labor rules, multi-location complexity, or tighter POS integration requirements. Both have evolved to cover similar ground, but the emphasis differs meaningfully.
When I Work is widely praised for its scheduling UI — clean, fast, and easy for managers who are not technical. Scheduling templates, copy-last-week functionality, and auto-scheduling work without requiring setup. Deputy's interface is more feature-dense, which is appropriate for complex scheduling logic but adds friction for teams that just need basic shift management. If the primary user is a store manager or shift lead running schedules on a tablet, When I Work's interface is meaningfully easier. Deputy rewards investment but takes longer to master.
This is Deputy's clearest differentiation. Its break rules engine allows you to configure mandatory meal breaks, rest periods, and overtime thresholds by role, jurisdiction, and shift length. This matters in California, New York, and other states with strict penalty provisions for break violations. When I Work supports break tracking but does not offer the same depth of rule configuration. For businesses operating in multiple states with different labor laws, Deputy's compliance tooling can prevent costly violations.
- Deputy: configurable break rules by role, state, and shift length
- Deputy: award interpretation for Australian and UK compliance
- Deputy: California predictive scheduling support
- When I Work: simpler break tracking without rule-based enforcement
- When I Work: faster onboarding with less configuration required
- When I Work: lower starting price for small teams
Both platforms include mobile clock-in/out and a kiosk mode for shared devices. Deputy supports GPS verification (employees must be within a defined radius to clock in), photo verification, and facial recognition on the kiosk. When I Work includes GPS and photo check-in on paid plans. For teams with remote or distributed workers where location verification matters — home care, delivery, field service — both cover the basics, but Deputy's verification options are more granular.
When I Work charges per user per month with plans starting around $2.50/user, making it cost-competitive for small teams. There is no permanent free tier — the free trial is 14 days. Deputy's pricing starts around $4.50/user/month for scheduling-only and $6/user/month for scheduling plus time and attendance. The cost difference is not dramatic at small scale (under 20 users), but adds up at 50–100 employees. When I Work's lower per-user cost is a real advantage for teams that do not need Deputy's compliance depth.
- 1When I Work Scheduling: ~$2.50/user/month
- 2When I Work Scheduling + Attendance: ~$5/user/month
- 3When I Work Advanced: custom pricing with advanced features
- 4Deputy Scheduling: ~$4.50/user/month
- 5Deputy Premium (scheduling + time): ~$6/user/month
- 6Deputy Enterprise: custom for large multi-location teams
When I Work integrates with Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP, Paychex, and several POS systems. Deputy's integration list is longer — covering Workday, more ADP products, Xero, and a broader set of POS platforms. For most small and mid-size teams, both integration sets cover what is needed. Enterprise buyers or teams running less common payroll systems should audit both integration lists before making a decision.
- Lower per-user cost for small to mid-size teams
- Cleaner, faster scheduling UI with less learning curve
- Faster implementation — teams are live in hours, not days
- Good fit for teams that need basic scheduling without compliance complexity
- Strong mobile app with employee self-scheduling options
- Break rules engine for multi-state compliance environments
- Deeper POS integration with demand-based auto-scheduling
- Multi-location scheduling from a unified view
- Award/enterprise compliance for Australian and UK operations
- More granular reporting on labor costs across locations
Should you choose Deputy or When I Work?
When I Work and Deputy are closer in capability than their marketing suggests, but they make different tradeoffs. When I Work is the better default for teams under 50 people in single or dual-location operations — the interface is faster, the price is lower, and implementation does not require a dedicated admin to configure compliance rules. It covers what the majority of small hourly workforce operations actually need.
Deputy justifies its higher price point when compliance risk is real — multi-state operations with break penalty exposure, Australian businesses navigating award interpretation, or large multi-location operators who need to see and edit schedules across sites from a single interface. Its POS demand-forecasting integration is also a genuine advantage for labor cost management in high-volume hospitality settings.
For most teams choosing between these two, the decision comes down to compliance complexity and price sensitivity. If you are in a single state with standard labor rules and fewer than 50 employees, When I Work's lower cost and cleaner UX are hard to argue against. If you are managing labor compliance risk across jurisdictions or need deeper POS integration for labor forecasting, Deputy's toolset is worth the premium.
Test both with your most complex scheduling scenario before committing — the difference in interface complexity becomes apparent quickly when you are managing rules rather than just building a schedule.
Still deciding between Deputy and When I Work?
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Frequently asked questions
Is When I Work cheaper than Deputy?
Yes, at most team sizes. When I Work starts around $2.50/user/month versus Deputy's $4.50/user/month. The gap narrows on higher tiers but When I Work is consistently more affordable for teams under 100 employees.
Which handles break compliance better?
Deputy, by a meaningful margin. Its break rules engine supports configurable meal and rest break thresholds by role, shift length, and jurisdiction. This is particularly important in California and New York where break violations carry financial penalties. When I Work tracks breaks but does not enforce them with the same rule depth.
Does either tool offer a free plan?
Neither offers a permanent free tier. Deputy and When I Work both offer free trials (14 days each). For a free scheduling tool, Homebase is the most commonly cited alternative with a genuine free single-location plan.
Which integrates better with ADP for payroll?
Deputy has broader ADP integration coverage, including ADP Workforce Now and ADP Run. When I Work integrates with ADP Run but with less configuration depth. If ADP is your payroll system, confirm which specific ADP product you use and verify the integration capabilities before deciding.
Can When I Work handle multi-location scheduling?
Yes, When I Work supports multiple locations, but the experience is per-location rather than unified. Deputy was designed for multi-location operations and allows managers to view and edit schedules across all locations from one interface — a meaningful operational advantage at 5+ sites.
Which is better for healthcare or home care scheduling?
Deputy is more commonly used in regulated healthcare settings due to its compliance tooling and GPS verification options. When I Work is used in healthcare too, but its compliance configuration is lighter. For home care specifically, verify GPS check-in behavior with your state's EVV (electronic visit verification) requirements for both tools.
Go deeper on Deputy and When I Work
Full profiles with pricing details, integrations, and editorial reviews.
Deputy
Deputy helps operations teams schedule workers, manage labor coverage, and reduce frontline coordination friction.
When I Work
When I Work helps operations teams schedule workers, manage labor coverage, and reduce frontline coordination friction.
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