Deputy vs When I Work (2026): Price, Compliance and Kiosks

Deputy and When I Work are the two shift scheduling apps with a built-in time clock that hourly operators compare most. When I Work is cheaper and simpler: from $2.50 per user with no minimum, scheduling on every plan, GPS and geofence clock-in, and payroll integrations from the cheapest tier. Deputy costs more per head, charges a $30 monthly minimum and counts managers as users, and in return puts labor law compliance rules on its cheapest plan, a face-unlock biometric kiosk on Core, demand-based scheduling, and its own payroll add-on. Small shift teams should start with When I Work; hospitality and retail groups with fair workweek obligations should price Deputy.

This comparison uses October 2026 prices from both vendors' pages, worked out at 5, 15 and 50 people, and reports the two things those pages leave ambiguous, When I Work's time and attendance placement and Deputy's billing basis, rather than guessing at them as the pages that rank for this query do.

The verdict

Starting points by situation.

1

When I Work

Small shift teams, multi-location

From $2.50 per user, scheduling first, GPS clock-in

See the detail

2

Deputy

Hospitality and retail with compliance rules

Labor law compliance on Lite, biometric kiosk on Core

See the detail

Side by side, October 2026

What each costs at 5, 15 and 50 people

At October 2026 list prices. Deputy's annual discount of 10% and its $30 minimum are applied where stated; When I Work publishes no annual rate. Deputy Payroll adds $49 plus $8 per user.

Where each is built to work

When I Work is a scheduler first. The product is built around publishing a schedule, letting staff swap and pick up shifts, and clocking them in against it, across one location on Essentials and several on Pro. It is the cheaper, simpler product, and for a team that mainly needs the roster and a clock that records where people punched, it does the job at $2.50 to $5 per user. The weaknesses are on the pricing page itself: the plan cards and the FAQ disagree about whether time and attendance is included or an add-on, no annual rate is published, and no kiosk is named.

Deputy is built for the operator who has to prove compliance: labor law rules that warn or block on breaks, overtime and fair workweek requirements sit on the cheapest plan, the face-unlock kiosk on Core stops buddy punching, and demand-based scheduling forecasts staffing against sales. It costs more per head, charges a $30 monthly minimum, counts managers as seats, and sells HR, messaging and analytics as add-ons, but for hospitality and retail groups with complex rosters it is the more complete tool. Both appear in our shift scheduling review and our clock in clock out app review.

Which one fits

Each tool in detail

When I Work

Cheap scheduling with a clock

Runs on Web, iOS, Android Pricing (October 2026) Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8 per user per month; no annual rates published; time and attendance shown as a toggle on the pricing page; 14-day trial without a card

What it is

When I Work schedules hourly teams, with shift swaps and open shifts, and adds a time clock with GPS and geofence clock-in, payroll and point-of-sale integrations from Essentials, and an API and SSO on Premium. Its FAQ assigns $2.50 to single-location and $5 to multi-location teams, which the plan cards do not say.

Where it wins

• From $2.50 per user with no minimum
• Scheduling built for multi-location shift teams
• Payroll and POS integrations on the cheapest plan
• GPS and geofence clock-in

Where it loses

• Pricing page inconsistent about time and attendance; confirm in writing
• No kiosk named on the pricing page
• No compliance rules engine stated
• No annual pricing published

Choose it if

You want the roster and a clock at the lowest price and your compliance needs are simple.

Deputy

Rostering with compliance and a biometric kiosk

Runs on Web, iOS, Android, kiosk Pricing (October 2026) Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user per month; annual billing saves 10%; $30 monthly minimum since September 1, 2025; admins and managers count as users; Deputy Payroll $8 per user plus $49 base; HR $2, Messaging+ $1.95, Analytics+ $1.50

What it is

Deputy pairs scheduling with labor law compliance on its cheapest plan, adds a biometric kiosk with face unlock and demand-based scheduling on Core, geolocation clock-in blocking, and an optional Paycor-powered payroll. It is strongest in hospitality and retail with complex rosters and fair workweek obligations.

Where it wins

• Labor law compliance rules on Lite
• Face-unlock kiosk on Core
• Demand-based scheduling and forecasting
• Own payroll add-on

Where it loses

• $30 monthly minimum and managers count as seats
• Add-ons for HR, messaging and analytics; SMS fees
• Pricing page does not state annual versus monthly basis
• No job costing

Choose it if

You need break and overtime rules enforced and a kiosk that stops buddy punching.

Moving between them

1. Export employees and the current schedule period; both import employees from CSV.
2. Confirm the plan contents in writing: When I Work's time and attendance placement and Deputy's billing basis are both ambiguous on the vendors' pages.
3. Set break and overtime rules against your state's law in the new tool before the first shift.
4. Rebuild the payroll integration once and run one pay period in parallel.

How this comparison was made

Both products were checked on the same criteria used across our tool reviews: published pricing and minimums, scheduling, clock-in methods, compliance features, payroll, add-ons and platforms. Prices and plan contents were read from wheniwork.com/pricing and deputy.com/pricing in October 2026, and the inconsistencies on those pages are reported rather than resolved by guesswork. No vendor paid for placement and there are no affiliate links.

Key takeaways

• When I Work: Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8 per user per month, no minimum, scheduling on every plan, GPS and geofence clock-in, payroll and POS integrations from Essentials.
• Deputy: Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user per month, 10% off annually, a $30 monthly minimum, managers counted as users, labor law compliance on Lite and a biometric kiosk on Core.
• For 15 people, When I Work Pro is $75 a month and Deputy Core is $97.50 before Deputy's payroll add-on.
• Deputy wins on compliance rules, the kiosk and demand-based scheduling; When I Work wins on price and simplicity.
• Both pricing pages are ambiguous: When I Work on which plan includes time and attendance, Deputy on whether listed prices are annual or monthly. Get the quote in writing.