Schedulefly vs When I Work

Schedulefly provides employee scheduling software for independent restaurants and other hospitality businesses, including bars, breweries, coffee shops, and boutique hotels. Managers can create, copy, and publish schedules online. Staff can receive text or email alerts, enter availability and time-off requests, and offer or pick up available shifts; managers approve trades, after which schedules and alerts update automatically. Teams can send messages and announcements by text and email, and the features page says broadcast texts have no cap. Managers can enter sales forecasts and track expected labor costs as a percentage of sales. Other tools include a multi-unit dashboard, employee database, manager notes, document sharing, reporting, and job postings. Google Calendar can sync for upcoming-shift reminders. Free iOS and Android apps let staff check schedules, trade shifts, and message teammates; Schedulefly also runs on the web. The plan for up to 19 staff costs $30 a month, with all features included. A 30-day free trial is available. Schedulefly says there are no setup fees or contracts and customers can cancel anytime. It was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Waxhaw, North Carolina.

When I Work brings employee scheduling, shift swaps, team messaging, and time tracking together for shift-based workplaces. Auto scheduling assigns shifts using staff availability and qualifications, and managers can oversee multiple stores, departments, or job sites from one dashboard. The time clock tracks attendance, breaks, and time off, while staff can message without sharing phone numbers. It runs on the web, Android, and iOS. Essentials costs $2.50 a month billed per user per month; Pro is $5 a month billed per user per month; Premium is $8 a month billed per user per month. A 14-day trial offers complete access and requires no credit card, but there is no free plan. API key access, webhooks, and SAML/SSO are included in Premium. When I Work says it uses AWS, TLS, daily backups, multiple-disk writes, and mobile two-step verification. It does not offer an SLA, although its hosting partners guarantee 99.9% uptime.