Comparison

When I Work Staff Scheduling vs Paycom

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

When I Work Staff Scheduling

Streamline employee scheduling, time tracking, and team communication. This app helps reduce chaos and costs by improving accountability, facilitating shift trades, and providing instant notifications for schedule changes. It's designed for shift-based workplaces to enhance team management and boost productivity.

Highlights
  • Employee scheduling
  • Time clock
  • Team messaging
  • Shift trades
  • Time off requests
  • Auto scheduling
  • Labor forecasting
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Join more than 200,000 workplaces running on When I Work to reduce chaos, costs, and turnover with employee scheduling and time tracking for the modern workforce. When I Work is an employee scheduling app that does more than just save you time on scheduling. It also helps you improve communication, eliminate excuses, boost accountability among your staff, track time and attendance, and grow your business. “2026 Shortlist” - Capterra “2025 Category Leader” - Getapp "Fastest Implementation" - G2 Crowd MANAGERS LOVE IT: • Easy to use time clock to clock in and out • Message with staff 1:1 or in groups • Monitor and approve shift trades and time off requests • View the entire staff schedule anywhere at anytime • Create a work calendar to efficiently plan schedules • Quickly alert staff of changes and updates to the schedule • Messaging and scheduling permissions for easier management • Geofencing features to prevent buddy punching EMPLOYEES LOVE IT: • Clock in and out of shifts from the app • Instantly trade shifts with coworkers • View work schedules from anywhere at anytime • Pick up extra hours with open shifts • Check the work calendar to easily request time off • Privately message coworkers 1:1 or in groups within the app • Easily check who's working which shifts WHEN I WORK FEATURES: When I Work is employee-focused and built exclusively for shift-based workplaces. We monitor our systems 24/7/365 to give you and your employees peace of mind that your data is safe and secure. Choose When I Work to get the best in: • Team management - Onboard new employees, approve time off requests, review shift trades, and fill shifts in seconds. • Team accountability - Shift confirmation, mobile clock in, shift task lists, team task lists, and chat ensure everyone is on the same page. • Team communication - Notify your team of changes instantly and communicate with coworkers 1:1 or in group chats. • Team empowerment - Your team can manage availability, submit time-off requests, and collaborate on shift trades. • One-click scheduling - Build your entire work schedule in one click with Auto Scheduling. • Confident shift coverage - Receive shift confirmations from employees and be notified immediately of swaps and drops. • Share schedules - Publish the schedule and your whole team is instantly notified of their shifts. • Labor forecasting - Easy-to-use labor tools help you manage your labor budget efficiently. • Control overtime costs - Get overtime alerts and labor reporting to make managing labor costs easier. • Schedule enforcement - Limit clock ins to shifts and locations to ensure that everyone is where they need to be at the right time. • Payroll integration - Import your timesheets to quickly and accurately process payroll. • Labor reports - Use labor distribution to manage costs and forecast for the future. Terms of use: https://wheniwork.com/terms Privacy policy: https://wheniwork.com/privacy

About

Paycom

Manage HR and payroll tasks like checking schedules, requesting time off, and reviewing pay. Access employee information, track expenses, and complete training. Managers can approve requests and view team data.

Highlights
  • Manage HR and payroll tasks
  • View employee information
  • Track time and expenses
  • Complete training modules
  • Managerial approval tools
  • AI-powered data retrieval
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

If you or your company use Paycom’s HR and software, the Paycom app helps you manage everyday HR and payroll tasks in one place — like checking your schedule, requesting time off and reviewing your pay. It’s available in nearly 20 languages. Some features may be enabled or disabled by your organization. For questions, contact your HR team. All your data, quickly Securely view your employee information anytime — pay, schedules, benefits, time-off balances and more. When you need data quickly, just ask IWant™, our command-driven AI engine, with a voice or text prompt and get it immediately. No navigation required. Transparent payroll Review, troubleshoot and approve your paycheck before payday. See all deductions and earnings and fix any issues early with our guided experience. Easily access pay stubs, Form W-2s and pay card information whenever. Easy time tracking and scheduling Clock in and out, submit time for approval, check time-off balances and request time off. View schedule information, swap shifts and pick up additional hours with ease. Defeat the receipt Upload receipts from your phone for reimbursement and track the status of submitted expenses. Plus, automatically track your business mileage. Learn at your pace Complete assigned training and learning paths in the app using your phone or tablet. No desktop required! Front-line manager tools If you’re a manager, you can act on hours worked, time-off requests and expenses; view org charts, team schedules and upcoming new hires; and process employee changes like promotions and transfers right from the app. Automation built for admins Real-time reporting and analytics allow for fast, usable compliance and executive strategy reporting for agile workforce management and business planning. Automatically respond to commonly asked employee questions with customizable templates and stored answers set by your organization. Empower your workforce with an experience that frees HR, engages employees and simplifies benefits and payroll for everyone involved. Contact We welcome, appreciate and listen to all feedback. Email us at MobileApp@Paycom.com.

Screenshots

When I Work Staff Scheduling4 screens
Paycom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paycom at none against When I Work Staff Scheduling's 10. Paycom also leads on ratings volume (1.6M vs 58K) and chart position (#28 vs #99). When I Work Staff Scheduling's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 58%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. When I Work Staff Scheduling sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Paycom asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for When I Work Staff Scheduling against 4.8 for Paycom. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paycom has 1.6M ratings behind it against 58K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of When I Work Staff Scheduling's written reviews are positive against 58% of Paycom's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

When I Work Staff Scheduling ships an update weekly, Paycom every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
When I Work Staff Scheduling versus Paycom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhen I Work Staff SchedulingPaycom
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (58K ratings) — better4.8 (1.6M ratings)
Positive reviews89.8% of reviews — better57.7% of reviews
Number of ratings58K1.6M — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#99#28 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size235 MB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWhen I Work, Inc.Paycom Payroll, LLC

Customer experience

When I Work Staff Scheduling

All ratings57,883 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,458 reviews
Positive89.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.3%

Paycom

All ratings1,585,238 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews1,187 reviews
Positive57.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative35.6%

User reviews

When I Work Staff Scheduling

From 58K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient for scheduling
  • 💡 Helpful for shift swapping and communication
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 👍 Effective for managing staff

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate some features
  • 🔍 Lack of customization options
  • 🔍 Issues with shift approval and time-off requests
  • 🔍 Problems with the messaging/chat functionality

Paycom

From 1.6M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Convenient self-service dashboard
  • 🚀 Easy to access pay and financial information
  • 🔒 Secure login with biometrics
  • 👍 Helpful for tracking time and expenses
  • 👍 Allows employees to manage their own information

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent logout issues without notification
  • 🤔 Confusing or counterintuitive user interface
  • 🤔 Difficult to correct missed punches or time entries
  • 🤔 Lack of visibility into hours worked per shift/week
  • 🤔 Overly complex process for requesting time off

Bugs and requests

When I Work Staff Scheduling

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes or freezes frequently
  • Unreliable notifications and alerts
  • Syncing issues between mobile and web versions
  • Problems with location-based clock-in/out features

Requested features

6 requests
  • Allow employees to view Sunday schedules
  • Improve shift drop/swap process
  • Add a sick day request feature
  • Provide more flexibility in availability settings
  • Enhance the calendar view and scheduling tools
Show 1 more
  • Improve the messaging/chat experience

Paycom

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes frequently on certain devices
  • Time entries sometimes disappear or get mislabeled
  • Issues with location tracking for clocking in/out
  • Trouble uploading documents or photos within the app
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between employee and manager modes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a live clock to track cumulative hours worked
  • Provide option to set default district, school, or location
  • Allow bulk editing of time entries or expenses
  • Improve notification system for schedule changes
  • Integrate with calendar apps for easier scheduling

In-app purchases

10 purchases

When I Work Staff Scheduling

One-time10
  • Annual Micro Scheduling Plan$99.99
  • Annual Mini Scheduling Plan$209.99
  • Annual Small Scheduling Plan$299.99
Show 7 more
  • Annual Medium Scheduling$399.99
  • Annual Large Scheduling$499.99
  • Annual Small Scheduling and Attendance$599.99
  • Annual XL Scheduling$599.99
  • Annual Medium Scheduling and Attendance$799.99
  • Annual Super Scheduling$799.99
  • Annual Plus Scheduling$999.99
None

Paycom

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is When I Work Staff Scheduling free?
When I Work Staff Scheduling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paycom free?
Paycom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, When I Work Staff Scheduling or Paycom?
When I Work Staff Scheduling is rated higher. When I Work Staff Scheduling averages 4.8 out of 5 from 58K ratings, while Paycom averages 4.8 from 1.6M ratings.
Do When I Work Staff Scheduling or Paycom have ads?
Neither When I Work Staff Scheduling nor Paycom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, When I Work Staff Scheduling or Paycom?
When I Work Staff Scheduling ships an update weekly, and Paycom every 3 weeks. Most recently, When I Work Staff Scheduling was updated on October 29, 2026 and Paycom on October 29, 2026.
Which is more popular, When I Work Staff Scheduling or Paycom?
When I Work Staff Scheduling currently peaks at #99 in the App Store charts, and Paycom at #28. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons