Comparison

When I Work Staff Scheduling vs Dayforce

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 for shift-based workplaces. This app helps managers reduce chaos and costs while empowering employees to manage their schedules and communicate effectively.

Highlights
  • Employee scheduling
  • Time clock
  • Team messaging
  • Shift trading
  • Time off requests
  • Labor forecasting
  • Overtime alerts
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

Dayforce

Manage your work and personal life efficiently from any device. Clock in/out, plan time off, check schedules, swap shifts, and review benefits. Access real-time earnings and pay before payday.

Highlights
  • Clock in/out
  • Plan time off
  • Check schedules
  • Swap shifts
  • Review benefits
  • Track real-time earnings
  • Manager tools
Currently charting
Read full description

The Dayforce app helps you do the work you’re meant to do by putting you in charge of your work and life - anytime, anywhere. With the Dayforce app, staying connected and in control is simple. Skip the paperwork and manage tasks efficiently across your devices. From clocking in and out to planning time off, checking your schedule, swapping shifts, or reviewing benefits, the Dayforce app makes it easy to manage your day-to-day. You can also track your real-time earnings and access your pay before payday, giving you greater control and flexibility when you need it.¹ Plus, if you’re a people leader, the Dayforce app puts essential manager tools right at your fingertips so you can handle tasks on the go and free up more of your time. Need to approve timesheets or respond to requests? Dayforce makes it simple to stay connected and in control, wherever you are. Disclaimers: Features available to you depend on your employer’s setup, and not all features may be available. Dayforce mobile access is available only to employees of organizations that use Dayforce and have enabled the mobile experience. ¹ Not all employers choose to offer on-demand pay with Dayforce Wallet. Check with your employer to see if this is available to you. Some blackout dates and limitations may apply based on your employer's pay cycle and configurations. Partner banks do not administer and are not responsible for on-demand pay.

Screenshots

When I Work Staff Scheduling4 screens
Dayforce4 screens

Verdict

The call

When I Work Staff Scheduling and Dayforce both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of When I Work Staff Scheduling's written reviews are positive against 23% of Dayforce's. When I Work Staff Scheduling also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Dayforce's advantage is ratings volume (521K vs 58K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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 4.7 for Dayforce. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dayforce has 521K 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 23% of Dayforce's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

When I Work Staff Scheduling ships an update weekly, Dayforce every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
When I Work Staff Scheduling versus Dayforce: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhen I Work Staff SchedulingDayforce
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (58K ratings) — better4.7 (521K ratings)
Positive reviews89.7% of reviews — better23.2% of reviews
Number of ratings58K521K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#118#50 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size236 MB231 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperWhen I Work, Inc.Dayforce Corporation

Customer experience

When I Work Staff Scheduling

All ratings58,088 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews1,460 reviews
Positive89.7%
Neutral3.0%
Negative7.3%

Dayforce

All ratings519,884 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews1,351 reviews
Positive23.2%
Neutral9.4%
Negative67.4%

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

Dayforce

From 521K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient for checking schedules
  • 👍 Syncs with calendar
  • 👍 Reliable for timesheets and pay info

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Frequent password resets
  • 🐛 Unreliable login and account access
  • 🐛 Glitchy schedule updates and sync issues
  • 👎 Unintuitive user interface
  • 👎 Limited functionality compared to desktop version

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

Dayforce

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect shift times and missed break periods
  • Randomly logs out users and locks them out
  • Calendar sync issues and inaccurate schedule display
  • Timesheet entry and approval process unreliable

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow editing of availability and time off requests in-app
  • Add ability to communicate with managers and coworkers
  • Improve calendar view and shift scheduling features
  • Enable printing or emailing of pay stubs directly from app

In-app purchases

None

When I Work Staff Scheduling

No in-app purchases

None

Dayforce

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is When I Work Staff Scheduling free?
When I Work Staff Scheduling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dayforce free?
Dayforce is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, When I Work Staff Scheduling or Dayforce?
When I Work Staff Scheduling is rated higher. When I Work Staff Scheduling averages 4.8 out of 5 from 58K ratings, while Dayforce averages 4.7 from 521K ratings.
Do When I Work Staff Scheduling or Dayforce have ads?
Neither When I Work Staff Scheduling nor Dayforce shows ads.
Which is updated more often, When I Work Staff Scheduling or Dayforce?
When I Work Staff Scheduling ships an update weekly, and Dayforce every 3 weeks. Most recently, When I Work Staff Scheduling was updated on November 12, 2026 and Dayforce on November 12, 2026.
Which is more popular, When I Work Staff Scheduling or Dayforce?
When I Work Staff Scheduling currently peaks at #118 in the App Store charts, and Dayforce at #50. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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