Comparison

When I Work Staff Scheduling vs MakeShift for Employees

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

MakeShift for Employees

Manage your work schedule effortlessly. Pick up extra shifts, request time off, trade with colleagues, and stay informed about company updates. This app streamlines communication and helps you balance work with personal life.

Highlights
  • View up-to-date schedule
  • Pick up open shifts
  • Set availability
  • Request time off
  • Trade or cover shifts
  • Clock in/out
  • Company news
Features
Read full description

MakeShift puts your shift schedule at your finger tips. Pick up extra shifts, let your manager know you’re available to work, request time off, trade shifts with co-workers and more. MakeShift connects you with your workplace, makes scheduling better, improves communication and helps you balance shift work with your personal life. Please note: in order to use the MakeShift app, your employer must be an existing MakeShift customer. FEATURES • View your up-to-date schedule at any time • Get notified of open shifts that are available to you • Set your own availability and let your manager know when you’re free to work • Request time off • Trade shifts with your co-workers or get a shift covered • Receive instant notifications when your schedule is updated • Clock in and out of work right from your phone • See who else is working • Sync your schedule with your iOS calendar or share it with others • Stay up-to-date on your company’s news and happenings

Screenshots

When I Work Staff Scheduling4 screens
MakeShift for Employees4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: When I Work Staff Scheduling at 4.8 against MakeShift for Employees's 2.6. When I Work Staff Scheduling also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 48%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). MakeShift for Employees's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. MakeShift for Employees asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

When I Work Staff Scheduling holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: When I Work Staff Scheduling has 58K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of When I Work Staff Scheduling's written reviews are positive against 48% of MakeShift for Employees's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

When I Work Staff Scheduling ships an update weekly, MakeShift for Employees every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
When I Work Staff Scheduling versus MakeShift for Employees: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhen I Work Staff SchedulingMakeShift for Employees
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (58K ratings) — better2.6 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews89.8% of reviews — better48.4% of reviews
Number of ratings58K — better32
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#102 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size235 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWhen I Work, Inc.AppColony

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%

MakeShift for Employees

All ratings32 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative56.3%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive48.4%
Neutral9.7%
Negative41.9%

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

MakeShift for Employees

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

MakeShift for Employees

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 MakeShift for Employees free?
MakeShift for Employees is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, When I Work Staff Scheduling or MakeShift for Employees?
When I Work Staff Scheduling is rated higher. When I Work Staff Scheduling averages 4.8 out of 5 from 58K ratings, while MakeShift for Employees averages 2.6 from 32 ratings.
Do When I Work Staff Scheduling or MakeShift for Employees have ads?
Neither When I Work Staff Scheduling nor MakeShift for Employees shows ads.
Which is updated more often, When I Work Staff Scheduling or MakeShift for Employees?
When I Work Staff Scheduling ships an update weekly, and MakeShift for Employees every 2 months. Most recently, When I Work Staff Scheduling was updated on October 30, 2026 and MakeShift for Employees on October 29, 2026.

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