Homebase and When I Work both target the same core buyer — small to mid-sized businesses scheduling hourly, shift-based teams like restaurants, retail, and…
| Homebase | When I Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Scheduling | Scheduling |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Freemium | subscription |
| Starting price | Free | $2.50 per user per month |
| Free plan | Yes | Not documented |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Not documented |
| AI features | Yes | Not documented |
| Public API | Not documented | Yes |
Pricing structure
Homebase: Homebase charges per location, with a free Basic plan and paid tiers from $24 per month per location up to $96 per month per location.
When I Work: When I Work charges per user per month, from $2.50 on Essentials up to $8 on Premium, with no permanent free plan.
Per-location pricing rewards businesses with fewer, larger locations, while per-user pricing rewards businesses with fewer total staff regardless of location count, so the cheaper option depends entirely on headcount and location mix.
Free plan versus free trial
Homebase: Homebase offers a permanent free Basic plan for one location with a capped employee count and core scheduling and time tracking.
When I Work: When I Work offers a 14-day free trial with full feature access but no permanent free tier afterward.
A permanent free plan lets a very small business run indefinitely at no cost, while a trial-only model requires committing to a paid plan once the trial ends.
Payroll approach
Homebase: Homebase offers its own integrated payroll add-on that runs directly off tracked hours inside the app.
When I Work: When I Work does not build its own payroll but natively integrates with Gusto, QuickBooks Online, ADP Workforce Now, and Square Payroll through its Time Clock and Attendance add-on.
Businesses without an existing payroll provider may prefer an all-in-one payroll built into the scheduling tool, while businesses already using Gusto, QuickBooks, or ADP may prefer a scheduling tool that connects to what they already run.
Point-of-sale integrations
Homebase: Homebase integrates with POS providers including Square, Clover, and Toast to compare labor hours against sales.
When I Work: POS integrations are not documented for When I Work.
Restaurants and retailers that track sales through a POS system benefit from software that ties labor costs to sales data automatically rather than reconciling the two manually.
Hiring and onboarding tools
Homebase: Homebase includes hiring features such as posting to job boards, applicant tracking, and digital new-hire paperwork.
When I Work: Hiring and applicant tracking features are not documented for When I Work.
Businesses with frequent hourly turnover benefit from having recruiting and onboarding built into the same tool that handles scheduling, rather than managing a separate hiring system.
Enterprise access controls
Homebase: Enterprise-grade API access, webhooks, and SAML SSO are not documented for Homebase.
When I Work: When I Work's Premium plan adds API key access, webhooks, and SAML SSO for deeper system integration.
Larger organizations with existing identity-management systems or custom integrations typically require SSO and API access to fit software into their broader technology stack.
Labor forecasting and custom reporting
Homebase: Homebase offers labor cost management dashboards comparing scheduled versus actual hours against sales.
When I Work: When I Work's Pro and Premium plans add labor cost forecasting, custom reports, and 24-hour callout reporting.
Businesses managing tighter margins or multiple locations benefit from forward-looking forecasting and customizable reports, not just after-the-fact cost comparisons.
Offline and reliability considerations
Homebase: Offline functionality and reported reliability issues are not documented for Homebase.
When I Work: When I Work's documented cons note the mobile app does not fully work offline and that some users report bugs, crashes, and syncing delays.
Job sites or locations with unreliable internet or cell coverage need an app that keeps working offline, and known syncing or stability issues can disrupt time-sensitive scheduling and clock-ins.
Company tenure
Homebase: Homebase was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
When I Work: When I Work was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A longer operating history can suggest more time refining core scheduling workflows and integration partnerships, though it is not a substitute for evaluating current features directly.
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop schedule builder | Available | Available |
| Auto-scheduling | Available | Available |
| Shift swapping and open shift claims | Available | Available |
| Reusable shift templates | Available | Available |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| GPS-enabled clock-in | Available | Available |
| Geofencing | Not documented | Available |
| Late arrival and overtime alerts | Available | Not documented |
| Kiosk or tablet clock-in | Available | Available |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one and group messaging | Available | Available |
| Shift reminders | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in payroll add-on | Available | Not documented |
| Native third-party payroll integrations | Not documented | Available |
| Hiring and applicant tracking | Available | Not documented |
| HR compliance tools and document storage | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| POS integrations (Square, Clover, Toast) | Available | Not documented |
| Labor cost versus sales dashboards | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Labor cost forecasting | Not documented | Available |
| Custom reporting | Not documented | Available |
| 24-hour callout reporting | Not documented | Available |
| Labor cost management dashboards | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| API key access | Not documented | Available |
| Webhooks | Not documented | Available |
| SAML SSO | Not documented | Available |
| Role-based permissions and departments | Available | Available |
| Feature | Homebase | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent free plan | Available | Unavailable |
| Free trial | Not documented | Available |
| Native iOS and Android apps | Available | Available |
| Web app access | Available | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
When I Work has a lower published starting price at $2.50 per user per month, but Homebase offers a free plan for a single location, so the cheaper option depends on your employee count and whether you qualify for the Homebase free tier; Homebase paid plans start at $24 per month per location, while When I Work's per-user pricing can cost more or less depending on total headcount.
Homebase offers a permanent free Basic plan for a single location with a capped employee count, while When I Work only offers a 14-day free trial with no permanent free tier.
It depends on whether you want built-in payroll or integration with an existing provider — Homebase offers its own add-on payroll service that runs off tracked hours, while When I Work integrates natively with established providers like Gusto, QuickBooks Online, ADP Workforce Now, and Square Payroll rather than offering its own payroll product.
Not based on documented features — When I Work does not document hiring and applicant tracking, HR compliance tools, or POS integrations that Homebase offers, though it documents enterprise features like API access, webhooks, and SSO that Homebase does not.
When I Work is the documented option here, offering API key access, webhooks, and SAML SSO on its Premium plan, none of which are documented features of Homebase.
Homebase is the documented option for hiring, since it includes posting to job boards, applicant tracking, and digital new-hire paperwork, none of which are documented features of When I Work.
Read the full Homebase review · Read the full When I Work review