The short answer
7shifts focuses on restaurants, with a free plan for one location and 15 employees, per-location paid plans and a US payroll add-on at $39.99 a month per location plus $6 per employee paid. When I Work charges $2.50 per user a month for one location and $5 for several, with no free plan and a 14-day trial.
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
7shifts wins 1When I Work wins 22 ties
| Dimension | 7shifts | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing7shifts is free for one location and 15 employees, with paid plans priced per location. When I Work costs $2.50 per user a month for one location and $5 for several, with no setup fees. | Partly published | $2.50/user/mo |
| CapabilitiesBoth cover scheduling, availability, shift swaps, time clocks, labor forecasting and team messaging. 7shifts adds tip management and payroll; When I Work adds skills and certification management. Advanced scheduling and time clocking, Team messaging, PTO accruals and balances, Labor compliance, forecasting and labor cost tools, Tip calculation and distribution, Digital manager log book and task lists | 9 of 11 core capabilities | 9 of 11 core capabilities |
| Integrations7shifts lists 61 integrations, including POS systems and payroll tools such as Gusto and ADP Workforce Now. When I Work lists 11, among them Rippling, Gusto, Square Payroll and QuickBooks Online. 61 | 61 native | 11 native |
| Fit and supportWhen I Work serves teams from five employees to 500 and quotes enterprise plans, with live support on every plan. 7shifts focuses on restaurants, from single locations to franchise groups. Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises | Small businesses, enterprises | Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises |
| SecurityWhen I Work lists SOC 2 Type II in its trust center. 7shifts names no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification on the pages we reviewed. Yes | None verified | SOC 2 |
| Attribute | 7shifts | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Tiered plans | Per user |
| Price transparency | Partly published | Published |
| Free plan | ||
| Best for | Small businesses, enterprises | Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises |
| Native integrations | 61 | 11 |
| Typical implementation | Under 30 days | Minutes (vendor claim) |
| Attribute | 7shifts | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | ||
| Open API | ||
| Webhooks |
Pricing. 7shifts is free for one location and 15 employees, with paid plans priced per location. When I Work costs $2.50 per user a month for one location and $5 for several, with no setup fees.
Capabilities. Both cover scheduling, availability, shift swaps, time clocks, labor forecasting and team messaging. 7shifts adds tip management and payroll; When I Work adds skills and certification management.
Integrations. 7shifts lists 61 integrations, including POS systems and payroll tools such as Gusto and ADP Workforce Now. When I Work lists 11, among them Rippling, Gusto, Square Payroll and QuickBooks Online.
Fit and support. When I Work serves teams from five employees to 500 and quotes enterprise plans, with live support on every plan. 7shifts focuses on restaurants, from single locations to franchise groups.
Security. When I Work lists SOC 2 Type II in its trust center. 7shifts names no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification on the pages we reviewed.
Deputy has the highest LeadChange Score in Employee Scheduling Software after excluding these two (8.9/10).
From $5/user/mo
7shifts, if you want restaurant-specific tools: tip calculation and distribution, a manager log book and POS links. When I Work lists restaurants among a dozen industries and fits a group that also schedules staff outside food service.
7shifts was founded in 2014, started in a sandwich shop’s back office, and says over 55,000 restaurants use it. It publishes a REST API with webhooks, and its payroll comes with free implementation and onboarding.
When I Work: 20 employees at one location cost $50 a month at $2.50 per user. 7shifts: free for one location up to 15 employees, then a per-location price that its page shows in the visitor’s currency.
Yes, for scheduling, time clocks and messaging: When I Work includes auto scheduling, open shifts, GPS clock-in and labor forecasting in every plan. It does not run payroll itself; its preferred payroll partner is Rippling, free for six months for When I Work customers.
7shifts has a free Comp plan for one location and 15 employees and a free trial of its paid plans. When I Work has no free plan; it offers a 14-day trial of everything, with no credit card required.
7shifts says teams get running in under 30 days. When I Work says a schedule can be built in minutes, with no setup fees.
7shifts lists 61 integrations and When I Work lists 11. Both connect to Gusto, Paychex, and QuickBooks Online.
Only When I Work states SOC 2 Type II.
Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices. Then, if you like, ask to hear from both.
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What the LeadChange Score means
A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.
Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.
