7shifts9.2/10
When I Work9.0/10
Scored in Employee Scheduling Software
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. | 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, labor cost tools and hourly labor forecasting, Tip calculation and distribution, Digital manager log book and task lists2 | 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. 613 | 17 documented (vendor says 61) | 8 documented (vendor says 11) |
| 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, enterprises1 | 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. Yes4 | None verified | SOC 2 |
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 (9.2/10).
From $5/user/mo (billed annually)11
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 Essentials at $39.99 a month per location billed annually, for up to 30 employees.
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; When I Work lists 11 integrations. Both connect to Gusto, Paychex, and QuickBooks Online.
When I Work states SOC 2 Type II (unverified for 7shifts).
29 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 12, 2026.
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology
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