Comparisons
A When I Work alternative, compared on the two things that decide it
When I Work is an established, capable scheduler. The two places it fits a seasonal outdoor operation badly are both structural, and both are easy to check against your own headcount.
On this page
When I Work has been in this category a long time and does the core job well. If you are looking for an alternative, it is usually for one of two reasons: the per-user bill does not shrink when your season ends, or the multi-location plan costs double for a second site that is really just a second crew.
When I Work's published pricing in September 2026 was $2.50 per user per month for single-location teams and $5 per user per month for multi-location — see wheniwork.com/pricing. Check it before deciding; pricing changes.
One: per-user pricing does not know your season ended
A per-user model is straightforward and fair for a business with a stable roster. For an operation that runs 45 people in July and 12 in January, it means one of two things: you pay peak-season rates through the winter, or you delete people every October and re-enter them every April, losing their availability, their history and a day of admin each way.
The arithmetic is worth doing on your own numbers rather than taking anyone's word for it. Multiply your peak headcount by the per-user rate, multiply by twelve, and compare it against a model where a deactivated seasonal employee stops counting. For most seasonal operations the difference is not marginal.
Two: the multi-location premium, for what is often one operation
In September 2026 the published step from single-location to multi-location was from $2.50 to $5 per user per month — a doubling. That is defensible when the sites are genuinely separate businesses. It is harder to justify when your "second location" is the clubhouse across the car park from the maintenance barn, or a second marina basin two miles up the shore.
LazShift treats locations as the normal shape of a company rather than an upgrade. Each location keeps its own staff, shift types, roles, pay period and settings; they sit under one account and one bill. There is no multi-site tier because multi-site is not a tier.
Three: nothing in the category puts weather on the schedule
This is not a criticism of When I Work specifically — it is true across the category, and reasonably so, because it is meaningless to a call centre. But if you run outdoors, the forecast is the single largest input into how many people you need, and it lives in a different app from the schedule.
LazShift puts a seven-day forecast on the grid with the staffing consequence attached — rain likely, consider lighter staffing; 94°F, add coverage and heat breaks; cold start, factor into the early outdoor shifts. You can see the shape of it for your own venue with the free staffing forecast, which needs no account.
Side by side
| When I Work | LazShift | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user, per month (Sept 2026: $2.50 single site, $5 multi-site) | One base fee plus a per-active-employee rate — see the homepage |
| Off-season roster | Per-user billing continues unless accounts are removed | Deactivated employees stop counting |
| Multiple sites | A higher per-user tier | Included; each site keeps its own rules |
| Weather-aware scheduling | Not a documented feature | Forecast and staffing advice on the grid |
| Time clock and attendance | Yes | No — scheduling only |
| Team messaging | Yes | Notifications and announcements, not a chat product |
| Maturity | Long-established, very large customer base | New, small, and says so |
Choose When I Work if
- You need a time clock and attendance in the same product.
- Your headcount is stable through the year, which makes per-user pricing straightforward.
- You want the reassurance of a large, established vendor — an entirely reasonable thing to want.
Choose LazShift if
- Your roster swings with the season and you want the bill to swing with it.
- You run several sites or crews and do not want to pay a premium for it.
- The weather decides your staffing, and you want it on the schedule rather than in another tab.
How much does When I Work cost?
As of September 2026 the published rates were $2.50 per user per month for single-location teams and $5 per user per month for multi-location teams, billed monthly or annually, with a 14-day free trial. Check their pricing page for current figures before deciding.
What is the best When I Work alternative for seasonal businesses?
Look for billing that follows the active roster rather than total accounts, so the off-season costs less than peak season, and for multi-site support that is not priced as an upgrade. For outdoor operations, weather-aware scheduling is the feature no general-purpose alternative offers.
Does LazShift include time tracking?
No. LazShift schedules; it does not clock people in or run payroll. It reports labor cost against scheduled hours and exports to CSV for whatever payroll system you already use. If a built-in time clock is essential, When I Work and Homebase both include one.
Run the numbers on your own roster
Take your peak headcount and your off-season headcount and price both models. If the gap between them is large, per-user pricing is working against you.
LazShift is one plan, priced on the homepage. Fourteen days free, no card to start.