# HotSchedules vs When I Work

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** When I Work

| Attribute | HotSchedules | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 45 (26% (low)) | 55.4 (55% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A unified platform for managing all aspects of restaurant operations—from hiring and scheduling to payroll and compliance. It uses real-time sales and labor data to optimize staffing, reduce overtime, and ensure adherence to employment laws across multiple locations. It is indexed under Employee Scheduling.","source":"https://www.fourth.com/hotschedules","question":"What is HotSchedules?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"HotSchedules offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.fourth.com/hotschedules","question":"Is HotSchedules free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to HotSchedules. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.fourth.com/hotschedules","question":"What platforms does HotSchedules support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for HotSchedules, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.fourth.com/hotschedules","question":"Can HotSchedules be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for HotSchedules, including POS systems, Payroll systems and Accounting systems. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.fourth.com/hotschedules","question":"What does HotSchedules integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"A workforce scheduling platform that enables teams to create and manage employee schedules, handle shift swaps, coordinate team messaging, and track time in one integrated system. It is indexed under Employee Scheduling.","source":"https://wheniwork.com/","question":"What is When I Work?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"When I Work is a paid product; published pricing starts at $2.50 per user per month. It is sold across 3 plans (Essentials, Pro and Premium). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://wheniwork.com/pricing","question":"How much does When I Work cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to When I Work. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://wheniwork.com/","question":"What platforms does When I Work support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for When I Work, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://wheniwork.com/pricing","question":"Can When I Work be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"When I Work is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://wheniwork.com/pricing","question":"Where is When I Work available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A unified platform for managing all aspects of restaurant operations—from hiring and scheduling to payroll and compliance. It uses real-time sales and labor data to optimize staffing, reduce overtime, and ensure adherence to employment laws across multiple locations. | A workforce scheduling platform that enables teams to create and manage employee schedules, handle shift swaps, coordinate team messaging, and track time in one integrated system. |
| features.capabilities | - | `{"pricing_model":"per_employee_monthly","sales_labor_forecasting":true,"mobile_app_shift_swapping":true,"algorithmic_auto_scheduling":true,"gps_geofenced_mobile_clock_in":true,"payroll_adp_gusto_integration":true,"point_of_sale_pos_integration":true,"open_shift_bidding_marketplace":true,"labor_law_overtime_compliance_alerts":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"POS systems"},{"name":"Payroll systems"},{"name":"Accounting systems"}]` | `[{"name":"Rippling"},{"name":"Square"},{"name":"ADP","native":true,"category":"payroll","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Gusto","native":true,"category":"payroll","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"QuickBooks","native":true}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free|subscription","summary":"1 year free; full pricing not publicly disclosed","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.fourth.com/hotschedules","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T22:35:06.380Z","freeTrialDays":365}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Essentials","summary":"$2.50/user/month","features":["OpenShifts and shift swapping","Help Center and live chat","Payroll and POS integrations"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":2.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Basic scheduling and team communication for small businesses","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$5/user/month","features":["OpenShifts and shift swapping","Help Center and live chat","Payroll and POS integrations","Multi-timezone support"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Advanced scheduling with multi-location support","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$8/user/month","features":["OpenShifts and shift swapping","Help Center and live chat","Payroll and POS integrations","Multi-timezone support","API key access","Webhooks","SAML/SSO"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":8,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enterprise-grade features for scaled operations","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Rippling Payroll and HR"}],"summary":"From $2.50/user/month. 14-day free trial. Flexible monthly or annual billing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://wheniwork.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T22:32:34.587Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"unit":"user","amount":2.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":2.5,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://wheniwork.com/blog/payroll-tax-compliance |

## Capabilities (Employee Scheduling)

| Capability | HotSchedules | When I Work |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Algorithmic auto scheduling | - | ✓ |
| Mobile app shift swapping | - | ✓ |
| Open shift bidding marketplace | - | ✓ |
| Labor law overtime compliance alerts | - | ✓ |
| Gps geofenced mobile clock in | - | ✓ |
| Kiosk facial recognition clock in | - | - |
| Sales labor forecasting | - | ✓ |
| Point of sale POS integration | - | ✓ |
| Payroll adp gusto integration | - | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | - | Per employee monthly |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:31:50.499Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*