Deputy vs When I Work
Short answer: When I Work costs less at every team size: $2.50 a user at one location and $5 at several, against $5.50 a user on Deputy Lite. Neither has a free plan, and both include the time clock, labor reports and paid time off on those plans.
Shift Amp schedules your whole team for free, at any size. Pro adds the time clock, labor reports and paid time off for $2 a member a month, less than When I Work or Deputy charges.
Head to head
| Deputy | When I Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None; a free trial of up to 31 days (stronger) | None; a 14-day free trial |
| Price per user | $5.50 on Lite, or $5 billed annually | $2.50, or $5 with several locations (stronger) |
| Automatic scheduling | Core, $7.25 a user | Every plan (stronger) |
| Annual discount | 10% (stronger) | 5% |
| Clock-in devices | Tablets, phones, the web and watches | Phones, tablets and computers |
| 25 people at 1 location, with reports | $137.50 a month on Lite | $62.50 a month (stronger) |
Which to choose
Deputy, When I Work or Shift Amp?
Here’s who each one suits.
Choose Deputy if…
- You’d like a longer trial before you pay. Deputy’s runs up to 31 days, against 14 on When I Work.
- You’ll pay annually. Deputy takes 10% off annual plans, against 5% on When I Work.
- Your team clocks in from smartwatches. Deputy’s time clock runs on tablets, phones, the web and watches.
Choose When I Work if…
- You want the lower price at any team size. When I Work is $2.50 a user at one location and $5 at several, against $5.50 on Deputy Lite.
- You want automatic scheduling on the entry plan. When I Work’s Auto Scheduling is on every plan, where Deputy puts auto-scheduling on Core.
Choose Shift Amp if…
- You want your whole team on the schedule for free, whether that’s 8 people or 80. Shift Amp’s Free plan has no cap.
- You want shift swaps, availability, open shifts and messaging included. They’re all on the Free plan.
- You want the time clock, a kiosk, labor reports and paid time off for $2 a member a month, less than When I Work’s $2.50 and Deputy Lite’s $5.50.
- You want to try everything first. Every new team gets 14 days of everything, Pro included.
No credit card required.
Pricing
Is Deputy cheaper than When I Work?
It depends on your team size, your locations and what you need. Try your numbers, with Shift Amp alongside.
What you need
Monthly cost for 20 people
$100 a month billed annually
$2.50 a user a month
$2 per member a month, with no location fees
When I Work costs less than Deputy here: $50 a month against $110. Shift Amp Pro comes to $40, $10 a month less than When I Work.
| Team size | Deputy | When I Work | Shift Amp | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | One location | Several locations | Free | Pro | |
| 5 people | $27.50 | $12.50 | $25 | $0 | $10 |
| 10 people | $55 | $25 | $50 | $0 | $20 |
| 15 people | $82.50 | $37.50 | $75 | $0 | $30 |
| 25 people | $137.50 | $62.50 | $125 | $0 | $50 |
| 50 people | $275 | $125 | $250 | $0 | $100 |
| What’s included | Scheduling, time clock, timesheets, leave and basic reports. | Scheduling, time clock, messaging and labor reports. | Adds unlimited locations, labor sharing and custom reports. | The schedule, swaps, messaging and shift tasks, at any team size. | Adds the time clock, timesheets, labor reports and paid time off. $2 a member. |
Deputy counts every user, managers and admins included, and monthly plans have a $30 minimum per invoice, which the table doesn’t show. Billed annually, Lite is $5 a user, with no refund if you cancel early. When I Work takes 5% off for annual billing, paid up front, and doesn’t refund cancellations.
Feature by feature
How do the features compare?
We show Deputy on Lite, its cheapest plan, and When I Work on its plans for one location and for several. Where a feature needs a paid plan, we name the plan.
| Feature | DeputyLite | When I WorkOne location and Several locations | Shift AmpFree and Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | |||
| Schedule builderBuild the week, then publish it. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| Week templatesReuse a whole week. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| AvailabilitySee who can work while you place shifts. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| Shift swapsYour team trades shifts in the app. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| Open shiftsPost shifts your team can claim. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| Automatic schedulingFill shifts without placing each one. | Auto-scheduling on Core | Auto Scheduling, every plan | Auto-assign, Free plan |
| Time tracking | |||
| Mobile time clockClock in from a phone. | Lite | Every plan, with GPS | Pro |
| Kiosk time clockA shared device by the door. | Lite | Every plan | Pro |
| GeofencingCheck where people clock in. | Lite | GPS clock-in, every plan | Pro |
| Labor costs | |||
| Labor cost while schedulingSee what a shift costs as you place it. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| Labor reportsHours and wages over any period. | Basic reports on Lite | Standard reports, every plan | Pro |
| Paid time off balancesApprove time off against what is left. | Lite; automatic accruals on Core | Every plan | Pro |
| Team | |||
| Group messagingThreads for a team or location. | Lite, groups of up to 10 | Every plan | Free plan |
| Shift tasksAttach the work to the shift. | Lite | Every plan | Free plan |
| iOS and Android appsFor managers and their teams. | Every plan | Every plan | Free plan |
Why Shift Amp
Where Shift Amp comes out ahead
Whether you run one small location or several, here’s where you get more for less.
Free for your whole team
- Shift Amp
- Free for the schedule at any team size.
- Deputy
- No free plan. Lite is $5.50 a user, with a $30 monthly minimum.
- When I Work
- No free plan. $2.50 a user from the first.
Auto-assign on the free plan
- Shift Amp
- Auto-assign suggests a person for each open shift, on the Free plan.
- Deputy
- Auto-scheduling starts on Core, $7.25 a user.
- When I Work
- Auto Scheduling, on a paid plan from $2.50 a user.
The lowest price for the time clock
- Shift Amp
- $2 a member for the time clock, labor reports and paid time off, with no location fees.
- Deputy
- $5.50 a user on Lite.
- When I Work
- $2.50 a user, or $5 with several locations.
No credit card required.
Switching
From Deputy or When I Work to Shift Amp
Three steps, and you can run both for a week before you move everyone over.
- 1
Start your free account
Add your locations and positions. No credit card needed.
- 2
Bring your team over
Export your team list, save it as a CSV and import it, up to 200 people per file.
- 3
Build and publish the week
Rebuild your current week once, save it as a template, then publish.
FAQ
Deputy vs When I Work, answered.
Is Deputy cheaper than When I Work?
No. When I Work is $2.50 a user at one location and $5 at several, against $5.50 a user on Deputy Lite, or $5 billed annually. Neither has a free plan.
How does Shift Amp compare to Deputy and When I Work?
Shift Amp is free for the schedule at any team size, with shift swaps, availability, open shifts, messaging and shift tasks included. Pro adds the time clock, labor reports and paid time off balances for $2 a member a month, with no location fees.
Does Deputy have a free plan?
No. Its free Starter plan is closed to new customers. Deputy offers a free trial of up to 31 days with no credit card, then Lite is $5.50 a user a month, or $5 billed annually.
Does When I Work have a free plan?
No. It has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, then $2.50 a user for one location or $5 for several.
Try Shift Amp on your week.
Scheduling is free for your whole team at any size, and every new team gets 14 days of everything, Pro included.
No credit card required.
How we compared
Facts verified . We checked each product’s public plans and features using the vendors’ own pricing pages and help centers. Deputy and When I Work are trademarks of their owners. Shift Amp is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
Sources
- Deputy, Pricing. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Deputy, Pricing plans. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Deputy, Deputy Starter Plan (Discontinuing). Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Deputy, Deputy home page (free trial). Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- When I Work, Pricing. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- When I Work, Switching to a Different Plan. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- When I Work, Setting Up a Time Clock Terminal. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- When I Work, Terms of Service. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- Shift Amp, Pricing. Accessed Oct 23, 2026.