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Most buyers should pick Sling.
Pick Sling if keeping costs down or starting with a free plan matters: Free covers up to 30 users, and annual Premium is $1.70 per user per month. Choose When I Work if you need unlimited users, multi-location scheduling, or higher-tier tools such as API access and SSO. Its Essentials plan starts at $2.50 per user per month, but time tracking is a separately priced add-on. Annual prices for When I Work are not published.
01Side by side
| Sling | When I Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0 Free; paid from $1.70/user/month annually | $2.50/user/month for Essentials |
| Free plan | Yes; up to 30 users | No; 14-day free trial |
| Best for | Small teams needing basic scheduling | Hourly teams needing unlimited users |
| Core strength | Labor costs and time tools, by plan | Scheduling, messaging, multi-location tools |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 7/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 6.5/10 |
| Integrations/data | Calendar sync on Premium | API, webhooks, SAML/SSO on Premium |
| Team/seat costs | Free to 30 users; paid per user | Unlimited users; $2.50/user/month entry plan |
| Support | Review support score: 5/10 | Review support score: 5/10 |
Sling Choose Sling if
- Choose Sling if you need free scheduling for up to 30.
- Choose Sling if labor-cost tools matter at a lower annual price.
- Choose Sling if your team can work within its plan gates.
When I Work Choose When I Work if
- Choose When I Work if you need unlimited users.
- Choose When I Work for multi-location scheduling and team messaging.
- Choose When I Work if Premium API access or SSO matters.
02Pricing compared
Sling is the cheaper option if a free plan or lower annual price matters. Its Free plan covers up to 30 users and includes shift scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts and private messaging. Sling Premium costs $2 per user per month, or $1.70 with annual billing; Business is $4 monthly or $3.40 annually. The pricing page says annual billing saves 15%.
When I Work has no free plan. Essentials starts at $2.50 per user per month and includes unlimited users, auto scheduling, multi-location scheduling and team messaging. Pro is $5 per user monthly; Premium is $8. Enterprise pricing is custom. Annual prices are not published. Time Tracking & Attendance is a separately priced add-on, but its price is not published. Compare the cost of that add-on before treating Essentials as a like-for-like alternative to Sling’s time-tracking plans.
03Features and depth
Both products cover scheduling and team communication, but their plan gates differ. Sling Free includes basic scheduling, time-off requests, available shifts and private messaging for up to 30 users. Mobile time tracking and labor cost management are listed under Premium; reports and PTO management are under Business. Sling also lists shift trades, tasks, labor-cost alerts and reporting across customizable periods as product capabilities.
When I Work Essentials includes auto scheduling, multi-week and multi-location scheduling, templates and messaging, with unlimited users. Pro adds scheduling rules, role permissions, custom reporting and time-zone controls. Premium adds API key access, webhooks and SAML/SSO. The product also describes GPS clock-ins and geofencing, but Time Tracking & Attendance is a separately priced add-on and its price is not published. That makes Sling’s included time-tracking costs clearer from the published plan details; When I Work’s scheduling tiers offer more explicitly listed higher-tier controls. Check the plan and add-on details before comparing total cost.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither product’s published pricing details establish which app is easier to learn, and we would not treat feature lists as usability evidence. The practical difference is how much you need to evaluate before switching. Sling’s Free plan gives teams of up to 30 users a way to start with basic scheduling, while time tracking and reports sit on paid tiers.
When I Work has unlimited users on Essentials, but time tracking is a separate add-on with unpublished pricing. Its higher tiers list controls such as permissions, custom reporting and SSO, which may matter to larger teams but are not necessary for every buyer. Compare the workflows your staff needs and confirm total costs with each vendor; published details do not settle onboarding effort.
Questions people ask
Is When I Work a good app?
It may suit teams that need scheduling, messaging and multi-location support: Essentials starts at $2.50 per user per month and includes unlimited users. The published review rates it 6.4 overall and flags user complaints and add-on costs as value concerns. Time tracking costs extra, with pricing not published.
Can my employer see my messages on Sling?
The published Sling details say the platform includes private messaging and group messaging on Premium, but they do not explain employer access, message retention or privacy controls. We can’t confirm from these sources who at your workplace can view messages. Check Sling’s privacy documentation and your employer’s account policies.
What is the best work scheduling app?
There is no single best choice in the published details. Sling is the stronger fit if a free plan or lower annual pricing matters. When I Work may fit teams that need unlimited users, multi-location scheduling or higher-tier tools such as API access and SSO. Compare time-tracking costs too.
What are some alternatives to When I Work?
Sling is one alternative in this comparison. Its Free plan covers up to 30 users with basic scheduling, while paid plans add time tracking, labor-cost tools and reports. When I Work starts at $2.50 per user per month, but time tracking is a separately priced add-on with no published price.