When I Work vs QuickBooks Time

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Our analysts compared When I Work vs QuickBooks Time based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Time and Attendance Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

When I Work is a cloud-based platform that helps design, communicate and track work schedules for hourly workers. It replaces the hassle of spreadsheets and paper schedules with a user-friendly interface for creating and publishing schedules in minutes. You get features like drag-and-drop tools, schedule and timesheet templates, customizable automation, and reporting.

It offers built-in time tracking, communication tools and payroll integrations. Employees can clock in and out directly through the native app. They can also swap shifts and submit time-off requests from their profiles. It lets you access timesheets, identify labor cost trends and control overtime expenses.

Team messaging helps you coordinate staff members and avoid over or understaffing during peak seasons. While pricing varies based on company size and required features, the platform offers a free trial and multiple subscription tiers. This allows you to choose a plan that fits your budget and specific needs.

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QuickBooks Time is a cloud-based employee time tracking system that offers employee attendance, history and scheduling for administrators. Employees can log hours and ensure accurate records before payroll processing. With location and clock-in information, administrators can track who is working, for how long and from where. It integrates with online and desktop time-keeping versions of the program for complete employee management.
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$2.50/User, Monthly
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$20 Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Top-Ranked Scheduling Solution: When I Work stands out as a leader in employee scheduling, with an analyst rating of 85 in our research. This puts it alongside industry heavyweights like Deputy (87) and 7Shifts (86). It offers a comprehensive set of features, including scheduling, time tracking and team communications, all of which are ready to use immediately, reducing setup time.
  • Effortless Shift Management: Our research shows that When I Work offers 96% of tools for creating and managing employee shifts out-of-the-box. These include everything from creating recurring shift templates and customizing layouts to features like open shift bidding and automatic vacant shift assignment. You can also add feedback, task notes, swap shifts and receive automated reminders.
  • Powerful Mobile App: The mobile app keeps everything you need for streamlined scheduling at your fingertips. It offers mobile scheduling, time tracking, geofencing, customizable push notifications and built-in chat for easy team communication.
  • Seamless Integrations: When I Work scored 92 for integrations in our analysis, effortlessly connecting with a wide range of business tools. These include accounting solutions like QuickBooks Online, Google and Apple Calendars, HR and payroll software like Rippling and Gusto, Square POS systems, and integration platforms as a service (iPaaS) such as Zapier and Tray.io.
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  • Improved Accuracy: QuickBooks Time minimizes human error in time tracking, ensuring payroll is processed accurately and employees are compensated for the exact time they worked.
  • Enhanced Productivity: By automating time tracking, employees can focus more on their tasks rather than on manual timekeeping, leading to increased productivity and efficiency in their roles.
  • Streamlined Payroll Processing: The software seamlessly integrates with payroll systems, simplifying the payroll process and reducing the time spent on calculating hours and issuing payments.
  • Real-Time Insights: Managers gain instant access to workforce data, allowing them to make informed decisions about labor costs, project timelines, and resource allocation.
  • Increased Transparency: QuickBooks Time provides a clear record of hours worked, fostering trust between employers and employees by ensuring fairness and transparency in time tracking and compensation.
  • Flexible Time Tracking: With mobile access, employees can clock in and out from anywhere, making it ideal for remote teams and field workers, thus accommodating diverse work arrangements.
  • Compliance Assurance: The software helps businesses adhere to labor laws and regulations by accurately tracking work hours, overtime, and breaks, reducing the risk of non-compliance penalties.
  • Cost Savings: By eliminating inefficiencies in time tracking and payroll processing, businesses can significantly reduce operational costs associated with manual timekeeping and payroll errors.
  • Scalability: QuickBooks Time is designed to grow with your business, easily adapting to increased workforce size or changes in business structure without the need for significant system changes.
  • Enhanced Employee Satisfaction: Timely and accurate payroll processing, along with transparency in time tracking, contributes to higher employee satisfaction and morale.
  • Customizable Reports: The ability to generate detailed reports on time and attendance data helps businesses analyze trends, plan for future needs, and make strategic decisions based on comprehensive insights.
  • Easy Integration: QuickBooks Time integrates smoothly with other business systems, including accounting software and HR platforms, creating a cohesive ecosystem for managing all aspects of business operations.
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  • Employee Scheduling: Create work schedules in one click based on employee availability and eligibility. View team availability, manage time off and track shift trades from one place. Allow employees to pick up and trade shifts while boosting workplace efficiency and productivity. Schedule multiple teams across job sites while preventing unnecessary overtime.
  • Time and Attendance: Track attendance, time off and breaks while turning any internet-connected device into an online time clock. Integrate schedules to control costs while applying pay rules. Implement an online time clock with a GPS facility for uniform clock-ins and outs across devices. Let remote employees log in and out using any device while receiving attendance data in real time.
  • Timesheets: Record weekly attendance changes into timesheets while setting differential pay rates for multiple positions. Monitor labor costs while auditing time records with labor distribution reports. Audit and approve timesheets from mobile or desktop while preventing overtime before it happens. Configure paid and unpaid breaks on schedule and time clock.
  • Shift Planning: Plan, swap and approve shifts using a mobile or desktop while empowering teams to collaborate on schedules. Ensure cost-effective shift coverage while creating schedules that work for the entire team.
  • Scalability: Start with a single team or location and scale to multiple teams across geographical locations as per business growth. Schedule multiple teams across various job sites.
  • Push Notifications: Send important messages to the entire staff in one go. Employees get email and text alerts for missed logins or outs. Notify all employees when you update or create new schedules.
  • Geo Check-In: Use GPS tracking and live map views to ensure that employees log in from their designated job sites. Monitor field staff’s real-time location, eliminating the need for employees to update their locations constantly in the office.
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  • Timesheets Tracking: Keep accurate time records in individualized employee sheets. Clock hours and wages in one streamlined platform for increased employee accuracy and administrator oversight. 
  • Mobile Compatibility: Download the mobile app for remote employee access to time records and approvals, even without available Wi-Fi and cell phone coverage. View multiple timesheets and employee locations from the Crew app for administrators. Integrate project tracking, scheduling and PTO approvals and sync with the desktop version. 
    • Universal Internet Connection: Use the Time Kiosk on any internet-enabled computer or tablet for increased tracking functions. Use image captures to discourage falsified clock-ins. 
  • Location Information: Enable GPS location tracking for real-time employee location updates. Use geofencing to remind employees to clock in and out on job sites. Log and reimburse mileage records. 
  • App Integration: Merge timekeeping functionality with leading bookkeeping, payroll, invoicing and project management software for complete HR and employee management support. Sync schedules with Google, Microsoft and Apple calendars. 
  • Time Notifications: Customize alerts to receive notifications for overtime, mismatched time stamps and clock-in failures. 
  • Instant Reporting: Summarize time, labor, earned pay and project timelines in one automated report. Predict future expenses and labor timelines with real-time data adjustments. 
    • DCAA Assistance: Stay compliant with labor and contract regulations with auditing features. Approve and edit time tracking for itemized government contracts. 
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Product Ranking

#12

among all
Time and Attendance Software

#62

among all
Time and Attendance Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

79
86
83
33
78
100
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69
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Employee Scheduling
Mobile Capabilities
Dashboards & Reporting
Project Tracking
Time Tracking
Mobile Capabilities
Platform Capabilities

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

When I Work
QuickBooks Time
+ Add Product + Add Product
Compliance Dashboards & Reporting Employee Scheduling Leave & Absence Management Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Project Tracking Time Clocks Time Tracking 83 78 98 80 89 84 81 41 75 33 100 69 80 99 98 100 79 100 0 25 50 75 100
83%
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33%
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78%
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67%
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86%
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86%
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83%
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

63%
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37%
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37%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 1454 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 12805 reviews
90%
of users recommend this product

When I Work has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 1454 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

93%
of users recommend this product

QuickBooks Time has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 12805 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (11)
n/a
4.4 (286)
4.5 (1389)
n/a
4.72 (5644)
4.5 (1093)
4.7 (5511)
4.4 (64)
4.0 (261)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated When I Work and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Compliance. When I Work stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Compliance Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated QuickBooks Time and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Time and Attendance Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Dashboards & Reporting, Mobile Capabilities, Project Tracking and Time Tracking. QuickBooks Time stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

Analysts' Pick Award
User Favorite Award
Dashboards & Reporting Award
Mobile Capabilities Award
Project Tracking Award
Time Tracking Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Intuitive and Efficient: Users appreciate the user-friendly interface and comprehensive features that centralize managing all scheduling needs from a single app.
Prompt Customer Support: Users report getting timely and helpful assistance from the vendor’s support team through live chat and email.
Enhanced Employee Experience: The app boosts staff productivity by offering them flexible tools to control their work schedules.
Improved Integration and Accessibility: Most users have had a positive experience connecting the platform with other necessary third-party tools.
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Timesheet Flexibility: QuickBooks Time offers multiple ways to track time, including a mobile app with geofencing, a web dashboard, and a physical time clock. This allows employees to easily track their time from anywhere, and it gives employers the flexibility to choose the method that best suits their needs.
Project Tracking: The software allows users to track time spent on specific projects and tasks, which can be helpful for businesses that need to bill clients or track project profitability. This feature can also be used to identify areas where employees are spending too much time, so that processes can be improved.
Payroll Integration: QuickBooks Time integrates with QuickBooks Online Payroll, which can save businesses time and money by automating the payroll process. This integration can also help to ensure that employees are paid accurately for the time they have worked.
Scheduling: The scheduling feature allows managers to create and share schedules with employees, and it also allows employees to request time off. This can help to improve communication and reduce scheduling conflicts.
Reporting: QuickBooks Time offers a variety of reports that can help businesses to track employee time, project costs, and labor expenses. These reports can be used to identify trends, make better business decisions, and improve profitability.
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Pricing and Transparency Issues: Users have complained about the vendor’s pricing practices, which include hidden costs and a lack of clear information before signing up.
App Glitches: Users reported issues with iPhone and Android apps, particularly with tasks like staff punch-ins and location tracking using the phone’s GPS.
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Mobile App Issues: The mobile app has been reported to have issues with clocking in and out, as well as syncing data accurately. This can be frustrating for employees who rely on the app to track their time.
Customer Support Challenges: Some users have expressed dissatisfaction with the level of customer support provided by QuickBooks Time. Getting timely and effective assistance can be difficult, leading to frustration and unresolved issues.
Scheduling Limitations: The scheduling features in QuickBooks Time may not be as robust or flexible as some businesses require. This can make it challenging to create and manage complex schedules, especially for businesses with varying shift patterns or employee availability.
Integrations and Compatibility: While QuickBooks Time offers integrations with some payroll and accounting software, it may not be compatible with all systems. This can create challenges for businesses that use different software solutions and need seamless data transfer.
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According to the reviews, users praise When I Work’s user-friendly design and all-in-one features for scheduling and time tracking. The customer support team is another win — responsive and helpful via chat and email. However, the pricing structure is a point of contention for some users, with complaints about hidden fees and a lack of transparency before signing up.What truly set it apart was its affordability for small and medium businesses. The starter plan, costing just $1.50 per location per month, offers unlimited employee scheduling and auto-scheduling — features usually reserved for top-tier plans in competitors like 7Shift and Homebase.However, communication features are restricted. During testing, I could send individual and group messages, but there's no bulletin board or newsfeed functionality, and message read receipts are absent.Security is another concern. The platform lacks biometric clock-in options, opening the door to potential time theft through buddy punching. Additionally, it doesn’t support geofencing or GPS tracking. I couldn’t remotely track staff shifts to ensure they were following established procedures.Overall, When I Work offers a compelling solution for small and medium businesses with a user-friendly interface, robust features and a budget-friendly starter plan. However, be mindful of the pricing concerns and other limitations, which can be a problem for growing teams and businesses.

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QuickBooks Time emerges as a guiding light for small businesses seeking a straightforward solution. User reviews from the past year paint a picture of a platform celebrated for its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other QuickBooks products, simplifying payroll and invoicing processes. The mobile app empowers employees to clock in and out from any location, promoting flexibility and accurate timekeeping. While QuickBooks Time may not boast the extensive feature set of some competitors, its core functionalities cater effectively to the needs of smaller teams. The drag-and-drop scheduling tools and geofencing capabilities streamline workforce management, ensuring that projects stay on track and within budget. However, some users note that QuickBooks Time's pricing structure may present a challenge for businesses with larger workforces. The software's strength lies in its ability to simplify time tracking and scheduling for small businesses, but it may not offer the same level of scalability as alternatives like Clockify or When I Work. Ultimately, QuickBooks Time is a valuable asset for small businesses seeking an intuitive and efficient time and attendance solution. Its integration with the QuickBooks ecosystem and focus on core functionalities make it an ideal choice for teams of up to 10 employees looking to optimize their time management processes without the complexity of more comprehensive platforms.

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