Softwr

Restaurants · head to head

Nory vs When I Work

Nory logo

Nory

Restaurants

Forecast driven scheduling, inventory and purchasing for multi site hospitality groups

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
When I Work logo

When I Work

Restaurants

Scheduling and time tracking made simple

From
$2.5/user/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Nory the forecasting that justifies the product needs several months of clean point of sale history, so new openings and recently reopened sites get little value at first.; When I Work aPI key access, webhooks and SAML single sign on require the Premium plan at $8 per user per month
  • They diverge on capability: Nory covers Demand forecasting, When I Work covers Shift scheduling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nory and When I Work actually diverge.

Attributes where Nory and When I Work differ
AttributeNoryWhen I Work
Starting priceOn request$2.5/user/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Nory

  • Demand forecasting
  • Forecast driven rotas
  • Inventory and purchasing
  • Profit and loss reporting
  • Compliance and rota rules
  • Team app

Only in When I Work

  • Shift scheduling
  • Time clock
  • Team messaging
  • Availability management
  • Shift swapping
  • Mobile apps
  • QuickBooks
  • ADP

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Nory

  • A group of ten to thirty sites where rotas are built on gut feel and labour percentage is discovered after the factnot When I Work
  • An operator who wants purchase orders sized against forecast covers rather than last week actualsnot When I Work
  • A finance team that needs site level profit and loss without waiting for month end accountsnot When I Work
  • A hospitality group replacing a scheduling app, a stock spreadsheet and a reporting deck with one systemnot When I Work

When I Work

  • Scheduling hourly shift workers across locationsnot Nory
  • Time clock and timesheet capture for payrollnot Nory
  • Handling shift swaps, availability and time off requestsnot Nory

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Nory

  • The forecasting that justifies the product needs several months of clean point of sale history, so new openings and recently reopened sites get little value at first.
  • It replaces scheduling, stock and reporting together, which makes adoption an all or nothing project rather than a tool a single manager can trial.
  • Employment rules and rota compliance are built for the United Kingdom and Ireland, so groups with United States or continental European sites will find gaps.
  • The vendor is young and its integration list is short, so an operator on a less common point of sale or payroll provider may be waiting on a build.
  • Pricing is per site, which means small satellite units and kiosks cost the same as flagship venues despite far simpler operations.

When I Work

  • API key access, webhooks and SAML single sign on require the Premium plan at $8 per user per month
  • Scheduling rules, role permissions and custom reporting require the Pro plan at $5 per user per month
  • There is no free plan; the trial lasts 14 days
  • Enterprise arrangements are priced by quote with no published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Nory

On request
  • Nory$undefined/year
    • Quoted per site per month
    • Modules for labour, inventory and reporting sold as one platform
    • Onboarding includes point of sale history import and recipe setup

When I Work

$2.5/user/month
  • Standard$2.5/user/month
    • Scheduling
    • Messaging
  • Advanced$6/user/month
    • Time clock
    • Labor forecasting

Which should you pick?

Choose Nory if

  • You need demand forecasting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want forecast driven rotas.
Nory review

Choose When I Work if

  • You need shift scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want time clock.
When I Work review

Questions people ask

Is Nory or When I Work better?
Neither clearly leads. Nory starts at On request and When I Work at $2.5/user/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nory or When I Work?
Nory starts at On request and When I Work at $2.5/user/month.
Does Nory or When I Work run on more platforms?
Nory runs on Web, iOS, Android. When I Work runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Nory best used for?
Nory is most often used for a group of ten to thirty sites where rotas are built on gut feel and labour percentage is discovered after the fact, an operator who wants purchase orders sized against forecast covers rather than last week actuals, a finance team that needs site level profit and loss without waiting for month end accounts, a hospitality group replacing a scheduling app, a stock spreadsheet and a reporting deck with one system. Of those, a group of ten to thirty sites where rotas are built on gut feel and labour percentage is discovered after the fact and an operator who wants purchase orders sized against forecast covers rather than last week actuals are not what When I Work is typically brought in for.
What can Nory do that When I Work cannot?
Nory covers Demand forecasting, Forecast driven rotas, Inventory and purchasing, Profit and loss reporting. When I Work covers Shift scheduling, Time clock, Team messaging, Availability management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Nory: How much sales history does it need to forecast well?

Several months at minimum. With less than that the forecast is not reliable enough to size rotas or orders against.

When I Work: What is the pricing structure?

Plans start at $2.50 per user per month, billed in user tiers of five, with pricing that scales flexibly with team size.

Source
Nory: Does it do payroll?

No. It produces the rota, hours and labour cost, and exports to payroll rather than running it.

When I Work: Are there long-term contracts required?

No long-term contracts, no hidden surprises, and no enterprise-only paywalls. The platform scales as your business grows without binding agreements.

Source
Nory: Is it usable outside the United Kingdom and Ireland?

It can be, but the employment rules, compliance logic and integration coverage are built around those markets.

When I Work: Is there a free trial available?

Try When I Work free for 14 days with full access to all core features. No credit card is required for the trial period.

Source
Nory: Does it replace my point of sale?

No. It reads sales from the point of sale and sits above it as the operations and reporting layer.

When I Work: Can I adjust or cancel my plan anytime?

You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time and adjust your plan at any time or use hibernation options during seasonal downtime.

Source
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