Softwr

Restaurants · head to head

When I Work vs WISK

When I Work logo

When I Work

Restaurants

Scheduling and time tracking made simple

From
$2.5/user/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WISK logo

WISK

Restaurants

Bar inventory and pour cost control using Bluetooth scales and POS depletion data

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: When I Work aPI key access, webhooks and SAML single sign on require the Premium plan at $8 per user per month; WISK food inventory is markedly shallower than beverage, so kitchen led operations end up buying a second back office system and paying twice for invoice capture.
  • They diverge on capability: When I Work covers Shift scheduling, WISK covers Bluetooth scale counting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where When I Work and WISK differ
AttributeWhen I WorkWISK
Starting price$2.5/user/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2010Unknown

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 When I Work

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

Only in WISK

  • Bluetooth scale counting
  • POS depletion matching
  • Invoice scanning
  • Recipe and pour costing
  • Ordering and par levels
  • Variance by period and staff

What people use each for

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

When I Work

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

WISK

  • A cocktail bar losing margin to over pouring that needs variance measured weekly rather than monthlynot When I Work
  • A restaurant group standardising pour costs across venues with different bar managersnot When I Work
  • An operator who wants supplier price rises on spirits surfaced automatically as they hit invoicesnot When I Work
  • A venue preparing for sale or investor review that needs defensible stock valuationsnot When I Work

Where each one falls short

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

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

WISK

  • Food inventory is markedly shallower than beverage, so kitchen led operations end up buying a second back office system and paying twice for invoice capture.
  • Accuracy depends on the Bluetooth scale, which is an additional hardware purchase per bar station and a consumable in practice given how bar equipment is treated.
  • The value proposition collapses without a consistent counting cadence, and the software cannot force a bar manager to count every week.
  • Pricing is per location, so a group with several small satellite bars pays the same per site as it does for its flagship venue despite much lower beverage revenue.
  • POS integration quality varies by system, and where item level mapping is incomplete the theoretical usage figures are wrong in a way that is not obvious until someone audits them.

Pricing, plan by plan

When I Work

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

WISK

On request
  • WISK$undefined/year
    • Priced per location per month with tiers by feature set
    • Bluetooth scale hardware quoted separately
    • Onboarding and item catalogue setup billed at the start

Which should you pick?

Choose When I Work if

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

Choose WISK if

  • You need bluetooth scale counting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want pos depletion matching.
WISK review

Questions people ask

Is When I Work or WISK better?
Neither clearly leads. When I Work starts at $2.5/user/month and WISK at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, When I Work or WISK?
When I Work starts at $2.5/user/month and WISK at On request.
Does When I Work or WISK run on more platforms?
When I Work runs on Web, Ios, Android. WISK runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is When I Work best used for?
When I Work is most often used for scheduling hourly shift workers across locations, time clock and timesheet capture for payroll, handling shift swaps, availability and time off requests. Of those, scheduling hourly shift workers across locations and time clock and timesheet capture for payroll are not what WISK is typically brought in for.
What can When I Work do that WISK cannot?
When I Work covers Shift scheduling, Time clock, Team messaging, Availability management. WISK covers Bluetooth scale counting, POS depletion matching, Invoice scanning, Recipe and pour costing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
WISK: Do I need the scale to use it?

Not strictly, but without it partial bottles are estimated and the variance figures lose most of their precision, which is the reason to buy the product.

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
WISK: How long does a count take?

A bar of a few hundred SKUs is typically countable by two people in under an hour once the catalogue is set up.

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
WISK: Does it handle food as well as drink?

It does, but the depth is in beverage. Kitchen heavy operations usually pair it with, or replace it by, a broader food costing platform.

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
WISK: Does it connect to my accounting system?

It exports invoice and cost data to QuickBooks and Xero rather than acting as the ledger itself.

Share

Related pages

More on When I Work

More on WISK

Keep looking

Other head to heads