TimeClock Plus vs When I Work
time & attendance head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | Quote-based | From $2.50/user/mo (published) |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | Oracle Fusion Cloud, Workday, QuickBooks | QuickBooks |
| Vendor | TCP Software | When I Work |
Our take
Where TimeClock Plus leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 18 of the 35 capabilities where they differ (led by dedicated time clock hardware and biometric verification (face/fingerprint)).
- Stated Oracle Fusion Cloud, Workday integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where When I Work leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 17 of the 35 capabilities where they differ (led by photo capture at punch and ai-assisted auto-scheduling).
- Published pricing where the alternative quotes.
Where they differ
The 35 capabilities (of 54 in the time & attendance taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated time clock hardwareTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength TCP Direct badge readers: barcode, magnetic swipe, touchless RFID proximity | Not evidenced |
| Biometric verification (face/fingerprint)Time Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength Biometric fingerprint scanning | Not evidenced |
| Photo capture at punchTime Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Core strength Photo verification at clock-in to prevent buddy punching |
| PIN / badge / QR code punchingTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength Badge readers: barcode, magnetic swipe, RFID proximity | Not evidenced |
| Multi-jurisdiction / union pay-rule engineTimesheets & Pay Rules | Core strength Matches payroll rules to internal policies, unions, CBAs and local/state/federal law | Not evidenced |
| AI-assisted auto-schedulingScheduling | Not evidenced | Core strength One-click auto scheduling based on availability and eligibility |
| Reusable shift templatesScheduling | Not evidenced | Core strength Reusable schedule templates applied to any week |
| Shift swap & open-shift self-serviceScheduling | Not evidenced | Core strength Shift trades and OpenShifts for self-service pickup |
| Real-time leave balance visibilityLeave & Absence Management | Core strength Real-time leave balance updates for managers before approval | Not evidenced |
| Statutory / FMLA-type leave complianceLeave & Absence Management | Core strength Support for FMLA, state-specific and internal leave types | Not evidenced |
| Union / collective bargaining agreement supportCompliance & Labor Law | Core strength Payroll rules matched to unions and CBAs | Not evidenced |
| Team messaging / shift communicationEmployee Experience | Not evidenced | Core strength WorkChat one-on-one, group and all-staff messaging |
| Kiosk / shared-device clock-inTime Capture & Punch Methods | Supported Flexible time clocks or electronic time sheets | Not evidenced |
| Automatic break deduction rulesTimesheets & Pay Rules | Not evidenced | Supported Break tracking and scheduling around required breaks |
| Demand-based / forecasted schedulingScheduling | Not evidenced | Supported Custom unit forecasting (Pro and Premium plans) |
| PTO accrual trackingLeave & Absence Management | Core strength Automated leave accrual rule application | Partial Time-off request submission documented; accrual-rule handling not detailed |
| Public API & webhooksPlatform & Integrations | Not evidenced | Supported API key access and webhooks on the Premium plan |
| SSO & identity provisioningPlatform & Integrations | Not evidenced | Supported SAML/SSO on the Premium plan |
| Offline clock-in with later syncTime Capture & Punch Methods | Partial Power-over-Ethernet/Wi-Fi setup with battery backup; no documented offline-sync workflow | Not evidenced |
| GPS location capture on punchLocation & Fraud Prevention | Supported Mobile time clock app with geolocation | Core strength |
| Timesheet submission & approval workflowTimesheets & Pay Rules | Supported | Partial Edit logs on digital timesheets imply review; no explicit approval workflow documented |
| Overtime & premium pay calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Core strength Overtime and comp time calculation | Supported Real-time overtime alerts and max-hours warnings |
| Drag-and-drop schedule builderScheduling | Not evidenced | Partial One-click auto scheduling; no explicit drag-and-drop builder documented |
| Multi-location / multi-department schedulingScheduling | Supported Multi-location, multi-jurisdiction rule configuration | Core strength Multi-location and multi-week scheduling |
| Labor cost & budget forecastingScheduling | Supported Time and labor allocation to specific budgets or grants; overtime trends and forecasts | Core strength Real-time scheduled-vs-budgeted hours comparison; Labor Share |
| Absence & attendance analyticsLeave & Absence Management | Core strength Leave trend, absenteeism and schedule-impact reporting | Supported 24-hour callout reporting (Pro and Premium plans) |
| Job / task / project cost codingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Core strength Multi-level job costing across projects and departments; flexible job codes | Supported Labor cost reporting by job, role or location |
| Budgeted vs. actual hours trackingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Supported Time and labor allocation to specific budgets or grants | Core strength Real-time scheduled-vs-budgeted hours comparison |
| Multi-department / cost-center allocationLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Core strength Multi-level job costing across projects and departments | Supported Labor cost reporting by job, role or location |
| Meal & rest break enforcementCompliance & Labor Law | Core strength Alerts for missed breaks, California meal rules and rest periods | Supported Scheduling around required breaks |
| Audit trail & policy-violation logsCompliance & Labor Law | Core strength Audit logs for assignment and policy-violation tracking | Supported Digital timesheets with edit logs |
| Standard reports & exportsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Core strength Complete payroll reporting; 30+ exception reports; automated report distribution | Supported Labor cost reporting by job, role or location |
| Labor cost dashboardsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Partial Reporting is extensive; no dedicated real-time dashboard documented | Supported |
| Employee self-service portal / appEmployee Experience | Supported | Core strength Mobile availability, shift pickup and time-off requests |
| iPaaS / prebuilt third-party connectivityPlatform & Integrations | Supported Wide roster of prebuilt payroll and HR integrations | Core strength Zapier plus a wide native HR/payroll integration roster |
Both grade identically on the other 19 capabilities — see each product's full profile: TimeClock Plus, When I Work.
TimeClock Plus vs When I Work — FAQs
Is TimeClock Plus or When I Work better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with QuickBooks. TimeClock Plus additionally lists Oracle Fusion Cloud, Workday. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, TimeClock Plus or When I Work?
When I Work publishes a starting rate ($2.5/user/mo); TimeClock Plus prices by quote, so a like-for-like number requires asking both.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what TimeClock Plus and When I Work should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.