Time Doctor 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 | From $3/user/mo (published) | From $2.50/user/mo (published) |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | Workday, Xero | QuickBooks |
| Vendor | Time Doctor | When I Work |
Our take
Where Time Doctor leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 7 of the 31 capabilities where they differ (led by offline clock-in with later sync and custom report builder).
- Stated Workday, Xero integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where When I Work leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 24 of the 31 capabilities where they differ (led by photo capture at punch and gps location capture on punch).
- A lower published starting rate ($2.5 vs $3 per user/mo).
- Stated QuickBooks integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where they differ
The 31 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Photo capture at punchTime Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Core strength Photo verification at clock-in to prevent buddy punching |
| Offline clock-in with later syncTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength Offline time tracking that records hours without an internet connection | Not evidenced |
| GPS location capture on punchLocation & Fraud Prevention | Not evidenced | Core strength |
| GeofencingLocation & Fraud Prevention | Not evidenced | Core strength Blocks early or off-site clock-ins |
| Buddy-punching prevention controlsLocation & Fraud Prevention | Not evidenced | Core strength Photo verification at clock-in explicitly to prevent buddy punching |
| 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 |
| Multi-location / multi-department schedulingScheduling | Not evidenced | Core strength Multi-location and multi-week scheduling |
| Labor cost & budget forecastingScheduling | Not evidenced | Core strength Real-time scheduled-vs-budgeted hours comparison; Labor Share |
| Leave request & approval workflowLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Core strength Time-off request submission and manager approval |
| Budgeted vs. actual hours trackingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Not evidenced | Core strength Real-time scheduled-vs-budgeted hours comparison |
| Custom report builderWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Core strength Custom dashboards and data exports | Not evidenced |
| Employee productivity / activity monitoringWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Core strength Web/app usage, idle time, screenshots, video screen recording and productivity ratings | Not evidenced |
| AI-driven benchmarking or anomaly insightsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Core strength Benchmarks AI peer comparison against a 250K+ user dataset; Unusual Activity AI report | Not evidenced |
| Team messaging / shift communicationEmployee Experience | Not evidenced | Core strength WorkChat one-on-one, group and all-staff messaging |
| Timesheet submission & approval workflowTimesheets & Pay Rules | Core strength Time approvals workflow | Partial Edit logs on digital timesheets imply review; no explicit approval workflow documented |
| Overtime & premium pay calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Not evidenced | Supported Real-time overtime alerts and max-hours warnings |
| Demand-based / forecasted schedulingScheduling | Not evidenced | Supported Custom unit forecasting (Pro and Premium plans) |
| Absence & attendance analyticsLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Supported 24-hour callout reporting (Pro and Premium plans) |
| Meal & rest break enforcementCompliance & Labor Law | Not evidenced | Supported Scheduling around required breaks |
| Audit trail & policy-violation logsCompliance & Labor Law | Not evidenced | Supported Digital timesheets with edit logs |
| Employee self-service portal / appEmployee Experience | Partial Client login access and work-life balance metrics; no dedicated employee self-service portal documented | Core strength Mobile availability, shift pickup and time-off requests |
| 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 |
| Web & mobile app clock-in/outTime Capture & Punch Methods | Supported Automatic and manual time tracking via desktop/web app | Core strength Clock-in via iOS, Android and web |
| Exception detection & alertsTimesheets & Pay Rules | Supported Missing-hours capture and real-time notifications | Core strength Real-time overtime and max-hours warnings |
| PTO accrual trackingLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Partial Time-off request submission documented; accrual-rule handling not detailed |
| Billable time & project billingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Partial Client login access suggests client-facing reporting; no dedicated billing/invoicing feature documented | Not evidenced |
| Standard reports & exportsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Core strength Payroll-ready reports; timeline and hours reports | Supported Labor cost reporting by job, role or location |
| iPaaS / prebuilt third-party connectivityPlatform & Integrations | Supported Native integrations with BambooHR, Rippling, Zoho People and Gusto | Core strength Zapier plus a wide native HR/payroll integration roster |
Both grade identically on the other 23 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Time Doctor, When I Work.
Time Doctor vs When I Work — FAQs
Is Time Doctor or When I Work better for ERP integration?
They state different ERP coverage: Time Doctor lists Workday, Xero; When I Work lists QuickBooks.
Which is cheaper, Time Doctor or When I Work?
When I Work has the lower published starting rate ($2.5 vs $3 per user/month, list price). Implementation, ERP integration and volume discounts change the real total — treat list rates as a starting point.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what Time Doctor and When I Work should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.