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Comparison · HR
When I Work vs Workyard
A side-by-side editorial comparison of When I Work and Workyard — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
When I Work vs Workyard: at a glance
| Feature | When I Work | Workyard |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | HR | HR |
| Velocity score | 1.7 | 7.5 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 1 |
| Top themes | workforce scheduling, break compliance, mobile widgets, coverage views | construction, workforce management, ai agents, reporting |
| Last editorial update | 6mo ago | 19d ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
What is When I Work?
When I Work pushes break compliance, mobile widgets, and richer schedule views — quarterly cadence on the help portal.
When I Work's captured feed mixes help-portal pages with quarterly release-note recaps. The substantive product moves visible: Break Attestation in Q1 2025 (clock-out prompts to record whether breaks were taken, with reasons if not), an iOS Widget surfacing 'Next Shift' to the home screen, broader Scheduling Breaks rollout in Q2 2025 across all plan types, an updated mobile clock-in UI, and an enhanced Schedule Views capability pairing a position view with a new coverage view to see who's working and where gaps exist.
What is Workyard?
Workyard's Reporting Agent builds any report from live crew data, matched to your format.
Workyard now has a Reporting Agent. Upload a report you already send, or describe one in a sentence, and it rebuilds it from time cards, jobs, cost codes, forms, PTO and pay periods, ready to rerun for any job, crew or date range. It's web-only and included in Autopilot and Enterprise plans at no extra cost. It follows a fall of payroll-configuration work: custom overtime rules, bulk time approval and accounting IDs everywhere.
When I Work vs Workyard: editorial side-by-side
When I Work pushes break compliance, mobile widgets, and richer schedule views — quarterly cadence on the help portal.
◆ Current state
When I Work's captured feed mixes help-portal pages with quarterly release-note recaps. The substantive product moves visible: Break Attestation in Q1 2025 (clock-out prompts to record whether breaks were taken, with reasons if not), an iOS Widget surfacing 'Next Shift' to the home screen, broader Scheduling Breaks rollout in Q2 2025 across all plan types, an updated mobile clock-in UI, and an enhanced Schedule Views capability pairing a position view with a new coverage view to see who's working and where gaps exist.
◆ Where it's heading
Investment is concentrated on operator scheduling depth (position vs. coverage views), compliance hooks for jurisdictions requiring break tracking, and mobile-first usability. The cadence reads as quarterly batched release notes rather than continuous shipping — appropriate for the workforce-scheduling category but slower than SaaS norm.
◆ Prediction
Expect more compliance modules tied to predictive scheduling and fair-workweek rules, additional widget surfaces (Android widget, watchOS), and continued coverage-view evolution as the default manager-centric scheduling lens.
Workyard
7.5HR
Workyard's Reporting Agent builds any report from live crew data, matched to your format.
◆ Current state
Workyard now has a Reporting Agent. Upload a report you already send, or describe one in a sentence, and it rebuilds it from time cards, jobs, cost codes, forms, PTO and pay periods, ready to rerun for any job, crew or date range. It's web-only and included in Autopilot and Enterprise plans at no extra cost. It follows a fall of payroll-configuration work: custom overtime rules, bulk time approval and accounting IDs everywhere.
◆ Where it's heading
Workyard is moving from time capture toward running the back office for construction contractors. Time Assistant, event-driven Smart Forms and now an agent for reporting show AI being placed at the admin steps that eat the most hours. Bundling it into existing tiers suggests agents are meant to make the top plans more valuable rather than become a new line item.
◆ Prediction
Expect the Reporting Agent to gain scheduled delivery or mobile access, and agent-style features to extend into payroll or expense reconciliation.
Alternatives to When I Work and Workyard
Other HR products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either When I Work or Workyard.
Leapsome
Leapsome publishes another batch of HR templates and software roundups.
Ashby
Ashby adds threaded comments to AI Notetaker, so interview debriefs stay next to the transcript.
Ever Gauzy
Ever Gauzy links time logs to invoice lines so the same hours are never billed twice.
Teamtailor
Teamtailor shows every time in the reader's own time zone, for recruiters and candidates.
Workable
Workable turns its report builder on interviews, assessments and video screens.
See all When I Work alternatives → · See all Workyard alternatives →
Recent activity from When I Work and Workyard
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 23d agoWorkyardIntroducing our new Reporting Agent. Any report, in your format, in minutes. ⚡
- 1mo agoWorkyardReview, fix, and approve time in one pass
- 1mo agoWorkyardProject Numbers and Team Member IDs now show across Workyard
- 1mo agoWorkyardCustomize your own overtime rules ⚡
- 1mo agoWorkyardExpenses: Link any US bank to fund your expense cards
- 1mo agoWorkyardExpenses: Fix "merchant not supported" declines right from the transaction
- 7mo agoWhen I WorkSubmit a Ticket
- 7mo agoWhen I WorkFAQs & Reference
- 7mo agoWhen I WorkRelease Notes January to March 2025
- 7mo agoWhen I WorkWidget for iOS
- 7mo agoWhen I WorkRelease Notes April to June 2025
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between When I Work and Workyard?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Workyard is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 7.5 vs 1.7), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is When I Work better than Workyard?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Workyard is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 7.5 vs 1.7), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other HR products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to When I Work?
Top When I Work alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "When I Work alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/wheniwork for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Workyard?
Top Workyard alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Workyard alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/workyard for the full list with editorial commentary on each.