Homebase 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 $6/user/mo (published) | From $2.50/user/mo (published) |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | SMB | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | QuickBooks | QuickBooks |
| Vendor | Homebase (Pioneer Works, Inc.) | When I Work |
Our take
Where Homebase leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 8 of the 23 capabilities where they differ (led by kiosk / shared-device clock-in and pin / badge / qr code punching).
Where When I Work leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 15 of the 23 capabilities where they differ (led by geofencing and multi-location / multi-department scheduling).
- A lower published starting rate ($2.5 vs $6 per user/mo).
Where they differ
The 23 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kiosk / shared-device clock-inTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength Kiosk mode for shared devices | Not evidenced |
| PIN / badge / QR code punchingTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength Unique employee PIN codes to prevent buddy punching | Not evidenced |
| Offline clock-in with later syncTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| GeofencingLocation & Fraud Prevention | Not evidenced | Core strength Blocks early or off-site clock-ins |
| Drag-and-drop schedule builderScheduling | Core strength | Partial One-click auto scheduling; no explicit drag-and-drop builder documented |
| Multi-location / multi-department schedulingScheduling | Partial Departments and role-based permissions exist; no explicit multi-site scheduling feature documented | Core strength Multi-location and multi-week scheduling |
| Absence & attendance analyticsLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Supported 24-hour callout reporting (Pro and Premium plans) |
| Job / task / project cost codingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Not evidenced | Supported Labor cost reporting by job, role or location |
| Budgeted vs. actual hours trackingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Partial POS sales vs. scheduled labor cost, not job-level budgeting | Core strength Real-time scheduled-vs-budgeted hours comparison |
| Audit trail & policy-violation logsCompliance & Labor Law | Not evidenced | Supported Digital timesheets with edit logs |
| Standard reports & exportsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Not evidenced | Supported Labor cost reporting by job, role or location |
| 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 |
| Overtime & premium pay calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Core strength Automatic overtime tracking; automated overtime calculation in payroll | Supported Real-time overtime alerts and max-hours warnings |
| Automatic break deduction rulesTimesheets & Pay Rules | Core strength Automatic break tracking with reminders | Supported Break tracking and scheduling around required breaks |
| Exception detection & alertsTimesheets & Pay Rules | Supported Late and missed-punch notifications | Core strength Real-time overtime and max-hours warnings |
| Reusable shift templatesScheduling | Supported Reusable schedule templates | Core strength Reusable schedule templates applied to any week |
| Shift swap & open-shift self-serviceScheduling | Supported | Core strength Shift trades and OpenShifts for self-service pickup |
| PTO accrual trackingLeave & Absence Management | Supported PTO and time-off policy controls | Partial Time-off request submission documented; accrual-rule handling not detailed |
| Leave request & approval workflowLeave & Absence Management | Supported | Core strength Time-off request submission and manager approval |
| Meal & rest break enforcementCompliance & Labor Law | Partial Automatic break tracking with reminders; no explicit legal-compliance messaging | Supported Scheduling around required breaks |
| iPaaS / prebuilt third-party connectivityPlatform & Integrations | Supported QuickBooks Online sync | Core strength Zapier plus a wide native HR/payroll integration roster |
| ERP general ledger postingPlatform & Integrations | Partial QuickBooks Online sync of payroll/timesheet data; not documented as journal-level GL posting | Not evidenced |
Both grade identically on the other 31 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Homebase, When I Work.
Homebase vs When I Work — FAQs
Is Homebase or When I Work better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with QuickBooks. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, Homebase or When I Work?
When I Work has the lower published starting rate ($2.5 vs $6 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 Homebase and When I Work should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.