Payroll Watchdog
Comparison

QuickBooks Time vs When I Work

Our take

QuickBooks Time only wins this if your payroll already runs through QuickBooks, and there it genuinely does win, timesheets flowing untouched into the pay run closes the manual re-entry gap where hour-padding lives, and its all-shift GPS trails beat When I Work's punch-point pins. Everywhere else, When I Work does the same fraud-prevention job for a fraction of the price, without the $20-a-month base fee before the first employee.

Q
QuickBooks Time
The obvious time clock if payroll already runs through QuickBooks
VERIFIED JUL 5, 2026
W
When I Work
Per-user pricing makes it the buddy-punching fix for very small teams
VERIFIED JUL 5, 2026
Pricing modelsubscriptionsubscription
Starting pointPremium: $20/mo base + $8 per userPer user per month: Essentials $2
Best forBusinesses already running payroll through QuickBooks that want time data flowing into pay runs untouched by human hands.Small hourly teams, especially mobile ones (cleaning, field service, home care) where per-user pricing and per-site geofences beat the per-location model.
CountriesUnited States, Canada, United Kingdom, AustraliaUnited States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia
Editorial score7.4/107.8/10

QuickBooks Time

Pros
  • Timesheets land directly in QuickBooks Payroll, removing the manual re-entry step where hour-padding hides
  • All-shift GPS trails are stronger evidence than a single clock-in pin
  • Kiosk photo capture plus facial recognition is more deterrent than most non-biometric rivals offer
Cons
  • Base-fee-plus-per-user pricing makes it one of the most expensive options for small teams
  • Facial recognition flags a mismatched face but doesn't block the punch, someone still has to review
  • Geofencing is locked behind the Elite tier, which is where much of the fraud value lives

When I Work

Pros
  • Per-user pricing is the cheapest route for teams under ~10 people
  • Geofences work per job site, not per storefront, so mobile crews are covered
  • No contract, no minimums, easy to trial on one team before rolling out
Cons
  • Time tracking costs extra on top of every advertised plan price, and the add-on price isn't published
  • No biometric verification, a coworker with someone's phone can still buddy punch inside the fence
  • Payroll integrations are US-centric even though the app works elsewhere
United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustralia