Personio vs When I Work
Compare Personio and When I Work on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
Personio
EU mid-market HRIS — Core from €7.60 PEPM (no USD list); CorePro and Recruiting/Payroll apps are quote-led; 12-month annual minimum.
Best for
- • EU-headquartered or EU-heavy teams that need GDPR-native HRIS
- • Companies comparing Personio as the European BambooHR analogue
- • Orgs that can commit to annual Core and add Recruiting/Payroll apps later
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Tie
- • Integrations
Choose Personio if: EU-headquartered or EU-heavy teams that need GDPR-native HRIS
Choose When I Work if: Hourly teams that mainly need scheduling and messaging at a low per-user price
When I Work
Per-user hourly scheduling — Essentials from $2.50/user/mo; Pro $5; Premium $8; 14-day trial. Time & attendance is a paid toggle.
Best for
- • Hourly teams that mainly need scheduling and messaging at a low per-user price
- • Operators who will trial 14 days before buying Deputy or Homebase hubs
- • Multi-location teams that stay on Essentials+ for templates and OpenShifts
Starting from $2.50/user/mo
No free plan
Personio vs When I Work at a glance
Criterion-level leaders from verified research.
Scorecard preview
Criterion leaders based on verified research — open the Scorecard tab for evidence detail.
- Starting pricingDepends
Personio
When I Work
- Free planDepends
Personio
When I Work
- User / licence minimumDepends
Personio
When I Work
- IntegrationsTie
Personio
When I Work
The biggest differences
Where the products diverge most clearly on verified criteria.
Starting pricing
DependsPersonio
Personio starting price was not verified in current research — confirm on the vendor pricing page; When I Work researched starting price from $2.5/mo. Better value depends on plan rungs, currency, and add-ons.
When I Work
Personio starting price was not verified in current research — confirm on the vendor pricing page; When I Work researched starting price from $2.5/mo. Better value depends on plan rungs, currency, and add-ons.
Which should you choose?
Choose Personio if
- EU-headquartered or EU-heavy teams that need GDPR-native HRIS
- Companies comparing Personio as the European BambooHR analogue
- Orgs that can commit to annual Core and add Recruiting/Payroll apps later
Choose When I Work if
- Hourly teams that mainly need scheduling and messaging at a low per-user price
- Operators who will trial 14 days before buying Deputy or Homebase hubs
- Multi-location teams that stay on Essentials+ for templates and OpenShifts
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider
HiBob
Culture-forward mid-market HRIS (Bob Core + modules) — custom PEPM quote; no published seat dollars; AI Companion included in Core.
BambooHR
SMB/mid-market core HRIS with Core/Pro/Elite PEPM tiers — Core from $10/employee/mo above 25 employees, or $250/mo flat floor for smaller teams.
Rippling
Unified people platform (HR + payroll + IT/spend) — published SMB floor $8/user/mo plus $40/mo platform fee; modules are quote-stacked.
Homebase
SMB hourly WFM (scheduling, time, hiring) priced per location — free Basic ≤10 employees at 1 site; paid Essentials from $24/location/mo annual.
How we compare
A short look at the comparison process. Full methodology
1
Collect
Collect official product information, pricing, and product evidence.
2
Normalize
Map evidence to the same category evaluation criteria for both products.
3
Compare
Evaluate both products against identical criteria — ties and depends are allowed.
4
Explain
Show why each product wins, loses, or ties, with evidence behind the outcome.
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- Independent criterion outcomes
- No invented scores or prices
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