When I Work is $2.50 per user per month and Deputy starts at $4.50 — for 20 employees that is $600 to over $1,000 a year, forever. Shiftly is the useful 90% of both: a drag-drop weekly calendar, swaps, open shifts and a live labor-cost estimate on your own server. $29, once.
If you've searched for a When I Work alternative, Shiftly is the pay-once option worth putting at the top of the list: Shiftly is $29, one time, and covers the same core job When I Work charges $2.50/user/mo for.
What makes Shiftly the pick for 2026
- Drag-drop weekly schedule — Drag shifts between employees and days; shift templates like Morning or Close fill a week in two clicks.
- Availability and time off — Weekly windows and approved time off, with unavailable, time-off and double-booked conflicts flagged red on the grid.
- Shift swaps — Employee-to-employee swap requests with manager approval; approving reassigns the shift instantly.
- Open-shift pickup board — Post unfilled shifts and assign a claimer in one click.
- Labor cost estimate — Hourly rate times scheduled hours per employee and week, with an over-budget warning, all in integer cents.
Shiftly vs When I Work, at a glance
| Shiftly | When I Work | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 once | $2.50/user/mo |
| 20 employees, 1 year | $29 | $600 |
| Drag-drop schedule | Yes | Yes |
| Availability + time off | Yes | Yes |
| Shift swaps + open shifts | Yes | Yes |
| Labor cost + budget alert | Yes | Paid tier |
| Self-hosted, data stays yours | Yes | No |
| Works offline / on your LAN | Yes | No |
One month of scheduling one small team more than pays for Shiftly, and it never bills per head again.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — Shiftly is MIT-licensed at github.com/bensblueprints/shift-scheduler-mvp. The $29 buys the packaged Windows installer and updates; building from source is free.
Where does my roster and wage data live?
In a SQLite file on your own server or LAN — your roster and wages never leave your box.
Is this a subscription in disguise?
No. $29 once, no renewal, no per-employee monthly fee.
The bottom line
Shiftly won't out-feature When I Work on every axis — no subscription tool with a bigger team and a bigger roadmap loses on everything. But for the core job, $29 once against $2.50/user/mo forever is a trade most people should at least look at. Shiftly is part of OneTimeSuite, a catalog of pay-once apps that replace subscription SaaS.
Try Shiftly — $29, once
Self-hosted drag-drop scheduling, swaps, open shifts and live labor cost — no per-employee fees.