Head to head

Legion vs When I Work

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Legion

Sales-quoted

Legion is an AI workforce management platform for large multi-location employers of hourly workers, mainly in retail, restaurants and hospitality. Pricing is not published; the platform is sold by quote after a demo. It stands out for machine learning demand forecasting and automated scheduling, and fits enterprises with hundreds of locations better than single-site businesses.

Where Legion fits

  • Multi-location retailers and restaurant chains
  • Employers subject to Fair Workweek or predictive scheduling laws
  • Operators that want ML forecasting tied to scheduling
  • Companies offering earned wage access to hourly staff

When I Work

$2.50/user/mo Free trial

Shift scheduling and time clocks for hourly teams. Essentials starts at $2.50/user/mo.

Where When I Work fits

  • Single-location hourly employers
  • Small retail, food, and healthcare teams
  • Managers who want clocks next to the roster
  • Teams feeding timesheets to Gusto, ADP, or QuickBooks

At a glance

DetailLegionWhen I Work
Starting priceSales-quoted$2.50/user/mo
Free tier–No–No
Free trialNot on recordYes
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No✓Yes
Listed underScheduling, Time & attendance, Workforce managementTime & attendance, Workforce management
CapterraNot enough reviews4.5 from 1,300 reviews

Where they pull apart

Legion

Stands out: Legion builds a custom forecast model for each demand driver at each location and says its optimized schedules meet business and employee needs 96% of the time. A Forrester TEI study it commissioned modeled 13x ROI for a 15,000 employee, 700 location company.

Watch out: There is no public price, no free trial and no public API documentation, so integration scope has to be confirmed with Legion. Capterra has only a handful of reviews, so independent user feedback is thin.

Not the right fit for

  • Single-location or very small businesses
  • Buyers who want a self-serve scheduler with a published per-user price

When I Work

Stands out: A public $2.50/user/month seat for single-location scheduling, with payroll and POS connectors on paid plans.

Watch out: Multi-location work jumps to Pro at $5/user/month. Premium at $8 is the scaled tier. This is not an ATS.

Not the right fit for

  • Multi-brand restaurant groups that need 7shifts-style labor vs sales
  • Enterprise Fair Workweek programs
  • Buyers who need recruiting in the same app

Pros and cons

Legion

  • Machine learning forecasting per location and demand driver
  • Built-in Fair Workweek and labor compliance tooling
  • Mobile app with shift swaps and earned wage access
  • No public pricing or free trial
  • No public developer documentation
  • Few independent reviews on Capterra

When I Work

  • Public start at $2.50/user/mo
  • Scheduling and clocks in one seat
  • Payroll connectors including ADP, Gusto, and QuickBooks
  • Paid seats begin at $2.50/user/mo rather than a free forever plan
  • Multi-location is a higher tier
  • No recruiting or ATS

What each one costs

Legion

Sales-quoted

Legion does not publish pricing or plans on its website. The platform is sold through a demo and quote process, with products for Labor Planning, Schedule Optimization, Time and Attendance Management, the Employee Engagement Suite and Platform Services. Legion InstantPay earned wage access is delivered with its partner Stream. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

When I Work

$2.50/user/mo

Essentials from $2.50/user/mo, with a free trial. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 18 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Legion or When I Work for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. When I Work offers a free trial.

Not the pair you wanted?

All Legion alternatives All When I Work alternatives Every Scheduling tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?