# Deputy vs When I Work: which do AI models recommend for workforce scheduling, September 2026

HR AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Workforce scheduling. Five of twelve models named Deputy first on the direct prompt; zero named When I Work. Page: https://hr-ai-index.com/core/workforce-scheduling/deputy-vs-when-i-work/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy | 26% | #1 of 9 | 0% | 26 | 11 of 12 |
| When I Work | 6% | #5 of 9 | 11% | 28 | 11 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Perplexity Sonar: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Rippling, Workforce.com)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Connecteam, Jobber, When I Work, Workforce.com)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Humanity, Rippling, TimeTrex)
- Kimi K2: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Humanity, When I Work)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Connecteam, Humanity, TimeTrex, When I Work, Workforce.com, Zoho People)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: Connecteam, Homebase, When I Work)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Assembled) (alternatives: Calendly, Chili Piper, Deputy, Float, RevenueHero, Rippling, Runn)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: ADP Workforce Now, Rippling) (alternatives: Connecteam, Deputy)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: TimeTrex) (alternatives: Deputy, Humanity, ScheduleAnywhere, When I Work)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Paycor) (alternatives: Buddy Punch, Sling, UKG Pro)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Paycor, TimeTrex) (alternatives: 7shifts, Buddy Punch, Connecteam)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: TimeTrex)

## What the models said about Deputy

- "1. Deputy (Best Overall Balance) ... Deputy strikes the best balance between sophisticated feature sets (like AI forecasting) and user-friendly design." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend Deputy if you have multiple locations or compliance needs, or Connecteam if you have deskless/field workers" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Look at Homebase, Deputy, or When I Work\u2014these are entirely different tools from the booking apps above." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about When I Work

- "Employee Scheduling Tools (7shifts, HotSchedules, When I Work)... caution is about your own operational hygiene." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "does not appear to offer the same free-plan value as Connecteam" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "I'd suggest starting with When I Work if budget is a concern and you need something that's easy to implement" (MiniMax M2.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "For most mid-sized B2B companies, When I Work or Homebase are excellent starting points" (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.