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

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

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sling | 15% | #3 of 9 | 6% | 18 | 12 of 12 |
| When I Work | 6% | #5 of 9 | 11% | 28 | 11 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about Sling

- "Sling or Homebase (note: these cap out quickly at mid-scale)" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, paraphrase prompt, soft negative)
- "Sling: Best for Teams of Up to 30 (On a $0 Budget) ... It is the only reliable platform offering free shift scheduling for up to 30 users." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "If you need a schedule for under 30 employees without paying anything, Sling is widely considered the best budget choice." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Homebase and Sling are the top choices, especially for one-location or small teams" (Mistral Small, budget 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.