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

HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Workforce scheduling. Ten of fourteen models named Deputy first on the direct prompt; one 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 | 37% | #1 of 11 | 6% | 36 | 14 of 14 |
| When I Work | 6% | #4 of 11 | 0% | 38 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Kimi K2: both first (first choices: Deputy, When I Work) (alternatives: Homebase, ZoomShift)
- GPT-5.4 mini: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Connecteam, Homebase, Rippling)
- Perplexity Sonar: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Connecteam, TimeTrex, When I Work, Workforce.com)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Connecteam, When I Work)
- Mistral Small: deputy first (first choices: Dayforce, Deputy, Legion WFM, UKG Pro Workforce Management) (alternatives: Connecteam, Homebase, When I Work)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Rippling, When I Work, Workforce.com)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Connecteam, Planday, Workforce.com)
- MiniMax M2.5: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: Connecteam, Quinyx, TimeTrex, Workforce.com)
- GPT-6 Luna: deputy first (first choices: Deputy) (alternatives: UKG Pro Workforce Management, UKG Ready, Workday Resource Scheduling)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: deputy first (first choices: Deputy, Workforce.com) (alternatives: Shiftboard, When I Work)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: ADP Workforce Now, Dayforce, Deputy, Paychex Flex, UKG Pro, When I Work, Workforce.com)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Float) (alternatives: Assembled, Connecteam, Deputy, Kantata, Runn)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Rippling) (alternatives: Deputy, Workforce.com)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named

## What the models said about Deputy

- "I'd pick Deputy for a mid-market B2B company because it appears most often as the strongest general-purpose mid-market scheduling platform" (Perplexity Sonar, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Recommendation: Start with a demo for Deputy. It generally offers the highest ceiling for growth" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Deputy - Great for mid-market companies, offers flexible scheduling and compliance tools" (MiniMax M2.5, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about When I Work

- "or When I Work if you want excellent value with solid forecasting capabilities" (Kimi K2, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Why I'd lean toward When I Work if you can afford a small monthly spend" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, first choice)
- "or When I Work which tends to have better small-business support" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen 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.