WhenAvailable is a well-regarded group scheduling tool with a clean interface and a loyal following — particularly among clubs, community groups, and organizers who run recurring events. If you've come across it and are wondering how it compares to WhenItWorks, or whether there's a meaningful difference, this guide breaks it down clearly.
The short answer: both tools are good, but they use fundamentally different scheduling models. The right choice depends on whether you already know which times to propose, or whether you need your group to reveal their availability from scratch.
The core difference: polls vs. availability grids
This is the most important thing to understand before comparing any other feature.
WhenAvailable uses a polling model. You — the organizer — propose a set of specific times upfront. Participants then vote yes, no, or maybe on each option. You watch the votes come in and pick the winner. It's fast, familiar, and works well when you already have a reasonable shortlist of candidate times.
WhenItWorks uses an availability grid. Instead of voting on times you've already chosen, everyone marks their own free time across a range of dates and time slots. The group's availability overlap surfaces automatically — you don't need to guess which times to propose, because the data shows you.
Which model fits your situation? If you're thinking "I know it'll be either Friday evening or Sunday afternoon — I just need to confirm which" → polling (WhenAvailable) is the faster path. If you're thinking "I have no idea when everyone is free, I just need to find something that works" → an availability grid (WhenItWorks) is more likely to surface the right answer.
Quick pick: which one is for you?
Choose WhenItWorks if...
You want to discover the best time
- ·You don't already have candidate times in mind
- ·You want zero friction — no accounts, for anyone
- ·It's a casual group: friends, family, a book club
- ·You want a visual heatmap and auto-flagged best time
- ·You need it set up and shared in under a minute
Choose WhenAvailable if...
You already have times to validate
- ·You have 2–4 specific options to put to a vote
- ·You want to ask extra questions alongside scheduling
- ·You run an organized club or recurring event series
- ·You want event theming or a cover image on your poll
- ·You need shift sign-up or slot-claim functionality
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | WhenItWorks | WhenAvailable |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling model | Availability grid | Yes/No/Maybe polling |
| Organizer account required | No — anyone can create | Yes — account needed |
| Guest account required | No | No |
| Price to create events | Free, always | Free tier + paid premium |
| Ads shown | None | None |
| Live availability heatmap | Yes — color-coded grid | Vote count per slot |
| Best time auto-highlighted | Yes, automatic | Visible from vote counts |
| Works without proposing times first | Yes — grid reveals overlap | No — requires proposed slots |
| Yes/No/Maybe voting | No — free time marking only | Yes |
| Ask extra questions in poll | No | Yes — text-based questions |
| Event themes / cover images | No | Yes |
| Shift sign-up / slot claiming | No | Yes |
| Calendar integration | No | No |
| Mobile experience | Designed for mobile | Mobile-friendly |
| Best for | Casual groups, friend circles, families | Clubs, organized groups, recurring events |
Where WhenAvailable genuinely stands out
WhenAvailable is a well-built product and there are real situations where it's the better tool. Being honest about this makes for a more useful comparison.
Extra poll questions
WhenAvailable lets you add text-based questions alongside the scheduling poll — things like "Do you need a carpool?", "Are you bringing a guest?", or "Can you help set up early?" This is a unique feature with no equivalent in WhenItWorks. If you need to collect more than just availability, WhenAvailable handles it in one step.
Event theming and cover images
You can choose from themed templates and cover images to match the tone of your event — a casual dinner party looks different from a board meeting. It's a nice touch for organizers who want their scheduling link to feel polished and on-brand rather than generic.
Shift sign-ups and slot claiming
WhenAvailable supports volunteer coordination and shift management — where people claim specific slots rather than just voting on availability. This is a genuinely different use case that WhenItWorks isn't designed for.
Organized groups and clubs
WhenAvailable seems to be built with recurring, organized groups in mind — tennis clubs, book societies, community associations. If you're running something with a regular roster of participants who know the tool, the polling model and account-based organization make sense.
Where WhenItWorks has the edge
No account for anyone — including the organizer
This is the biggest practical difference for casual use. WhenAvailable requires the organizer to create and maintain an account. WhenItWorks doesn't — you open the site, create an event, share the link, and that's it. There's nothing to log in to later, nothing to manage, no password to remember.
For a one-off event — a birthday dinner, a weekend trip, a reunion — creating an account you'll rarely use again adds friction that doesn't need to be there.
The availability grid reveals what you didn't know to ask
The polling model has a blind spot: you can only get votes on times you've already proposed. If Saturday at 5pm works for everyone and you didn't put it in the poll, you'll never find out. The availability grid approach removes that constraint entirely. Everyone reveals their full availability, and the best window — including ones you didn't think of — shows up on its own.
A real example: You propose Friday 7pm and Saturday 6pm because those seem reasonable. Three people vote "no" to both — but they're all free Saturday at 4pm, which you didn't ask about. With a polling tool, you'd need another round. With an availability grid, that overlap would have been visible from the start.
Truly free with no upgrade path
WhenItWorks has one tier: free. No premium features to unlock, no per-poll upgrades, no annual subscription. WhenAvailable's free tier is functional, but the existence of a paid premium layer means you may eventually hit a wall — or feel nudged toward it. For casual personal use, "free forever, no strings" is a meaningful simplification.
The bottom line
WhenAvailable is a solid, feature-rich polling tool — especially if you run an organized group, want to ask questions beyond just scheduling, or like having a polished event page with a cover image. For those use cases, it's worth considering.
WhenItWorks is the better fit when the goal is to find the best time with the least possible friction — no accounts, no premium tiers, no pre-selecting times that might miss the mark. Share one link, let everyone mark their availability, and see the overlap. Done.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between WhenAvailable and WhenItWorks?
WhenAvailable uses a polling model — the organizer proposes specific times and participants vote yes, no, or maybe. WhenItWorks uses an availability grid — everyone marks their own free time and the best overlap surfaces automatically. WhenAvailable requires an organizer account; WhenItWorks requires no account from anyone.
Is WhenAvailable free?
WhenAvailable has a free tier that covers basic polling, and also offers paid premium plans — both a one-time per-poll upgrade and an annual subscription. The organizer needs a free account to create polls; participants (guests) do not.
Do you need an account for WhenAvailable?
Organizers need to create an account on WhenAvailable to create and manage polls. Participants do not — they vote via the shared link without signing up.
Which is better for a casual friend group?
For most casual friend groups, WhenItWorks has less friction. Neither organizers nor participants need an account, there are no premium tiers, and the availability grid model means you don't need to propose specific times upfront — the group's free time reveals itself automatically.
When should I use WhenAvailable instead of WhenItWorks?
WhenAvailable is a better fit when you already have a shortlist of specific times to validate, want to ask additional questions alongside scheduling, need event theming or cover images, or want to manage volunteer shift sign-ups. It's also well-suited to larger organized groups like clubs or community associations that schedule recurring events.