Time management starts with two simple questions: when did an employee start working, and when did they stop working?
For centuries, that’s all an employer must know to monitor productivity and payroll. Although we no longer use punch machines, clock-in / clock-out systems are still in place. They are digitized, sometimes automatic, and provide many other features besides tracking employee working hours. Here are our top choices for clock-in / clock-out apps that cover a modern employee’s needs (e.g., personalized work schedule, remote work, part-time work, working outside the office, etc.).
Here are our ten best clock-in / clock-out apps on short:
Sometimes, clock-in / clock-out apps are called kiosks, as is the case with Clockify’s app. The software includes many time and cost-tracking tools, such as timesheets, calendars, reports, analytics, and expense monitors, but the clock-in / clock-out app is worth it by itself. It allows employees to log in using any mobile device and a personal four-digit PIN. They can clock in and clock out on multiple projects, see how long they’ve worked on one of them, check their team to see who is on a break, and generate a daily report of their activity.
Clockify’s clock-in / clock-out app runs on Android and iOS devices and, given an internet connection, tracks GPS locations and sends real-time data.
Clock in Functionality: For each location, the administrator sets up a kiosk for an unlimited number of employees. The employees can clock in and out using a shared device and a unique PIN code. The supervisor can clock in and out for them using a universal PIN code. Besides work hours, employees also introduce breaks and select the project they are currently working on.
Pros: Free version for unlimited users and projects, multiple kiosks, customizable features, possibility to switch between projects, built-in billing and invoicing, and 24/7 customer support.
Cons: No individual time clock functionality, no shift scheduling, limited project management tools, and a confusing interface for the mobile app
Price: Clockify Kiosk is available with the Clockify solution for $7.99/user/month or by itself for free.
What people say about Clockify:
“I appreciate how easy it is to export reports and integrate them with my ERP system. The calendar integration has been a real time-saver for me. I was able to get started within minutes, and now I use Clockify nearly every day.”
”I don't like that Clockify has to count more time than it takes me to click stop, which means that many times I mark my turn a few minutes early, which causes me problems.”
Buddy Punch is a complete time-tracking, employee-scheduling, and payroll solution that offers a versatile time-clock app. You can use it with an Android or iOS mobile device or a PC or Mac computer. As a result, the clock-in / clock-out app adapts to a flexible workflow. Employees can log in from home, the office, or on the go using the app’s face recognition. It also features GPS tracking. All gathered data goes directly to payroll and reports.
Because Buddy Punch features geofencing and IP address locking, it is useful for monitoring employees working remotely.
Kiosk Functionality: Employees can clock in and out from any device with an internet connection. However, they can all use the same on-site kiosk app installed on a single device. For security, each employee has a unique four-digit PIN code for the on-site tablet and a username and password for individual web and mobile devices. Employees can also clock in and out by scanning a QR code, sending a text message, or punching in as a group when their shifts overlap.
Pros: Integration with payroll systems, flexible ways to clock in and out, support for multiple devices, a user-friendly interface, and GPS and geofencing.
Cons: No offline mode, limited customizations, and performance issues reported
Price: Buddy Punch offers four paid monthly subscription options with different access levels starting at $4.49/user/month.
What people say about Buddy Punch:
“The software is quite user-friendly. I appreciate how it notifies us about late, early, or missed shifts, and I also like that there is an option to disable all alerts if needed.”
”The phone application lacks a lot of features that are only available on a PC. Specifically customizing notifications and account details.”
Connecteam focuses on teams. Their clock-in/clock-out app tracks shifts on mobile devices or desktop stations, syncs employees' shifts, and lets them see what’s happening on their team. The app features geofencing, absence and time off management, a chat, and an efficient notification system. Employees can submit timesheets with their data to payroll with a single click.
Furthermore, you receive alerts when you are at risk of discrepancies with labor legislation, when someone is late, and when a shift is unattended, and you can easily manage breaks and time off.
Clock in / Kiosk Functionality: Employees can clock in and out using a mobile app or an on-site kiosk app. Geofencing ensures everyone is where they are supposed to be and automatically clocks employees out when they leave the location. Also, employees can manually add work hours.
Pros: All-in-one platform, easy to implement, user-friendly, and compliance features.
Cons: No offline mode, limited customizations, limited scheduling tools, and a cumbersome messaging system
Price: Connecteam offers a free plan for up to 10 employees and three paid monthly subscription options starting at $29 per 30 users per month.
What people say about Connecteam:
“I love that employees can change their hours and request corrections. The corrections go directly to the admin, which is very convenient.”
”At times, the alerts for new shifts available don't go out.”
TimeCamp is also a complete solution for time and productivity tracking, including a kiosk app. It is designed for on-site teams that need a mobile app to track their working hours. Employees log in using a four-digit PIN and add their time working on various tasks. The data is safely saved for attendance and payroll management.
TimeCamp allows you to track time, profitability, and productivity, generate reports, and keep track of billable and non-billable hours.
Work Tracking Functionality: The app replaces the punch-in/punch-out process with a work time tracker that integrates a kiosk functionality, an attendance management system, and seamless integration with payroll. The kiosk functionality allows employees to record work hours on an on-site kiosk app or using a mobile or desktop device. They can also add notes and mark their days of a certain type (e.g., sick, leave, working, etc.).
Pros: Automatic time-tracking, productivity insights and reports, data export, and built-in billing and invoicing.
Cons: No scheduling tools, limited integrations, and slow synchronization between web and mobile apps
Price: TimeCamp offers a free trial and four paid monthly subscription options starting at $2.99/user/month.
What people say about TimeCamp:
“It helps me see how I spend my time and assess it against my productivity in different areas. It's very easy to use and flexible.”
” Bad synchronization between PC and phone apps. Really hard to enter time manually in the browser - jumps randomly to the other digits, jumps to another part of the day. Very confusing.”
Hubstaff offers a clock-in / clock-out app for mobile devices and computers that features tools for tracking time, attendance, breaks, and time off. It also includes GPS localization and automatically sends logged data to payroll and billing systems. Furthermore, you can schedule shifts, add break and time off policies, assign jobs to employees, and receive notifications when someone is late or a shift doesn’t start on time.
Hubstaff is excellent for viewing data in calendars (e.g., shifts) and timesheets. You can verify data before sending it to payroll and avoid payment mistakes.
Clock in Functionality: Employees can clock in with just one click. The supervisor can see in real time work hours, time off, earnings, and activity in a complex, customizable dashboard. Data is exported to payroll. Manual data can be entered as well, timesheets requiring approval afterwards.
Pros: Project management tools, activity and usage monitoring, budget monitoring, GPS and geofencing, and strong integrations, including payroll.
Cons: Surveillance may seem intrusive, limited offline functionality, and a steep learning curve
Price: Hubstaff offers its clock-in / clock-out app and other features through four paid monthly subscription options starting at $4.99/user/month.
What people say about Hubstaff:
“I like that Hubstaff makes it easy to track time, stay organized, and monitor team performance across multiple projects.”
”The only thing I dislike about Hubstaff is when exporting the timesheet, where I cannot customize the format date and time as I want to.”
Homebase provides a free time clock app that tracks hours and runs payroll. It is simple, efficient, and runs on mobile devices (iOS and Android) and POS devices. A timesheet is generated at the end of each week, helping you track working hours, overtime, and breaks. Homebase also provides GPS localization for on-site and field teams.
You can personalize the app by setting reminders and alerts, auto clock-out workflows, break and overtime rules, and shifts.
Time Clock App Functionality: The time clock app runs on iOS, Android, and POS devices. Employees can punch in work hours, breaks, overtime, and time off using unique PIN codes, snap photos, or GPS coordinates. The supervisor is notified when someone is late for their shift, and the employees are notified when they miss their breaks.
Pros: Easy to use, built-in scheduling tools with auto-scheduling and automated shift reminder features, multiple integrations, and HR expert tools for advanced plans.
Cons: Costs are per location, add-ons also cost extra, limited customizations, limited support hours, and a lack of geofencing.
Price: Homebase’s clock-in / clock-out app is free for up to 10 employees. Paid plans start at $24/location/month.
What people say about Homebase:
“Having scheduling, time clocks, and onboarding all built into one software. It is very easy to use and manage employees.”
”The communication app is really bad. Staff are always needing to log out and in to get messages.”
Timely focuses on automatic time tracking. Instead of the classic clock-in / clock-out system, it automatically captures employees’ work in the background. Of course, Timely is suitable only for computer work because it monitors the time spent using programs and documents. Gathered data is private and doesn’t include screenshots and keystroke monitoring. The employee can also log time manually when the automatic tracking isn’t suitable (e.g., when working on-site or in a meeting).
Timely drafts timesheets for each employee and allows them to verify them before sending them to payroll or invoicing clients.
Work Hours Traking Functionality: Timely doesn’t have a time clock app per se. Instead, it automatically starts recording work hours when the employee starts their computer. The app continues to log activity, breaks, and so on until the end of the working hours. Manual time can be added as well.
Pros: AI-based automatic time tracking, project management tools, advanced reporting, and real-time dashboards.
Cons: Limited integrations, costly add-ons, and a lack of offline tracking and on-site tracking.
Price: Timely offers three paid monthly subscription options starting at $9/user/month.
What people say about Timely:
“Makes my life easier being able to automate tasks and track my business. Helpful staff can sort issues when needed.”
”For such an expensive system, there are a glitches that I have reached out about and still not fixed.”
Like Timely, Time Doctor provides both automatic and manual time tracking. With just one click, your employees can clock in and out for each project, task, or client. The app also reminds them to be active and log their time correctly.
Time Doctor runs online and offline, on computers, tablets, and smartphones, providing the same time tracking solution for employees working at the office, remotely, and in the field. All data is carefully collected and used for productivity analysis, dashboards, and timesheets. Employees and managers can access the same data, increasing transparency and responsibility.
Work Monitoring Functionality: Employees can punch in and out, adding details such as the task or project they are currently working on. The app also monitors their activity automatically via web and app usage, screenshots, screen recording, and inactivity alerts. The supervisor sees the data in real-time.
Pros: Detailed reports, automated timesheets and payroll, focus reminders, real-time dashboards, and offline tracking.
Cons: Monitoring may seem intrusive and lead to micromanagement, limited mobile functionalities, and privacy concerns.
Price: Time Doctor offers three paid monthly subscription options starting at $6.67/user/month.
What people say about Time Doctor:
“This tool helps me to manage my time better, and helps me to manage my team’s time better. Since I have started using this tool, I am working fewer hours, but more efficiently and focused.”
”It should allow you to edit, review reports, and perform all other functions within the app instead of merely redirecting you to the browser page for those tasks.”
Deputy offers a kiosk app for iOS and Android systems with touchless clock-in and clock-out features. The app uses facial recognition and voice commands to record employees’ data. It’s perfect for crowded workplaces, such as medical and food industry companies, where hygiene is a must. Of course, the Deputy’s kiosk app can be used anywhere and by anyone to record shifts and breaks.
At the same time, the app features GPS location stamps, timesheets, approval procedures, and export to payroll software. You can check attendance in real time and act before ending up with uncovered shifts and dissatisfied clients.
Time Clock Functionality: The time clock app ensures breaks are taken according to the labor legislation. Employees clock in and out their work hours and breaks using an on-site kiosk app or a mobile or desktop device. The app includes geofencing, facial recognition, and voice commands for touchless employee clock-in and out at locations.
Pros: User-friendly, scheduling and shift management tools, compliance tools, a built-in communication system, and good reporting tools.
Cons: Inaccurate time tracking, slow performance, limited integrations, and limited customizations
Price: Deputy offers three paid monthly subscription options starting at $5/user/month.
What people say about Deputy?:
“It makes scheduling, managing shifts, and tracking time super simple. I really like the notifications and the way it keeps everyone on the same page.”
”Sometimes it shows as absent even though you clocked in.”
QuickBooks Time offers a kiosk app to track on-site attendance, allowing employees to select their location and job. The app also records breaks. It’s great for businesses with many locations, such as coffee shops and stores. The kiosk app grants access based on a 4-digit PIN and can even record a photo confirmation. Attendance timesheets are automatically sent to payroll and management.
QuickBooks Time’s kiosk app runs on tablets and computers, allowing smooth time tracking for employees working remotely or in an office. The manager can approve and edit records online and has a real-time view of their staff.
Time Tracking Functionality: The mobile time tracking app allows employees to submit from anywhere. The supervisor can track and approve time and see who’s working and on what task. The app also includes GPS and geofencing for monitoring employees working on site.
Pros: Integration with QuickBooks Payroll, compliance tools, built-in communication system, and mobile and desktop access
Cons: Costly and prone to price increases, limited customizations, and limited reporting
Price: QuickBooks Time offers four paid monthly subscription options starting at $38/ month for one user.
What people say about QuickBooks Time:
“I really appreciate QuickBooks Time for its efficiency in tracking employees' absences and time ins. This feature is incredibly beneficial for keeping accurate records and simplifying the process when payroll is processed, ensuring that everything is easy to record and verify.”
”QuickBooks Time is a little bit expensive compared to other time tracking software. Also, sometimes I feel that QuickBooks Time is outdated compared to new tech software launching in the market. And it is not customizable as the user would need.”
What is a clock-in / clock-out app?
A clock-in / clock-out app is an app that records the time when the employee starts working and the time when they stop working. A clock-in / clock-out app can also record breaks, GPS locations, and photo confirmations. Data is used for attendance tracking, shift management, and payroll.
What are the main benefits of a clock-in / clock-out app?
A clock-in / clock-out app provides accurate attendance data that eliminates payroll mistakes. It also helps the business comply with labor legislation, avoid overtime, and reduce absenteeism. Furthermore, a clock-in / clock-out app improves teamwork by increasing transparency and communication. Employees receive alerts and notifications, record time spent on various tasks or projects, and even clock in breaks.
How do you choose a clock-in / clock-out app?
There are a few key features you need to consider when purchasing a clock-in / clock-out app:
How much does a clock-in / clock-out app cost?
Some clock-in / clock-out apps are free for businesses with few employees. Others are free if you can manage with fewer features. However, most clock-in / clock-out apps require a monthly subscription starting at under $10 per user. To reduce costs, you can use the app only for employees working remotely or on-site.