Small and medium businesses (aka SMBs) have few employees and can only sometimes afford an HR team to monitor their attendance and time off. More often than not, a team leader is in charge of time tracking and providing accurate records for payroll. However, this repetitive task takes a lot of time and energy, so the person in charge only has a little time left for other tasks. Furthermore, the lack of procedure and structure may lead to mistakes, angry employees, and legal issues.
The solution is simpler than you think: use free time clock apps and empower your employees to provide attendance data from wherever they are, using a device as notorious as a smartphone or tablet.
That's why we picked the top 10 free time clock apps for SMBs from all the tools we reviewed.
Although OnTheClock addresses small businesses (it is free for just 2 employees), the app provides everything expensive apps have. OnTheClock features mobile access for employees working on location, GPS tracking and geofencing, clock-in and clock-out functionality, reminders, and overtime calculations.
If your team works in an office or remotely, your coworkers can use the version that requires only a browser. Furthermore, you can grant employees access only from authorized devices like a work smartphone or laptop.
OnTheClock provides:
Time Clock Functionality: After signing in using their fingerprints, users can clock in and clock out online. Thanks to the GPS feature, the app records the user’s location while on the clock. The app also calculates regular hours, overtime, time off, and totals.
Pricing: Free for up to 2 users; prices starting at $3.5/user/month for more than 3 users
Pros: Simple interface, many automatic calculations, secure login
Cons: Free only for 2 users
Homebase is free for one location and up to 20 employees. If your team works in an office or work hub, this is the time clock app for your SMB. Homebase excels at shift management and provides tools for scheduling, optimizing, and sharing schedules. It also allows you to set up notifications and reminders, add personal notes or instructions, and use templates to improve future shift schedules.
However, Homebase also includes time off management tools, a mobile app for clocking in and clocking out with GPS monitoring, automatic payroll calculations, and timesheets for an overall view.
Homebase provides:
Time Clock Functionality: The user logs in using unique PINs and can clock in and clock out using photos and GPS coordinates. The app sends reminders to clock in breaks; automatically calculates regular hours, overtime, and breaks; sends notifications when a shift doesn’t start on time; and features built-in messaging.
Pricing: Free for 1 location and up to 20 users; prices start at $20/location/month for an unlimited number of users
Pros: Secure login, photo and GPS clocking in, built-in messaging
Cons: Free only for 1 location
Connecteam targets SMBs by offering a free time clock app for teams smaller than 10 people. It is a complete solution for employee time tracking because, alongside a time clock app, Connecteam provides team scheduling tools, geofencing, task management, and payroll. It also includes team communication tools, such as a work chat, company updates, and surveys.
Furthermore, your SMB can use Connecteam from the start because it provides tools for onboarding new employees, making people feel like they are part of the team from the first day.
Connecteam provides:
Time Clock Functionality: Clock-in and clock-out functionalities are available via a mobile app and an on-site kiosk app. The app includes a chat for communicating with the team, sends notifications and reminders, and automatically computes regular hours, breaks, overtime, and time off. The administrator can set up break and overtime rules.
Pricing: It's free for up to 10 users, and prices start at $29/month for more than 10 users.
Pros: Easy to use, built-in chat, customizable set of rules and notifications
Cons: Advanced features are available only for Premium users.
Jibble provides a free time clock app that allows you to clock your time, regardless of your employee number. The app runs on iPhone and Android systems and offers face recognition for fast access, GPS-based geofences, notifications, reports and analytics, group permissions, and many more. You can choose the web version if your team works from an office or at home. And if one of your employees has no internet connection, don't worry. Jibble will sync the data when the internet connection is back on.
Moreover, detailed reports and analytics are very useful for your small or medium business. They help you avoid payroll mistakes, stay compliant with labor legislation, understand labor costs, and optimize employee productivity.
Jibble provides:
Time Clock Functionality: The user logs in using face recognition technology and can clock in and clock out using an individual mobile app or a shared kiosk app. Clocking in and out goes on even when an internet connection is unavailable. The app syncs data as soon as the connection is back on. The administrator can set up reminders based on time or location and use geolocation technology to restrict staff from clocking outside the workplace.
Pricing: Free
Pros: Offline clocking in and out, face recognition logins
Cons: No built-in communication methods
busybusy is designed for construction and remote industries. The free version features GPS time tracking, equipment tracking, and job costing estimates. And you get it for free regardless of how many employees you have.
The clock-in and clock-out procedure is simple and efficient. Employees can clock in during breaks, switch between projects, and enter the equipment they use. Furthermore, they can use the app offline without internet connection. busybusy syncs the data when the connection is back on.
busybusy provides:
Time Clock Functionality: The user clocks in and out using a detailed form to select a project or cost code, report injuries, and choose a piece of equipment they work on. The app will enable them to switch between projects, insert breaks, or change the description of their initial clock-in (e.g., change equipment). Reminders can be configured to notify users to clock in or clock out.
Pricing: Free version with limited features and paid versions starting at $9.99/user/month
Pros: Detailed clock-in and clock-out, equipment tracking
Cons: Less intuitive and user-friendly than other similar products
Up to 30 people working in the same location can use the 7shifts time clock app for free. It is simple and efficient, aiming to help you sync punches, schedules, and payroll in minutes. Furthermore, 7shifts provides punch audit reports, optional photo clock-in and geofencing, and tip management.
Designed for the restaurant industry, 7shifts adapts to any small and medium business that deals with shifts.
7shifts provides:
Time Clock Functionality: Only users scheduled for a shift can clock in and clock out at a particular time. The app sends notifications and reminders, generates punch audits, and syncs data with scheduling and payroll.
Pricing: Free for 1 location and up to 30 users; Prices start at $29.99 per location for more than 30 users.
Pros: Automatic synchronization between shifts and clocking in and out
Cons: Less versatile and adaptable than other similar products (it is designed for the restaurant industry)
The free version of TimeCamp doesn't restrict the number of users, only the features offered. However, a free forever plan grants access to a time clock kiosk, geofencing, timesheets, and mobile and web-based apps.
The time clock app is easy to use, requiring just a 4-pin code to log in. Employees can clock into the project they are working on and switch between projects anytime. Breaks are allowed, too. The manager can see the data in real-time and approve, reject, or send notifications. TimeCamp gathers data and generates reports for payroll and people management.
TimeCamp provides:
Time Clock Functionality: Users clock in and clock out using a shared kiosk app. They log in with a 4-digit PIN. Gathered data is used to generate attendance reports and invoices and for payroll. The administrator can accept or reject submissions and send reminders when necessary.
Pricing: Prices start at $2.99/user/month
Pros: Easy to set up and onboard new employees
Cons: No individual time clock functionality, fewer automatic features than other similar products
Like TimeCamp, Clockify doesn't restrict the number of users, but its features are free—good news for small or medium businesses looking for a time-tracking app. Clockify provides a kiosk app for manual time tracking but also an auto time tracker, idle detection and reminders, a Pomodoro timer, a team calendar, timesheets, and integrations with other management tools.
The system works as a native app and web-based version, decides on tracking time overall or per project/task, and generates customized reports.
Clockify provides:
Time Clock Functionality: Users clock in and out using a shared kiosk app and a unique PIN code. They can switch between projects and log breaks. The administrator can set up multiple kiosks and assign kiosk users to each of them. The app shows total worked hours, status, session duration, projects, and more. Reports include regular hours, breaks, overtime, and time off.
Pricing: Prices start at $5.49/user/month
Pros: Multiple kiosks, customizable features, possibility to switch between projects
Cons: No free version, no individual time clock functionality
actiTIME aims to reduce labor-related costs and make your team more efficient. By recording your employees' work correctly, you eliminate payroll mistakes and bill your clients accordingly. For example, employees can clock in when they switch between tasks and projects, when they do overtime, or when they take a break. As a result, you can monitor costs in real-time and share task details with your team to improve productivity and optimize resource management.
actiTIME is a good choice for small teams because it is free for up to 3 users.
actiTIME provides:
Time Clock Functionality: User’s activities are either introduced manually using a mobile or web app or tracked automatically. There is no clock in and clock out per se. Instead, users make time entries or use a stopwatch to detail their daily tasks and work progress. At the end of the day, entries are reviewed and locked in.
Pricing: Free for up to 3 users; Prices start at $6/user/month for more than 3 users
Pros: Automatic time and activity tracking, stopwatch, multiple tasks status and progress tracking
Cons: No clock-in and clock-out standard tool
Toggl track focuses on time tracking and productivity, which your SMB can use. It's free for up to 5 users and features automated time tracking, reporting, and even inactive data storage for six months. You can sync the Toggl track with many other management tools and calendars and use it as an app or in a browser on a mobile device.
Toggl track records any program or website used for more than 10 seconds. So, if your employees use a computer, they don't need to clock in or out. You'll get all the data from the app. You can divide work into projects and tasks, generate reports, send reminders, and generate invoices.
Toggl track provides:
Time Clock Functionality: The user’s activity is automatically tracked using a timer app. However, they can log time entries with background activities and review their timesheet at the end of the day.
Pricing: Free for up to 5 users; prices start at $9/user/month for more than 5 users
Pros: Automatic time and activity tracking, manual time entries log, timesheet review
Cons: There is no standard clock-in and clock-out tool. Timesheet review takes extra time.
FAQ Free Time Clock Apps for SMBs
What is a time clock app?
A time clock app is a mobile or web-based app that records when an employee starts and ends work. It is the modern version of a punch card. However, it may have other features, such as recording a GPS location, tracking time spent working on a particular task or project, scheduling shifts, and managing time off. The data is used for payroll, invoicing clients, and ensuring compliance with labor legislation.
What are the key benefits of using a free time clock app?
Using a free time clock app releases the team leader or manager to monitor employee attendance. It also eliminates mistakes, increases transparency, and boosts employee morale. Without adding any cost, the small business can benefit from accurate data for payroll and accountancy, project cost monitoring, and employee productivity monitoring. You can see who's on time and late, on leave, and who's at work even when employees work on location or remotely.
How do you choose a free time clock app?
Verify that the time clock app provides free access for your current number of employees. Also, ensure that the app respects your staff's requirements, such as working in shifts, doing overtime, working remotely or in multiple locations, and switching between tasks or projects. You will also need to check that your staff has access to devices supported by the app. A survey on your employees' expectations from a time clock app may help you understand their preferences.
How can I track employee hours for free?
You can track employee hours using traditional punch cards or Excel files. However, a free shared kiosk app or an individual mobile app will save you a lot of time and help you avoid errors. They will also remind your employees to clock in or out, log in breaks, and mention when they switch shifts or projects. Overall, time clock apps reduce HR costs and improve productivity more than older time-tracking methods.