The 9 Best Employee Time Tracking Apps in 2025

Timesheets don’t lie. Until they do.

An early punch here, a missed lunch there. A claim of weekend hours with no record.

Suddenly, you’re less of a manager and more of a gumshoe, piecing together clues to figure out what really happened during the last pay period.

That detective work costs time and money. Every fuzzy entry or missing timestamp creates room for disputes, inflated payroll, or compliance risks. And if you’re tracking everything with spreadsheets and memory, the case will always go cold.

Employee time tracking apps are how you crack the case. With GPS tracking, mobile clock-ins, automatic reminders, and direct payroll syncs, they replace scattered evidence with hard proof. That leads to accurate pay, stronger accountability, and fewer late-night investigations.

Any business still running on paper and spreadsheets is choosing to leak profits. The only sustainable solution is adopting one of these modern employee time tracking apps.

Overview of the best employee time tracking apps

Here’s a brief overview of our favorite employee time tracking apps. To learn more about a specific tool, click its link to jump down to our full review.

• Buddy Punch: Pairs easy clock-ins with GPS location tracking and geofencing so you always know when and where your team is working.
• Clockify: A forever-free plan with unlimited users makes this the go-to choice for small businesses that want solid time tracking without opening their wallets.
• ClockShark: Purpose-built for construction crews, ClockShark combines rugged mobile clock-ins with GPS, job-site compliance, and equipment tracking.
• Timely: Automatically logs what employees work on in the background, perfect for remote and hybrid teams that hate manual time entry.
• Time Doctor: Scales well for larger organizations with detailed productivity tracking, distraction alerts, and robust reporting across thousands of users.
• Connecteam: Combines scheduling and labor compliance with integrated time tracking, making it a natural fit for restaurants, bars, and hotels.
• 7Shifts: A restaurant- and hospitality-focused time tracking app made to handle shift swapping, part-time employees, and a blend of roles. 7Shifts features tight integration into common POS systems.
• Harvest: With lightweight time tracking and built-in expense management, Harvest is perfect for small companies that want visibility without complexity. Teams can log hours, send invoices, and keep budgets in check inside one approachable platform.
• QuickBooks Time: Designed for large organizations, QuickBooks Time scales to track thousands of employees with GPS, customizable reports, and enterprise-level integrations.

What is an employee time tracking app?

An employee time tracking app is software that records when employees start and stop work, tracks breaks, and logs total hours worked. Many apps also capture where work was done — using GPS or geofencing — and tie hours to specific jobs, projects, or departments.

For managers, these apps act like a reliable case file: instead of sorting through scraps of paper or secondhand reports, you get clear, timestamped records that stand up to scrutiny. That clarity helps prevent payroll errors, keeps labor costs in check, and makes compliance with labor laws far easier.

Some apps focus on simple digital punch clocks, while others offer advanced features like real-time overtime alerts, project-level reporting, and payroll integrations.

The benefits of using employee time tracking apps

Employee time tracking apps make it easy to see who is working when and for how long. The right tool saves managers time and keeps employees accountable.

• Accurate payroll, fewer disputes: Digital timestamps eliminate “he said, she said” over hours worked, so payroll runs smoothly and fairly.
• Real-time labor cost control: Overtime alerts and live dashboards let managers catch runaway costs before they turn into a budget problem.
• Location verification: GPS tracking and geofencing confirm employees are on-site when clocking in, protecting against time theft and inflated hours.
• Improved accountability: With reliable records of who worked when, managers can spot patterns of tardiness, absenteeism, or unapproved overtime.
• Simplified compliance: Apps help you automatically enforce break rules, track overtime, and maintain a paper trail for labor law audits.
• Smarter staffing decisions: Data from time tracking can reveal which projects, shifts, or departments eat up the most labor, guiding better scheduling.
• Time savings for managers: By replacing manual timesheets with automation, managers spend less time chasing down missing punches and more time running the business.
• Employee transparency: Workers can see their own logged hours, PTO balances, and overtime, which builds trust and reduces disputes.

Features to look for in an employee time tracking app

Every industry has different needs for their employee time tracking app. Mobile crews have a greater need for GPS and geofencing tools than desk-bound workers, for example. Here are some of the common feature sets to keep an eye out for:

• Simple clock in/out options: Whether it’s a mobile tap, time clock kiosk, or web login, employees should be able to start and end shifts without friction.
• GPS and geofencing: The app should confirm people are where they claim to be when they clock in — like verifying alibis in a detective’s notebook.
• Automated overtime alerts: Look for tools that warn managers before hours spill over into costly overtime.
• Break and PTO tracking: Apps that log breaks, vacation, and sick leave keep records clean and compliant.
• Detailed reporting: The ability to filter hours by project, department, or location makes it easier to spot bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
• Payroll integrations: Seamless export to payroll software reduces the risk of errors and saves hours of manual entry.
• Mobile access: Employees should be able to clock in, view hours, and request time off from their phones, no matter where they are.
• Custom rules and policies: Choose apps that let you enforce your specific labor policies, whether it’s punch rounding rules, maximum hours, or shift-specific overtime.
• Audit-ready records: Look for an app that keeps time data secure and accessible, in case regulators or auditors ever come knocking.

The 9 best employee time tracking apps

We’ve investigated the evidence and rounded up nine apps that deliver airtight time tracking for different types of businesses. Each one is the prime suspect for “best in class” depending on your needs.

Tool	Best For	Starting Price	Standout Feature
Buddy Punch	Employee time tracking with GPS	$4.49/user/month + $19 base fee	GPS tracking + geofencing
Clockify	Free employee time tracking app	Free (forever, unlimited users)	Unlimited free plan
ClockShark	Construction employee time tracking app	$8/user/month + $20 base fee	Job-site GPS tracking
Timely	Remote employee time tracking app	$11/user/month	Automatic time logging
Time Doctor	Employee time tracking app for enterprise	$5.90/user/month	Productivity + distraction alerts
Connecteam	Hospitality employee time tracking app	Free for up to 10 users; paid plans from $29/month	All-in-one workforce hub
7Shifts	Employee time tracking app for restaurants	Free (up to 15 employees); paid plans from $44.99/location	Restaurant-specific compliance
Harvest	Employee time tracking app for small companies	$12/user/month	Time + expense tracking
QuickBooks Time	Employee time tracking app for big companies	$20/month + $8/user/month	Enterprise-ready GPS + reporting

1. Buddy Punch – Best employee time tracking app with GPS

Buddy Punch takes the guesswork out of where and when your employees are working. Designed with small and mid-sized businesses in mind, it blends intuitive time tracking with powerful GPS features that keep managers in control and employees accountable. 

Instead of juggling handwritten timesheets or chasing staff for updates, Buddy Punch gives you real-time visibility into punches, hours worked, and job locations in a single dashboard.

The platform shines for businesses with distributed teams or mobile workforces. Whether you run a construction crew moving between sites or a healthcare team visiting multiple facilities, Buddy Punch ensures that every clock-in and clock-out happens where it should. Managers can set up GPS tracking, geofences, and punch restrictions so payroll is bulletproof.

Employees can clock in and out from a mobile app, browser, or kiosk, with punches logged instantly into digital timesheets. Overtime is automatically calculated, PTO accruals are tracked in real time, and detailed reports are always a click away. This streamlines payroll prep and keeps you compliant with labor laws.

Buddy Punch’s strength is its balance of simplicity and depth. For straightforward time tracking, it’s easy to set up and use. For more complex needs, its robust scheduling, reporting, and payroll integrations give businesses the flexibility to grow without switching systems. That makes it a standout choice for companies that need GPS accountability without giving up ease of use.

GPS tracking that keeps everyone honest

Every punch is tagged with GPS coordinates, so you know exactly where work is starting and ending. This protects against time theft and gives managers confidence that remote or mobile employees are truly on-site.

Geofencing for extra control

Set digital boundaries around job sites or facilities to ensure employees can’t clock in unless they’re where they’re supposed to be. No more early clock-ins from the parking lot or logging hours from the wrong location.

Mobile and kiosk options

Whether your team uses smartphones in the field or a shared device at the workplace, Buddy Punch adapts. Employees can clock in on iOS and Android phones or using a tablet kiosk, which makes it easy to track time no matter how your business operates.

Overtime and PTO automation

Buddy Punch calculates overtime, manages PTO accruals, and applies custom rules based on your policies. That way, compliance headaches and payroll surprises are a thing of the past.

Pricing

Buddy Punch offers three plans, all with a $19 monthly base fee:

• Starter — $4.49 per user/month. Includes GPS punches, mobile apps, time tracking, time-off tracking, job tracking, payroll integrations, reporting, and alerts/reminders.
• Pro — $5.99 per user/month. Everything in Starter, plus scheduling, basic geofencing, QR code scanning, kiosk PIN punching, and webcam verification.
• Enterprise — $10.99 per user/month. Adds advanced GPS, dedicated enterprise support, API access, and single sign-on (SSO).

All plans come with free administrator users and live chat support during business hours, plus a 14-day free trial.

2. Clockify – Best free employee time tracking app

Clockify has carved out its niche as the go-to free time tracking solution for small teams and growing businesses. Unlike most platforms that limit user seats on a free plan, Clockify lets you track unlimited users and projects at no cost. That makes it especially attractive for lean teams who want robust time tracking without another monthly subscription fee eating into their budget.

Even though it’s free to start, Clockify doesn’t feel stripped down. Teams can use real-time timers, enter time manually via weekly timesheets, or even rely on its auto-tracker that logs activity across apps and websites in the background. 

The mobile and desktop apps sync seamlessly, so employees can track time whether they’re in the office, at home, or out in the field. For businesses managing hourly staff, Clockify’s kiosk feature turns any shared device into a simple clock-in station with PIN-based logins.

Clockify’s dashboards and reports provide a clear picture of where time is being spent across clients, projects, or departments. You can filter data, generate summaries, and export clean reports for payroll or invoicing. More advanced features like time audits, reminders, and idle detection help keep entries accurate and cut down on “forgot to clock in” errors.

The platform also scales gracefully as needs grow. Businesses that upgrade to paid tiers unlock tools like GPS tracking for mobile employees, overtime and attendance reports, scheduling, project forecasting, and even optional screenshots for productivity monitoring. 

In other words, Clockify can evolve from a simple time tracker to a full-fledged workforce management solution without requiring a migration to a new platform.

Key features

• Free forever for unlimited users and projects
• Real-time timer, weekly timesheets, and auto-tracking options
• Kiosk mode with PIN-based clock-ins for shared devices
• Idle detection and reminders to prevent missing entries
• Custom categories by client, project, or department
• Reporting tools: summary, detailed, weekly, and expense reports
• Paid tiers add GPS tracking, scheduling, invoicing, and approvals

Pricing

• Free — Unlimited users, unlimited projects, basic tracking and reports
• Basic ($3.99/user/month) — adds admin features, custom exports, kiosk PINs
• Standard ($5.49/user/month) — includes invoicing, approvals, attendance and overtime
• Pro ($7.99/user/month) — unlocks GPS tracking, forecasting, expenses, screenshots
• Enterprise  ($11.99/user/month) — advanced controls like SSO, audit logs, custom subdomains

3. ClockShark – Best construction employee time tracking app

ClockShark was designed for industries where crews don’t sit at desks all day. Construction companies, field service teams, and trade contractors need real-time visibility of where their crews are, what jobs they’re working on, and proof that those hours tie back to actual job sites. ClockShark replaces paper timesheets with GPS-backed digital records that make payroll faster and more accurate.

The app’s mobile-first design makes clocking in simple for employees, whether they’re starting work on a job site, switching tasks mid-day, or heading out for a break. Supervisors can clock in entire crews at once using Crew Clock, while Kiosk Clock turns any tablet into a shared punch station with PINs and facial recognition to cut down on buddy punching. 

For managers back at the office, ClockShark delivers breadcrumb trails of each employee’s workday, so you can see not only when they clocked in but where they actually spent their time.

Geofencing is another standout feature. By setting virtual boundaries around job sites, managers can ensure that workers are reminded to clock in when they arrive and clock out when they leave. Combined with the “Who’s Working Now” live map, it eliminates guesswork and lets dispatchers send the nearest available tech to urgent jobs.

ClockShark’s job costing tools let you assign time entries to specific jobs and tasks, giving you a clear picture of how labor dollars are spent across projects. And because the app works offline, crews in remote areas can still log their time accurately, with data syncing automatically when they reconnect.

For field-heavy industries, communication can make or break project efficiency. ClockShark addresses that with built-in conversations, file sharing, and clock-out questions, ensuring that job details, safety updates, and customer notes don’t get lost in a flurry of texts. It’s a practical way to keep both the office and the field on the same page without slowing crews down with extra paperwork.

Key features

• GPS-enabled mobile clock-ins with breadcrumb trails
• Geofencing reminders at job sites
• Crew Clock and Kiosk Clock with PIN and facial recognition
• Job costing with detailed labor expense tracking
• Offline time tracking with auto-sync
• QuickBooks, ADP, Xero, and Sage integrations
• Built-in communication tools: Conversations, file sharing, clock-out questions

Pricing

• Standard ($40 base fee + $9/user/month) — time tracking, GPS, scheduling, job/task tracking
• Pro ($60 base fee + $11/user/month) — adds PTO management, multi-department controls, advanced job costing, clock-out questions

4. Timely – Best remote employee time tracking app

Instead of asking employees to start and stop timers, Timely runs quietly in the background and automatically records what they’re working on. 

For distributed teams, where people bounce between tasks and tools throughout the day, this “memory tracker” solves one of the biggest pain points: missing or inaccurate timesheets. Managers get a real picture of where time goes, while employees no longer feel tethered to a stopwatch.

The software doesn’t just capture raw activity; it uses AI to organize tracked work into clean timesheets. A designer’s time in Figma, a marketer’s hours in Google Analytics, or a consultant’s client calls on Zoom — Timely sorts it all into the right categories with minimal input. This level of detail makes billing more precise and eliminates the gaps that manual systems inevitably leave behind.

Timely also doubles as a project management tool. The platform includes dashboards for tracking budgets, comparing billable versus non-billable work and monitoring project health. Leaders can see if a project is on track financially and spot scope creep before it eats into margins. Meanwhile, individuals can review their own dashboards to see if they’re over- or under-utilized.

Privacy is another area where Timely stands out. While it logs app and website usage, the data is private by default — employees decide what gets shared. This helps build trust in remote and hybrid environments where monitoring tools often feel invasive. Teams get transparency into workload and capacity without drifting into surveillance.

For companies tired of chasing timesheets or second-guessing project hours, Timely offers a balance of automation, accuracy, and trust. It’s particularly well-suited for agencies, consultancies, software companies in knowledge-based industries where detailed time records drive billing and profitability.

Key features

• Automatic AI-powered time tracking
• “Memory Tracker” captures activity across apps and websites
• Project and budget dashboards
• Billable vs. non-billable work reporting
• Privacy-first controls with user sharing permissions
• Mobile and desktop apps

Pricing

• Starter ($9 per user/month) — Automatic time tracking, 20 projects, up to 5 users.
• Premium ($16 per user/month) — Unlimited projects, up to 50 users, integrations with project management/accounting tools.
• Unlimited ($22 per user/month) — Unlimited projects and users, advanced capacity management, overtime/undertime tracking, multi-currency support.
• Enterprise (Custom pricing) —Tailored onboarding, training, reporting support, and dedicated success team.

5. Time Doctor – Best employee time tracking app for Android and iPhone

Time Doctor allows punch-in/punch-out, task tracking, and robust reporting using a mobile-first design so employees can log time and switch between tasks from anywhere without being tethered to a desktop.

Beyond basic timers, Time Doctor offers employee surveillance tools that let you track web and app usage, take screenshots, and see which tasks take more time than expected. 

For companies billing clients or trying to optimize productivity, these insights help reduce “hidden drag” on projects and uncover inefficiencies that are hard to spot manually.

Offline tracking and synchronization are big pluses. Even when a team member disconnects (e.g. in transit or at a remote site without cellular coverage), Time Doctor still captures local data and then syncs once online. That keeps time logs more accurate and cuts down on missing entries.

Key features

• Fully featured mobile apps (Android and iPhone) for clock-in, task tracking, and submission of hours
• Web and app usage monitoring, optional screenshots, real-time productivity insights
• Offline mode with auto-sync once the device reconnects
• Integrations with 60+ apps, open API, and exportable reports for payroll or billing
• Attendance, break and leave tracking, and schedule enforcement
• Alerts for unusual activity, distraction tracking, and work-life balance analytics

Pricing

• Basic ($6.70/user/month) — Includes automatic time tracking, projects & tasks, timeline reports, screenshots, online/offline tracking.
• Standard ($11.70/user/month) — Adds schedule & attendance tracking, time approvals, app/web usage reports, leave & break tracking, productivity ratings, real-time notifications, and upgraded support.
• Premium ($16.70/user/month) — Everything in Standard, plus unusual activity detection (AI), video screen recording, dedicated success manager, executive dashboards, SSO, client login access, and deeper historical data.
• Enterprise (Custom pricing) — For very large or security-sensitive teams, with tailored onboarding, enhanced support, and advanced controls.

6. Connecteam – Best employee time tracking app for enterprise companies

For large organizations, a time tracking app must help them control complexity. Enterprises need to coordinate thousands of employees across departments, locations, and sometimes continents, all while staying compliant with local labor laws. That level of oversight demands more than a simple clock-in and clock-out system.

Connecteam positions itself as the enterprise-ready answer to that challenge. It combines time tracking, scheduling, and compliance in one platform designed to scale without breaking. Whether it’s managing shifts across multiple regions or maintaining airtight records for audits, Connecteam provides the infrastructure that high-volume teams require.

Unlike smaller tools that excel at serving startups or single-site operations, Connecteam has layered permissions, centralized dashboards, and integrations with payroll and HR systems. This makes it as useful for HR leadership and compliance officers as it is for frontline employees clocking in from their phones.

The platform also balances control and usability. Managers can set rules for overtime, rest breaks, and labor compliance, while employees get a clean, intuitive mobile app that doesn’t add friction to their day. That dual focus ensures adoption at scale, which is a common stumbling block for enterprise rollouts.

Finally, where many enterprise tools overwhelm users with complexity, Connecteam focuses on streamlining. Everything from shift planning to time-off requests lives in a single system, reducing the need for patchwork solutions. For enterprises, that means fewer tools to manage, fewer integrations to maintain, and fewer points of failure.

Key features

• Mobile apps (Android and iPhone) for clock-in, GPS tagging, geofencing, and job/task tracking
• Real-time timesheets with auto-calculated overtime, breaks, PTO, and approvals
• Advanced shift scheduling with templates, open shifts, and multi-location support
• Team communication tools built-in (chat, announcements, surveys, checklists)
• Compliance and security features: SSO, audit logs, role-based permissions
• Integrations with payroll and HR platforms for seamless export

Pricing

• Small Business (Free) — Free for up to 10 users. Includes time clock, scheduling, tasks, forms, and full mobile access.
• Basic  ($29/month for first 30 users) — Adds GPS tracking, job scheduling, digital checklists, and payroll exports.
• Advanced ($49/month for first 30 users) — Adds multiple geofences, shift templates, task automation, advanced filters, and custom timesheet rules.
• Expert ($99/month for first 30 users) — Everything in Advanced, plus process automation, multi-branch management, advanced reporting, and onboarding tools.
• Enterprise (Custom pricing) — Tailored for very large organizations, with dedicated support, SLAs, SSO, custom branding, and advanced security controls.

7. 7Shifts – Best hospitality employee time tracking app

Restaurants and hospitality businesses face unique challenges when it comes to fluctuating demand, wages, and labor compliance.

7Shifts focuses on this niche with its time clock and other features. Employees can clock in and out directly from their phones or a shared device, while managers get real-time oversight of attendance, breaks, and overtime. 

Compliance guardrails like automatic alerts help prevent labor law violations by notifying managers when employees approach overtime or miss required breaks. For restaurants navigating complex regulations, that alone can be a lifesaver.

7Shifts also integrates deeply with common POS and payroll systems. This means sales-to-labor reporting, tip management, and payroll processing are all connected without you having to manually reconcile shifts and register totals. The result is a clear view of labor costs as they happen, not weeks later.

Hospitality teams also benefit from 7Shifts’ employee engagement features. Staff can request time off, swap shifts, and communicate with managers all in the same app. Managers, in turn, can share announcements, assign tasks, and keep a digital logbook of shift notes. That central hub for both scheduling and time tracking reduces friction and helps employees feel more in control of their work.

Where most time tracking software is targeted to a broad range of industries, 7Shifts is laser-focused on the hospitality industry. Its combination of time tracking, scheduling, compliance, and payroll tools makes it a natural fit for restaurants of all sizes, whether you’re running a single-location cafe or managing multiple busy bars across a city.

Key features

• Integrated scheduling and time clock designed for restaurants, bars, and cafes
• Mobile punch clock with tip pooling, breaks, and compliance enforcement
• POS, payroll, and HR integrations for streamlined workforce management
• Real-time labor cost forecasting and sales-to-labor reporting
• Employee self-service for time off requests, availability, and shift swaps
• Communication tools for shift notes, announcements, and manager logbook

Pricing

• Comp (Free) for up to 15 employees at a single location — Includes basic scheduling, one-way announcements, and availability/time-off requests.
• Essentials ($39.99/month per location up to 30 employees) — Adds advanced scheduling, team messaging, basic time clocking, and custom permissions.
• Pro ($79.99/month per location with unlimited employees) — Includes everything in Essentials, plus advanced time clocking, PTO tracking, labor compliance tools, wage tracking, and the manager logbook.
• Premium ($134.99/month per location + $6/employee) — Adds payroll, tip management, task management, labor forecasting, operational insights, and advanced reporting.
• Enterprise (Custom pricing) — For franchises and larger groups needing dedicated support and scalable solutions.

8. Harvest – Best employee time tracking app for small companies

For small businesses that need straightforward time tracking without overwhelming complexity, Harvest is a reliable choice. It strikes a balance between usability and depth, giving teams the ability to track hours and expenses with minimal setup. 

Harvest is particularly useful for small agencies, consultancies, and service providers that bill clients for time and want simple tools to manage projects and invoices.

The app is designed to be lightweight, meaning you don’t get buried in unnecessary features. Employees can easily start and stop timers, log expenses, and assign hours to projects or clients in real time. For managers, Harvest delivers clarity on where time goes, which makes it easier to catch inefficiencies, prevent over-servicing, and ensure billing stays accurate.

Businesses can create invoices directly from logged hours and even integrate them with popular accounting tools like QuickBooks or Xero. For small teams that need to stay lean, this reduces admin overhead while still ensuring professionalism.

Reports are clean and digestible, giving owners and managers a high-level view of project progress, team utilization, and profitability. Harvest doesn’t try to be everything; it sticks to doing time, expenses, and invoicing well, which is exactly what small businesses need most.

Key features

• Simple timer and timesheet entries for projects and tasks
• Expense tracking with receipt uploads and billable expense tagging
• One-click invoicing directly from tracked hours and expenses
• Visual reports on team utilization, budgets, and project health
• Integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Slack, Trello, and 50+ apps
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android for on-the-go logging

Pricing

• Free — For individuals. Includes 1 seat, 2 projects, basic time tracking, reporting, and invoicing.
• Pro ($11 per seat/month) — Unlimited seats & projects, team reporting, invoicing, integrations, and scheduled phone support.
• Premium ($14 per seat/month) — Everything in Pro, plus profitability reporting, timesheet approvals, activity logs, custom reports/exports, SAML SSO, and onboarding support for 50+ seats.

9. QuickBooks Time – Best employee time tracking app for big companies

QuickBooks Time is one of the most recognized names in time tracking, largely because it sits under the Intuit umbrella. For larger organizations already embedded in the QuickBooks ecosystem, it can feel like a natural choice because it ties together time tracking, payroll, and accounting in one system. 

That said, QuickBooks Time is not a standalone product; you’ll need a QuickBooks Online subscription to actually use it, which immediately places it in a higher cost tier than many competitors.

The tool’s design caters to scale. Companies managing hundreds — or even thousands — of employees across multiple job sites can rely on QuickBooks Time’s GPS tracking, geofencing, and scheduling tools to keep an eye on labor costs in real time. 

Employees can clock in from their phones, tablets, or kiosks, while managers get dashboards that break down time usage across projects and locations. For big companies juggling lots of moving parts, the visibility this provides can be a huge operational advantage.

Another draw is the reporting and compliance functionality. QuickBooks Time integrates directly into QuickBooks payroll and accounting, helping to automate wage calculations, overtime compliance, and job costing. 

Project-based businesses can compare estimated vs. actual hours, track mileage, and set alerts to prevent budget overruns. This makes it especially useful for enterprises in construction, field service, or other industries where accurate job costing drives profitability.

But with base fees on top of per-user costs — and the added requirement of QuickBooks Online — the total bill can climb steeply. 

For small and midsize businesses, the cost is often difficult to justify when more affordable standalone apps deliver similar features. For large companies with complex payroll needs, however, that higher price tag may be acceptable if it means having everything integrated in one platform.

In short, QuickBooks Time is a heavyweight solution that fits best in big-company contexts. If your team is already running on QuickBooks Online and needs enterprise-level tracking with deep payroll integration, it makes sense. But if you’re not invested in the QuickBooks ecosystem, or you’re trying to manage costs tightly, QuickBooks Time might feel like overkill.

Key features

• GPS location tracking and geofencing to monitor crews across job sites
• Mobile Workforce app for Android and iPhone, plus web and kiosk options
• Project estimates vs. actuals, mileage tracking, and timesheet signatures (Elite plan)
• Scheduling, attendance, PTO, and overtime tracking with compliance tools
• Customizable reporting for job costing, budgeting, and labor insights
• Integrations with QuickBooks Payroll, plus support for third-party payroll and accounting tools

Pricing

• Time Premium ($20 base/month + $8 per user/month) — Includes mobile Workforce app, time & attendance, GPS tracking, scheduling, time kiosk, customizable reports, alerts & notifications, and unlimited support.
• Time Elite ($40 base/month + $10 per user/month) — Everything in Premium, plus mileage tracking, project estimates vs. actuals, project activity feed, timesheet signatures, and geofencing.

Choosing the best employee time tracking app for your business

To find the right employee time tracking app for your company, look for clues to discover where your team is bleeding the most time and money. You’ll find evidence of issues like missed punches, payroll errors, creeping overtime, or gaps in accountability. 

Then, narrow your list of suspects by identifying the app that will best address your biggest issues. Price is also worth examining with a magnifying glass. A cheap tool that your employees ignore is worthless. A pricier app that integrates payroll, automates compliance, and keeps the books clean can pay for itself many times over.

The question to ask is not “what’s the lowest monthly fee?” but rather, “what saves us the most time and headaches in the long run?”

The best time tracking app will help you plug the time clock leaks, keep the team accountable, and give you a clear picture of where every hour goes.

Once you’ve got that, you’ve cracked the case of lost time.