10 Best Clock-In Clock-Out Apps (2023)
Using a clock-in clock-out app is a great way to track time worked — and there are many different types of apps available.
There are apps that are perfect for freelancers who want to track their time worked and send accurate billable hours.
There are apps that small businesses can use to keep their employees accountable and make sure they’re following the schedule. Employees clock in when it’s time for work, clock out for breaks, and at the end of their day — and that info is saved and can easily be accessed to make edits or run payroll.
This post looks at different types of clock in and clock out apps, including the best apps for: individuals, small businesses, remote workers, encouraging productivity, and more. We look at their key features and discuss real customer reviews.
Here’s a break down of the ten best clock in and out apps covered in this post:
- Buddy Punch – Best for Small Businesses
- Connecteam – Good for Enterprise Level Companies
- Hubstaff – Good for Workforce Management
- QuickBooks Time – Good for Advanced Payroll Features
- Clockify – Good for Individuals
- Timely – Good Alternative to Clockify
- TimeCamp – Good for Team Productivity Tracking
- TimeTracker by eBillity – Good for Overall Time Management
- Workpuls – Good for Employee Monitoring
- Homebase – Good for HR Features
10 Best Clock-in and Clock-Out Apps
1. Buddy Punch – The Best Clock In and Clock Out App for Small Businesses
Buddy Punch is first on the list of best mobile time clock apps, because it offers advanced clock-in/clock-out features, such as:
Increased Accountability for Your Team
Streamline Payroll with:
- Buddy Punch Payroll
- Integrations with Payroll Providers
- Payroll Reports on Demand
- Project Tracking
- Time Off Tracking
- Accruals
What Makes Buddy Punch Unique?
We set out to build Buddy Punch after years of struggle trying to manage time and run payroll for over 20 employees across three business locations.
From day one, we concentrated our efforts on creating an all-in-one app with features to help you not only track time throughout the workday with ease but also (1) make your staff accountable and (2) streamline payroll through features such as Webcam Photo on Punch, GPS Tracking, payroll integrations and more.
We’ll discuss each of Buddy Punch’s key features below.
Keep Your Team Accountable (Geofencing, GPS Tracking, Facial Recognition & more)
Tracking when employees clock in and clock out of work reliably and accurately isn’t possible if you can’t hold them accountable for haphazard time entries. What’s worse, a lack of accountability from your team leads to inaccurate timekeeping, which in turn translates to wasted money.
At Buddy Punch we designed a whole range of time clock features to help you keep your employees accountable, preventing time theft and inaccurate reporting. We’ll detail each below:
Geofencing
With Buddy Punch, you can decide on the radius inside which your employees are able to clock in and clock out of work thanks to our Geofencing Feature. All you have to do is log in to our platform. Choose a specific radius. And if your employees try to clock in while not onsite at a radius, our app will present them with an error message.
This functionality also allows you to create multiple geofences to work in tandem at any given time. To differentiate multiple geofences, you can assign each a unique job code or job site.
GPS Tracking
Buddy Punch’s GPS Tracking functionality tracks your staff’s location whenever they clock in and out of work, and records that location in their punch card. Any administrator can then login into the Buddy Punch platform to review all employee locations at the same time, and make sure everyone clocked in and out where they were supposed to.
IP Address Locking
Our IP Address Locking functionality allows you to limit the IP Address your employees can punch in and out of work from. This means that, if they try to punch from outside your desired network (such as your office’s Wi-Fi network), Buddy Punch will prevent them from doing so. To activate this feature, all you have to do is designate your desired IP Address on the Buddy Punch platform, as pictured above.
Facial Recognition
Buddy Punch’s Facial Recognition works as an added layer of accountability to your employees’ punches. When you activate this biometric time clock feature (be it for all your employees, or on a per-employee basis), Buddy punch will prompt your workers to scan their faces and verify it’s them before they can successfully punch in and out of work.
Photos on Punch
Buddy Punch’s Photos on Punch feature works similarly to our Facial Recognition functionality, but instead of asking for a biometric face scan, our app will prompt your employees to take a picture of themselves to confirm their punch. If their face isn’t recognized, they’ll receive an error notification.
Although Photos on Punch won’t verify your employees’ identities automatically like with Facial Recognition, you can review all photos taken on our platform at any given time, and verify yourself.
Streamline Payroll (Integrations, Payroll Reports on Demand, Accruals & More)
Don’t waste time and money dealing with the inaccuracies of manually running payroll. With Buddy Punch, you can streamline the entire payroll process from start to finish thanks to the following easy-to-use features:
Buddy Punch Payroll
You can run your payroll with Buddy Punch, cutting down the need for different tools to track employee hours worked and issue payroll. This saves you time and money. Plus it makes it easier to reconcile any time clock issues before submitting payroll.
Buddy Punch calculates payroll based on the clock-in and clock-out information of your team, along with any salary employees, any PTO (paid time off requests) taken by your team, and other additional earnings, like reimbursements or bonuses.
You can run payroll from your Buddy Punch dashboard, and quickly look over everyone’s earnings for the pay period.
Buddy Punch can issue payment via direct deposit or check. And Buddy Punch automatically takes care of taxes – all local, state, and federal taxes.
If you already have a payroll provider you want to keep using — and just want to use Buddy Punch as a clock-in and clock-out app – then keep reading to see how you can easily connect your team’s time records with your payroll processing system.
Integrations with Payroll Providers
Buddy Punch integrates with all of the payroll providers pictured above, which allows you to streamline your payroll processing workflow, making it more accurate, and less time consuming. We also offer a Zapier integration, which can connect you to thousands of apps to automate your payroll processing further. Use your freed up work schedule to optimize other aspects of your business.
Payroll Reports on Demand
Buddy Punch allows you to calculate all you need to process payroll automatically, and then export that information for you to review in the form of an Excel Spreadsheet or CSV payroll report (pictured above). No need to manually review, input and verify your employees’ timesheets every pay period.
Project Tracking
Our Project Tracking feature allows you to set up different pay rates, each tailored to a unique pay scale or job type. Once you’ve done so, Buddy Punch will calculate potential labor costs and help you create accurate budgets, and then export reports with this information for you to review, all in just a few clicks.
Time Off Tracking
With Buddy Punch’s Time Off Tracking, you can easily track all your employees’ time off, both PTO and unpaid. You can make it so Buddy Punch tracks time off for all your employees at once, or on a per-employee basis. Buddy Punch also allows you to then export this information as a report for you to review and approve.
Accruals
Buddy Punch also offers an Accruals feature, with which you can set up time off accrual rules for your employees. These rules can be based on the number of hours worked, a specified pay period, or you can set up an annual accrual.
Additional Features
Besides the aforementioned features, Buddy Punch also offers:
- Scheduling
- Overtime Hour Calculations
- PTO Tracking
- Adding, Editing or Deleting Punches
- Time Card Approvals
- Alerts & Notifications
- And there’s much more. To see a complete list with all of Buddy Punch’s features, click here.
But Buddy Punch isn’t limited to just its features. In fact, when we started Buddy Punch, we also set out to build:
- An app that was simple and easy to use.
- Seamless onboarding for our users.
- Customer support that went above and beyond.
Next, we’ll look at each in detail.
What Makes Buddy Punch Unique? (Real Customer Reviews)
Simplicity & Ease of Use
From day one, our goal was to make Buddy Punch’s interface as intuitive and easy-to-use as possible. We designed Buddy Punch so that even the least technically-inclined employee wouldn’t struggle using our apps (iOS, Android, tablet, or web.)
When your staff logs into the Buddy Punch platform, they are presented with the option to ‘Punch-in’, Punch Out’, or view their current time card (as illustrated by the image below). This is intended to hide unnecessary distractions and prioritize a smoother, simpler every-day use.
We’re proud to say that our users have noticed this effort, and showed their appreciation for Buddy Punch’s simplicity and ease-of-use through 776 reviews and 4.8/5 stars in Capterra (at the time of writing). For example:
Click here to read full review.
Click here to read full review.
Again, when your employees log into the Buddy Punch platform, we present them with a minimal amount of options — but that doesn’t mean that is all Buddy Punch has to offer. Your employees can still submit claims to correct punch-in mistakes, submit their time cards for approval, request time off (paid or unpaid), and much more — all within the Buddy Punch app.
Seamless Onboarding
Incorporating a new software into your business can always be a challenge. That’s why we set out to make Buddy Punch’s onboarding process as easy as possible.
At Buddy Punch, we give administrators the option to add employees either manually or through a CSV import.
If you decide to go with the CSV import — Buddy Punch provides you with an Excel file ready for you to fill. Just send that file to us when you’re ready, and we’ll onboard all your team members for you. If you, on the other hand, want to add your employees manually, the Buddy Punch team can walk you through the different steps required to do so, or help you with any challenges you might encounter along the way.
We handle most interactions with our customers via our live chat, which you can find in both our apps for mobile devices (iPhone, Android, or tablet) and our web client. Our live chat is one of the features we’re most proud of at Buddy Punch because in addition to helping us stay in close touch with our customers, it also has helped us unlock…
Excellence in Customer Support
We centralized all our communications with our users within our live chat feature (found both on the web and the mobile app for smartphones). We’re proud to say this resulted in a median response time of 54 seconds during business hours.
All of our live chat representatives know the Buddy Punch platform inside and out, which means they can help you deal with any challenge, no matter how complex. This isn’t the case at some companies, where depending on the complexity of the problem, you might need to talk with multiple customer support representatives to be able to solve it. At Buddy Punch, on the other hand, any one of our representatives can walk you through a solution to your challenge.
Our focus on customer support is one of our users favorite aspects of Buddy Punch. As some of them wrote in Capterra:
Click here to read full review.
Click here to read full review.
Click here to read all of Buddy Punch’s Capterra Reviews.
Interested in learning more?
We’ve recorded a full Buddy Punch Demo for you to learn more about all our key features. Watch it below, and sign up for a free trial to see Buddy Punch in action!
Alternatively, you can always request a demo here — we’ll show you the ins and outs of our platform, and how you can best leverage Buddy Punch and start tracking your employees total hours in real-time, today!
2. Connecteam – Good for Enterprise Level Companies
Connecteam is a good time tracking option for enterprise level companies, with a total of 219 reviews on Capterra at the time of writing (average of 4.8 out of 5 stars). Connecteam’s key features include:
- Employee Time Clock
- Checklists & Forms
- Employee Task Management
- Employee Training
- Employee Communication
- Employee Scheduling
To see a complete list of Connecteam’s features, click here.
Here’s one review that highlights why Connecteam is a great punch clock app:
Click here to read all of Connecteam’s Capterra reviews.
3. Hubstaff – Good Option for Workforce Management
At the time of writing, Hubstaff has a total of 1344 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Among Hubstaff’s most helpful features you can find:
- Employee Time Tracking
- Online Time Reporting
- Employee Productivity Monitoring
- GPS Location Tracking
- Automated Payroll & Invoicing
To see a complete list of Hubstaff’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why Hubstaff is a great employee time clock app for your business:
Click here to read all of Hubstaff’s Capterra reviews.
4. QuickBooks Time – Good for Payroll
At the time of writing, QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) has a total of 6102 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. QuickBooks Time offers features such as:
To see a complete list of QuickBooks Time’s features, click here.
Here’s one review that highlights why QuickBooks Time is a solid employee timeclocking app:
Click here to read all of QuickBooks Time’s Capterra reviews.
5. Clockify – Good for Individuals
Clockify has a total of 4374 reviews on Capterra at the time of writing, with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Among its key features, Clockify offers:
Clockify has a good free time tracking feature that can make it a nice option for individuals/freelancers who want to track their hours worked. If you’re part of a team, or just need more features, you can consider their pro (paid) plan.
To see a complete list of Clockify’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why Clockify is a great tool:
Click here to read all of Clockify’s Capterra reviews.
6. Timely – A Good Clockify Alternative
At the time of writing, Timely’s clock in clock out app has a total of 209 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Timely’s key features include:
To see a complete list of Timely’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why Timely is a great clock inclock out app:
Click here to read all of Timely’s Capterra reviews.
7. TimeCamp – Good for Team Productivity Tracking
At the time of writing, TimeCamp has a total of 577 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. TimeCamp’s key features include:
- Automatic Time Tracking
- Timesheet Approvals
- Attendance Tracking
- Time Tracking Reports
- Productivity Tracking
- Custom Billing Rates
- Easy Invoicing
To see a complete list of TimeCamp’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why TimeCamp is a great clock inclock out app:
Click here to read all of TimeCamp’s Capterra reviews.
8. TimeTracker by eBillity – Good for Overall Time Management
At the time of writing, TimeTracker by eBillity has a total of 2,750 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. They boast a whole range of features, including:
- Employee Time and Attendance Tracking
- Employee Time Approval
- GPS Time Tracking
- Employee Scheduling
- Time Clock
To see a complete list of TimeTracker by eBillity’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why TimeTracker by eBillity is a great tool:
Click here to read all of TimeTracker by eBillity’s Capterra reviews.
9. Workpuls – Good for Employee Monitoring
At the time of writing, Workpuls has a total of 84 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Workpuls’ best features include:
To see a complete list of Workpul’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why Workpuls is a solid clock inclock out app.
Click here to read all of Workpuls’ Capterra reviews.
10. Homebase – Good for HR Features
At the time of writing, Homebase has 896 reviews on Capterra, with an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Homebase’s key features include:
- Employee Scheduling
- Time Clock
- Online Timesheets
- Health & Safety Screening
- Team Communication
- HR & Compliance
To see a complete list of Homebase’s features, go here.
Here’s one review that highlights why Homebase is one of the best clock in clock out apps in the market:
Click here to read all of Homebase’s Capterra reviews.
Finding the Best Clock-In Clock-Out App (Things to Consider)
Above, we looked at a list of the best clock in and clock out apps. If you’re still narrowing down your search, here are some things to keep in mind as you weigh your options.
- Is it easy to use? You (and your team) will be using the app to track hours worked. This means it’s used consistently by all types of employees. You want an app that’s intuitive. This way, it’s easy to get all your employees using it — even if they’re remote workers or aren’t used to technology.
- Does it work on multiple devices? Does it have a mobile app and desktop app, or just mobile? Does it work on all types of computers, and both Android and iOS devices?
- Does it have other time tracking features? Can you use it to submit and track paid time off, write work schedules, run payroll, etc.? The more your clock in and clock out app can do, the less you’ll have to handle your time tracking with a bunch of different software. This saves you money and means you have to juggle less, too.
- Can you use it without Wi-Fi? What happens if your workers don’t have internet connection? Maybe the Wi-Fi is down for the day, or you’re managing a construction crew who is out on the job site, away from the signal. Can your team still clock in and track their time worked?
- Finally, does it help prevent time theft and inaccurate clocking in and out? You want to make sure your clock-in and out app helps keep your team honest (avoiding time theft issues like buddy punching) and prevents them from making mistakes (like forgetting to clock out), whether with alerts or easy-to-make time card edits.
Note: We’re proud of what we’ve built at Buddy Punch, and happy to say we’ve helped more than 10,000 businesses stay on top of attendance, keep everyone accountable and run payroll efficiently. Click here to learn more here and try Buddy Punch for free.
For more information on Buddy Punch and time tracking, check out our posts on:
- Buddy Punch pricing (with different tiers for all types of business owners)
- How to handle time tracking with Excel spreadsheets
- 6 employee attendance tracking options
- The best time clock system (why digital time clocks are better)
- 5 best time clock software for small businesses
- The 10 best time tracking software for remote employees and remote teams
- The best online time clock
- The best work hours app
