Digital Employee Attendance Tracking Apps to Replace Spreadsheets | Top 6 Tools

Working from home, paid time off, and absenteeism are the bane of any business owner looking to maximize profits. 

The problem is that these three factors have become ingrained in modern work culture.

Remote or hybrid work is the reality that most business owners now face following the pandemic – as long as their business model can accommodate it. 

Paid time off isn’t required by law, but good luck attracting high-quality talent without a solid PTO policy (and you’re held to it once you agree with a new team member). 

Then there’s employee absences, which will be a thing as long as business owners continue hiring humans (and despite rumblings of AI takeovers, this will be the case for a long time to come).

Because of these issues, business owners have started to embrace the idea of needing to track employee attendance, especially since there are three immediate benefits to making the shift:

1. Just implementing attendance tracking software can psychologically affect your employees, making them feel more inclined to optimize their time on the clock (and reduce their time off the clock).
2. You’ll always be able to refer back to accurate attendance records to see what sort of changes you can make in your managerial style to improve your overall profitability.
3. With many of the functions that attendance systems come equipped with (especially in this day and age), you can streamline various processes around the workday to keep employees accountable and make payroll easier.

This post will highlight our top 6 picks of time-tracking software that will help most business owners with their attendance management. 

We’re making these choices based on the features they offer, their reviews from existing users, and their customer service for ongoing support.

What is an attendance tracker app?

At its core, an attendance tracker app is a digital powerhouse transforming how organizations monitor and manage employee attendance. 

These innovative apps have become the backbone of attendance tracking, eclipsing the traditional use of spreadsheets. 

Leveraging the ubiquity of mobile devices, these apps liberate employees from the constraints of desktop-bound methods.

With functionalities tailored to diverse industries, attendance tracker apps break free from the limitations of manual record-keeping. 

One key advantage is their adaptability to sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, where blue-collar workers, often without access to desktops, can seamlessly mark attendance using their mobile phones.

Paperless and real-time, these apps save time and manual effort and contribute to environmental conservation by reducing paperwork. 

The shift towards mobile attendance apps aligns with the preferences of the modern workforce, particularly millennials and Gen Z, who value autonomy and prefer managing their time through mobile applications.

These apps offer unparalleled precision, with features like geofencing, online timesheets, and GPS tracking ensuring accurate attendance data. 

Integrating advanced features such as biometric recognition adds an extra layer of security, eliminating common issues like buddy punching.

What is employee attendance?

Employee attendance is the cornerstone of workforce management, a pivotal aspect that has evolved significantly with the advent of digital tracking apps. 

It fundamentally refers to the record of an employee’s presence or absence during work hours. 

This was painstakingly managed in traditional settings through manual methods like paper-based attendance sheets, which are prone to errors and time-consuming.

However, the landscape has transformed with the rise of digital employee attendance tracking apps. 

These applications have become the new-age solution, rendering outdated practices like spreadsheets obsolete. 

The shift towards mobile-based tracking has enabled employees, especially in blue-collar industries, to mark attendance effortlessly without needing desktops or computers.

The essence lies in the seamless transition from old-school methods to paperless, real-time attendance tracking. 

Modern apps capture and log data efficiently and contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing paperwork. 

The demand for transparency and autonomy in managing work hours has fueled the preference for mobile apps among the workforce, particularly the younger demographic.

Key features such as geofencing, payroll integration, and biometric recognition ensure accuracy and reliability in attendance data. 

This paradigm shift in attendance management signifies a departure from the conventional to the contemporary, empowering organizations to embrace flexibility, efficiency, and precision in monitoring employee attendance. 

How To Choose The Best Employee Attendance Tracking App? Buying Guide

As the demand for mobile solutions continues to rise, choosing the right employee attendance tracking app becomes critical. 

1. Compatibility and Accessibility

Begin by ensuring that the chosen app aligns seamlessly with your existing systems. 

Look for apps offering cross-platform compatibility, allowing easy access from mobile devices and desktops. 

Accessibility is vital for a workforce on the move, ensuring that employees can effortlessly mark attendance or request leaves from anywhere, fostering a more flexible work environment.

2. Features Tailored to Your Needs

Evaluate the specific features each app offers and align them with your organization’s unique needs. 

Consider whether geofencing, online timesheets, or biometric integration are essential for your attendance tracking process. 

A feature-rich app should streamline attendance management and enhance overall workforce productivity.

3. User-Friendly Interface

An intuitive and user-friendly interface is paramount for successful app adoption. 

The app should be designed to simplify the attendance tracking process, minimizing the learning curve for both employees and administrators. 

A seamless experience encourages consistent usage, leading to more accurate attendance data.

4. Integration Capabilities

Choose an app that seamlessly integrates with your organization’s other essential tools and systems. 

Integration with payroll software, project management tools, and HR systems can streamline processes, reduce manual data entry, and enhance overall efficiency. 

Look for apps that offer a wide range of integration options to meet your organization’s diverse needs.

5. Customization and Scalability

Opt for apps that allow customization to adapt to your organization’s policies and workflows. 

Additionally, consider the app’s scalability – it should accommodate the growth of your workforce without compromising performance.

6. Data Security and Compliance

With the increasing reliance on digital solutions, ensuring the security of sensitive attendance data is non-negotiable. 

Choose apps prioritizing data security, offering encryption, secure servers, and robust access controls. 

Compliance with data protection regulations should be a fundamental aspect of the app’s design.

7. Cost-Effectiveness

While cost is a significant factor, focus on the overall value that the app brings to your organization. 

Consider the app’s features, scalability, and the long-term benefits it offers. 

Some apps offer flexible pricing plans, including free trials, allowing you to assess their suitability for your organization before committing.

Employee Attendance Tracking Solutions

1. Buddy Punch
2. TimeCamp
3. ZoomShift
4. Findmyshift
5. Insightful
6. DeskTime

1. Buddy Punch

Topping our ranking of employee attendance tracking tools, we have our very own Buddy Punch. 

This isn’t just favoritism; we know Buddy Punch fills attendance needs powerfully for one reason: we tried all the other options.

Back before 2013, we weren’t intending to develop our solution to track attendance. 

Taking on managing 20 companies at three locations, we thought attendance sheets and some employee attendance tracker templates would be enough to help us juggle our team and get payroll handled promptly.

We were wrong.

Manually checking and inputting attendance data was time-consuming and riddled with human errors, which hurt accuracy and productivity. 

We lost time in our work schedules to ensure data was up to par. 

And even when we tried Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel templates, or digital attendance trackers, we found that there was always something missing–a feature we needed that wasn’t included, or something about the methods that might work for us, but our team members found unintuitive and difficult to adapt to.

So, we set out to develop our own.

There were three core tenets that we focused on when designing Buddy Punch:

1. Employee Accountability. We wanted to ensure that we equipped our software with tools that put responsibility on your team members to make the most of their time on the clock with features such as GPS Tracking, Geofencing, IP Address Locking, and Customizable Reports.
2. Design Simplicity. Rather than overwhelming you or your team members with our features, we wanted to make sure that Buddy Punch was simple for anyone to use. Through features such as One-Button Clock In, Notifications, Drag & Drop Scheduling, and Automatic Breaks, we make Buddy Punch easy to use on any device (such as Mobile Devices [iOS or Android], Tablets, and Desktop).
3. Payroll Streamlining. Lastly, we wanted to ensure that all of the accurate data that Buddy Punch was tracking would be simple to sort through at the end of each pay period. Features such as PTO Management, Overtime Calculations, and Payroll Integrations help us directly accomplish this.

Next, look at these features to demonstrate how they positively affect business owners.

Note: If you’d instead get a feel for Buddy Punch yourself, we offer a 14-day free trial on every pricing plan (click here to get started).

GPS Tracking

Buddy Punch’s GPS Tracking has quickly become one of our most popular features as business owners have realized they need a tracking system capable of functioning with remote or hybrid work styles. 

With this, whenever your employees clock in, a digital snapshot of their location is placed on an interactive map, allowing you to see where individuals (or entire teams) are working from.

Geofencing

With the Geofencing feature, you can create a radius (known as a Geofence) around any location you choose on an interactive map. From then on, if an employee attempts to log time while being located outside of one of these Geofences, they’ll be automatically denied. 

This set-and-forget feature lets business owners control their employee locations without micromanaging.

IP Address Locking

Suppose you’re looking for a less involved way to ensure your employees only clock in from a specific location (which can significantly increase your company’s security). In that case, you can use the IP Address Lock feature. 

With this, all you have to do is choose which IP Address you want to assign to each of your employees, and they’ll only be able to log in when they’re on those devices.

Customizable Reports

What good is collecting employee data if you aren’t able to comb back through that data to make informed decisions and improve your workforce? 

Buddy Punch’s customizable reports feature has a variety of options, including Payroll Exports, Hours Summary Reports, Daily Hours Reports, In/Out Activity Reports, and more (click here to view the complete list of employee information you can view on reports). Depending on your preference, these can all be exported into Excel CSV or Adobe PDF format.

One Button Clock-Ins

While designing Buddy Punch, we never wanted to lose our emphasis on simplicity. 

While many of our features will be helpful for business owners, you can use Buddy Punch as a simple attendance tracker if that’s what you want. 

Employees can begin logging time with a single button click without distractions.

Notifications

Buddy Punch’s notification feature enabled managers and staff members alike to focus on their work throughout the workday – because they’d be notified if something occurred that required their attention.

Employees are notified of punch change emails, time card approval status changes, PTO changes, and when they’re approaching overtime. 

Meanwhile, managers and administrators are notified of punch change emails, employee punch-ins and outs, time card approval status changes, PTO requests, and employees approaching overtime.

Drag & Drop Scheduling

Buddy Punch makes it easy to schedule your employees. 

Simply create an empty cell by clicking in the scheduling interface, then drag and drop employee names to complete your schedule. 

In addition to this feature making it easy to visualize how your team members are scheduled, you’ll automatically notify every employee once you publish the schedule.

Automatic Breaks

Do you want to ensure that employee breaks are automatically accounted for when you check timecards? 

The Automatic Breaks feature can automatically deduct time from an employee’s time card depending on your specifications (such as an hour for lunch breaks). 

Name your rule, specify the hours before it triggers, determine how long it lasts, and assign your new custom break rule to all relevant employees.

PTO Management

Vacation days, sick leave, personal time – managing paid time off can be a highly overwhelming aspect of workforce management, especially if your team is growing and your HR is. 

The department is having issues managing the increased size (assuming you have an HR Department at all). 

Buddy Punch makes it easy for business owners, allowing you to use our built-in PTO types or create custom ones as needed to assign to employees.

But it gets even better. Buddy Punch lets you enable an employee self-service approach to PTO. 

Instead of approving or denying employee leave requests, you can set them to be automatically approved.

Overtime Calculations

Buddy Punch’s Overtime calculations feature lets you choose from over a dozen different overtime types to determine how overtime pay is calculated in your workforce. 

You can even juggle different types on a per-employee basis. 

If, for some reason, you need a specific type of overtime that’s missing, you can always reach out to us, and we’ll get it added. 

Regular, double overtime is calculated for you through Buddy Punch.

Payroll Integrations

Buddy Punch helps you transfer employee data directly to your favorite payroll software at the end of every pay period. 

Big names we work with include QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and more (click here to view the complete list of Buddy Punch’s integrations). 

You don’t have to waste any time manually sorting through employee data with Buddy Punch at your side.

Buddy Punch is More Than Just an Attendance Tracker

As we explored the functions we were going to include in Buddy Punch, we were able to hone in on a wide variety of features that many business owners would be able to use, such as:

• Webcam Photos on Punch
• Punch Rounding
• Job Codes / Project Tracking
• Time Card Approvals
• Multiple Punch and Login Options
• Adding, Editing, or Deleting Punches
• And more. (Click here to explore our comprehensive feature list.)

But even though these only cover the in-app benefits of using Buddy Punch, we also provide value outside of our software.

For example, the blog section of our website is an always-reliable source for tips, new laws, and strategies for business management. 

Then there’s our help doc center, which has many valuable articles on the best way to utilize Buddy Punch. 

There’s also our customer support portal, where our responsive team is always ready to assist you with questions or concerns through the live chat.
But you don’t have to take our word for any of this. You can book a one-on-one personalized demo of Buddy Punch by clicking here.

Buddy Punch’s Online Reviews

We’ve talked enough about our software; now it’s time to let our software’s users speak for themselves. 

As of the date of this article’s writing, Buddy Punch has 4.8 out of 5 stars and 699 reviews on Capterra.

Let’s see what individual reviewers had to say about Buddy Punch’s performance as an employee attendance tracking tool. (Click here to explore the complete list of reviews.)

“We eliminated paper tallies which over the course of a years time has saved us payroll in regards to employee rounding time on time sheets. I am able to access all the information even when I am on the road, so I am always in the loop on attendance and who is working on what projects.”

Click here to read the full review.

“I asked my I.T. department to search and find me something I could work with. I needed something that would track employee time and attendance . One main pro was giving us a month to work with the software to see if it was right for us. After two weeks, employees were urging us to sign up! This software provides clear transparency, everyone knows where they stand and as an employer I can review activity at my leisure from where ever I am .”

Click here to read the full review.

“really appreciate the comfortability of having complete access to your information about payroll and attendance so that you can keep track yourself your hours and when to approval of time cards is neccesary”

Click here to read the full review.

“Buddy Punch is easy to use and to train employees’ use. There are features we don’t even use that larger companies or ones that do their own payroll processing will find invaluable. We love the accuracy of employee time and PTO tracking.”

Click here to read the full review. 

As these reviewers all noted, Buddy Punch saved time and was easy for anybody to use. Say goodbye to employee tracking sheets.

Try Buddy Punch for Free  

If you feel that Buddy Punch might be the right fit for your business, sign up for a 14 day free trial (no credit card needed). You can also book a one-on-one demo or view a pre-recorded demo video.

2. TimeCamp

If you’re on a budget and are looking for a free employee attendance tracker, look no further than TimeCamp. 

At the time of this post’s writing, TimeCamp has 561 reviews on Capterra (see here), averaging 4.7 out of 5 stars. 

Some of its key features include:

• Productivity Tracking
• Attendance
• Reporting
• Timesheet Approvals
• Invoicing
• Billing Rates & Budgeting

“TimeCamp allows you to track the time spent on a project by an employee. It allows you to have multiple seats with different permissions and create multiple projects that can be divided in tasks. It is also possible to allocate just some of the team members to a project . It is not only possible to track projects but idle time and attendance. Reports are are very complete and have many options to filter and present the data you need.”

Click here to read the full review.

3. ZoomShift

ZoomShift is a schedule maker designed to help you track your employees’ attendance. 

Its features include (but are not limited to):

• Work Scheduling
• Time Clock
• Time Tracking
• Time-Off Tracker
• Shift Planning

As of this post writing, ZoomShift has 94 reviews and 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

“ZoomShift customer service is the most responsive and helpful I’ve ever encountered. We’re moving fast, and it’s so nice to know that anytime we reach out to them we’ll have an almost immediate answer and solution. Once, they even built a feature we asked for that they didn’t have yet…within one day of us asking about it. I’d highly recommend ZoomShift to anyone looking for a time and attendance system for a small- to mid-sized business.”

Click here to read the full review.

4. Findmyshift

Findmyshift is another strong option for free attendance tracking if you’re on a budget, though, like TimeCamp, it limits features behind paid plans. 

Some of its features include:

• Staff Scheduling
• Reminders and Notifications 
• Time Off Management 
• Time and Attendance
• Reporting and Payroll

As of the writing of this post, Findmyshift has a rating of 4.6/5 possible stars based on 716 reviews (see here).

“The reports that are available along with the additional facilities that can be added to each individual shift for each individual employee. Being able to attach all our employees details and information is also beneficial to us. Being able to input an hourly rate is also a factor which we like as it allows us to use this against our payroll system.” 

Click here to read the full review.  

5. Insightful

Insightful (formerly known as Workpuls) is an analytics-focused employee monitoring and tracking system – the perfect tool for modern overhauling employee tracker spreadsheet methods. 

Some of its key features include:

• Employee Monitoring
• Time Tracking
• Automatic Time Mapping
• Screenshots 

At the time of writing, Insightful has 66 reviews on Capterra (see here), averaging 4.7 out of 5 stars.

“The software is a great help for employee monitoring, and time tracking. You have options on how you can view timesheet which would make your creation of attendance report easier.”

Click here to read the full review.

6. DeskTime

DeskTime is a popular attendance tracking tool with features such as:

• Automatic Time Tracking
• Project Time Tracking
• Automatic Screenshots
• Absence Calendar
• Shift Scheduling
• Invoicing 

At the time of writing, DeskTime has 320 reviews on Capterra (see here), averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars.

“Time tracking and attendance monitoring have never been easier! DeskTime has been really useful regardless of working from the office or remotely. It really improved our time management skills as with DeskTime’s help it’s very simple to check and evaluate where and how your time is being spent throughout the working day.”

Click here to read the full review.

Electronic Attendance Tracker Vs. Manual Attendance Tracking

The clash between electronic attendance trackers and manual methods is undeniable in employee attendance tracking. 

The traditional manual approach, reliant on spreadsheets and manual record-keeping, faces a formidable challenge from the surge of digital employee attendance tracking apps. 

These apps, driven by the ubiquity of mobile devices, are reshaping how organizations monitor and manage attendance.

The manual approach, often prone to errors and time-consuming, involves maintaining records in physical books or spreadsheets. 

This poses challenges in accuracy and consumes valuable time that could be better utilized elsewhere. 

Conversely, electronic attendance trackers offer a seamless, real-time solution. 

Employees, equipped with just their mobile phones, can effortlessly mark attendance, eliminating the need for a physical presence at the workplace. 

This proves particularly advantageous for industries with a significant blue-collar workforce with limited access to desktops.

The shift towards electronic attendance tracking brings about a paperless revolution. 

Gone are the days of maintaining hefty record-keeping books; these apps capture and log data in real time, updating attendance records effortlessly. 

Furthermore, the environmental benefits are significant, as reduced paperwork translates to less harm to the planet.

In the battle between the manual and the digital, the latter emerges as the frontrunner, offering accuracy and efficiency. 

The ease of use, reliability, and ability to adapt to diverse workforce needs make digital employee attendance tracking apps a clear choice in replacing traditional spreadsheets.

Why Should Employee Attendance Be Tracked? Importance

Employee attendance tracking is a pivotal aspect of modern workforce management, transcending the conventional methods of manual record-keeping. 

Utilizing digital attendance tracking apps brings multifaceted benefits to organizations, addressing critical aspects contributing to operational efficiency.

1. Prevent Time Theft & Buddy Punching

The traditional time clock is gradually becoming obsolete. 

Digital attendance tracking apps emerge as a powerful antidote to time theft and buddy punching, two prevalent challenges organizations face. 

These apps, equipped with biometric recognition and geofencing features, ensure that employees are physically present when clocking in, eliminating the possibility of fraudulent practices.

Preventing time theft is not merely about ensuring the accurate recording of work hours; it’s about fostering a culture of accountability. 

Mobile apps empower employees to take charge of their attendance, fostering a sense of responsibility and discouraging deceptive practices.

2. Managing Overtime, Breaks, and Clock Out Time

Efficient workforce management goes beyond tracking regular work hours. 

It involves meticulous management of overtime, breaks, and clock-out times. 

Digital attendance tracking apps offer a granular view of employee activities, enabling organizations to manage overtime judiciously. 

The ability to monitor breaks ensures compliance with labor regulations while optimizing productivity.

Clock-out time is a critical metric that impacts payroll accuracy and employee well-being. 

These apps provide real-time data on clock-out times, allowing organizations to streamline payroll processes and ensure employees adhere to scheduled working hours. 

This not only contributes to fair compensation but also enhances overall operational efficiency.

3. Dealing with Absenteeism

Absenteeism can disrupt workflow, impact team dynamics, and impede overall productivity. 

Digital attendance tracking apps are pivotal in addressing absenteeism by providing real-time visibility into employee attendance patterns. 

Organizations can identify trends, analyze data, and implement proactive measures to minimize unplanned absences.

By leveraging features such as leave management and shift scheduling, these apps empower HR teams to create robust attendance policies. 

This proactive approach helps address absenteeism before it becomes a chronic issue, fostering a healthier and more reliable workforce.

Challenges In Tracking Employee Attendance

The challenges associated with tracking employee attendance persist as a critical concern for businesses. 

Organizations shifting away from traditional methods increasingly turn to digital employee attendance tracking apps to overcome these hurdles. 

Understanding the intricacies of these challenges is crucial for businesses aiming to enhance efficiency and accuracy in attendance management.

1. Accessibility and Dependence on Desktops

One of the primary challenges lies in industries employing blue-collar workers who lack access to desktops. 

Employees may not have regular access to computers in agriculture, manufacturing, and other sectors, making attendance tracking a logistical challenge. 

The shift to mobile attendance apps addresses this issue, providing a solution for employees to mark attendance conveniently using their smartphones.

2. Paperless Transition and Environmental Impact

Maintaining manual record-keeping books for attendance tracking is time-consuming and environmentally unsustainable. 

The excessive use of paper contributes to environmental harm. 

Digital attendance tracking apps offer a paperless alternative, capturing and logging real-time attendance data. 

This saves time and manual effort and aligns with eco-friendly practices, reducing the organization’s carbon footprint.

3. Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Workforce

Today’s workforce comprises a significant percentage of millennials and Gen Z individuals with unique preferences and needs. 

Traditional methods may not align with the expectations of this modern workforce. 

Adopting technology, such as mobile time-tracking apps, becomes imperative to meet the demands for autonomy and convenience. 

These apps empower employees to manage their time independently, fostering a work environment that resonates with the preferences of younger generations.

4. Ensuring Reliable Accuracy

Accuracy in attendance data is paramount for effective workforce management. 

Traditional methods, prone to manual errors and time fraud, can compromise the reliability of attendance records. 

Mobile attendance apps offer features like selfie attendance and automated notifications, ensuring accurate and granular data. 

This eliminates time fraud and buddy punching and provides HR leaders with timely notifications for precise timekeeping.

5. Remote Access to Attendance Data

Accessing attendance data becomes challenging when employees work in shifts or HR leaders are not physically present. 

Traditional methods restrict the visibility of attendance records to specific locations. 

Mobile attendance apps overcome this hurdle by offering remote access to attendance data. 

HR leaders can conveniently check employee attendance, even when not physically present, facilitating efficient workforce management.

6. Integration with Payroll Systems

Streamlining attendance management goes beyond tracking clock-ins and clock-outs. 

Integration with payroll systems is essential for accurate and timely payroll processing. 

Digital attendance tracking apps like Buddy Punch offer seamless integration with payroll software, automating the payroll process and minimizing the scope for errors. 

This integration ensures that attendance data directly influences payroll calculations, enhancing accuracy.

Choosing The Best Employee Attendance Tracker

Though we’ve narrowed down the vast number of attendance trackers to just a few highly rated ones, business owners will still have to go through trial and error to determine which ones fit their managerial style the best.

But looking closely at the features provided and the developers’ goals can help.

Let’s say you’re trying to move on from free tracking annual employee attendance and tardiness via spreadsheets, but you don’t want to spring for paid software quite yet. 

You might then gravitate towards TimeCamp and Findmyshift, using their free versions to test how well your team adapts to software in general. 

If seeing what your employees are doing on their computers via screenshots is critical to your style, you might want to try Insightful.

But, if what you’re ultimately looking for is an attendance tracker with a variety of features that can be turned on or off at will, an intuitive design that any employee can quickly get a handle on regardless of device, and a responsive customer support team that will guide you through the usage of the tool – then you really can’t go wrong with Buddy Punch.

Try Buddy Punch for Free  

Don’t just take our word for Buddy Punch’s performance – sign up for a free 14-day trial. You can also book a one-on-one demo or view a pre-recorded demo video.

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