15 Best Time Clock Software for Small Businesses (2025)

If your team still relies on handwritten timesheets or a spreadsheet passed around by email, you’re probably losing more time (and money) than you think. Rounding, missed punches, and manual errors can easily add up to hundreds of dollars in payroll mistakes each month. Then, you have to account for all the time it takes to fix them.

Time clock software gives small businesses an accurate, transparent record of hours worked — whether employees are in the office, in the field, or working remotely.

The right time clock system automates payroll, simplifies scheduling, and keeps everyone honest without feeling intrusive.

Below, we’ve rounded up the 15 best time clock software for small businesses. Whether you need a free app for basic clock-ins, GPS tracking for field crews, or all-in-one payroll and scheduling, these tools make time tracking a point of clarity, not conflict.

Overview of the best employee time clock software

Here’s a brief overview of our favorite time clock software for small businesses. To learn more about a specific tool, click its link to jump down to our full review.

• Buddy Punch: Combines GPS tracking, geofencing, scheduling, and payroll integrations in an affordable, easy-to-use platform built for small businesses with mobile or multi-location teams.
• Clockify: A free, no-frills time clock for unlimited users. Ideal for small teams that just need simple clock-ins, project tracking, and basic timesheet reports.
• Connecteam: A strong all-in-one app for scheduling and communication alongside time tracking. Great for shift-based teams in retail, hospitality, and field services.
• Time Doctor: Best for desktop-based employees. Tracks work activity, websites, and apps with optional screenshots and silent monitoring for detailed productivity insights.
• Paychex: Full-service HR and payroll platform with built-in time tracking. Best suited for growing businesses that want time and payroll in one ecosystem.
• QuickBooks Time: Perfect for teams already using QuickBooks. Offers GPS, geofencing, and automatic syncing with QuickBooks Payroll for hands-free administration.
• EasyClocking: Hardware-focused system offering biometric and RFID time clocks. Great for offices, warehouses, and environments where physical verification matters.
• Deputy: Combines scheduling, labor forecasting, and time tracking with compliance tools for overtime and breaks. A top choice for restaurants and hospitality.
• Kimai: Open-source and self-hosted time tracking software for technical teams that want total control over their system without monthly costs.
• Jibble: Facial recognition and mobile-friendly clock-ins with unlimited users on the free plan. Strong anti-fraud features for hybrid or remote teams.
• Harvest: Designed for creative and professional service teams. Tracks project time, invoicing, and profitability in a clean interface that works perfectly on Mac.
• When I Work: Easy scheduling and time clock app built for office or retail environments. Includes geofencing, budgeting, and team messaging tools.
• Workyard: GPS-verified clock-ins, mileage tracking, and project costing make it the go-to choice for contractors and field-based businesses.
• Toggl Track: Lightweight, privacy-first tracker that automates time entries and organizes work by client or project. Ideal for freelancers and very small teams.
• ClickTime: Project-focused time tracking and forecasting software for agencies and professional services firms that need detailed job costing and capacity planning.

What is time clock software?

Time clock software is a system that replaces paper timesheets and manual tracking with digital systems that record when employees start and end their shifts.

Instead of writing hours on a spreadsheet or punching a physical clock, workers log time through a web browser, mobile app, or time clock kiosk. The software then compiles that data into digital timesheets, which managers can review, approve, and send directly to payroll.

For small businesses, this means fewer mistakes and less wasted admin time. It also adds transparency because employees can see their own hours, managers can verify attendance in real time, and payroll runs on verified data instead of guesswork.

The best tools include GPS location tracking, geofencing, and photo verification to prevent time theft. They also integrate with payroll and scheduling systems. And when you want to dive deeper, they offer reporting that helps you see exactly where labor dollars are going.

Benefits of using time clock software for your small business

Time clock software helps you run a tighter, more transparent operation. For small businesses where payroll, scheduling, and staffing all overlap, a good system keeps everything accurate and easy to manage. Here are some of the key benefits of using time clock software:

• Accurate payroll and fewer disputes: Manual timesheets are prone to rounding errors and missed entries. Automated time clocks feed verified hours directly into payroll, reducing mistakes and saving hours of admin time each week.
• Less time theft, more accountability: Features like GPS tracking, geofencing, and photo verification make sure employees clock in where and when they’re supposed to. 
• Real-time visibility into labor costs: Know who’s on the clock and what they’re working on. Many systems show live dashboards of hours by job, location, or task so you can catch overtime or staffing issues before they hit your bottom line.
• Easier compliance with labor laws: Automated time tracking keeps clean records of hours, breaks, and overtime so you stay compliant with wage and hour regulations.
• Faster scheduling and coordination: Many time clock tools double as schedulers. You can assign shifts, notify staff instantly, and prevent early punches that inflate labor costs.
• Insight that drives better decisions: With detailed reports, you can identify trends in attendance, productivity, and labor spend. For a small business, that kind of clarity turns time tracking into a strategic advantage, not just an HR chore.

Key features to look for in employee time clock software

Not every time clock system is built for how small businesses actually work. As you compare options, here are the features that matter most:

• GPS tracking and geofencing: Location-based tracking keeps punches accurate. GPS confirms where employees were when they clocked in, while geofencing restricts punches to approved job sites.
• Scheduling and shift management: Integrated scheduling lets you assign shifts, manage early or late punches, and automatically sync hours to timesheets without juggling multiple tools.
• Automated timesheets and payroll integration: The right system compiles hours into digital timesheets and exports directly to your payroll provider, removing manual entry and reducing errors.
• Time off and PTO tracking: Accruing and approving time off should be as simple as clocking in. Built-in PTO tracking keeps vacation, sick leave, and personal days organized in one place.
• Reporting and analytics: Detailed reports give you a clear view of labor costs, attendance patterns, and overtime, helping you make smarter staffing and budgeting decisions.
• Security and accountability: Tools like facial recognition, photo verification, or PIN entry prevent buddy punching and confirm who’s actually on the clock.
• Ease of use and mobile experience: If your team can’t figure it out in minutes, they won’t use it. Look for clean interfaces, intuitive apps, and fast, reliable syncing.
• Scalability and support: As your business grows, you’ll need a system that can scale. Prioritize responsive customer support, flexible pricing, and room to expand features as your team evolves.

The 15 best time clock software for small businesses

Small businesses don’t need bloated enterprise systems. They need tools that save time and reduce payroll mistakes. Our picks for the best time clock software cover every need and budget, from free basic trackers to advanced systems with GPS, scheduling, and payroll integrations.

Each one was chosen for its reliability, ease of use, and the real-world value it brings to everyday operations.

Tool	Best for	Standout features	Starting price
Buddy Punch	Affordable, easy-to-use employee time tracking	GPS tracking, geofencing, scheduling, payroll integrations	$4.49/user/month + $19 base fee
Clockify	Free time clock software	Unlimited users, project tracking, kiosk mode, calendar integrations	Free
Connecteam	Employee scheduling and team communication	Time clock, shift scheduling, digital forms, mobile access	Free for up to 10 users
Time Doctor	PC and remote employee monitoring	Screenshots, app/URL tracking, idle detection, productivity reports	$6.70/user/month
Paychex	Time and payroll management in one platform	Integrated payroll, HR tools, time-off tracking, mobile app	Custom pricing
QuickBooks Time	QuickBooks users needing integrated time tracking	GPS tracking, mileage tracking, geofencing, automatic syncing	$20/month base + $8/user/month
EasyClocking	Biometric time tracking	Fingerprint and RFID clocks, web-based timesheets, real-time data	Custom pricing
Deputy	Restaurants and hospitality teams	Scheduling, labor forecasting, overtime compliance, mobile clock-ins	$5.50/user/month
Kimai	Open-source, self-hosted solution	Project tracking, invoicing, plugin support, multilingual UI	Free (self-hosted)
Jibble	Facial recognition and anti-fraud tracking	Face ID clock-ins, GPS, geofencing, multi-level approvals	Free
Harvest	Mac users	Project tracking, invoicing, team reporting, profitability insights	$11/seat/month
When I Work	Office workers	Geofencing, labor forecasting, team messaging, task management	$2.50/user/month
Workyard	Small contractors and field crews	GPS-verified punches, mileage tracking, job costing, compliance tools	$6/user/month + $50 base fee
Toggl Track	Very small businesses and freelancers	Auto time capture, client/project tracking, privacy-first data	$9/user/month
ClickTime	Project-based time tracking and forecasting	Billable vs. non-billable hours, budget tracking, capacity planning	$13/user/month

1. Buddy Punch – Best time clock software for affordability and ease of use

Buddy Punch tops our list of the best time clock software for small businesses due to its ease of use, high customer ratings, affordability, and wide range of features.

Buddy Punch is especially beneficial for businesses with mobile, remote, or multi-location teams — such as those in construction, field services, home healthcare, and retail — due to its combination of a user-friendly mobile app and powerful accountability features like GPS tracking and geofencing that ensure employees clock in accurately and honestly from any job site or location.

By centralizing time data and streamlining the approval process, Buddy Punch provides managers with clear oversight, drastically reduces payroll errors, and simplifies operations for any team that works beyond the confines of a single office.

As simple as you need it to be

If you’re adopting time clock software for the first time, the best path forward initially is to keep things as simple as possible. An app that has tons of features, requirements, and distractions will likely make it harder to get employees to actually use it, particularly if your employees aren’t particularly tech-savvy.

Buddy Punch can be as simple as you need it to be. When employees log in, they see a big button that says “Punch In” or “Punch Out.” This makes the action they need to take clear and prevents any confusion about what they’re supposed to do.

That clock-in and out data is compiled into timesheets that you or a manager can review and approve, edit, or reject before running payroll. Then, you can download reports for payroll or set up one of Buddy Punch’s integrations with payroll providers like QuickBooks and Gusto.

As complex as you want it to be

If you want to do a lot more than just basic time tracking, Buddy Punch has you covered, too. You can prevent time theft and keep your employees accountable with features like GPS tracking, geofencing, photos on punch, and facial recognition.

You can also use Buddy Punch’s employee scheduling tool to create and distribute work schedules, which opens up a lot more features. Reduce your labor costs by limiting how early employees can clock in before a shift, automatically clocking them out at the end of their shifts, and tracking break times to automatically remove unpaid break durations from timesheets.

And if your employees work at different locations, in different roles, or on different jobs/projects, you can create categories for each of these things. Then, assign employees to the right categories to track the time they spend on each. If they’re assigned more than one, they’re prompted to select the right one when clocking in.

All of these features are optional. Turn on the ones you want to use; leave the ones you don’t disabled. You can even turn features on only for specific employees. For example, if you have someone who you suspect clocks in before they’re at work, you can turn on geofencing for only that specific employee.

Flexible features for all types of businesses and working models

Buddy Punch accommodates all working styles. If your employees work on computers, they can clock in and out using the web app. If they work in the field, they can clock in and out using Buddy Punch’s mobile apps. If they all work in person, you can set up a kiosk that everyone can use to clock in and out.

Employees can clock in and out using a username and password, 4-digit PIN, or QR code. They can also send a text message to clock in and out, or you can have a supervisor clock all employees in and out at the same time using group punch. There’s also single sign-on available through Google, Okta, and OneLogin.

Finally, employees don’t need unique email addresses to be assigned an account in Buddy Punch. If your employees don’t have business emails, you can simply create accounts for them using an administrator’s email address.

Customer reviews

Buddy Punch has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars across more than 1,000 user reviews on Capterra. Here’s what customers have to say about it:

• “Onboarding and integration were so easy. It’s really easy to customize it to do exactly what you need. Employees love it because it’s so straightforward to use.”
• “The most impressive feature of Buddy Punch is its intuitive interface. The mobile app functionality allows employees to clock in and out, request shift changes, and view their schedules from anywhere, which is particularly useful for remote or field-based teams.”
• “The software has all the features that I currently was using in my spreadsheet — but better as it took human error out of the equation! I gained reports that tally PTO (vacations, sick time, personal time), which I used to have to pull manually from a spreadsheet.”

Pricing

• Starter ($4.49 per user/month +$19 base fee): Includes GPS on punches, mobile apps, time tracking, time off tracking, alerts, job tracking, payroll integrations, and reporting
• Pro ($5.99 per user/month +$19 base fee): Adds scheduling, basic geofencing, QR codes, kiosk PIN, and webcam punches
• Enterprise ($10.99 per user/month +$19 base fee): Adds real-time GPS tracking, dedicated support, API access, and SSO

2. Clockify – Best free time clock software

If you need to switch from manual to automatic time tracking but don’t have the budget to spend on a subscription app, Clockify might be the right choice for your business. It has a generous free plan that includes basic time tracking for unlimited team members.

And while free always sounds better than paid, the features you get on Clockify’s free plan are extremely limited and suitable only for very basic time tracking. Team members can clock in and out, their time is collected into timesheets, and you can download timesheet reports at the end of the month for running payroll.

Unfortunately, you aren’t able to customize report downloads on the free plan, and its payroll integrations are only available on its paid plans. 

Other helpful features you’ll find in the free plan include the ability to download Clockify onto a tablet to use it as a time clock kiosk, unlimited projects to track time spent on specific projects and tasks, and integrations with Outlook, Google Calendar, and several project management platforms.

Key features

• Free basic time tracking for unlimited users
• Built in Pomodoro timer
• Timesheet report downloads
• Integrations with Outlook and Google Calendar
• Kiosk mode via a shared tablet/computer

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. Connecteam – Best time clock software for employee scheduling

Connecteam is a strong fit for small businesses that need more than a basic punch-in system. It combines time tracking, scheduling, and communication in one platform, giving owners and managers clear visibility into who’s working, where, and when.

Employees clock in from their phones with a single tap, and every punch is tagged with GPS coordinates. Managers can review attendance in real time, approve or edit shifts, and push updates instantly to the team all from the same dashboard. That immediacy helps prevent no-shows and scheduling mix-ups before they happen.

For small businesses with hourly or shift-based staff — like restaurants, retailers, and service providers — Connecteam’s scheduling tools are a major advantage. You can build recurring schedules, assign jobs across multiple locations, and set geofences that block early punches or off-site clock-ins.

The mobile app is designed for everyday use, not corporate IT departments. Employees can clock in, view schedules, and request time off from their phones. Managers can message teams, approve timesheets, and see labor costs in real time. Everything syncs automatically, which cuts down on paperwork and back-and-forth texts.

For small business owners, the real win is how Connecteam eliminates tool sprawl. Time tracking, scheduling, communication, and HR forms live in the same place. There are no separate logins, spreadsheets, or manual exports. That simplicity keeps operations lean and ensures teams actually use the system day to day.

Key features

• Mobile time clock with GPS tagging and optional geofencing to prevent off-site punches
• Real-time digital timesheets with automatic overtime, break, and PTO calculations
• Built-in employee scheduler with templates, shift swaps, and recurring shifts
• Instant notifications and in-app chat for fast communication between teams
• Automatic syncing between time tracking and scheduling to reduce errors
• Payroll-ready exports for QuickBooks, Gusto, and other major providers

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

4. Time Doctor – Best time clock software for PC

Time Doctor is a time and productivity tracking app designed for companies whose employees mostly work on computers. In addition to letting you capture the hours employees work, you can see what employees are doing with their time while billing hours.

Time Doctor has features like app and URL monitoring that let you see what websites employees are spending their time on, automatic screenshots so you can see what they were doing on those sites, and idle detection so you can see when they’re logged in but not actually working.

Additionally, it has the ability to do this monitoring silently, meaning employees won’t know you’re monitoring their activities. This makes it a great choice if you believe time theft is a problem among your team of knowledge workers.

Key features

• Capture screenshots of employees’ screens at regular intervals
• Identify automated methods of avoiding idle detection
• Detect when employees are idle while billing time
• Monitor employees silently so they’re not aware of the monitoring
• Capture recordings of your employees’ screens while they’re working

Pricing

• Basic ($6.70 per user/month): Includes automatic time tracking, projects and tasks, timeline reports, screenshots, online/offline tracking
• Standard ($11.70 per user/month): Adds schedule and attendance tracking, time approvals, app/web usage reports, leave and break tracking, productivity ratings, real-time notifications, and upgraded support
• Premium ($16.70 per 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

5. Paychex – Best time clock and payroll software

Paychex is one of the most established names in payroll and HR, and its time clock system ties directly into that broader ecosystem. For small businesses that already use Paychex for payroll or benefits, adding its time and attendance module keeps everything connected under one login.

The platform offers multiple ways for employees to clock in — via desktop, mobile app, kiosk, or biometric hardware. The more advanced options include iris and facial recognition time clocks, which help eliminate buddy punching and ensure payroll accuracy down to the minute. Managers can track attendance in real time, review missed punches, and approve timesheets without juggling separate systems.

Automation is where Paychex stands out. Instead of manually reentering hours or chasing down timesheets, employee punches flow directly into payroll. The system automatically calculates overtime, manages PTO requests, and enforces scheduling rules to stay compliant with wage and hour laws. This makes it particularly appealing for owners who want fewer moving parts in payroll week after week.

That said, Paychex’s all-in-one design cuts both ways. It’s powerful but can feel heavier than what some small teams need — especially those that just want a simple, affordable time clock without a full HR suite attached. Pricing isn’t listed publicly, which means you’ll have to request a quote to get started.

For businesses already invested in Paychex or looking for a complete HR platform that happens to include a strong time tracking component, it’s a natural fit. For everyone else, it may be more system than you need.

Key features

• Flexible punch-in options including mobile app, web, kiosk, proximity badge, and biometric time clocks
• Iris and facial recognition to eliminate buddy punching and improve payroll accuracy
• Automatic syncing between time tracking, scheduling, and payroll for fewer manual errors
• Built-in overtime alerts, missed-punch notifications, and labor cost reporting
• Integrated PTO tracking and employee self-service tools for shift swaps and time-off requests
• Geo-punch capability for location-based tracking across multiple job sites
• Compliance-ready recordkeeping to support wage and hour accuracy and audit protection

Pricing

Paychex does not publicly list pricing. Businesses must schedule a demo to receive a custom quote.

6. QuickBooks Time – Best time clock software for QuickBooks customers

QuickBooks Time’s clock in and out app comes with features like GPS tracking, mileage tracking, and geofencing that are great for businesses with traveling employees. With it, you can track time and mileage in one place, making it easy to calculate mileage reimbursements and include them in payroll.

QuickBooks Time also supports automatic time tracking based on work schedules or geofencing, where clocking in and out can be triggered by location-based boundaries. Its smartphone apps can record time entries even when employees are offline, syncing the data once reconnected.

And while most of the other tools on this list offer integrations with QuickBooks Online, Desktop, and Payroll, because QuickBooks Time is also an Intuit product, these tools all work together seamlessly with no integration required.

Key features

• Use real-time GPS to track how many miles employees traveled
• Set up geofences to automatically clock employees in and out
• Create work schedules for your employees
• Integrate automatically with QuickBooks Online and Payroll
• Use its API to create job codes, locations, and geofences in bulk

Pricing

• Premium ($20 base/month + $8 per user/month): Includes mobile app, time and attendance, GPS tracking, scheduling, time kiosk, customizable reports, alerts and notifications, and unlimited support
• 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

7. EasyClocking – Best biometric time clock software

EasyClocking focuses on precision and accountability through hardware-based time tracking. Unlike purely app-based systems, it offers biometric clocks — fingerprint, facial recognition, and proximity card scanners — that tie directly into a cloud-based dashboard.

Employees clock in using one of several methods: a biometric device, proximity badge, or the EasyClocking mobile app. Every punch syncs instantly to the cloud, giving managers live visibility into attendance, hours worked, and who’s on-site. The system automatically calculates regular and overtime hours, applies company policies, and compiles that data into ready-to-export timesheets.

The platform also includes built-in scheduling tools, job costing, and PTO tracking, which can help smaller businesses handle time management from a single interface. Integration with major payroll providers — including QuickBooks, ADP, and Paychex — streamlines payroll processing without manual data entry.

EasyClocking’s biometric hardware eliminates errors common with PINs or shared devices, while its real-time dashboard reduces the administrative lag between time entry and payroll. That combination gives small business owners confidence that every hour logged is accurate and verifiable.

It’s not the cheapest or simplest solution on this list — you’ll need to purchase or lease biometric devices — but for businesses where physical presence matters (retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and warehouses), the added accountability and security justify the investment.

Key features

• Biometric time clocks using fingerprint, facial recognition, or proximity badges
• Cloud-based dashboard with real-time visibility into hours and attendance
• Automatic overtime, break, and PTO calculation with customizable policies
• Mobile app and web access for remote or hybrid employees
• Job costing and shift scheduling to track labor by project or department
• Integrations with QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and other major payroll systems
• Secure cloud storage with audit-ready historical data

Pricing

EasyClocking does not publicly list pricing. Businesses must schedule a demo to receive a custom quote.

8. Deputy – Best restaurant time clock software

Deputy is built for shift-based teams in restaurants, retail stores, and hospitality. It combines a reliable time clock with powerful scheduling and labor cost controls, helping small businesses keep staffing tight without burning through overtime or compliance fines.

Employees clock in through a mobile app or kiosk tablet with touch-free facial verification and optional GPS stamping. Once a shift starts, Deputy tracks hours, breaks, and overtime automatically. Managers can review and approve digital timesheets in bulk, then send them straight to payroll in a few clicks.

Where Deputy really shines is scheduling. AI-assisted planning uses sales data and demand forecasts to recommend optimal staffing levels, building schedules in minutes that match your busiest times without overspending during slow hours. If someone calls out, open shifts can be posted instantly, and the app routes them to the best available staff members based on skills, cost, and availability.

Compliance tools run quietly in the background, handling overtime limits, required breaks, Fair Workweek rules, and fatigue management automatically. Missed breaks are flagged, attestations are recorded, and audit trails are created in real time to help prevent costly violations.

Deputy’s live labor-to-sales dashboard also gives owners an instant read on performance: how today’s wage costs compare to projected revenue, where overtime is creeping up, and which shifts are under or overstaffed. It’s data small businesses can act on immediately without wading through spreadsheets.

Key features

• Build schedules in minutes based on sales or traffic data
• Clock in via kiosk tablet with facial verification
• Track labor spend against revenue by shift or day
• Fill schedule gaps automatically with qualified, available staff
• Manage overtime, breaks, and Fair Workweek rules with built-in alerts
• Review, approve, and send hours to payroll in one step
• Gain insight into overtime, penalty pay, coverage gaps, and labor efficiency trends

Pricing

• Lite ($5.50/user/month): Includes basic scheduling features, timesheets and time clock, basic reporting
• Core ($7.25/user/month): Adds advanced scheduling features, biometrics, demand forecasting
• Pro ($10/user/month): Provides some advanced features and additional customer support

9. Kimai – Best open source time clock software

One way to avoid the subscription cost of paying for time tracking software without sacrificing access to features is to use an open-source option that allows for self-hosting. It requires a lot of technical know-how to set up, but if you have that support on your team, Kimai is a good choice.

Kimai has features to support time tracking, project time tracking, invoicing, and expenses. You can create private client portals — which can be shared via unique URL or password-protected — to share project progress with individual clients. It’s also pre-translated into 30+ languages out of the box.

You can also extend the functionality of the platform using plugins — some of which are free and some have a flat-rate cost. And since it’s open source, you can also build anything else you need into the platform. This makes it infinitely customizable to do exactly what you need it to do.

Key features

• Extend the functionality of the platform with plugins and custom code
• Access an extensive JSON API for reading and writing data
• Instantly translate all labels and fields in the platform into 30+ languages
• Login to the platform using SSO via Google Workspace, Authentik, or Azure
• Self-host the platform to get access to it at no monthly cost

Pricing

• Self-hosted: Free forever with unlimited users, projects, and timesheets
• Standard ($4.69 per user/month): Includes project time tracking, billable vs. non-billable hours, invoicing, data export, audit logs, industry-specific translations, and email support
• Professional ($5.87 per user/month): Includes everything in Standard, plus working hours accounting, public holidays, vacation and sick leave tracking, expense tracking, custom fields, task management, and daily downloadable backups

10. Jibble – Best facial recognition time clock software

Jibble is a lightweight time clock app built for teams that need strong accountability without the cost or complexity of enterprise systems. Its biggest draw is facial recognition clock-ins. Employees can punch in through a shared tablet or their phones, and the app verifies identity instantly to prevent buddy punching.

Every clock-in is stamped with GPS location data and synced in real time to Jibble’s cloud dashboard. Geofencing ensures that employees can only clock in from approved job sites, reducing time theft and simplifying oversight.

Jibble includes solid scheduling and time management tools. You can assign shifts, track projects, and approve time-off requests directly in the app. Automated timesheets consolidate all logged hours, breaks, and overtime for easy review, and you can export data directly to payroll or accounting systems like QuickBooks and Xero.

The free plan is generous, supporting unlimited users with basic time tracking, PTO, and integrations. Paid plans unlock multi-level approvals, multiple geofences, advanced scheduling, and custom time tracking policies — features that give small businesses enterprise-level control without the enterprise price tag.

If you need a modern, mobile-friendly time clock that prioritizes accuracy and fraud prevention but stays simple enough for everyday use, Jibble checks all the right boxes.

Key features

• Facial recognition and selfie verification to eliminate buddy punching
• GPS tagging and geofencing for accurate off-site time tracking
• Mobile, web, and kiosk modes for clock-ins across different work environments
• Automated timesheets with break and overtime calculations
• Shift scheduling and leave management built into the same dashboard
• Payroll-ready exports to QuickBooks, Xero, and other major systems
• Unlimited users on the free plan with optional paid upgrades for advanced features

Pricing

• Free: Unlimited users, includes time tracking, PTO, projects, and integrations
• Premium ($4.99 per user/month): Includes everything in Free, plus features like unlimited admins and managers, unlimited geofences, unlimited work schedules, leave accruals and balances, custom time tracking policies, multi-level approvals

11. Harvest – Best time clock software for Mac users

Harvest is built for small businesses that bill by the hour — agencies, consultants, accountants, designers — anyone who needs clean, accurate time data without wading through cluttered dashboards. It’s not bloated with HR extras or scheduling tools; it focuses squarely on time, expenses, and invoices.

Employees can clock in and out using timers or manual timesheet entries from desktop, mobile, or browser extensions. Each entry can be tied to a specific client, project, or task, giving teams a clear record of how time is spent and where projects are running over budget. Managers get that visibility instantly through simple, visual reports.

For small businesses, Harvest’s biggest advantage is its balance of power and simplicity. It’s intuitive enough for anyone to use without training, yet detailed enough to track billable versus non-billable hours, compare estimated vs. actual project costs, and generate profitability reports in seconds.

Harvest also eliminates the usual friction between time tracking and billing. You can create invoices directly from logged hours and sync them with accounting platforms like QuickBooks, Xero, or Stripe. Expenses can be logged alongside time entries, complete with receipt uploads, so you’re capturing the full financial picture in one system.

The app works especially well on Mac, with a desktop widget and mobile apps that make it easy to start and stop timers wherever you are. For small service businesses, it’s an ideal mix of simplicity, precision, and professional polish.

Key features

• Start and stop timers or add manual timesheet entries for projects and clients
• Track expenses with billable tagging and receipt uploads
• Generate invoices directly from tracked time and sync to QuickBooks or Xero
• Visual reports on team utilization, budgets, and profitability
• Compare estimated vs. actual hours for smarter project planning
• Integrations with 50+ apps including Slack, Trello, Asana, and Google Workspace
• Desktop and mobile apps for Mac, iOS, and Android

Pricing

• Free: Includes 1 seat, 2 projects, basic time tracking, reporting, and invoicing
• Pro ($11 per seat/month): Unlimited seats and 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

12. When I Work – Best office time clock software

When I Work is there when you need simple scheduling and communication with time tracking built in. For small offices, retail stores, and professional services teams that live and die by the schedule, it keeps everything — shifts, messages, and time entries — in one clean dashboard.

Employees can clock in from their phones or desktop apps, and each punch can be tagged with GPS data to confirm location. Time entries automatically sync with digital timesheets, making approvals fast and exports to payroll accurate. For many small businesses, that automation alone cuts hours off end-of-week admin work.

Scheduling is where When I Work shines. You can build shifts in minutes, publish them instantly, and notify employees automatically when changes go out. The system also supports labor forecasting and budgeting tools, helping small teams avoid costly overstaffing during slow hours.

When I Work also includes WorkChat, an internal messaging tool that lets teams communicate directly inside the app — no group texts or third-party chat tools needed. Managers can send one-way announcements, while employees can message each other for quick shift swaps or updates.

It’s worth noting that When I Work leans scheduling-first, not time tracking-first. It lacks some advanced time tracking features (like facial recognition, QR codes, or group punch options) that tools like Buddy Punch include. But for businesses that mainly need reliable scheduling with light time tracking, it’s a cost-effective choice.

Key features

• Employee clock-ins via mobile or desktop with GPS stamping
• Real-time timesheets that sync automatically with schedules
• Built-in WorkChat messaging for team communication and shift coordination
• Labor forecasting and budgeting tools to track wage costs against revenue
• Automatic notifications for shift changes, open shifts, and approvals
• Integrations with payroll tools like Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Square, and QuickBooks Online

Pricing

• Single Location or Schedule ($2.50/user/month): Includes labor forecasting, budgeting, task management, geofencing
• Multiple Locations and Schedules ($5 /user/month): Offers unlimited schedules and job sites along with expanded reporting

13. Workyard – Best time clock software for small contractors

Workyard was built for businesses that manage crews in the field — contractors, landscapers, and field service teams that need proof of where and when work happens. Its strength lies in GPS-verified time tracking that logs every punch with location data and automatically ties those hours to specific projects and cost codes.

Instead of relying on employee honesty or manual updates, Workyard records real-time movement through high-accuracy GPS pings. Every clock-in, break, and clock-out is location-stamped, creating a clear, auditable trail of hours worked on each job site. For small contractors, that’s an instant end to disputes about timecards or billing.

Scheduling and coordination are handled through a central digital calendar. You can assign shifts, reroute crews, and push updates instantly to both field and office teams. Supervisors can clock in entire crews at once, while on-site kiosks let workers punch in using shared devices. Everything syncs automatically, keeping everyone aligned without paperwork or text chains.

Compliance is another strong point. Workyard’s automations trim timecards, enforce breaks, and prompt workers for safety confirmations before clocking out so labor law compliance is directly built into your daily process. When payroll day comes, timesheets export straight to accounting or payroll systems, cutting hours off admin work.

Key features

• GPS-verified clock-ins with continuous location logging and breadcrumb trails
• Automatic job costing that links labor hours to projects and cost codes in real time
• Digital scheduling calendar for assigning shifts and rerouting crews quickly
• Compliance tools for breaks, overtime, and end-of-day safety confirmations
• Supervisor clock-ins and on-site kiosk options for shared devices
• Integrations with payroll, accounting, and project management systems via API

Pricing

• Starter ($6/user/month + $50 monthly base fee): Includes GPS time tracking, supervisor-led time entry, mileage tracking, break and overtime compliance, notes/photos/receipts, timesheet reporting, payroll integrations, and human support
• Pro ($13/user/month + $50 monthly base fee): Everything in Starter, plus scheduling and tasks, recurring checklists, time clock rules (auto clock-in/out, geofencing restrictions, meal break automation), project tracking, labor cost reporting, clock-in photo verification, time off management, and deeper accounting integrations
• Enterprise (Custom pricing): Everything in Pro, with added automation for project time allocation, incident reporting, advanced compliance tools, real-time alerts, ERP integrations, and custom API access

14. Toggl Track – Best time clock software for very small businesses

Like Clockify, Toggl Track also has a free plan. It’s more restrictive than Clockify’s in terms of user count — you can only have up to five users on Toggl Track’s free plan — but you get a lot more features in Toggle Track for those five users than you get in Clockify for unlimited users. This makes it a good option for very small businesses.

At its most basic, Toggl Track’s free plan gives you time tracking for five users, timesheets, and timesheet reports. You can also add unlimited projects to track time toward specific projects and tasks.

However, you also get access to much more advanced features. Toggl Track will track time for your employees automatically, sorting time into the proper client projects and tasks based on keywords, applications, or URLs. And if a team member forgets to log time, they can view a timeline to see what they were working on when.

Team members can also track time for multiple employees at once — say if you have multiple people in a meeting — by adding teammates to their time entries. Finally, Toggle Track is an anti-surveillance tool, which means the data it collects is designed to help employees track their time instead of for management to review.

Key features

• Create time entries automatically based on keyword, app, or URL
• Give employees access to their work history without invading their privacy
• View a timeline of all activities to get more details on time you forgot to log
• Attach time to an unlimited number of clients, tasks, and projects
• Integrate with 100+ project management and payroll apps

Pricing

• Starter ($6/user/month + $50 monthly base fee): Includes GPS time tracking, supervisor-led time entry, mileage tracking, break and overtime compliance, notes/photos/receipts, timesheet reporting, payroll integrations, and human support
• Pro ($13/user/month + $50 monthly base fee): Everything in Starter, plus scheduling and tasks, recurring checklists, time clock rules (auto clock-in/out, geofencing restrictions, meal break automation), project tracking, labor cost reporting, clock-in photo verification, time off management, and deeper accounting integrations
• Enterprise (Custom pricing): Everything in Pro, with added automation for project time allocation, incident reporting, advanced compliance tools, real-time alerts, ERP integrations, and custom API access

15. ClickTime – Best project time clock software

ClickTime is a project time tracking and resource planning platform designed for professional services businesses and agencies. In addition to tracking employee time overall and against specific clients’ tasks and projects, you can also improve your forecasting and make sure projects stay on budget.

With ClickTime, employees can log their time to either billable or non-billable tasks. Admins and managers can then review those reports to optimize productivity by reducing or eliminating the types of work you can’t bill clients for, such as unnecessary internal meetings.

ClickTime also takes all of your historical data and pairs it with your future plans to help you understand how many employee hours new projects will take to complete, how the hours you’ve worked compare to the hours you estimated you’d need, and how much work each member of your team is assigned.

Key features

• Access detailed burndown reports showing budget vs. billings
• Get insights into why time/cost estimates and actuals differ
• Create more accurate budgets based on historical data
• Plan your team’s capacity to avoid overbooking work
• Create heavily customized reports using Data Studio

Pricing

• Starter ($12/user/month, up to 25 users): Includes easy time tracking, 70+ prebuilt reports, and automated email reminders for missing entries
• Team ($15/user/month, up to 200 users): Adds approval workflows, advanced billing rates, and built-in time off management
• Premier ($27/user/month, up to 200 users): Includes everything in Team, plus project budgeting, resource management, and custom report building through Report Studio
• Enterprise (Custom pricing): Designed for large or complex organizations needing custom integrations, advanced configurations, and professional onboarding services

Choosing the best time clock software for small business 

The first thing you’ll want to do when shopping for time clock software is put together a shortlist. Hopefully, the list of options above helped with that. Just start by writing down the names of any options you find interesting. You’ll narrow down the list in the next steps.

Next, you’ll want to compile a list of features you’d like to have. At this stage, just write down anything you think would be helpful. When you’re finished, decide which features on your list are must-haves, and which are nice-to-haves:

• Must-haves are tablestakes, business-critical features that you can’t operate without.
• Nice-to-haves are things that you’d like but don’t absolutely need to operate effectively.

With this list of must-haves and nice-to-haves compiled, you can start narrowing down the options on your shortlist. Look at the features of each tool, and remove any that don’t include your must-haves.

Next is pricing and budget. Determine which of the tools on your list are priced within your budget. Remove any that cost more than what you can afford to spend.

A note on pricing: Make sure to spend extra time validating that the features you need are available at the price you can afford. Pricing for software tends to be intentionally vague, with many apps putting their most desirable features in higher-cost plans. Spend extra time at this stage reviewing price by feature availability. 

After that, you can start to consider your nice-to-have features. Narrow your list down to three or so options that offer the highest number of features you want at the most reasonable price.

From there, start a free trial and test the apps. You’ll want to make sure that the features work the way you expect them to and that everything you need is available. You might also want to try reaching out to the provider’s support team to make sure they’re responsive when you run into issues and need help.

Following this process, you should be able to find the perfect time clock software for your team.