6 Best Mobile Timesheet Apps (2024)

ByEric Czerwonka Last UpdatedJanuary 23, 2024

5 Best Mobile Timesheet Apps

In this post, we’ll share:

A brief overview of how Buddy Punch (our mobile timesheet app) works. In short, employees can easily punch in and out from their phones (iPhone or Android). They could also do so from a tablet or computer.

A detailed overview of Buddy Punch’s accountability features (e.g., limit employee punches to a certain location, device, and so on).

A detailed overview of Buddy Punch’s payroll features (e.g., on-demand payroll reports, time off tracking, payroll provider integrations, and more).

A list of Buddy Punch’s online reviews on Capterra, a well established software review platform.

A list of four other mobile timesheet apps, alongside their key features and reviews.

Best Mobile Timesheet Apps

Buddy Punch
Timesheet Mobile
Connecteam
OnTheClock
Hubstaff
When I Work

1. Buddy Punch

Brief Overview of How Our Mobile Timesheet App Works

At a high level, with Buddy Punch:

1. Employees can punch in and out via our intuitive and easy-to-use mobile app, which works with iPhone and Android. They could also do so from a tablet or computer.

Buddy Punch on mobile devices.

As one of our customers noted in their review on Capterra, “It has a very simple interface. Easy to punch in and out as well as check timecards. I think both the smartphone version and the desktop version were well-designed. It doesn’t try to do too much and make things complicated, since the main purpose is just to clock in and out, and it efficiently allows the user to do exactly that.”

2. As employees punch in and out, Buddy Punch automatically calculates the number of hours they’ve worked, time off, overtime, and more.

This information is available for easy reference via the app. You can also download it in the form of a PDF or Excel spreadsheet:

Payroll spreadsheet.

As one of our customers noted in their review on Capterra, “We used to add up timesheets manually each week. When you have over 20 employees and they all have different pay scales, it can be very time consuming… I like how easy it is to use and the time it has saved us each week on payroll. The employees like seeing their time live each day as well.”

You can use Buddy Punch on your desktop, and you can also download our mobile app directly from:

The App Store for iOS devices
Google Play Store for Android devices

Buddy Punch’s Features That Increase Employee Accountability

Many business owners worry about time theft and buddy punching, as this leads to inaccurate hours and overpaying employees.

For this reason, we offer a buffet of accountability features that can restrict employee punches to a certain device (e.g., their personal iPhone or Android smartphone), a location (e.g., within 300 feet of your business address), and so on.

We’ll cover these features in detail below. Note that they’re completely optional and are turned off by default.

Geofencing

Geofencing.

What if an employee attempts to punch in from their phone before they’re at work?

Our Geofencing feature prevents this from happening. You can configure Buddy Punch so that employees are only able to punch in and out within close proximity (e.g., 300 feet) of your work location.

If an employee tries to submit a punch outside your designated geofence (e.g., on their phone from the parking lot), then they’ll receive an error message and be asked to try again within the proper location.

What if you have multiple worksites or business locations? In that case, you can set up multiple geofences from which employees can punch in and out.

IP Address Locking

Edit IP address lock

IP Address Locking lets you limit employee punches to a specific device (whether it be an iPhone, Android, tablet, or computer).

You can also limit punches to a certain Wi-Fi network that employees use (e.g., Verizon-C8). So, for example, employees could only successfully submit a punch if their phone was connected to that network.

Photos on Punch

Take a photo when punching in and out.

With Photos on Punch, each time an employee punches in and out, they’re required to take a selfie photo using our smartphone app.

Ideally, the photo should contain the employee’s face and surrounding background.

This is our most useful feature for preventing buddy punching, and you can quickly scan through all the photos via a central dashboard:

See punch in/out photos in the timesheet.

Explore Additional Accountability Features

Buddy Punch also offers accountability features such as GPS Tracking, Facial Recognition Punching, Punch Limiting Rules, and more.

We invite you to sign up for a free trial and/or book a one-on-one demo call, where we can answer any questions and discuss the features that best suit your specific needs.

Buddy Punch’s Features to Save Time on Payroll

Traditional payroll processes (e.g., doing manual calculations and using Excel) are notoriously inefficient.

Up next, we’ll list several features that will make payroll faster and more accurate.

Buddy Punch Payroll

When you use Buddy Punch, you get timesheet software that also lets you run payroll. This means you don’t need to export data out of your software and upload it or send it to your payroll processor.

Here’s how easy it is to run payroll with Buddy Punch.

Simply head to your dashboard and click “Run Payroll” under the Payroll tab.

Then you pick which pay period you want to run. You can review everyone’s timesheets, their total hours, and their wages. You’ll see a breakdown of hours at their regular pay rate, and hours paid out at their overtime pay rate.

With Buddy Punch, you can:

Set up Auto Payroll. This way payroll is already sent on time, so your team gets their pay ontime. Buddy Punch makes sure all the applicable local, state, and federal payroll laws are followed.

Pay via direct deposit. Your employees get access to a self-service login where they can put in their bank account information and set up direct deposit. This is great because you don’t need to be the middleman between your employees, their bank info, and your payroll software.

Next, we cover how Buddy Punch’s timesheet software can still make your life easier if you want to stick with your current payroll system.

Payroll Reports on Demand

Payroll spreadsheet.

As we’ve mentioned, Buddy Punch automatically calculates the number of hours employees have worked, time off, overtime, and more. This information is available for easy reference via the app. You can also download it in the form of a PDF or Excel CSV, as pictured above.

Payroll Provider Integrations

Payroll integrations include QuickBooks, Zapier, Paychex, and more.

Cut down on manual entry work by setting up an integration with your preferred payroll provider:

QuickBooks Online (See setup instructions.)
QuickBooks Desktop (See setup instructions.)
SurePayroll (See setup instructions.)
Paychex (See setup instructions.)
Paylocity (See setup instructions.)
ADP Workforce Now (See setup instructions.)
Workday (See setup instructions.)
Gusto (See setup instructions.)
Payment Evolution (See setup instructions.)
Wagepoint (See setup instructions.)
iSolved (See setup instructions.)
Justworks (See setup instructions.)
And more

Time Off Tracking

Paid time off summary chart.

Buddy Punch offers a plethora of time off tracking features. For example:

Employees can easily send time off requests through the Buddy Punch mobile app. (This can be optionally sent to an administrator for approval.)

Both employers and employees can view in-app time off balance reports.

And more. (Click here to explore additional time off tracking features.)

Accruals

Time off accrual rules page.

Visit this help doc article or view this video to learn how to set up time off accrual rules.

Note that many other features have an accompanying help doc article and video (which will help you get the most out of Buddy Punch).

We’re also happy to help via live chat, and you can sign up for a free trial and/or book a one-on-one demo call.

Buddy Punch Offers Many Other Features

Click here to view an extensive feature list. Some of the features we haven’t covered in this article include:

Online Reviews on Capterra

As of the writing date, Buddy Punch has over 900 reviews and 4.8 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

We’ve pulled a few reviews below, and you can find the complete list here.

“Buddy Punch is easy to use and easy to figure out. Customer service is responsive. The few times I’ve needed help (very rare) they were super responsive and made sure my problem was completely solved. Staff loves the mobile app. It makes punching in/out easy so staff can punch in as they enter the building because inevitably they will be waylaid with questions before they even get to their computer. Buddy Punch is constantly upgrading and improving. There are many ‘bells and whistles’ that we don’t even use- but it is nice to know they are there if we ever need them. I would recommend Buddy Punch to anyone.”
Click here to read the full review.

“I love the convenience of using both the computer and the mobile app for clocking in and out, editing punches, viewing time cards and submitting requests. Buddy Punch is SO easy to use and understand and I love all of the features that have been made available to me. By far the most convenient time-card method I have ever used.”
Click here to read the full review.

“Buddy Punch is simple in design and easy to use. Hours and PTO track effortlessly. The mobile app feature is very convenient.”
Click here to read the full review.

Try Buddy Punch for Free and Request a Demo

We invite you to sign up for a free trial and/or book a one-on-one demo call, where we can answer any questions and discuss the features that best suit your specific needs.

2. Timesheet Mobile

Timesheet Mobile is another easy-to-use timesheet app. With Timesheet Mobile, you can:

Create schedules
Have your team clock in and out from their mobile phone
Review timesheet reports
Issue payroll

You can find Timesheet mobile on:

At the time of this writing, Timesheet Mobile has over 20 reviews on Capterra, with an average star rating of 4.3 out of 5.

Click here to read all of Timesheet Mobile’s reviews

3. Connecteam

Connecteam offers a wide range of features and functionality, some of which include:

It’s one of the best mobile timesheet apps. As of this writing date, Connecteam has over 320 reviews and 4.8 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

“The user-end is designed for mobile use, so it’s super convenient and easy to use your personal mobile device to stay connected with the team. There are so many time-saving features available that take advantage of the tools we already have on hand and make an impact on our daily operations. The mobile app is clear, looks great, and even incorporated our logo into the initialization window. Very professional.”
Click here to read the full review.

3. OnTheClock

OnTheClock offers a wide range of features and functionality, some of which include:

It’s a great mobile timesheet software. As of this writing date, OnTheClock has over 530 reviews and 4.7 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

“I love the ease of clocking in using my mobile device. As someone who has always had to punch in on a computer, I know first hand that computers sometimes take their time opening and connecting to the internet for you to do anything. That’s never fun, especially when you need to clock in. This has been a great product to use instead.”
Click here to read the full review.

4. Hubstaff

Hubstaff offers a wide range of features and functionality, some of which include:

It’s a great mobile timesheet attendance app. As of this writing date, Hubstaff has over 1450 reviews and 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

“We’ve enjoyed the ability to use it for our remote employees, whether they are working from home offices or at job sites. The mobile app tracks location, included in the price.”
Click here to read the full review.

5. When I Work

When I Work offers a wide range of features and functionality, some of which include:

It’s a great timesheet mobile app. As of this writing date, When I Work has over 1057 reviews and 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

“We love the fact that our employees can access it on their phones. Our employees are college students, so being able to use it on a mobile device is crucial. Our old program didn’t have that functionality.”
Click here to read the full review.

Try Buddy Punch for Free and Request a Demo

We invite you to sign up for a free trial and/or book a one-on-one demo call, where we can answer any questions and discuss the features that best suit your specific needs.

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FAQs

What is the Best Mobile Timesheet App?

When looking for the best mobile timesheet app, think of what specific features you need regarding time tracking.

Generally speaking, no matter the size of your business, you’re going to want these basics:

A scheduling tool
A way for employees to clock in and out
A way to keep employee tracking accurate and honest
PTO tracking
Payroll

Plus, within those larger umbrellas of features you want to make sure you have the specific features you need.

For example, at Buddy Punch, you can customize how the software works for you. For example, you can set up timesheet approvals, so you need to approve timesheets before they’re used for payroll. You can customize employee availability when writing schedules, you can choose which employee accountability features to activate (like our Photos on Punch or Geofencing feature).

To see how Buddy Punch works as an all-in-one, easy-to-use mobile timesheet app, start our 14-day free trial.

Are There Free Mobile Timesheet Apps?

You can download mobile timesheet apps for free, but to use them effectively you will need to sign up for a paid account.

Timesheet software is an investment, but you recoup your investment when you factor in the time saved and the errors avoided.

When looking for paid timesheet apps, consider which plan you need.

Most software will have a basic plan, and a pro plan with additional add-ons. Just keep in mind that free plans have limits. Usually you’re not going to be able to guarantee accurate time tracking because you don’t have features like geofencing or biometric time clock options. Further, it may not be easy or seamless to run payroll from a timesheet app. Instead, you’ll spend time dealing with spreadsheet exporting.

So while you can often find free timesheet trackers, they’re really limited in their functionality.

Eric Czerwonka

About the author

As a prior multiple-location business owner, Eric knows all about time collection, scheduling, and everything in-between. From best practices, stories, and business experience, he’ll keep you up to date on the latest trends.