The 7 Best Portable Time Clocks for Construction in 2024

Illustrative image of the best portable time clocks for construction

Coordinating construction crews across multiple job sites makes time tracking complicated.

You need a portable time clock so your team can punch in and out of work, but if you have multiple job sites, large job sites, or change work sites frequently, this is a big logistical pain. This often means you need multiple time clocks, which can be expensive and hard to manage.

Whatever time clock you use, you want to ensure that your team is reporting their hours accurately. This means avoiding issues like clocking in too early, clocking out too late, buddy punching (employees clocking each other in), and honest mistakes like forgetting to clock out. 

All these attendance tracking issues can snowball into costly payroll errors. 

You also want to make sure your crew can track their time even if they’re working in a spot without any WiFi service.

Finally, you want to streamline your time-tracking process. This means syncing up time tracking with your work schedule, your team’s PTO, and payroll.

To help solve these issues, construction companies have two possible solutions.

  1. Portable time clocks designed specifically for construction sites. These time clocks come with features like pin codes for clocking in and out, a long battery life, and timesheet data storage that you can sync when you bring in your time clock from the construction site (great if you don’t have WiFi service out on the job site).
  2. Mobile time clocks designed for construction companies. Instead of using a physical time clock, you can use an app. With a time clock app, you can set up a designated time clock kiosk or let each construction crew member use their own mobile device to clock in and out.

In this post, we’ll break down the pros and cons of mobile time clocks and physical time clocks, then take a closer look at the seven best portable time clocks for construction teams.

Mobile vs. physical time clocks

Both mobile and physical time clocks are portable and can be used by construction teams at different job sites. Let’s take a look at the differences between them and the pros and cons of the two different options so you can pick the best fit for your company’s needs.

Physical time clocks

Physical time clocks are battery-operated, heavy-duty, portable devices that you can set up at your construction site. They’re meant to be easily carried from one site to another, can be left outside, won’t break if they fall or get knocked over, and can handle extreme temperatures (such as rain and high heat).

Some of these time clocks also offer advanced clock in and out features beyond just time stamps, like biometric options that use fingerprint, facial recognition, or voice recognition technology to make sure the right person is punching in for their shift.

However, there are some drawbacks to using a portable time clock:

  • These devices can cost hundreds of dollars each. This is costly and can add up, especially if you need more than one, which is common if you’re dealing with a large construction site or have multiple sites to manage.
  • You need to manage them. You need to move them from job site to job site. If there are any issues (whether with the hardware or the electronics), you need to troubleshoot the issue yourself.
  • They don’t help streamline your time-tracking process. Most portable time clocks just track when someone clocks in and out. You then need to take that data and enter it into a spreadsheet to calculate hours and run payroll.

Mobile time clocks

Mobile time clocks are time-tracking systems that can be accessed on computers, tablets, and smartphones. You can use them to set up a designated clock-in-and-out kiosk (like a computer or tablet at the job site), or you can have your crew use their own devices for timekeeping. 

The advantage of mobile time clocks is that they come with lots of features you don’t get with physical time clocks. They auto-calculate employee hours for you and can integrate directly with your payroll software, speeding up the process of running payroll significantly.

Mobile time clocks can also perform more complex calculations for you. They can automatically identify overtime hours and calculate the right pay. They can track the number of hours your crews worked on specific construction projects. And they can handle variable pay rates for prevailing wage jobs.

Mobile time clocks also often have features to help keep your team accountable, such as GPS tracking, geofencing, and biometric clock-in options. Many also contain other administrative tools like employee scheduling and time-off management, significantly reducing the amount of administration it takes to run your construction business.

Advanced online time clocks come with advanced clock in and out features to practically guarantee employee accountability. For example, Buddy Punch has advanced features such as:

But there are times when an online time clock may not be the right fit for your team. For example, if your construction sites often don’t have phone or internet service, then physical time clocks might be the better option.

The 7 best portable time clocks for construction

Now that you know which type of time clock you need, find the perfect option for your company in this list of the seven best portable time clocks for construction companies.

1. Buddy Punch – Best mobile time clock

Screenshot of Buddy Punch's homepage

Buddy Punch is a mobile time clock that’s accessible via mobile phones, tablets, and computers. Rather than having to worry about transporting physical time clocks to and from each construction site, workers can clock in via their cell phones, tablets, or computers. 

You can also set up a tablet as a dedicated clock-in-and-out terminal if you want to have everyone clocking in and out from the same device, or you can have a site foreman or supervisor clock all of your workers in/out at the same time.

You and your team can access Buddy Punch on Mac and Windows computers, Apple and Android phones, and iPads and Android tablets.

Beyond making it easy for your employees to clock in and out, Buddy Punch comes with a lot of additional features to keep your employees accountable, ensure accurate timekeeping, run payroll efficiently, and simplify your other administrative work.

Job costing

Screenshot of job codes in Buddy Punch

Job codes make it easy to attach employee time to specific jobs or projects. To track employee time per job, create job codes and assign them to the construction workers who are on those jobs. 

When employees clock in, their time will either automatically be attached to the job code they’ve been assigned, or if more than one job code is assigned, they’re presented with a job code list to select from when clocking in.

Overtime calculations

Image of custom overtime rules in Buddy Punch

Calculate overtime pay easily with custom rules that automatically apply overtime rates based on location, work week, or company policies. Managers and administrators can also turn on notifications for when construction workers are nearing overtime to save on payroll costs.

Project-specific pay rates

With project tracking, you can set up different pay rates for the different projects your crew works on. This is helpful if your employees earn more when working on specific types of projects, such as prevailing wage jobs. 

Set up rates tailored to your different jobs, and Buddy Punch automatically assigns the right pay rates to the time employees work on those jobs.

GPS tracking

Screenshot of setting up GPS tracking in Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch offers a couple of different GPS tracking features.

With basic GPS tracking, Buddy Punch will log your employees’ GPS coordinates any time they clock in or out. You can then review their locations on their timesheets and in your reports.

If you want more advanced GPS tracking, Buddy Punch also offers real-time GPS where you can track employees’ locations for the entire time that they’re on the clock. This feature is especially helpful for tracking exactly where employees are, at what time, and for how long.

Image of real-time GPS tracking on a map in Buddy Punch

GPS tracking can be used on a per-employee basis. You can make it required for everyone, optional for everyone, or required only for specific employees you specify.

Geofencing

Screenshot of Buddy Punch's geofencing feature

With Geofencing, you can create one or more virtual boundaries around your job sites and limit clocking in and out to within those boundaries. 

You have complete control over the size of the boundary. Limit it for small office locations by making the radius 150 feet in diameter, or expand it for large job sites to as much as 4,500 feet.

You can also pair geofences with job codes to automatically tie an employee’s work hours to the job code of the specific location they’re working at. 

This means your workers won’t have to worry about selecting the right job code when switching between two sites on the same day. They just arrive at the job site and punch in, and Buddy Punch will take care of the rest.

Photos on punch

Image of Buddy Punch's Photos on Punch feature

With Photos on Punch, you can require your employees to take a photo of themselves when clocking in or out. This helps prevent the time-theft practice of buddy punching, where employees have coworkers clock in or out for them.

Group punch

Screenshot of group punch in Buddy Punch

If you don’t want to bother with a time clock kiosk or ask employees to download Buddy Punch’s mobile apps, you can allow your site foreman to clock everyone at the job site in and out at the same time.

Text to punch

If your construction site has unreliable WiFi or data coverage, Buddy Punch’s text-to-punch feature allows workers to clock in and out by sending a text message. You can also set up automatic confirmation messages.

Punch limiting

Screenshot of punch limiting in Buddy Punch

Punch limiting prevents employees from clocking in early or clocking out late, which can help you avoid unplanned labor costs and unintentional overtime. Employees are only able to clock in and out during the times indicated on their work schedules.  

Automatic breaks

Screenshot of break rules in Buddy Punch

Within Buddy Punch, you can set up breaks to be automatically factored out of hours worked. For instance, you can specify that workers get a 25-minute unpaid lunch break after working a certain number of hours. This removes the need for employees to clock in and out multiple times a day.

Timecard editing

Screenshot of editing timesheets in Buddy Punch

Everyone forgets things sometimes, and that includes clocking in and out. When this happens, Buddy Punch lets you easily fix the mistake. Once an employee has reported an error, navigate to their timecard. Then, simply adjust the hours to the correct value.

Employee scheduling

Screenshot of Buddy Punch's employee scheduling tool

You can also use Buddy Punch to create employee schedules. You can notify employees of shifts and changes, and the app even allows employees to trade and cover shifts (subject to admin approval).

Payroll integrations

Screenshot of some of Buddy Punch's payroll integrations

Buddy Punch’s integrations let you automatically send your timesheet data to payroll and accounting software like QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, Paychex, Workday, and more.

Paid time off tracking and accruals

Set up PTO accrual rules, update PTO balances, and let employees make time-off requests and see how much paid time off they’ve accrued at any time in the Buddy Punch app.

What construction companies like about Buddy Punch

Screenshot of Buddy Punch's rating on Capterra

Buddy Punch has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Capterra across nearly 1,000 reviews. Here’s what some of our construction customers have to say about our product:

  • “I like that the employees can clock in and out on their phones since we have construction sites where there isn’t a mobile office. It also lets them select the job they are working for so we can have accurate billing. It has a lot of features that a construction company needs.” Read the full review
  • “Employees can punch in wherever they are assigned. We can use a geofence if the employee is not punching in at the yard, and we can see where they are when they punch in. It’s prevented stealing time.” Read the full review.
  • “It’s very inclusive of everything an admin needs to address different scenarios in the field. Multiple customer reps were available via chat to help with setup and answer questions. The rep was very knowledgeable and helped me with every single question and scenario I had trouble with.” Read the full review.
  • “The guys were able to easily use it! It was much more efficient than the handwritten time sheets we have been using. It is very affordable and breaks the individual hours down to a report that I could merge with our payroll provider.” Read the full review.

Pricing

Buddy Punch’s plans start at $4.49 per user per month, plus a $19 base fee.

Want to learn more about Buddy Punch? Start a free trial, watch a recorded demo, or request a personalized demo.

2. ExakTime’s Rugged Time Clocks – Best combined physical and mobile time clock

Image of ExakTime's JobClock Hornet

ExakTime is a construction time-tracking app that offers portable, weatherproof, durable physical time clocks in addition to its timekeeping software. It offers two options: JobClock® Hornet and JobClock®/LE.

Both systems are portable, can be mounted anywhere, and are lockable for security. They’re battery-powered, can hold a charge for 21 days, and can be recharged as needed with a car charger. And they can handle temperatures as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 170 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Workers use color-coded key fobs to clock in and out. The JobClock® Hornet requires a data plan, but it sends time data to the cloud every hour. The JobClock®/LE lets you manually upload your timecard data using your mobile device.

In addition to the portable time clocks, the ExakTime mobile app offers features like GPS tracking, prevailing wage tracking, photo capture on clock in/out, cost code tracking, payroll integrations, and French, English, and Spanish translations.

Pricing

ExakTime’s mobile app plans start at $9 per employee per month plus an unspecified base fee. Pricing for its Rugged Time Clocks is not publicly available, though the website mentions a buy two get one free offer for new customers.

3. SmartBarrel – Best physical time clock

Image of SmartBarrel's portable time clock

SmartBarrel aggregates your timesheet data by integrating with payroll providers like Procore, CMiC, Viewpoint, Foundation, ComputerEASE, Sage, and QuickBooks, automatically sending clock-in and out data to those providers.

SmartBarrel devices are solar-powered, so you don’t have to worry about charging batteries or running out of battery life. However, if your job site has power, you can also use a power cord to plug it into a standard outlet.

Employees can clock in using SmartBarrell in several different ways. They can use their phone number, a key fob, or a badge. When an employee clocks in, SmartBarrell uses its built-in facial recognition technology to make sure that the person clocking in is the same person who clocked in on previous occasions. 

Pricing

Pricing for SmartBarrell is not publicly available. To get a quote, you have to request a demo from the SmartBarrell team.

4. TimePilot Tap – Best physical time clock for transportability

Image of the TimePilot Tap on a job site

If your workers move from job site to job site frequently, you may want something more portable than the larger ExakTime and SmartBarrell options above. The TimePolit Tap may be the right option in this case — it’s small enough to be transported in your pocket or toolbox.

The TimePilot Tap is battery-powered, and its battery lasts for a year before it needs to be recharged. It can be recharged when needed by attaching it to a computer via a USB cable. 

To clock in and out, employees use a key fob; each fob is unique to individual employees. Supervisors or foremen can keep the Tap device in their work vehicles or toolboxes, then get them out at the beginning and end of shifts for employees to clock in and out.

However, the TimePilot Tap doesn’t automatically sync any timecard data. At the end of the pay period, you have to take the device back to the office and connect it to a computer to sync the device’s data to TimePilot’s software so you can run payroll.

Pricing

A starter pack for TimePilot Tap is $248 and includes one time clock device, 10 employee key fobs, and a USB cable. There’s also an additional fee for an annual subscription to TimePilot’s software, which is charged on a per-employee basis. Additional time clocks and key fobs are also available for purchase individually.

5. Acroprint M150 – Best physical time clock for paper timesheets

Image of the Acroprint M150

If you want to avoid the ongoing costs of a subscription software service, the Acroprint M150 may be the right physical time clock for your construction company. It’s a truly traditional punch clock — employees enter paper timesheets into it, and it prints their clock in and out dates and times on the paper timecard.

This type of time clock will probably work best if your employees need to come to the office every day when they start and end work. While it is a durable option, it’s likely a little cumbersome to carry around from job site to job site, and employees are more likely to misplace their timesheets if they’re traveling with them.

Pricing

The Acroprint M150 costs $299.99. Weekly paper timecards for the system are an additional $59.99 for a package of 250.

6. AMGtime BS 922 – Best physical time clock for fingerprint scanning

Image of AMGtime's BS 922

AMGtime’s BS 922 is a portable time clock that is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof. It comes in a case that has a handle for easy transport. Notably, it’s one of the only physical time clocks that allows for fingerprint scanning, which helps you validate that the employee clocking in/out is the employee who’s billing time.

The AMGtime BS 922 is another option you can use to track employee time without a software subscription. You can transfer its data to a computer using a USB cable, Ethernet cable, or WiFi. However, if you want to connect it to a software service, AMGtime also offers web-based and desktop time-tracking software.

Pricing

Pricing for the BS 922 starts at $645 per device. If you need multiple devices, you can get a quantity-based discount. To get the device and software, pricing starts at $1,217.94 and includes two users and up to 50 employees.

7. EasyClocking Xenio R700 – Best physical time clock with notifications

Image of the EasyClocking Xenio R700

The EasyClocking Xenio R700 is one of the more limited options on this list. It’s battery-powered, but its battery only lasts for 12 hours, so it needs to be recharged every day. And it only offers fingerprint scanning — there are no options for clocking in and out in other ways like some of the other time clocks.

However, the Xenio R700 has one feature that made us decide to add it to this list: messaging. If you need to deliver a message to an employee, it will pop up on the screen when the employee clocks in or out. This can be great if you have urgent issues to communicate to employees before they start working.

Another unique feature is that you can ask employees yes/no questions when they clock in or out. This can be useful if you want to collect data on things like “Was the job completed” or “Were there any injuries on the job site today?”

Pricing

Pricing for the Xenio R700 is not publicly available. Additionally, it’s unclear if the device requires a subscription to WorkEasy Software to collect timesheet data. Request a demo with the EasyClocking team for pricing information.

Choosing the right portable time clock for your field teams

Whether you choose a mobile or physical time clock, it’s essential to select a solution that fits your construction team’s unique needs. 

By understanding the pros and cons of each option, you can streamline time tracking, reduce payroll errors, and ensure accurate reporting across all your job sites. Investing in the right time clock system will ultimately save you time, money, and headaches, helping your business run more efficiently.