The Top 12 Time and Attendance Software [Buyer’s Guide]

ByEric Czerwonka Last Updated
time and attendance software for small businesses

Time and attendance tracking software gives you new, better, and easier ways to manage your employees and run payroll. But finding the right option for your business can take a lot of time and effort, and choosing the wrong solution can cause a lot of headaches.

To save you from having to do deep research to find the right option — and to help you avoid making the wrong choice — we’ve curated this list of the 12 best time and attendance software. 

1. Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch offers responsive customer support, an intuitive, simple design, and a wide range of features that help you not only track employee time and attendance but also keep your employees accountable and run payroll quickly and accurately. Let’s take a look.

Time tracking

Employees can clock in and out using Buddy Punch in multiple ways. They can do so on their computers or mobile phones, or you can use Buddy Punch on a central computer or tablet as a time clock kiosk. This lets you track time easily no matter where your employees work.

That clock in/out data is automatically compiled into timesheets that you can view anytime on the Buddy Punch dashboard. Timesheets automatically calculate employee hours and overtime, and they can be easily edited in case an employee forgets to clock in or out for a shift.

Payroll

When you’re ready to run payroll, you can do so using Buddy Punch itself, you can download a report of your timesheet data to send to your existing provider, or you can use one of Buddy Punch’s integrations to send the data directly to your payroll provider in seconds.

Buddy Punch integrates with payroll providers like QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, ADP, Rippling, Gusto, Workday, Paychex, and more. See all integrations.

Attendance tracking

Buddy Punch’s dashboard shows admins and managers exactly who is clocked in and out at any given moment. Timecards will show you exactly when employees worked. And you can also set up notifications to alert you when an employee misses a shift, clocks in early, or clocks out early/late to stay on top of attendance in real time.

Attendance tracking works best when it’s combined with Buddy Punch’s employee scheduling feature. You can use it to create schedules for all of your employees in seconds, enjoying features like recurring shifts and availability reports that make scheduling easier than ever.

Plus, once you have schedules set up in Buddy Punch, you can set up other useful features like the early/late/absent notifications we mentioned previously, punch limiting, and automatic punch-outs. 

Punch limiting prevents employees from clocking in before their scheduled shift, and automatic punch-outs will automatically clock employees out at the end of their scheduled shifts. Both of these features save you from unexpected labor costs and overtime hours. 

Employee accountability

Beyond time and attendance tracking, Buddy Punch also offers a number of optional features that help you keep your employees accountable, reducing labor costs and time theft.

  • GPS tracking: Log the location when employees clock in and out to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. Or turn on real-time GPS tracking to see exactly where employees traveled over the course of the entire workday.
  • Geofencing: Prevent employees from clocking in or out when they’re not at the right job site by setting up geofences. If employees aren’t on-site when they try to clock in, they’re prevented from doing so.
  • IP address locks: IP address locks prevent employees from clocking in unless they’re on your company’s IP address (connected to your Wi-Fi). This is great for preventing office workers from clocking in before they arrive at the office.
  • Photos on punch: Require employees to take a photo of themselves when clocking in and out to prevent buddy punching.
  • Facial recognition: Combining Buddy Punch with Face ID lets you verify the identity of your employees before they’re allowed to clock in or out.

Other key features

Buddy Punch is more than just a time and attendance tracker; you can use it to manage your entire workforce. Beyond what we already discussed above, you can also use Buddy Punch to:

  • Manage time off: Set up your PTO accrual rules, and Buddy Punch calculates time off for you. Your team can see their accrued time off anytime in Buddy Punch and make time off requests that are sent to their managers for approval.
  • Simplify shift swaps and covers: When employees need to trade shifts, they can work it out together and then send the request to a manager for approval. And if they need a shift covered, they can create a cover request and send it to anyone who might take the shift.
  • Track time spent on projects: If you need to see how many hours were spent on specific tasks or projects, you can create job or location codes in Buddy Punch. Employees select the appropriate code when clocking in and out, then you can run reports to see the exact number of hours logged per project.

Even with all we’ve mentioned so far, there’s still more that Buddy Punch has to offer. If you want to dig deeper, you can see all of Buddy Punch’s features here.

Or if you’re tired of reading and want to see Buddy Punch for yourself, you can try it out for free or schedule a demo.

2. Clockify

Clockify is a great option for businesses that work on projects for clients. Rather than clocking in and out, Clockify lets your employees start a timer when they begin a task. They can then log that time to specific projects. Managers and admins can also view an attendance report showing anyone who hasn’t worked as many hours as planned each week.

Some of Clockify’s top features include:

Clockify has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Capterra across nearly 5,000 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Clockify gives me control over all parts of a project. I can focus on tasks that are really important and manage my team easily. Clockify is integrated with my Gmail, Calendar, Asana, Google Docs, and spreadsheets, making the work very productive and tasks on each of them easy to control.”

3. When I Work

When I Work is a great option for teams looking for better and easier communication with their employees. It has many features that make every aspect of scheduling easier, and it allows you and your employees to exchange information quickly and easily. Some of its top features include: 

When I Work has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 1,109 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“By shifting to When I Work, we have been able to eliminate the need for a separate staff member to oversee employee attendance and productivity. Prior to implementing this, just checking in with each of our site managers took up most of the mornings. Now, within five minutes, we are able to get a complete view of where our company assets are at any given time.”

4. Jibble

Jibble is a great free option for any business as it doesn’t lock away its more advanced features behind a paywall. You’re going to get a fully functioning application entirely for free, and its paid plans are relatively inexpensive as well. A unique feature of Jibble is their NFC clocking system, allowing for even quicker and easier clocking in for your employees. 

Some of the top features of Jibble include:

Jibble has an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars on Capterra across about 1,000 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“My overall experience with the Jibble app has been excellent. It provides seamless functionality, an intuitive interface, and effectively meets my attendance and time tracking needs. I haven’t encountered any cons, making it a reliable and efficient tool.”

5. TimeClock Plus

TimeClock Plus is a great option for businesses looking for automatic time-tracking software. This feature allows for customization, so even if automation sounds scary, you still have control over how exactly that automation is working. TimeClock Plus also features multiple options for your time clock system, such as biometric, badge, and even thermal. 

Some of TimeClock Plus’ key features include:

TimeClock Plus has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 201 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“We struggled so much looking for solutions to keep attendance and track breaks. We used several budget solutions that didn’t work correctly. TCP was a game changer. It was a complete overhaul. It gave us the ability to keep track of many aspects of personnel attendance in each of our 11 locations.”

6. Connecteam

Connecteam is a great option for small businesses due to its free plan for up to 10 users. Other than this, Connecteam’s forms and checklist features allow you to stay connected with your employees and make sure certain tasks are done — or that they are acting according to certain rules and laws. Key features include:

Connecteam has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 334 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Connecteam’s time tracking is amazing! We’re able to select from multiple jobs and sub-jobs, add notes, and even add attachments such as milage, meals, hotels, etc. This helps our accounting department invoice for the exact amount of time spent at each client’s facility and gives an overview of exactly where and what our staff was doing. “

7. PayClock Online

PayClock Online is a good option for hybrid work. This is made possible through their multiple features that account for every kind of workplace or situation where you would need attendance software, and being able to track remote workers helps keep all of your employees accountable. 

Some of PayClock Online’s key features include:

PayClock Online has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 98 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Employees had no trouble making the shift from our previous system. Any report you need is available. It’s extremely cost-effective. And I love the clock-in with GPS option; it’s perfect for our DMs that are always traveling between locations.”

8. Deputy

Deputy is a good option for businesses that have either complex schedule management or function in fair workweek cities. Many of Deputy’s features keep in mind the needs of businesses that can’t use simple solutions, giving these businesses exactly what they need. Those features include:

Deputy has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 720 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“In my view, Deputy has an easy-to-use interface that simplifies the process of creating and managing schedules, and I especially highlight the mobile app, which allows our employees to access their schedules and clock in easily. I think Deputy is a solid tool for workforce management, especially for companies that focus on scheduling and timekeeping.”

9. Findmyshift

Findmyshift is best for very small businesses with a free plan for teams with five or fewer members. It’s also good for teams that would prefer to keep it simple: Findmyshift specifically makes their software look and function like Excel, which can also limit the time it takes to train employees to use the software. Key features include:

Findmyshift has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 1,060 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“This software has helped us schedule more accurately according to our business level, which helped us save hours and relieve our team during busier periods. Its use is very straightforward, and it does pretty much anything you need it to with a bit of fiddling. The customer support team are very quick to respond to your queries through live chat as well.”

10. DeskTime

DeskTime is a great option for teams that also need project management. It has many features that allow you to keep track of precise work information from your employees. DeskTime is focused on desk work or remote work, as its features are specifically catered towards tracking productivity through document and app tracking:

DeskTime has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 525 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“DeskTime has kept an outstanding performance: boosting productivity, saving us time and resources, and keeping work organized and professional. It has helped me manage shifts and, most importantly, calculate overtime pay based on how employees spend their time. It is secure for handling confidential information.”

11. Paymo

Paymo is a great option for teams that need both project management and invoice management. It offers multiple options for every aspect of time and attendance, with multiple types of work timers, project management boards, and timesheet options. Paymo also makes invoicing easy as it keeps clients and payments all in one easy-to-use place. 

Some of Paymo’s key features include:

Paymo has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 688 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“I use it daily to create estimates and invoices in two languages and formats. Following up on projects so I never miss a deadline. Following up on payments. I am a one-man show, and accounting can be time-consuming. But with Paymo, I get everything in one place.”

12. TimeTrex

TimeTrex is a great option for teams looking for HR options with their attendance software; it’s the only option on this list that has specific features for HR management. It allows you to evaluate and track performance much easier, as well as keep all important employee information in one place. TimeTrex also has payroll options and multiple features that help keep track of expenses and predict future costs:

TimeTrex has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 15 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“The software is very easy to learn. For the most part, with just a few clicks of the mouse, the program becomes familiar. And for the more difficult features, the help desk is there for you.”

Choosing the right app for your business

Now that we’ve outlined 12 strong choices, it’s up to you to figure out which would best fit your business needs. While you can get a good idea of what each does by looking at their features, most also offer free trials where you can test drive the software to see if it will work for you.

If you want the security of working with a large company and don’t mind more expensive prices, you might opt for TimeClock Plus. On the other hand, if you have no particular needs beyond a pure clock-in and clock-out system, you can go for Clockify and stick with the free plan.

But if you find that you want a tool that’s powerful enough to accommodate your growing business over the coming years — with responsive customer support that feels more like a partnership — you can’t go wrong with Buddy Punch.