The 10 Best QuickBooks Time Alternatives [2025 Guide]

ByEric Czerwonka Last Updated

QuickBooks Time is a popular tool for tracking employee time because of its integration with QuickBooks Online, Payroll, and the greater Intuit ecosystem. However, its price and complexity makes it a poor fit for many businesses. Its per-user cost is nearly twice as much as many comparable time tracking tools, and you also have to subscribe to QuickBooks Online to use it.

In this post, we’ll take a look at 10 of the best QuickBooks Time alternatives, focusing on tools that are easy to set up, help you keep accurate time tracking records, and simplify your scheduling and payroll processes.

1. Buddy Punch

First up, let’s look at Buddy Punch. Buddy Punch is our software, and one we’re proud of — we made it to help small businesses solve the problems we ourselves were experiencing as business owners. With Buddy Punch, you get the tools you need to:

  • Keep accurate timesheets and records: Employees can log their work hours (something they can do directly from the Buddy Punch mobile app and desktop app). And you get advanced time clock features like geofencing, IP address locking, punch rounding, and more, guaranteeing accurate time records and payroll.
  • Streamline payroll administration: You can choose Buddy Punch as your all-in-one payroll provider, featuring key payroll functionalities such as paperless paydays, employee self-setup, and payroll tax filing. Alternatively, seamlessly integrate Buddy Punch with your existing payroll provider.

Buddy Punch works for any type of small business, whether you’re a small team with one location or you’re managing a crew across multiple job sites. This is because Buddy Punch has versatile time clocks and payroll functionalities, such as:

  • Easy time tracking options: Employees can conveniently clock in and out from any device, be it a phone on our mobile app, tablet, or computer. Buddy Punch works with both iOS and Android devices.
  • Simple timecard editing: Managers and, if permitted, employees can effortlessly update and submit their timesheets from both desktop and mobile devices. To make changes, select the “Edit” option on an employee’s timecard, where you can adjust the time or add breaks, then save your updates.
  • Real-time payroll and overtime calculations: Buddy Punch offers immediate insights into employee working hours. You can activate alerts for when staff approaches their daily or weekly hour limits. Plus, you can either issue payroll directly from Buddy Punch or integrate Buddy Punch with your current payroll system (like QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, ADP, and more).

Let’s take a more in-depth look at Buddy Punch’s features.

Intuitive and easy-to-use interface

Timecards awaiting submission.

Our key goal when developing Buddy Punch was to create an intuitive and user-friendly application. We designed a time tracking tool accessible to all employees, regardless of their tech proficiency, whether on iOS, Android, tablet, or the web.

We’ve streamlined the interface for simplicity, minimized options, and color-coded them for clarity. When employees log in, they see three straightforward choices: punch in, punch out, or view timecard.

The app is streamlined and still very functional and practical. Your employees can correct punch-in mistakes, request time off, submit timecards for approval, and more — all within the same platform.

Dedicated customer support

Our focus is on delivering top-tier customer support. We achieved this by centralizing all communications through our live chat feature on both the web and the app. We’re proud to say our average response time during business hours is a speedy 54 seconds.

What sets Buddy Punch’s customer support apart isn’t just the rapid response time. Our live chat representatives are well-versed in the Buddy Punch platform and are trained to handle diverse challenges, no matter how complex.

Unlike some companies where you might need to speak to multiple representatives, often with varying access levels, at Buddy Punch, one person can guide you through a solution for your challenge, simplifying the process.

Team accountability

Lack of team accountability wastes time and money, a common frustration in time tracking. Buddy Punch addresses this issue with the following features.

Geofencing

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

Buddy Punch’s geofencing lets you set the punch-in/out zone. Simply pick a radius. If employees try to punch outside that radius, they’ll get an error message. You can create multiple geofences, each with a unique job code for differentiation.

IP address locking

IP address lock.

This feature lets you specify the allowed IP address for punching in and out. Just set the desired IP address; employees can only punch when connected.

GPS tracking

GPS tracking.

Our GPS technology tracks staff locations when they punch in and out, saving it on their timecard. Use the platform to review everyone’s punches to ensure accuracy, which is especially beneficial for businesses with employees working at various sites, like construction crews.

Facial recognition

Facial recognition feature.

Buddy Punch’s facial recognition feature adds yet another layer of accountability to your staff’s punches. Buddy Punch will prompt your staff to scan their faces and verify it’s them before they can clock in and clock out of work.

Photos on punch

Photos on punch.

Like our facial recognition feature, photos on punch prompts staff to take pictures when clocking in and out. While these photos don’t verify their faces, they’re stored on their timecards. You can check all photos in our timesheet app to verify whether employees punched in and out personally or had someone else do it for them.

Streamlining payroll with Buddy Punch

One of the reasons to have accurate time records is so you can run payroll quickly and efficiently, making sure your team gets paid the right amount and on time. If you’re using two different systems to track time and run payroll, there’s a greater chance for error. Your best bet is to use one platform that can do both.

With Buddy Punch, you can say goodbye to wasting time and money on inaccurate or manual payroll processing. We offer the following payroll features:

  • Automatically calculate pay and overtime: Buddy Punch automatically knows the wage each employee is owed (including overtime) based on their timesheets. You can also set different rates for specific projects if needed — such as prevailing wage job or variable rate shifts. This ensures all team members are paid accurately and on time.
  • Fast payroll processing: You can choose between two-day and four-day payroll processing and even set up reminders to ensure payroll is submitted on time. Plus, your employees get a self-service login which they can use to set up direct deposit and pick their tax withholdings. You can also pay employees via check.
  • Track additional expenses: In addition to regular payroll, Buddy Punch lets you track other costs such as severance pay, cash tips, commissions, bonuses, and group term life.
  • Easy tax filings: We ensure your payroll taxes are filed automatically. We handle local, state, and federal taxes, plus multi-state registration.

However, if you’d like to stay with your current payroll provider or handle it manually, we support that too, with seamless integrations and payroll reports.

Payroll provider integrations

Screenshot of some of Buddy Punch's payroll integrations

Buddy Punch integrates with all of the payroll providers above and more. This makes payroll processing faster and more accurate.

Payroll reports

Payroll spreadsheet.

Buddy Punch’s payroll reports feature automatically calculates the data needed for payroll. You can export this data in Excel or CSV format, as shown in the above screenshot. It’s a faster and more accurate alternative to traditional methods, eliminating the need for manual review, input, verification, and analysis of timesheets every pay period.

Time off tracking

Timeoff tracking.

Our PTO tracking feature allows you to monitor all staff time off, whether paid or unpaid. You can track time off for all employees simultaneously or individually and export reports with the necessary information for your review and approval.

Job codes

Job codes.

You can establish customized pay rates for various job roles and pay scales with Buddy Punch’s job codes. This simplifies cost estimation, precise budgeting, and the quick generation of project reports for your review, all with just a few clicks.

PTO accruals

Auto PTO accruals.

Finally, Buddy Punch provides a PTO accruals feature, allowing you to establish time off accrual rules based on hours worked or specific pay periods. Additionally, you can opt for annual time off accrual.

So far, we’ve covered a lot of ground. To recap, with Buddy Punch, you can:

  • Hold your team accountable for hours worked.
  • Streamline your payroll process with our existing integrations.
  • Generate instant payroll reports.
  • Utilize job codes.
  • Set up automatic PTO accruals.

Plus, easy-to-use scheduling software

This just scratches the surface of what Buddy Punch can do. Additional features include:

  • Scheduling: Easily create team schedules in minutes with our drag-and-drop scheduler. Employees can view their scheduled shifts at any time, and managers can send notifications with the click of a button.
  • Alerts and notifications: We offer several built-in notifications, such as overtime alerts that let you know when employees are nearing overtime.
  • Time card approvals: This feature requires employees to submit their timecard at the end of each pay period. Managers and administrators can accept or reject it with comments.
  • And more: Discover all of our product features.

Customer reviews of Buddy Punch

We think Buddy Punch is the best QuickBooks Time alternative. We have over 1,000 reviews and a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on Capterra, a popular software review site.

Here’s a selection of reviews highlighting our dedicated customer support and why our customers love Buddy Punch:

“The best time clock we have ever had! The pros of Buddy Punch include ease of use, and if an employee does not punch out, we are notified. The Geofence is great.”

“Overall, it makes inputting payroll very easy. I’m able to easily navigate to keep accurate time of all employees, and I also appreciate that I can clock employees in and out.” 

“Besides being easy to use, the Buddy Punch team is knowledgeable and can answer any question you might have about the software. Many of my employees are students with ever-changing schedules. Buddy Punch is easy to use, and you can change schedules weekly or even daily as things come up. Buddy Punch tracks the time the employee is logged in, so I don’t have to.” 

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2. FreshBooks

Freshbooks is one of the best options on this list as a potential alternative for Quickbooks Time. It has many different features that can provide what Quickbooks Time provides and even more with its multitude of tracking and management features that would be useful for any business to have. 

FreshBooks’ payroll option even expands further than Quickbooks Time, with their invoicing and online payments features, as well as how these features work perfectly with their expense tracking and estimating tools that make sure you know exactly where your money is going. 

FreshBooks has so many useful tools, it would be a mistake to not consider it when looking for a QuickBooks Time alternative.

Key features

FreshBooks has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 4,476 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“FreshBooks has an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy to create and send invoices in just a few clicks. The automated payment reminders are a lifesaver, and the ability to accept online payments directly through the platform is a huge time-saver. The mobile app is also well-designed, allowing me to manage invoices and expenses on the go.”

3. DeskTime

DeskTime is a great option if you need tools related to remote time tracking, as well as project and productivity management. When put against Quickbooks Time, it does lose some features and tools, but DeskTime’s features that make up for that loss are absolutely worth it. With their customization, you can absolutely make DeskTime. 

Key features

DeskTime has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 526 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Overall, this app is good for each kind of organization because of its flexible nature. the organization can add or remove its features as per their requirements. For my personal experience, it has increased my company employee productivity.”

4. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a great general option that provides more tools related to employee productivity monitoring, with multiple other unique features such as automated payroll and workforce analytics. Hubstaff can provide most of anything that Quickbooks Time has in different and interesting ways, including more affordable pricing in comparison. 

Key features

Hubstaff has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 1,507 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“It is a useful time tracking tool, with easy integration with other tools or software like Google Chrome. It is very easy to use for daily work for teams and organizations. It has a user-friendly interface, making it easy for employees and management to track time and progress. Customer support is also good.”

5. Paychex

Paychex is a great option if you need a tool that can provide industry level support for your business in multiple useful ways, such as the employee benefits and business insurance that allows for you to have protection for every part of your work. 

Plus some other useful tools, such as the automatic tax administration, allows for your payroll taxes to be done for you so you can focus on other things during tax season. 

Paychex is largely focused on the payroll aspects and some HR parts of business, but this focus gives Paychex great support for your business that Quickbooks Time may not be able to provide in the same way. 

Key features

Paychex has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 1,677 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Paychex Flex has been a great help for me when it comes to filing taxes and keeping track of my salary and benefits. The dashboard is remarkably user-friendly, allowing me to filter information and data exactly the way I want. Overall, I would give it a solid 10/10!”

6. BigTime

BigTime is a great general option that’s a bit more unique as it isn’t as focused on remote work as others on this list. Its multiple features focused on project management and expense tracking help you understand exactly how work is getting done and keep control project budgets. 

BigTime and Quickbooks Time are fairly similar, with BigTime mostly just missing some attendance and time clock features, but it makes up for that in its resource management and project management features that would be useful for anyone looking for a Quickbooks Time alternative. 

Key features

BigTime has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 647 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“BigTime has been a terrific tool for our firm to track time on our projects. The software has been easy to learn and navigate. I have been able to create specific reports that best meet our tracking needs. We also use it for project management, budgeting, and invoice preparation and tracking.”

7. Time Doctor

Time Doctor is a great option if you want to deepen your time and productivity tracking, especially for remote workers. 

Time Doctor has multiple unique features, such as the work-life balance metrics, which allow you to prevent burnout in employees, plus web and app usage reports and silent tracking which allow your employees’ productivity to be tracked effectively without interrupting their workflows and creating distractions. 

Time Doctor is great if you need a tool more focused on these kinds of things — features Quickbooks Time doesn’t provide. 

Key features

Time Doctor has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 533 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“In the development of our software operations, we have a conventional and specific production line. The program has given us a broader look at what we should improve to reduce time costs and expand production. It has been very helpful in this sense and it has been worth every peso that we approved of acquisitions.”

8. Workforce.com

Workforce.com is a great option that’s focused on being a great all-in-one option for your businesses needs. Its drag-and-drop scheduling feature is a unique feature that makes scheduling easier. 

Other things like the wage and hour automation and labor forecasting make Workforce.com a useful alternative to Quickbooks Time with multiple useful tools that you won’t get anywhere else. 

Key features

Workforce.com has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 28 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Workforce.com is full of benefits from all angles. Ease of use, ease of deployment, ease of implementation and maintenance. I am a number one beneficiary. I highly recommend this software. It relieves overwhelming workloads. Very impressed by the cost compared to what we achieve with the software.”

9. Homebase

Homebase is a great option for those who are more focused on a tool for employee communication as an alternative to Quickbooks Time, with multiple different features that are great for making sure that your employees are communicating with each other. 

You will be losing some features switching from QuickBooks Time to Homebase, but Homebase can still provide in many useful ways, so don’t underestimate it based on some of those losses. 

Key features

Homebase has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 1066 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“Overall, it has been a wonderful project for scheduling. Our team loves that they get the email updates and know when a schedule has been published. We also use the in-app communication platform a lot for people to swap shifts, which is really helpful.”

10. Toggl Track

Toggl Track is a great option for time tracking and project management, with unique features like offline tracking, which can be powerful for any kind of time tracking you need to do. 

Toggl Track does lose some features when you switch from Quickbooks Time, but Toggl Track is still useful and can be good as a more budget-friendly option.  

Key features

Toggl Track has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Capterra across 2533 reviews. Here’s what customers like about the platform:

“I find it to be an extremely user-friendly product. Our new employees require little to no training when it comes to using Toggl. As an employee of our company, I find the reports feature to be especially useful. It helps me see data in a snapshot.”