8 Best Time & Attendance Systems for Small Businesses
Juvy has over 10 years of content writing experience and was a licensed teacher. She has evaluated and written about dozens of payroll and HR software solutions for small business to provide the best answers to your software questions.
Charlette has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance and 2 years of partnering with HR leaders on freelance projects. She uses this extensive experience to answer your questions about payroll.
Time and attendance software is designed to help employers efficiently monitor the working time of employees. It can track actual hours worked, overtime, absences, and leave balances, while keeping you in compliance with labor laws. Many time and attendance systems also offer online scheduling, team messaging, and GPS tracking solutions, although some providers may charge extra or require you to subscribe to a premium plan to access these tools.
In this article, we evaluated 11 solutions to find the best time and attendance software for small businesses and narrowed it down to our top eight recommendations:
- Homebase: Best overall time and attendance software for small businesses that want unlimited time tracking and scheduling tools
- Deputy: Best for businesses with rotating staff
- QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets): Best for QuickBooks users wanting to simplify time and attendance tracking or streamline it with payroll
- Buddy Punch: Best for businesses with multiple departments needing multiple time clock options
- ZoomShift: Best for businesses with seasonal highs and lows, such as businesses offering vacation accommodation or lawn care maintenance
- TimeTrex: Best for businesses needing both payroll and time tracking tools
- ClockShark: Best for construction and field service companies
- Workly: Best for high-tech and manufacturing businesses that want biometric time clock integration
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Best Time & Attendance Software Compared
*This is a quote we obtained.
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Homebase: Best Overall Time & Attendance Software
Overall Score:
4.23
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & attendance functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- User-friendly interface
- Free plan includes time tracking and employee scheduling with basic hiring tools
- Can handle an unlimited number of employees
What’s Missing
- Free plan covers only one business location
- Geolocation tracking, geofencing, PTO accrual tracking, and overtime alerts are only included in paid plans
- Occasional mobile app glitches
Homebase Monthly Pricing
- Free plan
- Basic: Covers one location and unlimited employees
- Three paid plans
- Essentials: $24.95 per location
- Plus: $59.95 per location
- All-in-One: $99.95 per location
- Add-ons
- Job posting boosts: Starts at $79 per post
- Payroll: $39 plus $6 per employee monthly
- Access to “HR Pro” advisers and resources: $99 per month; free if subscribed to the All-in-One plan
Homebase is a cloud-based time tracking and scheduling software with time clock apps that work on several devices, including POS systems. It has automated time sheets that, aside from letting you add cash and credit tips, can help you calculate total hours worked and the multiple wage rates of employees. These features make Homebase an ideal software for small businesses, specifically retail shops and restaurants.
Scoring 4.23 out of 5 stars, Homebase received high marks for pricing, time tracking functionalities, reporting, and ease of use. Many users said that it has an intuitive interface with robust features. However, its limited integration and clock-in options prevented this software from getting perfect scores.
Homebase also provides additional tools for tracking applicants, posting jobs, creating staff schedules, and messaging employees online. It topped our best employee scheduling software and best employee time clock lists.
- Free option: The Basic plan includes automated time sheets, staff scheduling, team messaging, third-party software integration, job postings, applicant tracking, reports, and time clock apps for computers, as well as POS, Android, and iOS devices. It also supports unlimited employees and schedules. However, this plan is free only for businesses with one location. Of the software in this list, only Homebase, Deputy, and TimeTrex offer free plans.
- Paid plans: Homebase has three paid tiers (Essentials, Plus, and All-in-One) that cost anywhere from $19.95 to $99.95 per location monthly. These have all the tools included in Basic, plus geofencing, labor cost forecasts, health and safety screenings, paid time off (PTO) accruals and balance tracking, and advanced compliance support.
- Add-on services: Unless you subscribe to the All-in-One package, you have to pay extra to access its “HR Pro” advisers and resources ($99 per month). You can also use Homebase to promote job postings on ZipRecruiter and Craigslist (fees start at $79 per post). Note that only one other software in this guide (Fingercheck) offers hiring tools. However, some (like Workly) include HR resources, such as forms and templates, in its higher tiers; while others (like ClockShark) grant you access to a dedicated account manager.
If you’re interested in recruiting tools, you may check our best recruiting software guide.
- Intuitive interface: Homebase has a comprehensive suite of time tracking and scheduling solutions that are easy to learn and use. Employers can create schedules and view actual work hours in just a few clicks, while employees can easily clock in/out and even apply for shift trades online.
- Feature-rich free tier: Homebase’s Basic plan is best for small businesses with one location because it has more features at the free level than many other options do in their paid plans. Aside from time tracking and scheduling solutions, it includes applicant tracking, job postings, a built-in team messenger, and integrations with top POS and payroll systems (such as Clover, Square, Toast, Revel Systems, Vend, Gusto, QuickBooks, and ADP).
- Per-location pricing scheme: While other providers in this list (excluding Workly, which has employee limits) charge monthly fees on a per-employee basis, Homebase’s pricing scheme is based on the number of business locations you have. This lets you grow your workforce without having to worry about paying fees for additional user seats—provided your employees work in the same location.
- Efficient time and scheduling tools: From automated time sheets and a drag-and-drop schedule builder to daily labor reports and administrator alerts for late clock-ins and overtime, Homebase provides you with a wide range of online solutions to help you streamline time tracking and scheduling processes. It even lets you allocate hours by jobs and track employees with multiple roles and wage rates.
- Secure clock-ins: Employees can clock in/out using a PIN code through Homebase’s time clock apps (for computers, smartphones, tablets, and POS devices). Its mobile apps (for iOS and Android) also let you take photos and use GPS to confirm who exactly is clocking in and check the employee’s location. In addition, the system has an early clock-in prevention feature that allows you to limit early time-in and an automatic clock-out functionality in case an employee forgets. Competitors like Workly, ClockShark, and TimeTrex don’t have auto clock-out features.
Read Our Homebase Review
Deputy: Best for Businesses With Rotating Staff
Overall Score:
4.00
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & Attendance Functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Easy to use and set up
- Affordable plans with separate packages for time tracking and employee scheduling
- Unlimited 24/7 customer support
What’s Missing
- Time and attendance package doesn’t include reporting tools
- Standalone packages and Premium plan require a minimum monthly spend of $10
- Issues on third-party integrations; occasional mobile app glitches
Deputy Monthly Pricing
- Free starter plan (for US users)
- Standalone packages:
- Scheduling plan – $2.50 per employee
- Time and Attendance – $2.50 per employee
- Premium: $4.50 per employee
- Enterprise: Custom-priced
- Flexi Weekly: $2 per employee weekly
Note: Paid plans, besides the Flexi Weekly and Annual Premium plan, need at least a monthly spend of $10 per invoice
Deputy is an ideal choice for businesses with rotating staff needing straightforward time and attendance tools because of its Flexi Weekly plan, which charges $2 per active user and 50 cents per inactive user weekly. It has a free starter plan for US customers, and other plans and packages are also affordable, with monthly fees that start at $2.50 per employee. However, some of Deputy’s tiers require a minimum monthly spend of $10—other providers in this list don’t have this requirement.
Scoring 4 out of 5 stars, Deputy got high marks because it is affordably priced and easy to use and offers efficient time and attendance tools like exportable time sheets, PTO tracking, and time-related administrator alerts. However, it doesn’t have the capability to limit early clock-in and geofence time transactions.
In terms of user feedback, Deputy received a lot of positive reviews that highlighted its inexpensive plans and simple yet efficient tools as its best features. On the other hand, some users said that the quality of its customer service is less than ideal, and its system has occasional glitches, especially when connecting with third-party software.
- Free starter plan: This package is available for US users and lets you publish 100 shifts and approve 100 time sheets per month. It also includes PTO and leave management, unlimited 24/7 support, and a time clock with biometric and geolocation capture.
- Standalone packages: It has a Time and Attendance plan and a separate Scheduling option that each costs $2.50 per employee monthly. You are granted access to time sheets, payroll integrations, and time clock apps (for iOS and Android) with the former; the latter features an online schedule builder with auto-scheduling functionalities. Both also come with PTO management, meal and rest break planning, POS integrations, unlimited 24/7 support, and a news feed. However, these two packages don’t have reporting tools.
- Paid plans with complete time tracking and scheduling solutions: Deputy has a Premium tier ($4.50 per employee monthly) and an Enterprise option (custom priced). Both plans have all of the features of the standalone scheduling option and time and attendance package, but with reporting capabilities. If you require additional tools like custom roles and permissions, advanced demand planning, and dedicated support, then you may want to consider its Enterprise tier.
- Flexible weekly option: Deputy is the only provider in this article that has a “Flexi Weekly” option. Designed for businesses that change employees weekly, it has all the features of the Premium plan but with a lower price tag—$2 per active employee and 50 cents per inactive user weekly.
Note that Deputy’s Scheduling, Time and Attendance, and Premium tiers require a minimum monthly spend of $10 per invoice. If you would like to avoid this requirement, then consider its Flexi option or get an annual Premium plan (note that this subscription type isn’t available for the Scheduling and Time and Attendance packages).
- Ease of use: Deputy offers easy-to-use online tools for managing employee attendance and schedules. It comes with a bit of a learning curve, mainly because some of its features are confusing, hard to find, and take a while to learn. If you need help, you can join the provider’s free training sessions or visit its website to access its library of tutorial videos and online guides. You can also contact its 24/7 support team as many times as you need.
- Flexible time tracking: With Deputy’s time clock apps, you can track employee hours and manage your workforce from any Android and iOS device, including the Apple Watch (none of the software in this guide offers mobile time tracking through this device).
- Secure clock-ins: Deputy’s apps for iPads and Android tablets support touchless clock-ins, enabling your employees to start and end their shifts through facial recognition and voice commands (other providers in this list don’t support clock-ins/outs through voice commands). In addition, its geolocation tracking tool creates a location stamp that you can view. This ensures that your employees are clocking in/out from the right work location.
- User-friendly employee scheduling: Aside from its easy-to-use schedule builder, it has an auto-scheduling feature that lets you create artificial intelligence (AI)-optimized shifts with a single click. Competitors like Workly, TimeTrex, and ClockShark don’t have AI scheduling tools.
- Labor compliance tools: Deputy has smart wage and hour compliance tools (such as meal, rest breaks, and overtime settings) designed to help keep you compliant with labor laws and protect your business from potential risks. Like other software in this guide such as Homebase and ZoomShift, Deputy also has compliance tools. These include fair workweek rules to help ensure that you create fair yet profitable work schedules, track last-minute schedule amendments and capture the employee’s consent to the change, and avoid assigning shifts that require a staff to work closing and opening shifts back-to-back.
Read Our Deputy Review
QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets): Best for QuickBooks Users Wanting to Simplify Time Tracking
Overall Score:
3.68
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & attendance functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Offers a 30-day free trial
- Mobile apps (iOS and Android devices) have both geofencing and GPS tracking capabilities
- Unlimited live customer support
What’s Missing
- Pricey compared to similar providers
- Integration options aren’t robust
- Occasional mobile app glitches
QuickBooks Time Monthly Pricing
- Premium: $20 plus $8 per employee
- Elite: $40 plus $10 per employee
- Add-ons: Extra charges for additional administrator seats
QuickBooks users wanting efficient time and attendance tools don’t need to invest in a separate system. Instead, they can use QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) to streamline time tracking and employee scheduling. It takes only a couple of clicks to integrate QuickBooks to QuickBooks Time to make payroll processing more efficient compared to using non-native software. It offers time clock apps that work on any desktop computer, laptop, tablet, and smartphone—provided an internet connection and a web browser are available.
Overall, this software scored 3.68 out of 5 stars. You get intuitive controls, providing you with a secure way to monitor attendance and capture your employees’ actual hours worked. However, unlike Homebase and Deputy, QuickBooks Time has limited third-party software integrations and reports customizability. Several users even wished that it offered more direct application programming interface (API) options and custom reporting.
- Paid plans: QuickBooks Time has a Premium tier ($20 plus $8 per employee monthly) and an Elite option ($40 plus $10 per employee monthly). Both plans include one administrator seat, expert support, and access to time tracking and scheduling solutions. What sets the Elite plan apart from Premium is the inclusion of geofencing, time sheet signatures, mileage and project tracking, and a project activity feed.
- Add-on services: You have to pay extra if you need additional administrator seats.
- Ease of use: While its online tools are generally easy to use, it has a bit of a learning curve (primarily because of its many features). However, in case you need assistance, you can contact QuickBooks Time’s customer support as many times as you need. You are also granted access to video tutorials, webinars, and how-to guides. The provider even has a community forum that connects you with experts and other QuickBooks users who can help provide answers to your questions. None of the other software in this guide provides an online forum.
- Mobile time tracking: With QuickBooks Time’s mobile apps, you can track, submit, and approve employee hours, including PTO, even while on the go. You can also have employees sign off their time sheets directly from the app. While it has both geofencing and geolocation tracking features, the former is available only for Elite plan subscribers.
- Project tracking: Aside from monitoring the actual hours that employees spent on a job, QuickBooks Time can help you track the status of projects—from the planning stage up to its completion phase. Apart from ClockShark, other software on this guide don’t have this feature.
- Online time sheets: In addition to an audit log that tracks all time sheet edits and approvals, QuickBooks Time’s online time sheets are designed to streamline payroll and invoicing processes—integrating seamlessly with QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Accounting. While you can export its time sheet data to third-party payroll and invoicing solutions, this seamless integration between QuickBooks products can help save you time. This is unlike other options that may have either limited integration options (such as ClockShark and Workly) or occasional integration issues (like Deputy).
- Efficient scheduling tools: QuickBooks Time lets you create and assign schedules by jobs and shifts. You can also edit schedules either by dragging and dropping shifts or copying and then modifying a previous week’s schedule, like Buddy Punch and ZoomShift. Most of the software we reviewed in this guide have drag-and-drop scheduling tools except for Workly and TimeTrex.
- Custom alerts: To simplify employee management, you can set up custom alerts for employees to clock in/out and submit time sheets for payroll. You can also automate notifications for managers, informing them of late clock-ins, overtime, and mismatched time-in photos for review.
- Smart reporting: QuickBooks Time has employee attendance and project tracking reports that you can use to process payroll, plan future projects, and monitor labor estimates versus the employees’ actual work hours. Its reports are also exportable to PDF, Excel, and CSV file formats.
Read Our QuickBooks Time Review
Buddy Punch: Best for Businesses With Multiple Departments Needing Multiple Time Clock Options
Overall Score:
3.65
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & attendance functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Simple to learn and use
- Standalone time tracking solution that’s affordably priced
- Multiple clock-in/out options; supports PIN code, facial recognition, QR code, and username with password time entries
What’s Missing
- Lacks client billing functionalities
- No online timer for easy tracking of billable hours
- Phone support unavailable
Buddy Punch Monthly Pricing*
- Time and Attendance: Starts at $29.99
- Time and Attendance plus Scheduling: Starts at $39.99
- Enterprise: Starts at $49.99
*Up to four active employees
Buddy Punch is a cloud-based time tracking software designed to streamline how you monitor employee time and attendance. Its scheduling tool allows users to specify locations, positions, and job codes to employee shifts, making it a good option for businesses with multiple departments. It also features an online time clock with apps that work on web browsers and mobile devices. Like other solutions presented in this list (except Homebase), it doesn’t have a free plan, but its paid tiers are affordably priced, with fees that start at $29.99 per month for up to four active employees.
The software earned an overall score of 3.65 out of 5 and got perfect marks for security. However, it scored only 2.5 out of 5 for reporting since users cannot customize reports. Although it’s an easy platform to use, it lacks live phone support for immediate technical concerns.
- Time and Attendance: Starts at $29.99 for up to four active employees per month. Includes the following features:
- Unlimited administrations
- Time, job, and PTO tracking
- Mobile app with GPS features
- Timecard approvals
- Alerts and reminders
- Integration options
- Time and Attendance plus Scheduling: Starts at $39.99. Includes everything in the Time and Attendance plan plus a drag-and-drop scheduler.
- Enterprise: Starts at $49.99. Includes everything in the Time and Attendance plus Scheduling plan, as well as API and SSO access.
Buddy Punch also offers customized pricing for 200 and more employees. It doesn’t charge set-up or termination fees in case you decide to cancel your subscription. If you exceed your plan’s user seat limits, you can upgrade to a higher option at any time and Buddy Punch will prorate your monthly fee.
- Multiple clock-in/out options: In addition to PIN code and facial recognition scans, Buddy Punch supports QR code and username with password clock-ins/outs. Buddy Punch has the most clock-in/out options out of all software on this list.
- Flexible time tracking: Like other providers in this guide, Buddy Punch has a mobile app for iOS and Android devices, which lets you turn tablets and smartphones into online time clocks. Given that its platform is web-based, you can also access its time tracker on computer browsers—Buddy Punch recommends Google Chrome for a better user experience.
- Time tracking controls: Buddy Punch has punch-limiting features that allow you to set up specific timeframes when employees are allowed to clock in/out—a feature that’s not found in other providers in this list. It even lets you specify the exact time per day—instead of only the number of minutes—that your staff can clock in/out before and after their shift. This is useful if your employees have different work shifts but you didn’t get Buddy Punch’s plan with scheduling tools. Further, Buddy Punch has geofencing and geolocation tracking, including device and IP address locks if you want to restrict where your staff can clock in/out from.
- Time entry duration tool: Buddy Punch may not have an online timer for tracking hours on projects, but it has a “duration entry” feature that allows your salaried employees to log the total hours they spend on clients (such as meetings or client support).
- Employee scheduling: Buddy Punch has a drag-and-drop scheduler that lets you create, edit, assign, and share work shifts with employees. The scheduler even works on mobile devices, allowing you to easily manage employee scheduling while on the go. In addition to specifying the exact time range, you can add specific locations, positions, and job codes to employee shifts. It also has a feature that automatically clock-outs employees when their schedules end.
Read Our Buddy Punch Review
ZoomShift: Best for Businesses With Seasonal Highs & Lows
Overall Score:
3.58
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & Attendance Functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Syncs with other calendar apps
- User-friendly
- Active user pricing
What’s Missing
- No free plan
- Few integrations
- Mobile app said to be slow in loading
ZoomShift Monthly Pricing
- Starter: $2.50 per active user
- Premium: $5 per active user
- Enterprise: Custom
ZoomShift is a scheduling and time tracking software that is great for small businesses that have seasonal highs and lows, such as those in the agricultural, construction, and tourist industries. Compared to other software that lets you do daily or weekly schedules, ZoomShift allows you to plan months ahead to make sure you have everything covered during peak or low seasons. It also places your plan on hold, should you need to close for a season or during slow months, and its per-active user pricing is helpful.
The software scored 3.58 out of 5, with modest marks for most of our criteria. With ZoomShift, users get an easy-to-implement software with scheduling and time and attendance functionalities. Its flexible by-employee pricing is similar to most providers in this guide, providing a mobile time clock and great tools for shift scheduling.
- Starter: Priced at $2.50 monthly per active user and includes the following features:
- Schedule
- Time off and availability
- Shift swap
- Time clock
- Time sheets
- Payroll report
- Reminders
- Calendar app sync
- Premium: $5 monthly per active user and includes all of Starter’s features plus:
- Overtime warnings
- Shift rules
- Enterprise: Custom; designed for large businesses or franchises needing customized solutions. Includes all Premium features plus the following:
- Priority support
- API access
- Sub account management
- Scheduling and time tracking: It has basic tools that let you copy schedules or save schedules as a template—as many of them as you like. You can sync the schedule with Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook. The time tracker is integrated, making time sheets easy and enabling you to set up clock-in/out rules and geofencing. You can track missed shifts, late arrivals, and more.
- Employee communications: Like other providers in this list (except Buddy Punch), ZoomShift lets you send schedules to workers, offer open shifts, and allow employees to trade shifts. It alerts managers about overtime and breaks of shift rules (like clocking in early) and has event announcements, group chats, and direct messages.
- Seasonal planning features: The seasonal planning and ease of use make it a good choice for restaurants with high staff turnover or staff that only work at certain times of the year.
- HR and payroll functions and integrations: You can set rules to restrict hours and get alerts when an employee is approaching overtime. In addition, you can approve time sheets and create payroll reports, which you can download as CSV or XLS for putting into a payroll program. You can build other reports, but it doesn’t have many customizable ones. It also lacks integrations into other software.
- Plan holds and active member pricing: If your business has long-term slowdowns or times when you close for a month or a season, then ZoomShift is a great choice. It lets you put your plan on hold when you don’t need it without losing your information—something no other time tracking software on our list offers.
Read Our ZoomShift Review
Overall Score:
3.38
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & Attendance Functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Has a 30-day free trial for paid plans
- Time clock apps support PIN, QR code, and facial recognition time entries
- Good customer support
What’s Missing
- Interface looks outdated
- Pricing isn’t transparent
- Some of its features aren’t intuitive; hard to navigate to them
TimeTrex Monthly Pricing
- Open-Source Community Edition: Free
- Paid Plans: Custom-quoted
Note: We were given a quote of $2.99 per employee for a cloud-hosted service; while for on-site deployment, the annual fees start at $35.88 per employee.
With TimeTrex, you get a rule-based time and attendance software that lets you configure how and where your staff can clock in and out. If you currently don’t use payroll software, you’ll like that it automatically captures time entries to easily process and run payroll. You can set up policies that apply to certain employees (such as those who work only in specific departments, jobs, and shifts), and it will automatically calculate the actual work hours, overtime, and applicable pay rates based on the rules. Its time clock apps (for computers and iOS/Android devices) also allow you to select the type of time entries that can be captured—from PIN ID to QR code and facial recognition clock-ins/outs.
TimeTrex was rated favorably for its efficient time tracking, attendance monitoring, and reporting capabilities—earning 3.38 out of 5 stars. However, its interface looks cluttered and dated, plus some of its features take a while to learn. Several users even said that while TimeTrex is generally easy to use, learning how to navigate it and use all of its tools can be a bit difficult. It also scored low on its pricing due to a lack of transparency; you have to contact the company to get a quote.
While TimeTrex is primarily a time and attendance software, it also offers a suite of HR solutions for managing hiring, scheduling, PTO, payroll, and employee information. It’s even our top overall choice for free payroll software.
TimeTrex offers a free open-source community edition and three paid plans (Professional, Corporate, and Enterprise). However, it doesn’t publish its fees online, unlike all other providers on our list—you have to call TimeTrex and request a quote.
The sales representative we contacted said that its pricing is based on the number of employees you have and the system deployment option chosen. Based on a quote we were given, monthly fees for a cloud-hosted service start at $2.99 per employee, while for on-site deployment, the annual fees start at $35.88 per employee.
- Touchless time clocks: Similar to Deputy’s touchless time clock app for tablets (but without the voice command feature), TimeTrex allows you to use a tablet as a time clock kiosk where your staff can do clock-ins/outs through facial recognition—a feature that prevents buddy punching. Employees also don’t have to touch the device. The system will automatically scan, identify, and verify a person by comparing his/her facial features from the saved image in its database.
- Secure clock-ins: Aside from facial recognition and PIN time entries, TimeTrex has geolocation and geofencing capabilities that allow you to limit where remote and off-site employees can clock in from. Similar to Workly and Buddy Punch, TimeTrex also supports QR code clock-ins/outs.
- Efficient attendance monitoring and employee scheduling: TimeTrex makes tracking employee attendance easy given its real-time time sheets that managers can review even while on the go. It also offers automated scheduling tools that can handle simple to complex shifts.
- Rule-based time tracking: TimeTrex has a “policy groups” feature where you can add specific rules to control how employees can clock in/out. For instance, you can create “policy groups” that include only overtime-exempt workers, so if they clock out several hours after their designated schedule, the system won’t consider the excess hours as overtime. You can even assign which devices, including the type of time transactions, employees can use to clock in/out from. These functionalities make TimeTrex’s time tracking controls more robust than Homebase and the other software in this guide.
- Payroll features: With TimeTrex, you don’t have to manually transfer time entries from one software to the next because it automatically captures information to run payroll. TimeTrex can also handle your federal, state, and local tax calculations, including deduction types and custom earnings, such as bonuses. Note, though, that it doesn’t file and remit payroll taxes for you. In paying employees, you can use its check printing capabilities or electronic fund transfer. You may also print pay slips to give to your employees; employees can also view it via the mobile app or user dashboard.
Read Our TimeTrex Review
ClockShark: Best for Construction & Field Service Companies
Overall Score:
3.33
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & Attendance Functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Efficient GPS and geofencing tools
- Ease of use
- Unlimited customer support
What’s Missing
- Limited integration options
- Its Basic plan covers only five employees
- Facial recognition clock-in verifications require a dedicated device for use with its KioskClock app
ClockShark Monthly Pricing
- Basic tier: $20 plus $3 per employee (up to five employees)
- Standard plan: $30 plus $6 per employee
- Pro option: $50 plus $8 per employee
If you need a user-friendly yet robust mobile time tracking tool for your construction or field service business, then you may want to consider ClockShark. Its crew punch feature allows a supervisor to clock in for his staff using the mobile app, which can be helpful if some employees don’t have smartphones. It has job budgeting features, which alert you if you’re nearing the set limit of hours for a job. Managers can share job information such as addresses, photos, and documents with field employees via the mobile app. Further, it can track an employee’s work hours by job and service codes and send alerts for early/late time transactions, overtime, and location tampering.
If you also need to track the attendance of your non-field employees, ClockShark has a web-based time clock designed specifically for office staff. This allows them to clock in/out directly from their computers—provided there is an available internet connection.
Scoring 3.33 out of 5 stars, ClockShark scored well for ease of use. Many users said that it is simple to install and made time tracking easier for their staff. Its ratings dipped, however, by the lack of a free plan and having paid pricing that’s a bit higher than many of the other providers on our list, as well as non-customizable reports and limited customer reviews.
- Basic tier: This plan, which costs $20 plus $3 per employee monthly, is for businesses with up to five employees. It comes with time and attendance tools, basic GPS tracking, job/task monitoring, overtime and job budget alerts, reports, and time sheets that allow you to add notes, files, and photos.
- Standard plan: Ideal for growing businesses that need time tracking with geofencing and scheduling tools. Priced at $30 plus $6 per employee monthly, this option has all of the features included in Basic, plus advanced GPS tracking, third-party integrations, manager approvals, and access to ClockShark’s KioskClock that allows you to use a tablet or smartphone as a centralized time clock kiosk for capturing employee time transactions.
- Pro option: This tier is optimal for multi-location businesses that need complete time and attendance and staff scheduling solutions. It costs $50 plus $8 per employee monthly and includes additional tools like PTO tracking, clock-out questions, advanced job costings, and multi-department/office controls.
- Ease of use: ClockShark’s online tools are easy to navigate and require no training. However, if you need assistance, ClockShark offers unlimited customer support (either through chat, phone, or email) and has a library of helpful videos and how-to guides. Note that while it integrates with leading payroll and accounting apps (such as Paychex, ADP, QuickBooks, and Gusto), the selection is limited.
- Efficient time tracking: ClockShark provides multiple time clock options that allow you to capture the clock-ins/outs of both field and office-based employees. It also lets you track the actual hours that employees spent working on a job or task. In addition, you get digital time sheets, proactive alerts, and robust project tracking tools. Note that aside from QuickBooks Time, other software in this guide don’t offer project tracking.
- Secure clock-ins: You can create custom work location ranges where your employees are allowed to clock in/out. Aside from basic geolocation tracking, you get advanced GPS functionalities that allow you to see a breadcrumb trail of where field employees went during their shift (similar to QuickBooks Time). It also has a crew punching feature that allows you to clock in for the whole crew using the mobile app.
- Robust scheduling: Create and edit schedules with its drag-and-drop schedule builder. You can assign tasks and jobs to employees and add addresses for fieldwork. ClockShark will even include a map of the address on the employees’ schedules. Field staff can then tap on the map to get automatic navigation from their mobile devices. They can also add photos and documents to these jobs as they’re done.
- Smart reporting: ClockShark provides more than just clock-in/out data. You can run reports that show the employees’ tasks, locations, and actual work hours. It also has job summaries that show labor costs and reports that provide insights on how specific departments/business locations spend their working hours. Further, its time sheets can help you to prepare invoices to bill clients (like QuickBooks Time).
Read Our ClockShark Review
Workly: Best for High-tech & Manufacturing Businesses Wanting Biometric Time Clock Integration
Overall Score:
3.20
/ 5
RATING CRITERIA
Pricing
Time & Attendance Functions
Popularity
Reporting
Security
Ease of Use
What We Like
- Easy to use and set up
- Robust reporting
- Good customer support
What’s Missing
- Pricey compared to similar solutions
- Limited integration options (mostly biometric time clocks)
- Occasional mobile app glitches
Workly Monthly Pricing
- Starter: $49 (up to 20 employees)
- Business: $89 (up to 50 employees)
- Enterprise: $199 (up to 100 employees)
Workly is a cloud-based time and attendance solution with time clock apps that work on iOS and Android devices. Unlike the other time and attendance software in this guide, Workly offers integration with biometric time clocks, which use fingerprints or other traits to identify employees. This makes it an ideal choice for high-tech and manufacturing companies that use physical biometric clocks to capture employee attendance.
It earned an overall score of 3.20 out of 5 stars with high marks for ease of use, time and attendance functionalities, and reporting. However, its user-reported app’s glitches, inability to limit early clock-ins, and pricey plans prevented it from ranking higher on our list.
- Workly has a Starter tier (up to 20 employees) that’s priced at $49 per month. It also has a Business plan (up to 50 employees) and an Enterprise option (up to 100 employees), which cost $89 and $199 per month, respectively. All plans include time clock mobile apps, employee scheduling, reports, facial recognition clock-in verifications, and integration with payroll solutions and biometric time clock devices.
- Ease of use: Workly has an intuitive interface that enables you to track employee time, create schedules, and run reports with just a few clicks. While its apps require an internet connection to track clock-ins/outs, it can still capture time transactions even when Wi-Fi is down, given its offline mode feature. Note that the other software in this guide also has offline mode capabilities.
- Time tracking functionalities: Workly’s time clock apps can turn any iOS and Android device into an employee time clock. In addition to geolocation tracking functionalities, its TimePad apps for iPads and Android tablets support PIN and QR code time entries (like TimeTrex) with facial recognition clock-in verifications.
- Robust reports: Workly’s reports and analytics are robust, providing you with a wide selection of reports that show time, employee, schedule, and salary-related data. Similar to Homebase, it has an HR toolkit that contains downloadable templates of commonly used HR forms, such as onboarding checklists, employee information sheets, performance reviews, disciplinary action forms, and termination letters.
- Integration with biometric clocks: Workly can link to Anviz and ZKTeco biometric time clocks, allowing you to build on the advantages of using biometric terminals to expand and streamline time and attendance management processes. None of the other software that we reviewed in this guide has this capability.
If you want time and attendance support as part of complete HRIS systems that you can use from the time of hire to fire, check out our top recommended HRIS solutions.
How We Chose the Best Time & Attendance Software
To have an accurate source of time data for payroll processing, businesses need a time and attendance system that can efficiently track their staff’s clocked time, overtime hours, and PTO. In our evaluation of 11 solutions, we looked for these features, including whether the software has exportable time sheets, administrator alerts, prebuilt reports, geofencing, mobile apps, and multiple time clock and clock-in/out options. We also compared each system’s ease of use, pricing, customer support, and online user reviews.
To see our full evaluation criteria for best time and attendance software, click through the tabs in the box below.
20%
Pricing
20%
Time and attendance functionalities
20%
Security
20%
Ease of Use
10%
Reporting
10%
Popularity
20% of Overall Score
We checked to see if the provider has a free plan and transparent pricing for its paid tiers. We also considered the cost of paid subscriptions and gave those priced $10 or less per employee monthly extra points. Homebase and Deputy earned perfect scores here given its budget-friendly and per-location pricing scheme (instead of the usual per-employee monthly fees).
20% of Overall Score
The best employee time and attendance software should include the following basic tools: exportable time data, multiple time clock types, breaks and PTO tracking, and administrator alerts. Plus, having access to mobile apps and a self-service portal are also ideal. All software in this list got 3.75 out of 5 except for ZoomShift, and ClockShark (3.25 out of 5).
20% of Overall Score
Geofencing, geolocation tracking, and multiple clock-in/out options (such as fingerprint, badge, and PIN code) are just some of the essential functionalities we looked at. We also checked whether or not the software has the capability to set up approvals and limit early time-ins. Buddy Punch got a perfect score here, with TimeTrex also earning high marks because of each software’s strong clock-in security features.
20% of Overall Score
Having a time tracking software that is intuitive and easy to learn is a must. We also looked at whether the provider offers live phone support, training, quick system implementations, and integration options with payroll, point-of-sale (POS), and scheduling systems. Homebase and ClockShark met nearly all of our requirements for this criterion, scoring 4.88 out of 5 stars. What pulled both software’s scores down is the limited integration with either POS or scheduling tools.
10% of Overall Score
Aside from having access to standard and pre-built reports, users should be able to customize reports. Of the eight software in this list, Homebase, Workly, TimeTrex, and Deputy scored 5 out of 5 stars here.
10% of Overall Score
We considered online user reviews—including those of our competitors like G2 and Capterra—based on a 5-star scale, wherein any option with an average of 4+ stars is ideal. Also, software with 1,000 or more reviews on third-party sites is preferred. Compared to the other software in this list, QuickBooks Time is more popular with 1,000+ reviews online and an average user rating of 4.50 out of 5 stars.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
The best time and attendance systems for small businesses are those that are easy for you and your employees to use. Aside from providing you with online tools to accurately and securely track clock-ins/outs, it should make your payroll process easier. This means that the software can calculate multiple wage rates, overtime, and deductions for absences and unpaid breaks. It should also have exportable time sheets and integration with online payroll services to allow seamless transfers of time data for pay processing.
For cost-effective and efficient time tracking tools, try signing up for our recommended best, Homebase. It offers a comprehensive set of time and attendance, employee scheduling, and team messaging solutions that are optimal for small businesses. It even has a free plan that supports time tracking and scheduling for unlimited employees—provided they all work in the same location.
Visit Homebase
If you’re a manager, check out our guide to employee management to learn all the essentials.
