They say “time is money,” and that’s never been truer than for small businesses. And when you can accurately track employee hours, it’s easier to stick to your labor budget and turn a profit.
That might be one of the reasons you’re looking at mobile time clock apps. But as you’ve probably discovered from a quick Google search, there are dozens of them on the market in 2024. So, how do you figure out which one’s best for you?
To help you find the right option for your small business, we compare the top mobile time clocks based on their best use cases, key features, and pricing.
Key Features to Look for in Mobile Time Clock Apps
Choosing a mobile time clock can be overwhelming when you’re not sure what you’re looking for. So, let’s outline the features the best apps have before we start our detailed comparison. That way, you’ll have a clearer idea of what you want and, almost as importantly, what you don’t:
Time and Attendance Tracking
Mobile time clock apps excel in recording precise arrival, departure, and break times, as well as the total hours worked. They offer the flexibility to adjust times, accommodating situations like delayed arrivals due to unforeseen circumstances. This feature ensures accuracy in timekeeping, which is important for fair payroll processing and management oversight.
GPS Capabilities
Modern mobile time clocks use GPS technology to confirm the location of team members when they clock in. This method is more accurate than traditional timekeeping systems and avoids privacy concerns associated with biometric data. GPS functionality is especially useful for teams working at remote locations, ensuring reliable attendance records.
Labor Cost Controls
These apps help businesses manage labor costs effectively. They prevent employees from clocking in too early or staying late unintentionally. By setting specific time boundaries, the app ensures that work hours are strictly adhered to, helping in budget management and reducing unnecessary labor expenses.
Alerts and Reminders
Top-tier time tracking apps include push notifications to remind team members about their work schedules. This feature reduces the risk of missed shifts or unplanned overtime. Managers receive instant updates about late arrivals or absences, enabling quick response and coverage planning.
Compliance Tools
Compliance with labor laws is a critical aspect of workforce management. Certain mobile time clock apps assist in ensuring compliance by prompting breaks and alerting managers when employees are nearing overtime. This helps in adjusting work schedules or pay rates according to state regulations, avoiding potential legal issues.
Leave Management
Managing employee leave is a vital function of these apps. They streamline the process of handling vacation requests, approving leave, and tracking personal time off balances. This feature aids in planning and ensures a fair and organized approach to leave management.
Reporting and Analytics
With the wealth of data collected, these apps offer valuable insights into labor trends like overtime, costs, and absenteeism rates. These analytics play a significant role in strategic planning and decision-making, helping businesses optimize their workforce management.
Payroll Management
An ideal mobile time clock app integrates payroll management features. This integration simplifies the process of transferring timesheet data to payroll systems, ensuring accuracy and saving time on manual data entry.
Integrations
For seamless operations, these apps should offer integration with a range of other business tools. This feature supports the diverse technological needs of small businesses, enabling a more streamlined and efficient workflow.
Compatibility with Various Devices
Considering the variety of smartphones used by employees, it’s important to choose a platform compatible with multiple mobile devices. This ensures all team members can access the app, regardless of their smartphone type, promoting inclusivity and ease of use.
Our Top Pick for Mobile Time Clocks in 2024 (+ The Rest Compared)
If you’re looking for an app that combines affordability, ease of use, and versatility, that’s Homebase. Our time clock tool is free for up to 20 employees, and we include many of our time tracking features in our lowest-cost plan.
Our customers also praise our platform because of its simple navigation and intuitive design. That means you can trust your team will be able to pick up and use the app without any training or issues.
But of course, Homebase isn’t the best solution for everyone. If you mostly work with contractors, they’ll likely manage their own time. In that case, an app like Harvest that has a free plan and manual time tracker may be more suitable for you. And if you run a business outside of the US, you may need Timesheet Mobile’s EU compliance controls to stay on top of relevant labor regulations.
- Homebase: Best all-in-one solution
- QuickBooks Time: Best for mobile teams
- Harvest: Best for freelancers
- When I Work: Best for multiple administrators
- Sling: Best for time zone differences
- Timesheet Mobile: Best for small EU businesses
- Connecteam: Best for range of businesses
Comparison Chart: Top 7 Mobile Time Clock Apps in 2024
|
Time clock |
Pricing | App Store rating |
Notable features |
|
|
Plans range from free to $99.95 per location per month.
Users can save 20% by committing to the annual plan. |
4.8 |
• Free time tracking and timesheets tools • Geofencing • GPS time clock • Options for kiosk and photo capture clock ins • Labor cost controls • Compliance tools • Reminders and notifications |
|
Quickbooks Time |
There are two plans at $20 plus $8 per employee per month and $40 plus $10 per employee per month. | 4.6 |
• GPS time clock • Geofencing • Location and mileage tracking • Project progress tracking |
|
Harvest |
Choice of a free plan for one user or $12 per employee per month. | 3.8 |
• Manual timer • Project and team insights |
|
WhenIWork |
Choice of plans at $4 per employee per month or $8 per employee per month. | 4.8 |
• GPS time clock • Time and attendance reports • Labor cost controls • Timesheet rounding |
|
Sling |
Prices range from free to $4 per employee per month. | 4.7 |
• GPS time clock • Labor cost controls • Time and attendance reports |
|
Timesheet Mobile |
Prices start at $14 per month plus $3.49 per employee. | 4.4 |
• GPS time clock • Geofencing • Project checklists • EU compliance controls |
|
Connecteam |
Plans range from free to $297 per month. | 4.7 |
• GPS time clock • Geofencing |
A Breakdown of the 7 Best Mobile Time Clock Apps
Now you’ve seen the time clock apps we included on this list at a quick glance, let’s explore them in more detail.
1. Homebase: Best All-in-One Solution
Homebase is an all-in-one HR app with a variety of time tracking features to help you stick to your labor budget. Our time clock tool lets employees sign into work from anywhere and provides management with multiple verification options, like GPS, photo capture, and PIN codes. Homebase can also remind team members about their shifts and automatically clock them out of work to make sure they’re only working their scheduled hours. All this makes our platform an excellent choice for budget-conscious small businesses.
Top features
- Free time tracking and timesheet features
- GPS time clock to verify staff’s locations upon arrival and departure
- Geofencing capabilities to create clock in points for offsite workers
- Time kiosks available for tablets, computers, and point of sale (POS) terminals
- Option for photo capture during sign ins for an extra layer of verification
- Compliance tools, like alerts for missed breaks and overtime
- Labor cost controls to prevent early clock ins and automate clock outs
- Staff reminders about upcoming shifts
- Built-in payroll management and a range of integrations
Pros and cons
With our free plan and competitive rates, Homebase is one of the most affordable options on our list. Our flexible pricing also means you’re likely to find a plan that fits your budget.
But don’t think we sacrifice functionality for cost — Homebase has a versatile range of time tracking features, from our GPS time clock to labor cost controls and leave management.
One drawback to Homebase is our lack of tools specifically geared to office workers. Because our platform is designed for small businesses and hourly work, we don’t offer a desktop time tracker or browser monitor like some competing apps do.
Pricing
Homebase offers four plans, and they all include our free mobile app. You can also take 20% off with a yearly commitment:
- Free for up to 20 employees at one business location. Includes basic time tracking and scheduling tools, as well as employee management features like messaging, point-of-sale (POS) integrations, and access to email support.
- Essentials for $24.95 per month per business location for everything in Free, plus advanced time tracking and scheduling, team communication features, payroll integrations, performance tracking, and access to live support.
- Plus for $59.95 per month per business location for everything in Essentials, plus hiring tools, retention and performance tracking, time off controls, and departments and permissions.
- All-in-one for $99.95 per month per business location for everything in Plus, plus HR and compliance, new hire onboarding, labor cost controls, and business insights.
Payroll is available as a separate add-on for $39.95 per month plus $6 per employee.
2. QuickBooks Time: Best for Mobile Teams
QuickBooks Time’s time and location tracking tools make it a good choice for traveling work crews, like technicians and delivery drivers. You can track each employee’s mileage and check their locations throughout the day. That means you can verify nobody’s making too many unnecessary pit stops or taking longer routes on purpose.
Top features
- GPS time clock to verify staff locations on arrival
- Geofencing to let employees sign into their shifts at offsite locations
- Location and mileage tracking to monitor travel times and routes
- Project progress tracking to ensure teams complete all their tasks by the expected deadlines
Pros and cons
QuickBooks Time is an Intuit product, so it can easily connect to its wider range of products and integrations. You can choose from categories as diverse as shipping, benefits, and customer relationship management (CRM).
But many small businesses may not have the budget for QuickBooks Time. The flat rate for all the time tracking features is $40, which is higher than many competing apps. On top of that, there’s a charge per employee.
Pricing
There are two QuickBooks Time plans that also come with a 30-day free trial:
- Time Premium at $20 per month plus $8 per employee, which includes the time clock and leave management.
- Time Elite at $40 per month plus $10 per employee for everything in Time Premium, as well as geofencing and mileage tracking features.
3. Harvest: Best for Freelancers
Harvest’s manual timer makes it a good option for small businesses that work with freelancers. You can ask contractors to download the free app and send you a report of their time. Or, for more oversight and control, opt for the paid plan and compare how much time each person spends on their tasks. That means it’ll be easier to spot when there’s a problem with a client or an employee that’s slowing a project down.
Top features
- Manual timer for desktop and mobile
- Expense management, which helps you invoice clients based on billable time
- Data insights into how much time employees or teams spend on projects
Pros and cons
If you’re collaborating with freelancers or contractors, you can’t dictate their working hours, but you still need a record of their time to bill clients correctly. Harvest’s manual timer lets staff track their own hours and report them so it’s easier to prepare accurate invoices for clients.
But Harvest only has a manual time tracker, which makes it less suitable for small businesses with regular employees. Without the accuracy of a GPS time clock, you risk potentially losing money to buddy punching and staff misreporting their hours.
Pricing
Harvest has a free plan and a paid plan that costs $12 per employee per month. They have the same features, but the difference is the free plan limits you to one user and two projects, whereas the paid plan is unlimited.
4. When I Work: Best for Multiple Administrators
Compared to other mobile time clock apps, When I Work offers a relatively simple set of scheduling and time tracking features. But the platform includes all the essentials for accurate time and attendance records, like the GPS time clock and early clock in prevention. Plus, it has attendance and labor distribution reports to help you spot absenteeism and under or overstaffing.
Top features
- GPS time clock to check staff locations upon arrival
- Time and attendance reports to gauge individual and overall business performance
- Timesheet rounding to bring time entries up to the closest five or fifteen-minute mark
Pros and cons
Many mobile time clock apps only allow one admin user for the lower-cost plans, but When I Work offers three. That means you can delegate some of your scheduling and time tracking tasks to other managers without sharing login details.
However, When I Work doesn’t include other essential features you may need. The app only has scheduling and time tracking tools and comes with a limited range of integrations with other business software solutions.
Pricing
When I Work offers two paid plans for $4 and $8 per employee per month. The only notable extra time tracking feature in the higher-cost plan is the custom attendance reports.
5. Sling: Best for Different Time Zones
Sling is a mobile time clock app with additional scheduling and task management features. It’s noteworthy for its time zone management capabilities, which let you schedule and track shifts in local time for all your employees. That way, if you have teams in other countries, you’re less likely to get confused about when they worked and pay them incorrectly.
Top features
- GPS time clock for accurately recording employee working hours
- Controls to stop staff from clocking in early and clocking out late
- Reports on no shows, sick days, and late arrivals to help recognize trends
Pros and cons
Priced at $2 per employee per month, Sling is an affordable app for very small teams.
But like When I Work, Sling doesn’t have a full range of HR features like payroll or recruiting tools. Also, it only has integrations with Gusto and ADP, so businesses that use other accounting software may have to switch or deal with entering their timesheet data manually.
Pricing
Sling offers three plans:
- Free for unlimited employees and business locations. However, this plan doesn’t include any time tracking features.
- Premium at $2 per employee per month, which has a GPS time clock, labor cost controls, and geofencing.
- Business at $4 per employee per month for all the reporting features.
6. Timesheet Mobile: Best for Small EU Businesses
If you run a business in any of the EU member states, Timesheet Mobile may be for you. It’s one of the few apps that offers compliance tools for businesses outside the US so they can avoid penalties. All you have to do is enable the feature, and you’ll get alerts when your business is about to violate strict EU regulations, like working more than 48 hours a week.
Top features
- GPS time clock to check each employee’s location at the start of their shifts
- Geofencing to let staff clock in and out of work at remote locations
- Project checklists that send administrators notifications as teams complete tasks
- Tools to make sure European businesses stay compliant with EU directives
Pros and cons
Many EU businesses have employees and locations in different countries. Timesheet Mobile’s time tracking and compliance controls make it easier to ensure they follow applicable regulations, like checking staff take their mandated breaks. Then, the language support and chat features help you contact anyone involved in a potential labor law violation to request they stop working or take a break.
The problem is Timesheet Mobile’s paid plans may be restrictive for some small teams. You have to choose between paying per punch — which can add up quickly — or paying per employee at higher rates than other apps.
Pricing
There are several Timesheet Mobile paid plans:
- Basics at $14 per month plus $3.49 per employee for unlimited clock ins, which includes geofencing, leave management, and break reminders.
- Per Punch at $29.99 per month plus 15 cents per punch for everything in the Basics plan, plus overtime alerts and team messaging.
- Small Business at $29.99 per month plus $9.95 per employee for unlimited clock ins and the same features as the Per Punch plan.
- Medium Business at $149 per month plus $2.49 per employee for unlimited punches. This also shares all the Per Punch plan features.
7. Connecteam: Best for Range of Business Tools
Connecteam is an employee management and engagement app with time tracking features. So, you can boost your team’s performance by helping them improve their attendance and develop their skills with courses, quizzes, and surveys. While Connecteam has an array of features, it’s worth noting that the platform lacks payroll, which means you have to depend on integrations.
Top features
- GPS time clock to confirm employees’ arrival times
- Geofencing to let teams clock in and out of work offsite
- Task management to track job progress
Pros and cons
If you’ve got ten or fewer employees, you can take advantage of Connecteam’s free plan, which includes a range of basic time tracking features.
But if you manage a larger team, you may not appreciate all the upgrades you’re required to make to access all of Connecteam’s essential tools. You have to subscribe to the most expensive plan to use all the time tracking features — but there’s still a limit on the number of reports and time clocks per location you can use.
Pricing
Connecteam has five plans available:
- Free for up to ten users with all the basic features.
- Basic for $29 per month, which includes timesheets, notifications, and the GPS time clock.
- Advanced for $49, which has everything in Basic, plus clock in controls and geofencing.
- Expert for $99, which has all the features from the previous two plans, plus the GPS tracker and reporting tools.
- Enterprise with custom pricing, which has all the features from the other plans.
There’s also the option of a 14-day free trial.
How to Buy Time Clock Software
Now you’ve got all the information you need about mobile time clock apps, it’s time to make a decision. Let’s go through the process step-by-step so you can be sure you’ve picked the right solution for your business:
Now you’ve got all the information you need about mobile time clock apps, it’s time to make a decision. Let’s go through the process step-by-step so you can be sure you’ve picked the right solution for your business:
Identify Your Needs
Every business has unique requirements for time clock software. Factors like team size, industry, and employee work patterns play a crucial role. For example, in industries with split shifts, such as restaurants, it’s vital to choose a time clock app that can handle multiple clock-ins and clock-outs per day. Businesses should assess their specific needs, such as the need for robust overtime tracking or the ability to manage flexible schedules, to find a software solution that aligns with their operational demands.
Do Your Own Research
In-depth research is essential, especially for businesses in specialized markets. For industries like healthcare, where shift patterns and on-call responsibilities are complex, it’s important to find a time clock app tailored to these needs. Research should include reading user reviews, comparing features, and understanding how different apps cater to unique industry challenges. This could involve looking into how well an app integrates with existing HR systems or its ability to handle shift-swapping and temporary staffing needs.
Test the App
Before committing, it’s wise to test the shortlisted apps through free trials or demos. This hands-on approach allows businesses to evaluate the app’s functionality in real-world scenarios. Testing should cover aspects like ease of use, mobile accessibility, and how well the app integrates with other business systems. Companies should also assess the app’s reliability in tracking time and its effectiveness in generating accurate payroll data.
Ask for Feedback
Employee feedback is crucial in selecting the right time clock software. Their ease of use and satisfaction with the app are key to its successful adoption. This is especially important for businesses with a diverse workforce, including those with disabilities who might require accessible features. Feedback should be collected on the app’s user interface, any technical issues encountered, and the overall user experience.
Train Team Members
Training is critical to ensure smooth implementation of the new time clock software. Businesses should organize comprehensive training sessions that include how to download, set up, and use the app. Providing resources like instructional videos, FAQs, and support contacts can help in addressing common queries and issues. Training sessions should be interactive, allowing employees to practice using the app and ask questions.
Regularly Review and Update
Continuously evaluating the effectiveness of your time clock app is important. Regular reviews help ensure that the app still meets your business needs and remains within your budget. As your business evolves, your time clock software might need to be upgraded or adjusted to support new requirements, such as additional features for reporting, analytics, or integration with other business tools.
Common pitfalls to avoid when buying time clock software
As you introduce a new app to your business, ensure the process goes smoothly and minimize stress by watching out for the following issues:
Insufficient Customer Support
When selecting a time clock app, small business managers, especially those with limited technological expertise, should prioritize strong customer support. It’s important to choose a software provider that offers comprehensive assistance, not only during the initial setup but also for any future challenges in implementation or troubleshooting. Reliable customer support ensures that any technical issues can be resolved quickly, minimizing disruptions to business operations.
Limited Scalability
For businesses planning to grow, scalability of the time clock software is crucial. It’s advisable to select an app that can accommodate expansion, such as handling larger teams, multiple business locations, and additional services. Avoid software that charges per employee, as this can lead to increased costs as your workforce grows, potentially impacting your budget and cash flow negatively. An app with scalable features allows for smooth growth without the need for frequent software changes.
Lack of Integrations with Existing Software
Integration capabilities are essential for efficient workflow. Choose a time clock platform that seamlessly integrates with your existing business systems. This integration eliminates the need for manual data entry across multiple applications, saving time and reducing the risk of errors. A platform that doesn’t integrate well can negate the time-saving benefits of new technology, leading to inefficiency and potential data discrepancies.
Inflexible Payment Plans
Business needs can change over time, and so can the features you require from a time clock app. Opt for software that offers a variety of payment plans, providing the flexibility to adjust the tools and services you pay for. This flexibility is particularly important for businesses that experience seasonal fluctuations or that are in a growth phase. Time clock software with flexible payment options allows you to tailor your subscription to match your current needs, ensuring you only pay for what you use.
How Homebase Makes Time Tracking a Breeze
As a small business manager, you want to pay employees for their time while protecting your bottom line. But it might seem impossible to record hours accurately without micromanaging your team or being everywhere at once.
That’s where Homebase comes in.
Our mobile time clock app lets team members effortlessly clock in and out via GPS as they arrive to work. If they’re late or don’t show up, managers will immediately receive a notification via the mobile app. That means you won’t have to ask staff any awkward questions or stay on the premises to know they’ve turned up to work. And our affordable rates and per-location pricing scheme mean you won’t cancel out all the funds you save by preventing labor leakage.
**The information above is based on our research on mobile time clock apps. All user feedback referenced in the text has been sourced from independent software review platforms, such as G2 and Capterra, in April 2023.
Remember: This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.
