Today’s time clock apps are so accurate, accessible, and affordable that they’ve made traditional punch clocks and spreadsheet systems irrelevant for many business owners. And because they can turn any phone or computer into a time clock, time tracking has never been simpler.
But just because time clock apps can replace traditional clock-in stations doesn’t mean they have to. Many apps also work for clock-in kiosks, which are devices that provide a central place for employees to punch in every day. Kiosks are perfect for businesses where employees can’t have their phones on the job for safety or security reasons. And they’re still just as precise and easy to use as mobile time clocks.
A time clock kiosk app might be the right choice for your team, but we don’t want you to end up with a solution that doesn’t make sense for your industry or business.
To help you make the best decision, we’ve researched and reviewed the seven best time clock kiosk apps for 2023, breaking them down by top features, pros and cons, pricing, and quality of support.
Key features to look for in time clock kiosk apps
You probably have an idea about how time clocks work, but every app offers different features to help you move your business forward. Keep an eye out for these key functions:
- Time tracking and attendance — Accuracy is everything when it comes to tracking employee hours, which is why many time clocks offer built-in GPS time stamping to capture punch-in data by location. That way, you can make sure employees are where they say they are (and not clocking in while in transit). Options like Homebase will also alert administrators when employees are late for clock-ins. That way, you can track team performance and take disciplinary action when you need it.
- Employee verification — Kiosk apps can still help you prevent time theft and labor leakage the way mobile time clocks can. Some platforms will require employee screenshots or fingerprinting to start shifts. At the very least, look for solutions that require team members to sign in with a unique PIN to reduce instances of buddy punching.
- Payroll management — Many time clocks automatically convert employee hours into timesheets that you can export directly to third-party accounting software. But solutions like Homebase eliminate that extra step altogether, allowing you to pay employees directly from the platform with built-in payroll tools.
- Reporting and analytics — Manually sifting through employee timesheets to spot trends in attendance is time-consuming and prone to error. Reporting dashboards are designed to automatically gather attendance and performance data and present them as easily-digestible graphs and tables, meaning you can spot issues before they get out of hand.
- Integrations — It’s likely you’re already using software for point of sale (POS) transactions, e-commerce, and accounting. Seamless integration between platforms can prevent double data entry and expensive mistakes, so make sure your shift trade app connects easily with the tools you rely on every day.
- Budget friendliness — If possible, prioritize options with a free plan so you can test their basic functionality and see how they work for your team. For example, Homebase’s free account gives you access to time tracking, scheduling, and team messaging for a team of 20 employees. And if you want to upgrade, our per-location pricing model makes us much more affordable than per-user plans, which will drive up your costs as you hire more people.
Our top pick for mobile time clock kiosk apps of 2023 (+ the rest compared)
Homebase is an incredibly user-friendly time tracking and kiosk app, but it has much more to offer. It’s got everything you need to manage a small business team with additional features for scheduling, full-service payroll, team chat, hiring and onboarding, and HR and compliance, which is why it’s our top suggestion for 2023.
Our platform is affordable, too: the free plan gives you access to basic time tracking, scheduling, and messaging for up to 20 employees.
But if your business needs are more specific, we’ve got you covered. You may prefer a tool like Buddy Punch if time theft prevention is a priority. There are also solutions like ClockShark that integrate unique labor compliance features with their time tracking functions.
To help you make the best choice for your business, we’ve organized our top picks based on best use case:
- Homebase: Best all-in-one solution
- QuickBooks Time: Best for tracking travel
- ClockIt: Best for tracking attendance data
- Buddy Punch: Best for preventing time theft
- ClockShark: Best for labor compliance
- Connecteam: Best for delegating tasks
- Clockify: Best for detailed reporting
Comparison chart: Top 7 mobile time clock apps in 2023
|
Software |
Pricing | Free plan | Time tracking | Scheduling | Time theft prevention |
Payroll |
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Plans range from free to $99.95 per location per month.
Save 20% on all plans if you sign up for annual billing. |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
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Plans range from $30/month to $200/month. | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✗ |
 |
Plans range from $29/month per ten users to $199 per 100 users per month | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✗ |
 |
Plans range from $3.49/month per user to $4.49/month per user, plus a base fee of $19/month. | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
 |
Plans range from $16/month plus $7/month per user to $30/month plus $9/month per user | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✗ |
 |
Plans range from free to $119/month. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✗ |
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Plans range from free to $14.99 per user per month. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✗ |
A breakdown of the 7 best mobile time clock apps
Let’s see how our recommended solutions stack up against each other, exploring their top features, advantages and disadvantages, pricing plans, and level of customer support. We also source input from third-party customer reviews to help you make a more informed decision.
1. Homebase: Best all-in-one solution
Homebase is more than a time clock app: It’s an all-in-one team management solution designed for small business owners who need support with end-to-end HR tasks. With tools for time tracking, scheduling, messaging, payroll, hiring and onboarding, and labor compliance, our platform helps you trade time-consuming, error-prone manual processes for one easy-to-use system.
And the best part? You can access almost all of Homebase’s features from a phone or kiosk, which is perfect for off-site employees and teams on the go.
Top features
- GPS time clock accessible from any device, including phone or kiosk
- Free employee time tracking, scheduling, and timesheets
- Geofencing tools restrict clock-in areas and prevent time theft
- Built-in team messaging so managers can follow up when team members are late
- Easy-to-use schedule builder with auto-scheduling and template tools
- Hiring and onboarding templates, dashboards, and workflows
- Access to HR resources and a team of qualified experts to answer your HR questions
- Built-in, full-service payroll
Pros and cons
You can download the Homebase app on a mobile phone, iPad, or dedicated tablet that serves as your clock-in kiosk. Employees sign in with a unique PIN for extra security, and our GPS-enabled time clock automatically captures a time stamp when employees punch in from any device. That means you always know that your team is where they’re supposed to be.
Another great aspect of Homebase is that it sends employees reminders via text to let them know about their upcoming shifts. And if they’re late or forget to punch in, the app alerts managers so they can send team members a reminder.
While Homebase doesn’t offer task management tools or mileage tracking like other apps on this list, we’re proud to say that it’s one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective options on the market today.
Pricing and support
Homebase’s scheduling and timesheet tool is completely free. However, if you want to maximize efficiency and get the most out of the entire software, we offer the following price options:
- Basic. Free for one location and up to 20 employees. It includes basic scheduling and time tracking, employee management tools like messaging, point-of-sale integrations, and access to email support.
- Essentials. $24.95 per month per location. Everything in Basic, plus advanced time tracking and scheduling, payroll integrations, team communication, performance tracking, team communication, and access to live support.
- Plus. $59.95 per month per location. Everything in Essentials, plus hiring tools, retention and performance tracking, time off controls, and departments and permissions.
- All-in-one. $99.95 per month per location. Everything in Plus, with HR and compliance, new hire onboarding, labor cost controls, and business insights.
Users can also save 20% on their overall cost when they sign up for an annual plan.
If you run into issues or have HR-related questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Homebase’s responsive and knowledgeable support team via email or chat.
2. QuickBooks Time: Best for tracking travel
QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) offers essential features for time tracking, employee scheduling, and exportable timesheets. It also allows you to schedule individual jobs, tasks, and shifts, letting team members view work details at the start of every day.
Top features
- Mobile time clock app that’s functional from any device
- GPS mileage tracking for teams who travel or commute
- Geofencing functions to prevent employees from starting their shift in the wrong place
- Schedule builder that allows you to create timetables based on a shift, job, or specific task
- Integrates with the QuickBooks suite of tools for business accounting
Pros and cons
Offering GPS mileage tracking and a time clock app for phones or kiosks, Quickbooks Time is a solid option for teams who need to track driving distances, like moving crews. It’s also ideal for large traveling crews because it allows supervisors to punch in entire teams in one batch.
Plus, QuickBooks Time customers like that it integrates smoothly with other Quickbooks products.
Unfortunately, QuickBooks doesn’t offer a free plan or location-based pricing. And in order to access basic time and attendance features, you’ll have to pay per user, which makes it less cost-effective for larger teams.
Pricing and support
QuickBooks’ plans include:
- Premium — Time and attendance features for $20 per month and $8 per user per month.
- Elite — Project tracking and geofencing for $40 per month and $10 per user per month.
You can contact their support team by phone or chat.
3. ClockIt: Best for tracking attendance data
ClockIt is a time tracking app that employees and managers can access from any desktop browser. It also has a mobile time clock app that automatically logs the GPS location of your employees, making it accessible for teams that work off-site.
Top features
- Time tracking tools accessible from a desktop browser, mobile device, or kiosk
- Geolocation and geofencing tools to make sure team members clock in at the right time and place
- Schedule builder with shift planning tools
- Configurable reporting tools to analyze attendance data
- Attendance tracking dashboards that give you a quick view of time clock data
- Paid time off (PTO) management tool that automatically calculates accruals
- Slack and Microsoft Teams integration that lets you clock in from both channels
Pros and cons
The ClockIt mobile app is compatible with a phone or tablet, which is ideal for both mobile teams and businesses that need to centralize their clock-in station. And users say they enjoy its Slack integrations, reporting features, and instant updates.
Another interesting feature is its attendance auditing dashboard, which gives you real-time updates on who’s working, who’s absent, and who’s traveling for work.
Additionally, ClockIt offers a built-in time card calculator that helps you prepare for payroll. But it doesn’t have a built-in payroll feature, so you can’t pay employees straight from the app.
Pricing and support
ClockIt is $2.99 per user per month, and it includes tools for time tracking, PTO management, geofencing, and route planning. For help from customer service, you can submit a ticket via the ClockIt support dashboard.
4. Buddy Punch: Best for preventing time theft
Buddy Punch is a desktop and mobile time tracking app that provides in-depth features for time theft prevention, including webcam selfies and QR code clock-ins. You can also assign specific job codes for employees to punch into so you know what projects they’re working on every day.
Top features
- Time tracking that lets team members clock in with QR code, facial recognition, PIN, or password
- Alerts and notifications when employees clock in and out
- Job codes for tracking productivity on different projects
- Schedule builder for convenient shift management
- Built-in full-service payroll
Pros and cons
Its multiple options for secure clock-ins make Buddy Punch suitable for businesses that deal with sensitive information. And users enjoy that employees and managers can edit time entries if they forget to punch in or out. Plus, it’s a payroll provider, so you don’t need to export your timecards to pay employees, saving you hours of time every pay period.
But note that Buddy Punch doesn’t offer no-show or late clock-in alerts, so managers still have to check in with team members to make sure everyone is present and on time.
Pricing and support
Buddy Punch time tracking is $3.49 per month per user, and it’s $4.49 per month per user to add scheduling. Both plans come with a base fee of $19 per month. You can contact their support team by email or live chat.
5. ClockShark: Best for labor compliance
ClockShark offers time tracking, scheduling, and financial tools for users in the field service and construction industries, but it’s a useful platform for any business owner who needs handy clock-in tools for on or off-site work.
Top features
- Time tracking with facial recognition tools to prevent buddy punching
- Kiosk clock app available from both phone and tablet
- Drag-and-drop schedule builder for fast shift planning
- Job costing and job management tools to help you stay under budget
- Clock out questions to help you stay compliant with labor laws
Pros and cons
One standout ClockShark feature is its customizable clock-out questions. This function allows you to verify every shift change requested by the employee rather than the supervisor. This includes information like schedule changes, overtime hours, or missed breaks, helping you keep more detailed records for labor compliance.
Although it lacks built-in payroll, ClockShark users say they like being able to process payroll quickly and accurately with integrations.
However, the clock-in kiosk features are limited, and employees can’t use it to ask for time off or view their hours. Plus, customers report that the platform can’t keep up with labor forces that are too large.
Pricing and support
ClockShark plans start at $16 per month and $7 per user per month for basic time tracking and scheduling features. Its Pro plan caters to multi-location businesses for $30 per month and $9 per user per month. You can contact customer support by phone, email, or chat.
6. Connecteam: Best for delegating tasks
Connecteam makes time tracking more streamlined with mobile and kiosk apps, and like Homebase, employees can clock in and out with a unique PIN. It also offers tools for scheduling, task management, training and onboarding, and team messaging.
Top features
- A dedicated kiosk app for an iPad or tablet
- GPS-enabled time tracking and geofencing for time theft prevention
- Shift reminders and alerts to prevent no shows and late clock-ins
- Schedule builder with shift duplication and template tools
- Task management with forms and checklists
- Team messaging for keeping everyone on the same page
- Employee surveys to gather team engagement data
Pros and cons
Connecteam customers find the platform intuitive and easy to navigate, which makes it practical for small business owners who have limited experience with time kiosk apps. What’s more, its built-in tools for assigning and tracking tasks help keep everyone more productive throughout the day.
However, some customers find its customizability a bit overwhelming and time-consuming to figure out, so you may want to prepare for a steep learning curve when testing it for your teams.
Pricing and support
Connecteam is free for up to ten users. Otherwise, their Operations hub offers scheduling, time tracking, and task management features, and its plans include:
- Small Business — Free for up to ten users.
- Basic — $29 per month for up to 30 users. Extra users are $0.50 per month.
- Advanced — Everything in Basic, plus extra features like time tracking tasks. $49 per month for 30 users. Extra users are $1.50 per month.
- Expert — Everything in Advanced, plus GPS features and automation. $99 per month for 30 users. Extra users are $3 per month.
You can contact the support team by email.
7. Clockify: Best for detailed reporting
Clockify caters to teams that rely on detailed project tracking tools, and its in-depth reporting features make it ideal for managers who need granular insights into their team’s productivity.
Top features
- In-depth time and project tracking
- Easy-to-read calendar that syncs with Google or Outlook
- GPS activity monitoring to track where teams are working
- Granular reporting and analytics dashboards
- Expense and invoice management to stay on top of billable hours
- Timesheets and payroll reports that you can export to third-party software
- Integrates with QuickBooks, Slack, Trello, Asana, and dozens of other tools
Pros and cons
Clockify users rave about its ease of use, and they like that it offers a Chrome extension for tracking time spent on other apps and websites. The clock-in kiosk also allows managers to view who’s working every day so they don’t have to log onto a browser to check team attendance.
However, Clockify lacks buddy punching and time theft prevention tools, so it might not be the right fit if you’re looking for added security features.
Pricing and support
Clockify’s free plan comes with basic time tracking capabilities, but you can upgrade for more advanced features. Plans include:
- Basic — Time off management, invoicing, and timesheets for $6.99 per user per month.
- Pro — Scheduling and labor forecasting and budgeting for $9.99 per user per month.
- Enterprise — Advanced control and security for $14.99 per user per month.
Contact the support team by chat, email, or phone.
Best practice tips for buying time clock kiosk apps
The prospect of spending time and money on a new tool can be daunting, especially when you’re a time-pressed business owner with a busy team to manage. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind before you start researching:
- Identifying needs — Get clarity about the demands of your business, your teams, and the jobs to be done daily. If you have work crews that commute every day, for example, you may want a kiosk app that also offers geolocation and mileage tracking.
- Research — Reviewing and comparing different options could involve looking at reviews and ratings from other businesses, as well as comparing features, pricing, and support from different vendors. Third-party review sites are a great resource, as users tend to be less biased toward certain options.
- Evaluation — To ensure the time clock kiosk app meets your team’s needs and is user-friendly, request a demo, free trial, or test out a basic free plan if it’s available. Consider what length of learning curve you’re comfortable with, and ask managers and supervisors to try it out so you can gather their feedback.
- Decision making — Keep pricing plans, available features, ease of use, and level of support top of mind when choosing a kiosk app. New software often involves an upfront investment of time and money, so be sure to estimate your long-term return on investment (ROI).
- Implementation — Be patient as you set up the software, train employees to use it, and integrate it with other tools. Make sure your team understands the benefits of the new tool, and don’t forget to reach out to customer support if you have questions or run into issues.
Save time and boost team productivity with Homebase time tracking
Time clock kiosk apps give you the flexibility of a mobile app and the simplicity of a centralized punch clock. And even though not all solutions offer built-in payroll, most of them come with the added benefit of auto-calculating wages for you, making for a more error-free payday experience.
But why go for a simple time tracking system when you can have an all-in-one team management tool with its own time clock kiosk app? You don’t need to settle, which is why we recommend Homebase, a platform designed for small business owners who employ hourly workers.
Our features, like time tracking, scheduling, and communication, help you keep team members engaged, on the same page, and productive so you can move your business forward.
**The information above is based on our research on staff management software. 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.
