The ten greatest time clocks for small companies in 2023
16 min read
Small companies typically have razor-thin revenue margins. They’ll’t afford to lose cash to inaccurate timekeeping and inefficient processes or they’ll by no means be capable of broaden.
That’s in all probability why you’re contemplating a time clock to document hours, generate timesheets for payroll, and clock in your staff seamlessly.
However to guard your backside line, you want software program that does every thing you want and fits your funds. In any other case, you could as nicely spare your self the effort and keep on with punch clocks.
We’ve in contrast a number of the greatest time clocks for small companies to place you on the quick observe to discovering the suitable one. Plus, we’ve included a guidelines for important options, a step-by-step information on tips on how to purchase the software program, and an inventory of frequent errors to keep away from.
Key options to search for in time clock software program
Earlier than you examine time clocks, it’s necessary to have an inventory of must-have options. That approach you already know what you need to be on the lookout for and also you gained’t get sidetracked by pointless add-ons that drive the price up.
- Time monitoring and attendance: Save time and scale back the chance of errors by routinely recording hours and changing them into time sheets.
- GPS clock-in verification: Ditch punch clocks and let workers clock out and in effortlessly with a cellular app. Verify their location and arrival time with out inconveniencing them otherwise you.
- A cellular app: Give workers free entry to a time clock app to clock in and obtain alerts about their shifts.
- Payroll integrations: Don’t waste time inputting timesheet knowledge right into a separate accounting program. Combine software program to routinely convert your staff’s hours into wages rapidly and precisely.
- Reminders and alerts: Keep away from additional prices by setting notifications when employees are approaching additional time or you could have a possible compliance concern.
- Reporting and analytics: Get an outline of your labor prices and employees hours so you already know whether or not you’re sticking to your funds.
Prime 10 time clocks for small companies in 2023
| Title | Pricing (month-to-month) | Help | Payroll | Notable options |
 |
Plans vary from free to $99.95 per location
Homebase payroll prices $39/month base charge + $6/month per energetic worker |
✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✓ — and selection of 11 integrations | Chat instruments
Compliance alerts Strong free plan Notifications and reminders Labor price controls |
 |
Plans vary from free to $4 per person | ✓ — chat and e-mail | ✗ — however integrates with Gusto and ADP | Monitoring instruments in native time
Labor price controls |
 |
Plans vary from free to $357 | ✓ — cellphone and e-mail | ✗ — however integrates with Gusto and Quickbooks | GPS location tracker
Activity monitoring |
 |
Plans vary from $2.50 per person to $8 per person | ✓ — chat and e-mail | ✗ — however alternative of 8 integrations | Built-in communication instruments
Notifications and reminders |
 |
Plans vary from $3.50 to $4.90 per person | ✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✗ — however alternative of 25 integrations | Activity administration
Versatile weekly plan |
 |
Pricing not available | ✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✓ — however no integrations | Compliance alerts
Labor price controls Notifications and reminders |
 |
Plans vary from $20 plus $8 per worker to $40 plus $10 per worker | ✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✓ — by way of integration with Quickbooks Payroll or a alternative of | GPS location tracker
Activity administration Mileage monitoring |
 |
Plans vary from $7 to $20 per person | ✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✓ — and integrations with ADP and Payroll | Display screen recording
Distraction alerts |
 |
Plans vary from free to $15.98 per person | ✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✗ — however integrations attainable by way of Zapier | Billable and nonbillable hours
Activity administration |
 |
Plans vary from $16 plus $7 per person to $30 plus $9 per person | ✓ — cellphone, chat, and e-mail | ✗ — however a alternative of seven integrations | Customized clock out questions
Notifications and reminders |
1. Homebase
Supply: https://joinhomebase.com/
Caption: Homebase has a flexible vary of instruments to make time monitoring straightforward, fast, and extra correct than ever
Prime options
Not like a lot of its opponents, Homebase has an especially strong free plan. It consists of important scheduling, time monitoring, and communication instruments. Which means you may create a schedule, ship it to your employees, and observe their hours with out paying a cent.
The communication instrument additionally integrates with the scheduling and time monitoring software program. So, you may ship reminders about shifts, contact your staff rapidly about no-shows, and organize covers straight from the platform.
However the principle draw of Homebase’s time clock is the array of options that show you how to handle your employees. The GPS time clock verifies every worker’s location so there’s no threat of buddy punching. You can too set labor price controls to stop early clock-in and routinely clock employees out. Then you may keep away from expensive compliance points with additional time and missed break alerts for the entire staff.
Professionals and cons
One professional that differentiates Homebase from the competitors is its payroll administration choices. Homebase is without doubt one of the few time monitoring apps with built-in accounting instruments so you may transfer seamlessly from producing timesheets to paying your employees. However we additionally supply a variety of payroll integrations so you may decide from standard instruments like Gusto or ADP as nicely.
One other approach Homebase stands out is pricing. Homebase gives important time monitoring instruments on the free account and most upgrades on the starter plans. As we additionally solely cost by location, it’s simpler to maintain your prices low in case your employees ranges fluctuate.
One disadvantage is Homebase doesn’t have a location monitoring system. Though you may confirm the place your workers are after they verify in, you may’t observe them as they transfer. This implies you may’t monitor touring groups as simply as you may with another time clocks.
Pricing
In addition to its free account, Homebase has three month-to-month paid plans:
- Necessities for $24.95 for GPS verification and efficiency administration.
- Plus for $59.95 so as to add go away administration.
- All-in-one for $99.95 which incorporates HR instruments like assist creating day off insurance policies. You have got the choice of a 14-day free trial for this plan.
Homebase payroll is on a separate account that’s $39 per 30 days plus $6 per worker.
2. Sling
Supply: https://getsling.com/employee-time-clock/
Caption: Sling is a user-friendly time monitoring system that permits you to monitor companies in several timezones
Prime options
Monitoring hours throughout places in several time zones may be difficult as a result of there’s a better probability of getting confused. If this occurs, you would possibly document the incorrect hours and pay your employees incorrectly. Sling sidesteps this concern by letting you monitor every web site in its native time which makes it a very good possibility for worldwide companies.
Professionals and cons
The principle benefit of Sling is its ease of use. Prospects have praised the software program for its intuitiveness and ease.
Nonetheless, Sling is much less versatile than another apps on this record because it solely has scheduling and time monitoring options. When you later want payroll, hiring, or HR instruments, you’ll should obtain extra apps and juggle the completely different software program.
Pricing
Though Sling has a free plan, this solely consists of scheduling and communication options — not time monitoring. Additionally they have a 14-day free trial.
Sling has two paid plans:
- Premium at $2 per person per 30 days which incorporates time monitoring, clock-in controls, and geofencing.
- Enterprise at $4 per person per 30 days so as to add on go away administration and reporting options.
3. Connecteam
Supply: https://connecteam.com/employee-time-clock-app/
Caption: Connecteam features a GPS tracker instrument that can assist you precisely document touring staff
Prime options
When you could have touring staff like supply crews or transferring groups, it may be laborious to stop time theft. Workers could possibly be taking unnecessarily lengthy routes or making too many pit stops with out you realizing. Connecteam’s GPS location tracker eliminates this concern by verifying the situation of distant staff on the go.
Professionals and cons
Like Homebase, Connecteam has a sturdy free plan for as much as ten customers. This makes it a very good possibility for very small groups with modest wants.
However when you exceed ten workers, Connecteam requires customers to make lots of upgrades to entry all its time monitoring instruments. For instance, the GPS location monitoring instrument is just accessible on the highest-cost plan. Different apps on this record embrace extra options of their lowest-cost plans and could possibly be extra budget-friendly for small companies like yours.
Pricing
As talked about above, Connecteam has a free plan for as much as ten customers with fundamental time monitoring instruments and a 14-day free trial for limitless options. The paid plans are as follows:
- Fundamental for $29 which has timesheets, notifications, and GPS clock-in verification.
- Superior for $49 to get entry to computerized clock outs and geofencing.
- Professional for $99 so as to add the GPS location tracker and reporting instruments.
- Enterprise with a customized worth for all these options and limitless time clocks and experiences.
4. When I Work
Supply: https://wheniwork.com/
Caption: Once I Work combines its time monitoring instruments with a useful staff messenger
Prime options
Once I Work shares Homebase’s built-in messenger instrument. Which means you may oversee hours and chat with workers about late arrivals or no arrivals in the identical place. When you’re busy arranging cowl or confused over hours, this will simplify issues and scale back some stress.
Professionals and cons
One professional of Once I Work is their beneficiant admin restrict. If you must delegate time monitoring duties to different managers, you may add as much as three to every account.
However one con is the dearth of cellphone help. Most small companies need assistance with set-up and technical points and these could also be more difficult if it’s important to depend on chat and e-mail. That’s very true for small groups that may’t dedicate a lot time to fixing IT issues.
Pricing
Once I Work has two paid plans at $4 and $8 per person per 30 days. However the one distinction for the time clock function is that the upper price plan has customized attendance experiences.
5. Deputy
Supply: https://www.deputy.com/features/employee-time-clock
Caption: Deputy’s job administration instruments allow you to verify productiveness in addition to attendance
Prime options
In some industries, you could lose cash attributable to low productiveness in addition to time theft. For example, your cleansing or building crew might take longer than vital to complete a job. Deputy’s job administration function helps you to observe attendance and output with its mixed job administration and time clock instruments. All it’s important to do is assign a guidelines to every worker and also you obtain a notification as soon as they’ve completed.
Professionals and cons
Though Deputy largely focuses on scheduling and time monitoring, it boasts a variety of integrations. So, customers usually tend to discover the payroll integration that fits their wants from the choice.
One drawback is that Deputy isn’t user-friendly. Prospects say there’s a steep learning curve and complex features which isn’t ultimate for busy managers with no spare time to be taught new tech.
Pricing
Deputy fees $3.50 per person per 30 days for the plan with its time monitoring options however you may check them totally free in its 31-day trial. You must pay additional for scheduling instruments.
6. Fourth (previously HotSchedules)
Supply: https://www.g2.com/products/hotschedules/reviews
Caption: Fourth helps you to hold detailed observe of employees to stop labor funds and compliance points
Prime options
Retaining observe of hours and charges for tipped employees may be difficult. However for those who don’t keep on high of it, you could find yourself by accident paying employees under minimal wage and incurring fines. Fourth’s compliance instruments show you how to monitor suggestions and keep compliant.
Professionals and cons
Fourth is without doubt one of the few platforms on our record with built-in payroll. Which means you may transfer seamlessly between time monitoring and paying your employees as a substitute of adjusting apps.
The draw back is Fourth solely integrates with its personal payroll instrument. When you’re glad along with your present accounting software program, this implies unnecessarily overhauling your system.
Pricing
Fourth’s costs aren’t available.
7. Quickbooks Time (previously TSheets)
Supply: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/kiosk/
Caption: Quickbooks Time’s monitoring and administration instruments make it straightforward to trace offsite progress
Prime options
Much like Connecteam, Quickbooks has a cellular workforce monitoring system. Customers can obtain updates about their groups’ places all through the day alongside photographs and job updates. That makes it ultimate for managers who need a clear image of their distant staff’ progress.
Professionals and cons
The mix of Quickbooks’ monitoring and job administration instruments makes it a very good decide for touring building and restore crews. Managers get a transparent image of how every job is progressing and what number of hours their groups are working even when they transfer between a number of websites in a day.
However the pricing might deter some customers. Quickbooks cost per location and worker which makes it much less cost-effective than different time monitoring apps.
Pricing
Quickbooks Time has two paid plans:
- Time premium at $20 per 30 days and $8 per worker for fundamental scheduling, time monitoring, and the ‘who’s working’ instrument.
- Time elite at $40 per 30 days and $10 per worker for geofencing and challenge administration instruments.
There’s additionally the choice for a 30-day trial to check all of the options.
8. Time Doctor
Supply:https://www.timedoctor.com/employee-time-tracking
Caption: Time Physician helps you to display screen seize your workers’ work in addition to observe their hours
Prime options
When workers use a pc for work, it’s straightforward to develop a nasty behavior of checking social media or different time-wasting web sites. Time Physician helps your staff keep productive and reduces time theft by monitoring web site utilization and taking sporadic screenshots. However the app doesn’t observe something throughout breaks or exterior of firm time to guard your staff’s privateness.
Professionals and cons
The upside of Time Physician is the vary of integrations. There are over 70 apps for every thing from job administration to accounting and communication.
However the draw back is Time Physician focuses on office-based work so it is probably not appropriate for companies with workers on their toes. For instance, for those who run a store, restaurant, or salon, you could discover you’re paying for lots of pointless instruments or utilizing a system that’s too advanced in your wants.
Pricing
There are three month-to-month paid plans:
- Fundamental at $7 per person for easy time monitoring and job administration instruments.
- Customary at $10 per person so as to add payroll and integrations.
- Premium at $20 per person for consumer log-ins and video display screen captures.
Time Physician additionally gives a free trial for 14 days.
9. Clockify
Supply: https://clockify.me/feature-list#features-time-tracker
Caption: Clockify’s time monitoring helps you calculate how a lot to pay employees and the way a lot to invoice shoppers
Prime options
Once you present a service, you don’t need to invoice the consumer for admin duties and employees conferences. Clockify helps you to differentiate between billable and nonbillable hours simply so you already know precisely how a lot to cost shoppers. That makes Clockify an important possibility for graphic design and advertising groups.
Professionals and cons
Like Homebase, Clockify has a flexible free plan which incorporates time monitoring, timesheets, and a cellular app for workers.
However like Time Physician, Clockify targets office-based work and isn’t the most suitable choice for eating places, retailers, and comparable companies. That’s as a result of if you must develop as your enterprise wants change, you’ll in all probability find yourself paying for pointless add-ons.
Pricing
Apart from its free account, Clockify has 4 month-to-month paid plans:
- Fundamental at $4.99 per person to entry instruments like break administration and pins for kiosks.
- Customary at $6.99 per person for go away administration and reminders.
- Professional at $9.99 per person so as to add screenshots, analytics, and geofencing.
- Enterprise at $14.99 per person which is for bigger companies and features a customized subdomain.
10. ClockShark
Supply: https://www.clockshark.com/tour/employee-time-tracking-app
Caption: ClockShark helps you to write questions for employees to reply after they clock out from their shifts
Prime options
One fascinating function of ClockShark is its customized clock-out questions. Admins can write questions for workers to reply on the finish of every shift and obtain a notification when there’s an surprising reply. For example, you can ask what number of employees are on shift to verify for no-shows or verify important inventory ranges to be sure you’re not operating low.
Professionals and cons
ClockShark customers report the software program is intuitive and straightforward to navigate. That’s important for busy managers who don’t have time to be taught and handle new software program.
However in comparison with different software program, ClockShark has a excessive beginning worth. It additionally fees per worker on high of the bottom charge which implies the extra workers you rent, the higher your prices.
Pricing
Clock Shark has two paid month-to-month plans:
- Customary at $16 plus $7 per worker for time monitoring and GPS instruments.
- Professional at $30 plus $9 per worker so as to add departmental administration and clock-out questions.
You can too check their options with a 14-day free trial.
purchase time clock software program
Now you could have extra details about one of the best time clocks available on the market, you must know tips on how to choose the suitable one and tips on how to implement it. Right here’s our step-by-step information:
- Establish your enterprise wants: Contemplate your business and the everyday challenges you face. Do you could have store staff who neglect to clock in? Or distant crews who don’t precisely document their mileage? It will show you how to determine which options are important, that are fascinating, and that are pointless.
- Analysis and check: Watch movies, benefit from free trials, and even check run time clocks for per week. Then you definitely’ll have a greater concept of how every software program will match into your enterprise.
- Get suggestions and consider: Ask your employees for his or her opinions. For example, they could dislike the sound of a biometric time clock that information their physique measurements. Their view will show you how to make a extra knowledgeable resolution about which app to get.
- Practice your staff: Conduct workshops and provides workers entry to tutorials. Then you definitely’ll have fewer teething pains within the preliminary weeks as everybody will get used to the app. For instance, workers will likely be extra prone to keep in mind to go away earlier than the time clock routinely clocks them out.
- Constantly replicate and replace: As your enterprise is prone to change, your time clock ought to too. Maintain gathering suggestions, checking what new options the app has to supply, and re-evaluating your wants. When you outgrow the present model of your app, take into account an improve.
Frequent pitfalls to keep away from when shopping for time clock software program
When you’re selecting your new time clock, lots can go incorrect. Listed below are some frequent issues for you to pay attention to:
- No integrations along with your present system: Little question your enterprise already makes use of software program like payroll or POS. Until you need to revamp your system, make sure that your new time clock works seamlessly with these apps.
- Inadequate buyer help: As a small enterprise supervisor, you could not have the tech know-how or the time to be taught new software program. That’s when your time clock’s buyer help staff ought to step in and show you how to with set-up and any technical points.
- Unaffordable prices: Worth plans ought to go well with your enterprise. When you’ve received a really small staff, take into account a charge per worker. And for those who’re rising, pricing per location can forestall your prices from spiraling as you rent extra folks.
- Lack of scalability: Time clocks have to develop alongside your enterprise so they need to have upgrades to allow you to add options as you want them.
Why Homebase is one of the best time clock for small companies
Time clocks can shield your revenue margins by recording hours extra precisely. That’s why it’s necessary to search out software program that permits you to pay for precisely what you want so that you don’t find yourself overspending.
When you’re in sure industries, that could be Quickbooks Time or Clockify. Touring staff like repairmen and supply crews might profit from Quickbooks’ GPS location monitoring system. Whereas Clockify helps managers at workplace places hold verify of their workers’ productiveness ranges.
However whenever you’re on the lookout for strong, all-around software program that covers all of your wants, the greatest time clock for small companies is Homebase. The free account with flexibly priced upgrades makes it an inexpensive possibility for very small and rising groups.
There’s additionally a variety of versatile time monitoring instruments to help you with duties from creating digital fences for off-site work to reminding workers to clock in. With their assist, you may observe time simply and precisely with out including duties to your workload or paying out of pocket.
