What is the best time and attendance software in 2026?
The right tool depends on where your people clock in, how many you have, and how you run payroll.
Hours come in by text, on a paper sheet by the back door, or in a spreadsheet everyone fills in differently. On payday you rebuild the week for your bookkeeper, and someone disputes their overtime. Time and attendance software fixes this: people clock in on a tablet or their phone, hours are checked against the schedule, and totals flow to payroll.
The short answer. Homebase is the best fit for one or two locations: free up to 10 employees, then $30 per location. Connecteam wins for field crews, free up to 10 users and $35 a month for 30. Clockify has the cheapest kiosk seats. Deputy has the strongest overtime rules from $5 per user. Jibble stays free with unlimited users.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best time clock app for your team
Free up to 10, then $30 per location
Crews on job sitesGeofence alerts, 30 users from $29
Shared kiosk, pay per seatKiosk-only seats from $0.79
Overtime across sitesLabor rules from $5 per user
Zero budgetFree with unlimited users
Payroll in the same app$49 a month plus $6 per employee
The 5 time and attendance apps compared
The ranking follows the needs of an owner or manager who must track every employee's hours and send them to payroll without retyping. All prices come from the vendors' official pricing pages. Watch the unit: per location, per user, or per bundle of users.
| Best for | What it does best | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homebase | Best for one location | Priced per location, blocks early clock-ins | 4.4/5 | $0; Essentials $30/location | ✓ | 1 to 2 locations | Visit → |
| 2 | Connecteam | Best for field crews | Geofence alerts, 30 users included | 4.2/5 | $0; Basic $29/month | ✓ | Mobile teams up to 50 | Visit → |
| 3 | Clockify | Best kiosk pricing | Kiosk-only seats from $0.79 | 4.2/5 | $0; Basic $3.99/seat | ✓ | Offices, warehouses | Visit → |
| 4 | Deputy | Best labor rules | Overtime flagged across sites | 4.1/5 | $5/user/month | — | Multi-site groups | Visit → |
| 5 | Jibble | Best free plan | Unlimited users at $0 | 3.7/5 | $0 | ✓ | Small teams, nonprofits | Visit → |
Scores use five weighted criteria, explained in our method. Homebase does not say whether listed prices are monthly or yearly; Deputy prices exclude taxes; Jibble only shows its free plan. Prices read in 2026 on the official vendor pages.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
This page is for the person who needs to know how many hours each employee really worked: a restaurant or store owner, a services company with field crews, an HR lead at a small business. Project timers built for freelancers, like Toggl or Harvest, are left out. They measure billable time, not the hours you owe wages on.
We compared the official pricing pages of each vendor, the terms of each plan (billing unit, users included, paid add-ons) and hundreds of user reviews, starting with the negative ones. We also checked the federal rules on overtime and recordkeeping that any time clock has to support.
The weighting follows what costs money when you get it wrong. Clock-in reliability counts for 25%: a punch you cannot trust proves nothing in a wage dispute. Overtime and labor rules count for 20%, payroll export 20%, value for money 20% (priced on your real headcount), and ease of use 15%, employee app included.
Left out, and why. QuickBooks Time requires QuickBooks Online and was out of scope for a neutral ranking. Buddy Punch and OnTheClock appear in many roundups, but we could not confirm their current prices on their official pages.
- Clock-in reliabilityPINs, geofences, kiosks, approved and logged edits, offline mode.25%
- Overtime and labor rulesMatch to schedule, overtime alerts, breaks, early clock-in controls.20%
- Payroll exportPayroll integrations, built-in payroll, exports for your accountant.20%
- Value for moneyMonthly cost at 10, 25 and 50 employees, free plan, add-ons.20%
- Ease of use and appSetup, employee app, support as described by users.15%
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Time clock pricing changes every year. Get the updates
Homebase
Homebase is built around the shop floor. The free Basic plan covers one location and up to 10 employees, with clock-in on a tablet, a computer or your POS. For a single location with a small crew, that alone replaces the paper punch card.
The pricing unit is what makes it cheap as you grow: you pay per location, not per employee. Essentials, at $30 per location per month, unlocks unlimited employees and location-based mobile clock-in, so staff can punch in from their phone only when they are on site. All-in-One, at $120, adds labor cost controls such as auto clock-out and blocking early clock-ins. That last one matters: an employee who clocks in 15 minutes early every shift adds more than an hour of paid time per week.
Payroll is a separate add-on at $49 per month plus $6 per employee paid. Hours flow straight from the timesheet to the paycheck, which removes the Friday export to your accountant.
Its limit: the per-location model gets expensive for a business with many small sites, and the free plan stops at 10 employees and one location. Check which time tracking features you actually get on Essentials before you turn on mobile clock-in for the whole team.
- Free for one location and 10 employees
- Priced per location, not per employee
- Blocks early clock-ins on All-in-One
- ✓Cheapest per head for a busy single location
- ✓Clock-in on tablet, computer or POS
- ✓Payroll in the same app
- ✗Each extra location is billed in full
- ✗Mobile clock-in requires a paid plan
- ✗Payroll costs extra
The best pick for one or two locations with hourly staff. For crews spread across job sites, Connecteam fits better.
Connecteam
Connecteam is designed for people who never sit at a desk. Each job site gets a geofence, and a manager gets an alert when someone clocks in or out outside it. The free Small Business plan covers up to 10 users with every feature, which is generous.
Paid plans are priced as a bundle: Basic costs $35 a month on monthly billing ($29 yearly) for the first 30 users, then $1 per extra user. At 50 people, that is $55 a month, the lowest bill on this page for mobile clock-in. Advanced ($59 monthly) and Expert ($119 monthly) raise the extra-user price to $3 and $5.
What the roundups skip: on Android, several users report that GPS stays on for the whole shift and drains the battery. One review describes a phone dropping from 60% to 5% in about 90 minutes. There is no native offline mode either, which hurts in basements or rural areas. The overall rating still sits around 4.6 out of 5 across roughly 5,000 Capterra reviews.
Its limit: some users say the time clock cannot compare actual hours with scheduled hours as cleanly as a dedicated scheduling tool. Run a two-week pilot with your real crew before rolling it out.
- Geofence per job site with alerts
- 30 users included from $29
- Free up to 10 users
- ✓Lowest bill for 30 to 50 mobile workers
- ✓Clock, chat and forms in one app
- ✓Trial without a credit card
- ✗GPS battery drain reported on Android
- ✗No native offline mode
- ✗Per-user price jumps on higher plans
The best choice for crews spread across job sites. For a single store with a shared tablet, Homebase is simpler and cheaper.
Clockify
Clockify started as a project timer, which is why it often shows up in the wrong roundups. Its paid plans now include a real kiosk: a shared device where employees clock in and out with a PIN. Kiosk mode starts on Basic, at $4.99 per seat per month on monthly billing ($3.99 yearly).
The trick almost nobody mentions: staff who only clock in at the kiosk can be added as limited seats, priced from $0.79 to $2.39 per month on annual billing. For a warehouse where 20 people only punch in and out, that cuts the bill sharply compared with full seats.
Time off starts on Standard ($6.99 monthly), and GPS tracking on Pro ($9.99 monthly). At 10 full seats on Pro, that is $99.90 a month, more than Connecteam for the same mobile use.
Its limit: overtime and labor rules are basic compared with Deputy, and the free plan is small. The plan card says up to 5 users while the FAQ says you can invite 4 people, so plan on 4.
- Kiosk from the Basic plan
- Cheap kiosk-only seats
- Clear per-seat pricing
- ✓Pay only for the seats you need
- ✓Timesheets and project time in one tool
- ✓Yearly billing saves about 20%
- ✗GPS only on Pro
- ✗Light on labor rules
- ✗Small free plan
A smart pick for a shared kiosk in an office or warehouse. For field crews, Connecteam's bundle is cheaper.
Deputy
Deputy is the most rules-driven tool on this page. Timesheets are matched against the schedule, overtime is flagged before it happens, and the same rules apply at every location. For a manager with three sites and a district boss watching labor costs, that consistency is the point.
Pricing is per user: Lite at $5, Core at $6.50 and Pro at $9 per user per month, before taxes. Since 2025, monthly plans carry a $30 minimum per invoice, so a team of 4 on Lite still pays $30. Yearly billing saves 10%.
Do the math for your crew. At 25 users, Lite costs $125 a month and Core $162.50. At 50, Lite reaches $250, roughly five times Connecteam's Basic bill. You pay for the labor rules, and they are worth it only if overtime is a real cost for you.
Its limit: the per-user price adds up fast for large, low-hour teams such as seasonal staff, and Pro requires talking to sales.
- Overtime flagged before it happens
- Same rules at every location
- Timesheets matched to the schedule
- ✓Strongest labor-rule engine here
- ✓Clear per-user price
- ✓Works for multi-site groups
- ✗$30 monthly minimum per invoice
- ✗Expensive for large part-time teams
- ✗Pro is sales-led
The right pick when overtime is a real line on your P&L across several sites. A single small store will overpay.
Jibble
Jibble is the only tool here that stays free no matter how many users you add. The free plan covers web and mobile clock-ins, basic timesheets, and integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams and QuickBooks. For a volunteer team or a small crew still using a sign-in sheet, it costs nothing to try.
Paid plans exist, but Jibble uses localized pricing and the official page does not show the figures. We only list what we could read: the free plan. Check the exact price in your account before you budget for it.
Jibble promotes facial recognition against buddy punching, without saying which plan includes it. If you use it, check your state's biometric privacy law first: Illinois, for example, requires written consent before collecting biometric data. A PIN or a geofence is often enough.
Its limit: overtime rules and payroll exports are basic on the free plan. You save the data entry, not the calculation.
- Free with unlimited users
- Web and mobile clock-in
- Slack, Teams and QuickBooks integrations
- ✓Zero cost to start
- ✓Quick setup
- ✓Good way to test clock-in before buying
- ✗Paid plan prices not shown
- ✗Biometric features need legal care
- ✗Basic timesheets
A solid free first step off paper. Once you need overtime math or a payroll feed, move up the ranking.
What you actually pay at 10, 25 and 50 employees
Roundups show a starting price. What matters is the monthly bill for your team with clock-in included. Here is the math from the official pricing pages, one location, monthly billing.
10 employees
Homebase Basic, Connecteam and Jibble are free. Deputy Lite costs $50. Clockify Basic with the kiosk costs $49.90, or $99.90 on Pro if you need GPS. At this size, a free plan usually does the job.
25 employees
Homebase Essentials costs $30 for the location. Connecteam Basic costs $35 ($29 yearly) for up to 30 users. Clockify Basic costs $124.75 and Deputy Lite $125, or $162.50 on Core.
50 employees
Homebase stays at $30 per location. Connecteam Basic reaches $55 ($35 plus 20 users at $1). Clockify Basic costs $249.50 and Deputy Lite $250. Per-location and bundle pricing win clearly at this size.
Several locations
Homebase multiplies by location: three stores on Essentials cost $90. Connecteam, Clockify and Deputy bill by user, with no surcharge per site. Deputy's rules engine starts to earn its price here.
- The billing unit: per location, per user or per bundle
- Whether mobile or GPS clock-in is on your plan
- The cost of payroll or a payroll integration
- Monthly minimums, like Deputy's $30 per invoice
- What happens when the trial ends
What your time clock has to support
A time clock is your evidence in any wage dispute. These five points keep that evidence solid.
Overtime after 40 hours a week
FederalUnder the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees earn one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states, such as California, add daily overtime. Make sure the app lets you set your state's rule, not just the federal one.
Keep time cards for at least two years
FederalFederal rules require employers to keep time cards for two years and payroll records for three. Check that the app lets you export and archive past periods before you cancel a subscription.
Rounding must be neutral
Watch outRounding punches to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes is allowed only if, over time, it does not shortchange employees. A setting that always rounds in your favor is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Biometric clock-in needs consent in some states
State lawIllinois requires written consent and a retention policy before you collect fingerprints or face scans, and other states have similar laws. A PIN on a shared tablet avoids the issue.
Every edit should leave a trail
Best practiceMissed punches happen every week. What matters is that a manager approves each fix and the app logs it. A spreadsheet anyone can change proves nothing.
Six settings that stop phantom hours
These tips come from user reviews and owner forums. They apply to most tools on this page.
Run the old and new systems side by side for two weeks
SetupKeep the paper sheet or old clock for two weeks and compare totals every Friday. Gaps reveal bad settings (breaks, rounding) before they reach a paycheck.
Block early clock-ins
Labor costFifteen minutes early on every shift adds over an hour of paid time per person per week. Homebase All-in-One can prevent early clock-ins; elsewhere, use alerts.
Start with a wide geofence
FieldA tight radius causes false rejections when GPS drifts. Start wide, review the first week of alerts, then tighten if you see abuse.
Use kiosk-only seats for floor staff
BudgetOn Clockify, staff who only punch in and out can be limited seats from $0.79 a month on yearly billing, instead of full seats from $3.99.
Set break rules before day one
PayrollAuto-deducted, punched or paid: breaks are the top cause of mismatches between the app and payroll. Decide one rule per role and configure it first.
Send a test export to your bookkeeper
PayrollBefore you sign, export a sample pay period in your payroll format and send it over. It takes ten minutes and saves a messy first payday.
Get our tips for paying less on workforce software
Go further
Clock-in is one step: hours come from a schedule and end up on a paycheck.
Time and attendance software · FAQ
Is there free time and attendance software?
Yes. Jibble is free with unlimited users, Connecteam is free up to 10 users with every feature, and Homebase Basic is free for one location and up to 10 employees. Past that, expect $30 to $125 a month for 25 employees, depending on the pricing unit.What is the difference between time tracking and time and attendance?
Time tracking measures time spent on projects, mostly for billing clients. Time and attendance records when employees start and stop work, so you can pay wages and overtime correctly. This page covers the second.How do I stop buddy punching?
Give each person a personal PIN, place the kiosk where a manager can see it, and use a geofence on mobile clock-in. Photo or face checks exist, but biometric data triggers consent rules in some states, so start with the simpler options.Can I track employees' location when they clock in?
Generally yes, at the moment of clock-in, if you tell employees in writing. Avoid tracking them all shift: it raises privacy concerns, and some users report heavy battery drain when GPS stays on.How long must I keep time records?
Federal rules require two years for time cards and three years for payroll records. Some states require longer. Export and archive your data before you switch or cancel a tool.Can time clock software run payroll?
Some can. Homebase adds payroll for $49 a month plus $6 per employee. Others export hours to your payroll provider. Ask for a sample export in your provider's format before you sign.Is rounding employee time legal?
Yes, if it is neutral over time. Rounding to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes is allowed under federal rules, as long as it does not consistently favor the employer. Check the rounding setting in your app.