Best Clock In Clock Out Apps: 12 Compared (2026)
A clock in clock out app records when an hourly employee starts and stops work, from a phone, a browser or a shared tablet, and turns the punches into a timesheet for payroll. The twelve below differ on four things that matter more than their feature lists: how people punch (GPS on their own phone, a PIN or face at a kiosk, or only inside a geofence), whether breaks and overtime are enforced or merely reported, which payroll system the hours reach, and whether the price is per employee, per location or a base fee plus per user. Jibble is free for unlimited users with a face kiosk and GPS. OnTheClock is the cheapest paid clock with geofencing and seven named payroll integrations. Homebase is free for a single site of ten.
The pages that rank for this search are written by Connecteam, Timeero and Clockify, each ranking itself first, with prices that disagree with the vendors' own pages and no compliance section. This guide gives October 2026 pricing read from each vendor's pricing page, free-plan limits, a chooser by crew and payroll, and the four legal rules that decide how a time clock is configured: FLSA recordkeeping and retention, the rounding regulation, state meal-break laws and Illinois' biometric law. This page covers the apps people punch on, from a phone or a shared tablet; our attendance tracking software review covers the wider systems, hardware clocks and payroll suites included, that those punches feed. There are no vendor links and nothing paid for its place.
Three starting points
Jibble for a free clock with GPS and a face kiosk, OnTheClock for the cheapest paid clock with geofencing and payroll links, Homebase for a single-site shift business.
Jibble
GPS stamps, facial recognition kiosk, overtime rules, QuickBooks export, at no cost
See the detail
OnTheClock
$5 base plus $4 per employee with geofencing, kiosk and seven payroll integrations
See the detail
Homebase
Free for 10 employees, scheduling and hiring included, per-location pricing after
See the detailWhich clock in clock out app fits
Answer four questions and the chooser ranks the twelve by crew, clock-in method, payroll and budget.
Apps that cannot clock in the way you chose or feed the payroll you named drop out of the top three.
Comparison at a glance
| App | Pricing, October 2026 | Free plan | Clock-in methods | Breaks and overtime | Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jibble | Free; paid tiers quoted | Unlimited users | Phone, web, face kiosk; GPS stamps, geofencing | Overtime and paid-break rules | QuickBooks, Xero, Deel exports |
| OnTheClock | $5 base + $4 per employee, monthly | No (30-day trial) | Phone, web, PIN kiosk; GPS, geofencing, IP restriction | Overtime calculation | QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Paylocity, Sage, SurePayroll; own payroll |
| Homebase | Free; $30, $70, $120 per location | 10 employees, 1 location | Phone, tablet and POS clock-in, location-based | Break and overtime preferences on paid plans | Own payroll $49 + $6; integrations |
 Connecteam | $29, $49, $99 per month for 30 users, annual | 10 users | Phone with GPS, shared device; geofence sites on Advanced | Auto clock-out from Advanced | Integrations; plan mapping not published |
 Timeero | $5, $7.50, $10, annual; no base fee | No (14-day trial) | Phone with GPS and mileage; geofencing on Pro; face kiosk on Premium | California break policy on Pro | Accounting and payroll integrations on Pro |
 Deputy | $5, $6.50, $9; $30 monthly minimum | No | Phone, face-unlock kiosk on Core; geolocation blocking | Labor law compliance on Lite | Payroll integrations on Lite; own payroll $8 + $49 |
 When I Work | $2.50, $5, $8 per user, monthly | No (14-day trial) | Phone with GPS and geofence | Not stated | Payroll and POS integrations on Essentials+ |
 QuickBooks Time | $20 base + $10, or $40 + $12, monthly | No | Phone, web, tablet kiosk with facial recognition; geofencing on Elite | Overtime alerts | QuickBooks Online, Payroll, Desktop |
 Clockify | $3.99, $5.49, $7.99, annual | 5 users | Web, desktop, phone, kiosk from Basic; GPS on Pro; no geofencing | Breaks on Basic; overtime on Standard | QuickBooks on Standard |
 Hubstaff | $4.99, $7.50, $10, annual; 2-seat minimum | No | Phone with GPS job sites that auto clock in; desktop | Overtime rules on higher plans | Gusto, Deel, PayPal, Wise, QuickBooks |
 Workyard | From $6, annual; Pro by quote | No (14-day trial) | Phone with GPS on all plans; geofencing and kiosk on Pro | State, federal or custom rules on Starter | QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto exports on Starter |
 Sling | Premium $1.70, Business $3.40, annual ($2, $4 monthly) | 30 users, scheduling only | Phone with geofencing on Premium; kiosk on Business | Auto clock-out, early clock-in prevention | Exports |
The apps in detail
Jibble
Free for unlimited usersWhat it is
Jibble is a time clock first: punch in from a phone, a browser or a shared tablet with a selfie or face scan, with GPS stamps, geofencing, offline punches, overtime and paid-break calculation, schedules, approvals and exports to QuickBooks, Xero and Deel. The free plan includes the kiosk and GPS, which is unusual.
Where it is strong
- The widest free plan on this page, including the face kiosk and GPS
- Overtime and break rules built in
- Approvals and QuickBooks export without paying
Where it falls short
- Paid pricing is not published; get the quote in writing
- Advanced geofencing and scheduling sit on paid tiers
- Facial recognition triggers Illinois biometric consent duties
Who it suits
Any hourly team that wants a real clock for nothing.
OnTheClock
Cheapest paid clock with everythingWhat it is
OnTheClock sells one plan with the features other vendors spread across tiers, and names seven payroll integrations: QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Paylocity, Sage and SurePayroll. For a crew of ten it costs $45 a month.
Where it is strong
- One plan, $45 a month for ten people, with geofencing and a kiosk
- The longest named payroll list here
- No contract, 30-day trial
Where it falls short
- No facial recognition except on its enterprise hardware clock
- Scheduling is basic
- Its pricing calculator and its listed rates disagreed on the day we checked; confirm the quote
Who it suits
Small crews that want the QuickBooks Time feature set at a quarter of the base fee.
Homebase
Single-site shift teamsWhat it is
Homebase prices per location, not per person, and bundles scheduling, a time clock with location-based clock-in on phones and tablets, messaging, hiring and its own payroll. Break and overtime preferences, PTO controls and labor cost tools arrive on the paid tiers.
Where it is strong
- Free for ten people at one site
- Unlimited employees per location on paid plans
- Scheduling, hiring and payroll in one app
Where it falls short
- Per-location pricing is poor value for multi-site operators
- GPS and geofencing are not named as such on the pricing page
- No job costing
Who it suits
Restaurants, cafes and shops with one or two locations.
Connecteam
Clock, schedule and chat for deskless teamsWhat it is
Connecteam's time clock has GPS on Basic, geofence sites on Advanced (up to 10) and Expert (unlimited), auto clock-out from Advanced and one to six clocks per plan, alongside scheduling, tasks, forms and chat, priced flat for the first 30 users.
Where it is strong
- $29 a month covers 30 users
- Communication and forms alongside the clock
- Free for 10
Where it falls short
- Geofencing limited below Expert
- Payroll integration plan mapping not published
- Not a payroll or job-costing system
Who it suits
Deskless teams of up to 30 that want one app for clocking, scheduling and messages.
Timeero
GPS and mileage without a base feeWhat it is
Timeero puts GPS and mileage on its cheapest plan and geofencing, scheduling, job tracking, photo attachments, payroll integrations and a California break policy on Pro, with a facial recognition kiosk, signatures and an API on Premium.
Where it is strong
- Mileage and GPS from $5 with no base fee
- California meal-break policy and geofencing on the middle plan
- Per-active-user billing
Where it falls short
- Basic capped at 10 users
- Integration partners not named on the pricing page
- Less fit for shops
Who it suits
Field service, home health and construction crews that drive.
Deputy
Rostering with compliance rulesWhat it is
Deputy is scheduling first, with time clocking, labor law compliance and payroll integrations on Lite, a biometric kiosk with face unlock on Core, geolocation-based clock-in blocking, and demand-based scheduling for hospitality and retail.
Where it is strong
- Compliance rules on the cheapest plan
- Face-unlock kiosk
- Advanced scheduling with forecasting
Where it falls short
- $30 monthly minimum and managers count as seats
- SMS fees
- No job costing
Who it suits
Hospitality and retail operators with complex rosters.
When I Work
Cheap multi-location scheduling with a clockWhat it is
When I Work schedules hourly teams across locations and adds a time clock with GPS and geofence clock-in, payroll and POS integrations from Essentials and an API and SSO on Premium. Its pricing page is inconsistent about which plan includes time and attendance.
Where it is strong
- From $2.50 per user with no base fee
- Multi-location scheduling
- Payroll and POS integrations
Where it falls short
- Pricing page inconsistent on time and attendance; confirm the quote
- No kiosk named
- Thin on jobs and projects
Who it suits
Multi-location shift teams that mostly need the schedule.
QuickBooks Time
The QuickBooks payroll clockWhat it is
QuickBooks Time feeds QuickBooks Online, Payroll and Desktop directly, with scheduling, approvals, a tablet kiosk with facial recognition and photo attachments on both plans and geofencing, timesheet signatures, mileage and project tracking on Elite. It requires a QuickBooks account.
Where it is strong
- Native QuickBooks payroll sync
- Kiosk with facial recognition on both plans
- Phone and chat support
Where it falls short
- Base fee plus per user: $120 a month for ten on Premium
- Geofencing only on Elite at $40 plus $12
- Tied to QuickBooks; see our QuickBooks Time alternatives
Who it suits
Crews already on QuickBooks Online Payroll who value the native sync over price.
Clockify
Project time plus a kioskWhat it is
Clockify is a project tracker with an attendance layer: a kiosk with PIN from Basic, breaks, attendance and overtime reports, and GPS, scheduling and kiosk photo capture on Pro. There is no geofencing. Kiosk-only seats cost under a dollar, which makes shared-device clocking cheap.
Where it is strong
- Kiosk seats from $0.79
- Project time and attendance in one tool
- QuickBooks integration on Standard
Where it falls short
- No geofencing; GPS only on Pro
- No native payroll
- Free plan limited since April 2026
Who it suits
Office and hybrid hourly staff whose hours also go on projects.
Hubstaff
Job sites that clock people inWhat it is
Hubstaff's mobile app uses GPS job sites to clock field staff in and out automatically, alongside desktop time with optional screenshots for office staff, and payroll through Gusto, Deel, PayPal, Wise and QuickBooks.
Where it is strong
- Automatic clock-in at job sites
- Desktop and field in one account
- Payroll from tracked hours
Where it falls short
- Desktop monitoring features need a separate conversation with staff
- 2-seat minimum
- No kiosk
Who it suits
Businesses with both a field crew and an office team.
Workyard
Built for constructionWhat it is
Workyard puts GPS, mileage, state, federal or custom break and overtime rules and QuickBooks, ADP and Gusto exports on its cheapest plan, with scheduling, geofencing, a kiosk and labor cost reporting on Pro, and automatic clock-in and meal-break rules on Autopilot.
Where it is strong
- Break and overtime rules enforced on the entry plan
- GPS on every plan
- ADP and Gusto exports from Starter
Where it falls short
- Pro and Autopilot prices are not published
- Construction-shaped
- Monthly price not listed
Who it suits
Trades and construction crews that need compliance enforced, not suggested.
Sling
The cheapest paid clockWhat it is
Sling is a scheduler whose paid plans add a mobile time clock with geofencing, auto clock-out and early clock-in prevention on Premium and a shared-device kiosk on Business, at the lowest paid prices on this page.
Where it is strong
- $1.70 per user for a geofenced mobile clock
- Free scheduling for 30 people
- Kiosk on the $3.40 plan
Where it falls short
- Free plan does not include time tracking
- No facial recognition stated
- Thin payroll integrations
Who it suits
Small shift teams that already schedule in Sling.
What the law requires of a time clock
A clock in clock out app is a legal record for non-exempt employees. Four federal and state rules decide how you configure it.
Records: 29 CFR 516.2 and retention
The Fair Labor Standards Act's recordkeeping regulation, 29 CFR 516.2(a), requires employers to keep, for each non-exempt employee, the hours worked each workday and the total hours each workweek, alongside pay rates, earnings and deductions. It does not prescribe a method; an app is fine, a notebook is fine, an inaccurate record is not. Payroll records must be kept for three years under 29 CFR 516.5 and the time cards themselves for two years under 29 CFR 516.6. Choose an app whose export you will still be able to open in three years, and export at each year end.
Rounding: 29 CFR 785.48
The Department of Labor's regulation allows recording time to the nearest five minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, provided the practice does not, over time, fail to compensate employees for all the time they actually worked. The widely quoted seven-minute rule is the arithmetic of quarter-hour rounding, not a legal requirement, and rounding is never mandatory. Several apps round by default; the safest setting is no rounding, and if you round, round neutrally and audit the net effect each quarter. Our time card calculator covers the arithmetic.
Breaks: six states that make break punches matter
Federal law requires no meal break, but California (30 minutes for work over five hours, with an hour's pay owed for each missed break), Illinois (20 minutes within the first five hours of a 7.5-hour shift), New York (30 minutes for shifts over six hours spanning midday), Washington (30 minutes for over five hours), Oregon (30 minutes for six to eight hours) and Colorado (30 minutes over five hours) do, and a timestamped break record is the defense. Apps that auto-deduct a break without a punch create liability in those states; Workyard, Timeero and Deputy enforce break rules, Jibble calculates paid breaks, and Clockify and Homebase record them.
Biometric kiosks: Illinois BIPA
A facial recognition or fingerprint kiosk collects a biometric identifier. Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14, requires a written retention and destruction policy, informed written consent before collection and destruction when the purpose ends or within three years of the last interaction. Damages are $1,000 per negligent and $5,000 per intentional violation, and employers have paid settlements in the tens of millions over time clocks. Since August 2, 2024 a person can recover once per method of collection rather than per scan. Texas and Washington have their own biometric laws. Jibble, Deputy, Timeero and QuickBooks Time offer face recognition; our biometric time clock entry covers the consent forms.
GPS and monitoring notice
GPS punches are location data. New York Civil Rights Law 52-c requires written notice, acknowledged on hiring, of electronic monitoring of telephone, email and internet use; whether it reaches GPS in a time clock app is unsettled, and the notice costs nothing, so give it. Connecticut and Delaware have similar notice laws. Configure the app to capture location only at punch time or only while clocked in, and say so in the policy; our employee GPS tracking guide and monitoring laws by state table cover the rest.
Buddy punching and time theft, with the numbers that exist
The statistics that circulate on vendor pages, that 75% of businesses are affected by time theft or that buddy punching costs 2.2% of payroll, are attributed to an American Payroll Association survey that no page links and that we could not locate. Treat them as folklore. One figure with a stated method exists: OnTheClock's survey of more than 800 US hourly workers, fielded July 1 to 9, 2026, found about one in four admitting to clocking in for a coworker, with a stated margin of error of about three points. It is a vendor survey of its own audience, unweighted, and still the best number available. The product answer is the same regardless of the number: a photo or face capture at the kiosk, GPS or geofencing on mobile punches, and an edit trail managers can see. The behavioral answer is a schedule people can keep and a manager who notices.
How these apps were evaluated
Twelve apps were checked on October 21, 2026 against the same list: clock-in methods (phone, web, kiosk, PIN, photo, face, geofence), offline punches, break and overtime handling, scheduling, approvals, payroll integrations named on the vendor's page, platforms, free-plan limits and published pricing with base fees and minimums. Prices come from each vendor's pricing page on that date; where a vendor publishes no price (Jibble's paid tiers, Workyard above Starter) the page says so. Compliance facts come from the eCFR and state labor department pages; the biometric and meal-break citations should be checked by counsel for your state. Review-site scores are not quoted because the pages could not be read for this article. No vendor paid for placement and there are no affiliate links.
Key takeaways
- Decide the punch method first: GPS on personal phones, a kiosk with PIN, photo or face, or geofenced clock-in. It narrows twelve apps to four.
- Free: Jibble (unlimited users, face kiosk, GPS), Homebase (10 employees, one location), Connecteam (10 users), Clockify (5 users). Sling's free plan schedules but does not clock.
- Cheapest paid: Sling $1.70, When I Work $2.50, Clockify $3.99, OnTheClock $4 plus a $5 base, Timeero and Deputy $5. QuickBooks Time is $20 or $40 base plus $10 or $12.
- Payroll: OnTheClock names QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Paylocity, Sage and SurePayroll; Workyard exports to QuickBooks, ADP and Gusto on Starter; Homebase and Deputy run their own payroll; QuickBooks Time is native to QuickBooks.
- Breaks enforced rather than reported: Workyard on Starter, Timeero's California policy on Pro, Deputy's compliance rules on Lite.
- The FLSA requires daily and weekly hours kept two years for time cards and three for payroll; rounding to the quarter hour is allowed only if neutral over time; six states mandate meal breaks; Illinois requires written consent and a retention policy before a face or fingerprint kiosk.
- The only buddy-punching figure with a stated method is a July 2026 vendor survey of 800 hourly workers in which about one in four admitted it; the 75% and 2.2% figures have no traceable source.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best clock in clock out app?
Jibble for most small teams: free for unlimited users with GPS stamps, a facial recognition kiosk, overtime rules and QuickBooks export. OnTheClock if you want geofencing, a kiosk and named payroll integrations for $5 plus $4 per employee. Homebase for a single-site shift business. Timeero or Workyard for crews that drive. The chooser above ranks all twelve.
Is there a free clock in clock out app?
Yes. Jibble is free for unlimited users including the kiosk and GPS. Homebase is free for up to 10 employees at one location, Connecteam for up to 10 users, and Clockify for 5 users with a kiosk from its $3.99 plan. Sling is free for 30 users but its free plan does not include time tracking.
Is a time clock app legal for FLSA recordkeeping?
Yes. 29 CFR 516.2 requires accurate records of hours worked each day and week for non-exempt employees but does not prescribe a method. Keep time cards for two years and payroll records for three, and export the app's data at least yearly so you can open it after the subscription ends.
Can I round clock-in times?
Yes, under 29 CFR 785.48, to the nearest five minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, provided the practice does not over time fail to pay employees for all time worked. The seven-minute rule is quarter-hour rounding's arithmetic, not a requirement. Rounding is never mandatory and no rounding is the safest setting.
Is facial recognition clock-in legal?
In most states yes, but Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act requires a written retention and destruction policy and informed written consent before collection, with damages of $1,000 to $5,000 per violation, and Texas and Washington have biometric laws of their own. Jibble, Deputy, Timeero (Premium) and QuickBooks Time offer face recognition; get the consent form signed first.
Can my employer track my GPS through a time clock app?
Employers can require GPS at punch time or while clocked in on a work app. New York requires written notice of electronic monitoring on hiring, Connecticut and Delaware have notice laws, and tracking should stop when you are off the clock. The app's settings determine whether location is captured only at punches or continuously; ask which.
Which clock in apps enforce meal breaks?
Workyard enforces state, federal or custom break and overtime rules from its Starter plan, with automatic meal-break handling on Autopilot. Timeero has a California break policy on Pro. Deputy lists labor law compliance on Lite. Jibble calculates paid breaks and overtime. Homebase and Clockify record breaks on paid plans. QuickBooks Time sends overtime alerts rather than enforcing rules.
How common is buddy punching?
The one survey with a stated method, OnTheClock's July 2026 poll of more than 800 US hourly workers, found about one in four admitting to clocking in for a coworker. It is a vendor survey of its own audience. The 75% of businesses and 2.2% of payroll figures repeated on vendor pages have no traceable primary source. Photo or face capture at a kiosk and GPS on mobile punches are the product answers.