Best Employee Attendance Tracking Software: 12 Tools (2026)
Attendance tracking software records who was at work, when they arrived and left, and when they took breaks, and turns that into hours for payroll and a record for the file. The twelve tools here do it four different ways: a phone with GPS, a shared kiosk, a clock on the wall, or an agent on the desk that records attendance without any clock-in at all. They differ most in how much labour-law compliance they build in, whether payroll is native or exported, and whether the price is per user, per location, tiered by headcount or a base fee plus a per-user charge.
I reviewed twelve with pricing checked in October 2026. The first three are starting points for the three most common buyers; the rest follow alphabetically. The attendance tracking guide covers the policy and the records the law requires; this page covers the tools.
Shortlist three for your situation
Five questions on how people clock in, compliance, payroll, size and budget.
uAttend only surfaces for a wall clock; Time Champ only for automatic desktop attendance; QuickBooks Time only when payroll is in QuickBooks.
The 12 tools worth knowing
Three starting points, then nine alphabetically.
Jibble for free attendance at any size, Deputy for hourly workforces with compliance exposure, Buddy Punch for a plain time clock with GPS and geofencing.
Jibble
Free for unlimited users with kiosk, GPS and overtime rules
See the detail
Deputy
Attendance with compliance rules built in
See the detail
Buddy Punch
GPS, geofencing and photo punches, simply
See the detailThe rest, alphabetically:
- Clockify: attendance, overtime and time off at $5.49.
- Connecteam: gPS clock inside an all-in-one app, free for ten.
- Homebase: time clock on the POS, free for one shop.
- QuickBooks Time: attendance that lands in payroll directly.
- Sling: mobile clock-in from $1.70.
- Time Champ: attendance recorded automatically, no clock-in.
- TimeCamp: attendance calendar and overtime at $3.99.
- uAttend: fingerprint, face and RFID clocks.
- When I Work: attendance as a $1.50 to $2 add-on to cheap scheduling.
Comparison at a glance
Pricing per user per month on annual billing as published in October 2026 unless the model says otherwise; the model column in the comparison page matters as much as the figure.
| Tool | Positioned for | Pricing checked October 2026 | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jibble | Attendance at no cost for any team size | Free with unlimited users including GPS, timesheets and a facial recognition kiosk; Premium from about $4.49 and Ultimate from about $7.99 per user per month; the vendor publishes no fixed table | Paid prices unpublished; biometric kiosk obligations |
| Deputy | Hourly workforces with labour-law exposure | Lite $5, Core $6.50, Pro $9 per user per month (10% less on annual billing); $30 monthly minimum; payroll add-on $8 per user plus $49; HR $2 | $30 minimum; add-ons for payroll and HR |
| Buddy Punch | Employers who want a time clock and nothing else | Starter $4.99, Pro $6.99, Advanced $12.99 per user per month on annual billing ($5.99, $7.99, $13.99 monthly), each plus a $19 monthly base fee; payroll $8 per user plus $49 | $19 base fee; scheduling only from Pro |
 Clockify | Teams that also track project time | Free for 5 users; Standard $5.49 (attendance, overtime, time off) and Pro $7.99 (scheduling, GPS) per seat per month on annual billing ($6.99 and $9.99 monthly) | Scheduling on Pro; no payroll |
 Connecteam | Deskless teams wanting attendance in a wider app | Small Business plan free for up to 10 users; Operations hub Basic $29, Advanced $49, Expert $99 per month for the first 30 users, then $0.80, $2.50 and $4.20 per additional user | Hubs add up above 30 users |
 Homebase | Single-site hourly businesses | Basic free for one location and 10 employees; Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location per month; payroll $49 plus $6 per employee | Per-location pricing |
 QuickBooks Time | QuickBooks payroll customers | Premium $20 base plus $10 per user; Elite $40 base plus $12 per user, per month; sold with QuickBooks Online | Base fee plus per user |
 Sling | Small teams that want a clock with their schedule | Free for up to 30 users; Premium $1.70 and Business $3.40 per user per month on annual billing ($2 and $4 monthly) | No payroll; basic reporting |
 Time Champ | Office and remote teams | Starter $3.90, Professional $6.90, Enterprise $13.90 per user per month on annual billing; HR module as an add-on | No kiosk or swaps |
 TimeCamp | Budget attendance with billing | Free with unlimited users for timesheets; Starter $3.99 (attendance calendar, overtime, time off) per user per month on annual billing; kiosk and geofencing on higher plans | Breaks and swaps not covered |
 uAttend | Sites that want a clock on the wall | $29 a month for 1 to 9 employees, $49 for 10 to 19, $89 for 20 to 49, $145 for 50 to 99, $195 for 100-plus; physical clocks sold separately; extra clocks and admins charged | Hardware to buy; no trial |
 When I Work | Scheduling-first teams adding attendance | Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8 per user per month; time and attendance add-on $1.50 (Essentials) or $2 (Pro and Premium) per user | Add-on model |
The tools in detail
Jibble
Free for unlimited users with kiosk, GPS and overtime rulesWhat it is
Jibble is free attendance for unlimited users: clock in from phone, web, a facial recognition kiosk, Slack or Teams, with GPS, timesheets, overtime rules and approvals, and paid tiers for geofencing, live location and payroll exports at prices the vendor does not publish as a fixed table. For a business whose whole requirement is who was here and when, it costs nothing.
Why it is on this list
Jibble leads attendance tracking because the free plan is the whole product for most small and mid-sized employers: unlimited users clocking in from phone, web, Slack, Teams or a tablet kiosk with face recognition, GPS on every punch, timesheets, overtime rules and approvals, at no cost. The paid tiers add geofencing and payroll exports at prices the vendor does not publish, and the face kiosk needs Illinois- and Texas-style biometric notices.
Where it is strong
- Free for unlimited users
- Facial recognition kiosk, GPS, Slack and Teams clock-in
- Overtime rules and approvals
- Fast to deploy
Where it falls short
- Paid prices unpublished
- Biometric kiosk triggers Illinois and Texas rules
- Scheduling is lighter than the specialists'
Deputy
Attendance with compliance rules built inWhat it is
Deputy is the scheduling and attendance platform for hourly workforces that take labour law seriously. It builds schedules automatically from demand forecasts and availability, enforces break, overtime and predictive-scheduling rules by jurisdiction, runs a time clock with photo capture and geolocation on phones and kiosks, and exports or runs payroll. It is priced per user with a $30 monthly minimum and sells HR and payroll as add-ons.
Why it is on this list
Deputy is second because attendance for an hourly workforce is a compliance problem as much as a record-keeping one, and Deputy encodes break, overtime and predictive-scheduling rules by jurisdiction, flags violations as they happen, and keeps the audit trail. Its clock takes a photo and a location. The $30 monthly minimum and the add-ons make it a mid-sized employer's tool.
Where it is strong
- Auto-scheduling from demand forecasts
- Break, overtime and predictive-scheduling compliance by jurisdiction
- Time clock with photo and location on phones and kiosks
- Payroll and HR add-ons
Where it falls short
- $30 monthly minimum hurts very small teams
- Payroll and HR are paid add-ons
- More than a simple shop needs
Buddy Punch
GPS, geofencing and photo punches, simplyWhat it is
Buddy Punch is a straightforward time clock: punches from phone, web or kiosk with GPS, geofencing, optional webcam photos and QR codes, PTO tracking, break compliance and payroll integrations, with scheduling included on Pro. Pricing is per user plus a $19 monthly base fee, and payroll is an add-on. It suits small and mid-sized employers who want attendance without a scheduling platform wrapped around it.
Why it is on this list
Buddy Punch is third for the employer who wants a time clock and nothing wrapped around it: GPS and geofenced punches, webcam photos, QR codes, PTO tracking, break compliance and payroll integrations, with scheduling available on Pro if wanted. The $19 base fee is the only awkward part of the pricing.
Where it is strong
- GPS, geofencing and photo punches on the entry plan
- Break compliance and PTO
- Scheduling included on Pro
- Simple to run
Where it falls short
- $19 base fee on every plan
- No forecasting or auto-scheduling
- Scheduling only from Pro
Clockify
Attendance, overtime and time off at $5.49What it is
Clockify's attendance and scheduling live on its Standard and Pro plans: attendance and overtime, time off and approvals at $5.49, scheduling, GPS and a kiosk at $7.99, on top of a time tracker that is free for five users. It is the budget route to attendance plus scheduling for a team that also tracks project time.
Why it is on this list
Clockify is here for teams that need attendance, overtime and time off alongside project time tracking: all on Standard at $5.49, with scheduling, GPS and a kiosk on Pro, over a tracker that is free for five users.
Where it is strong
- Attendance and scheduling on a budget
- Free for five users
- Kiosk and GPS on Pro
- Project time in the same tool
Where it falls short
- Scheduling only on Pro
- No payroll
- Dense interface
Connecteam
GPS clock inside an all-in-one app, free for tenWhat it is
Connecteam is an all-in-one app for deskless teams: scheduling, a GPS time clock, forms and checklists, task management, chat, knowledge base, training and HR documents, sold as three hubs with plans priced for the first 30 users and a small per-user charge after. The Small Business plan is free for up to ten users with everything included, which makes it the most generous free tier in this category.
Why it is on this list
Connecteam is on the list for deskless teams that want attendance inside the app they use for everything else: GPS clock, schedules, forms, tasks and chat, free for up to ten users and priced for the first 30 after.
Where it is strong
- Free for ten users with everything
- Scheduling, GPS clock, forms, chat and training in one app
- Priced for the first 30 users, cheap after
- Built for deskless teams
Where it falls short
- Hubs are priced separately; buying all three adds up
- Per-user charges above 30 users on each hub
- Breadth over depth in scheduling
Homebase
Time clock on the POS, free for one shopWhat it is
Homebase is built for small hourly businesses, restaurants, retail and services, and prices per location rather than per person: scheduling, a time clock that runs on a tablet or the POS, team messaging, hiring and, on higher plans, an AI scheduling assistant, PTO controls, labour cost management and HR tools. Payroll is an add-on. The free plan covers one location with up to ten employees, which is a real product for a single shop.
Why it is on this list
Homebase earns its place for single-site hourly businesses: the time clock runs on the POS or a tablet, schedules sit beside it, and the free plan covers one location with ten employees. Per-location pricing suits one or two sites and not twenty.
Where it is strong
- Free for a single shop with ten employees
- Per-location pricing suits one or two sites
- Scheduling, time clock, hiring and payroll in one app
- Runs on the POS
Where it falls short
- Per-location pricing gets expensive with many sites
- Payroll is $49 plus $6 a head
- Not for salaried or office teams
QuickBooks Time
Attendance that lands in payroll directlyWhat it is
QuickBooks Time is the attendance system for employers whose payroll runs in QuickBooks: mobile and kiosk clock-in with GPS, scheduling, shift swaps, approvals, break tracking and, on Elite, geofencing, mileage and timesheet signatures, with hours flowing into payroll directly. The base fee plus per-user pricing is expensive for small teams.
Why it is on this list
QuickBooks Time is here for employers on QuickBooks payroll: punches with GPS from phone or kiosk, approvals, and hours that arrive in payroll without export. The base fee makes it expensive under ten people.
Where it is strong
- Hours straight into QuickBooks payroll
- GPS, geofencing, kiosk and schedules
- Timesheet signatures
- Mature mobile app
Where it falls short
- Base fee plus per user
- Tied to QuickBooks
- Not for project teams
Sling
Mobile clock-in from $1.70What it is
Sling is the simplest scheduler here and the cheapest: free for up to 30 users with shift scheduling, availability, time off, open shifts and messaging, then $1.70 a user for a mobile time clock, labour cost and overtime tracking, and $3.40 for a kiosk, reporting, no-show tracking and PTO approvals. It bills only for active users and suits small hourly teams that want a schedule everyone can see.
Why it is on this list
Sling is on the list as the cheapest paid clock: $1.70 a user on Premium for mobile clock-in, labour cost and overtime tracking, with a kiosk and no-show tracking on Business at $3.40, on top of a free scheduler for 30 users.
Where it is strong
- Free for 30 users
- The cheapest paid scheduler here
- Bills only active users
- Simple enough for any team
Where it falls short
- No auto-scheduling or forecasting
- No payroll
- Reporting is basic
Time Champ
Attendance recorded automatically, no clock-inWhat it is
Time Champ records attendance automatically from the desktop agent, no clock-in required: login and logout, late starts against the shift, idle and break time, with multiple shift patterns, time zones and GPS check-ins from the mobile app, and productivity data from the same agent. It suits office and remote teams rather than shop floors, and is the cheapest full plan here at $3.90.
Why it is on this list
Time Champ is here for office and remote teams, where a clock-in action is friction nobody wants: attendance is recorded automatically from the desktop agent, with late starts against the shift, idle and break time, time zones and GPS check-ins from the phone, and productivity data from the same source. It has no kiosk or swap workflow and does not suit a shop floor.
Where it is strong
- Attendance with no clock-in action
- Shifts, time zones and late reports
- Productivity data from the same agent
- Cheapest full plan here
Where it falls short
- No kiosk or shift-swap workflow
- Office and remote teams only
- Short history below Enterprise
TimeCamp
Attendance calendar and overtime at $3.99What it is
TimeCamp's attendance features sit on its Starter plan at $3.99: an attendance calendar, overtime monitoring and time off, with a kiosk for shared devices and geofencing on the top plans, over a time tracker that is free for unlimited users. It is a budget attendance option for teams that also bill time.
Why it is on this list
TimeCamp is on the list as a budget attendance option for teams that also bill time: an attendance calendar, overtime and time off at $3.99 over a free unlimited-user tracker.
Where it is strong
- Free for unlimited users
- Attendance calendar and overtime at $3.99
- Kiosk and geofencing available
- Billing and attendance together
Where it falls short
- Breaks and swaps not covered
- Geofencing only on Enterprise
- Attendance is a module, not the centre
uAttend
Fingerprint, face and RFID clocksWhat it is
uAttend is a hardware time clock system: fingerprint, facial recognition, RFID and PIN clocks that report to a cloud account, with mobile and web punching, geofencing, PTO, basic scheduling and payroll exports. The monthly fee is tiered by headcount rather than per user and the clocks are bought separately. It is the choice for sites where the clock on the wall is the attendance system.
Why it is on this list
uAttend is here for sites that want a physical clock: fingerprint, face, RFID or PIN clocks reporting to a cloud account, with mobile punching, geofencing and payroll exports, priced by headcount tier rather than per user. Hardware is bought separately and there is no trial.
Where it is strong
- Fingerprint, facial and RFID clocks
- Tiered fee rather than per user
- Lifetime hardware warranty
- Payroll exports
Where it falls short
- Hardware to buy and maintain
- No free trial
- Extra clocks and admins cost more
When I Work
Attendance as a $1.50 to $2 add-on to cheap schedulingWhat it is
When I Work is the low-cost scheduler: unlimited users at $2.50 a head on Essentials, with auto-scheduling, templates, open shifts, swaps, availability and team messaging, and labour forecasting and custom rules on Pro. Time and attendance is a separate add-on at $1.50 or $2 a user, which is how most buyers end up paying $4 to $10. It runs on web and mobile and integrates with payroll and point-of-sale systems.
Why it is on this list
When I Work closes the list for scheduling-first teams: attendance is a $1.50 to $2 add-on to the cheapest scheduler here, which keeps the combined price at $4 to $10 a user with swaps, open shifts and forecasting included.
Where it is strong
- Cheapest unlimited scheduling at $2.50
- Auto-scheduling, swaps and open shifts on every plan
- Forecasting and custom rules on Pro
- Payroll and POS integrations
Where it falls short
- Time clock is an add-on, so the real price is $4 to $10
- Compliance rules thinner than Deputy's
- No free plan
Four ways to record attendance
| Method | Suits | Tools | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone with GPS | Field, mobile and multi-site staff | Jibble, Buddy Punch, Connecteam, Deputy, When I Work, Sling, QuickBooks Time | Personal phones need a policy; GPS outside hours is unlawful in several states |
| Shared kiosk | Shops, kitchens, clinics, warehouses | Jibble, Homebase, Deputy, Clockify, Sling, 7shifts | Face recognition is biometric data |
| Wall clock | Factories and sites without devices | uAttend, Humanity (TCP clocks) | Hardware cost and maintenance |
| Automatic from the computer | Office and remote knowledge workers | Time Champ, DeskTime, WorkTime | It is monitoring; notice applies |
The records the law requires
For non-exempt employees the Fair Labor Standards Act requires accurate daily and weekly hours, kept three years for payroll records and two for the time cards they came from; overtime is owed by workweek whatever the pay period, and rounding is lawful only where it is neutral over time. Several states require meal and rest break records, and California and a few others require daily overtime. Every tool here produces the hours; the compliance difference is whether it knows the rules (Deputy, Homebase, 7shifts, QuickBooks Time) or leaves them to the payroll system. The hours worked and overtime pages have the arithmetic, and the attendance policy template the policy the system enforces.
Biometrics and GPS
Facial recognition and fingerprint clocks are biometric systems. Illinois's Biometric Information Privacy Act requires written notice, consent and a published retention policy before capture and has produced large settlements; Texas and Washington have biometric laws; several cities add rules. A PIN, badge or photo clock avoids the obligation. The biometric time clock entry and the GPS tracking guide cover the rules for the two features that most often go wrong.
How these tools were evaluated
I evaluated each tool against the same checklist: what it captures and how configurable that is, which platforms it runs on, how it treats the employee (visible or silent agent, access to their own data, screenshot blurring and private time), what the published pricing is and what the minimum commitment really costs, how long data is kept, where it can be deployed, and what the vendor's own documentation and verified user reviews say about reliability and support. Pricing was taken from each vendor's pricing page in October 2026; where a vendor publishes no price, the page says so rather than guessing. Free plans and trials were used where they exist. I did not run a formal benchmark, and the page does not claim one.
Disclosure. I have done work for Time Champ. It appears here because it belongs in this category, it is held to the same criteria as every other product, its drawbacks are listed like everyone else's, and it bought no placement. There are no affiliate or vendor links on this page.
Key takeaways
- Attendance is recorded by phone, kiosk, wall clock or automatically from the computer; choose the method before the tool.
- Jibble is free for unlimited users; Deputy builds in compliance; Buddy Punch is the plain time clock; Time Champ records attendance with no clock-in.
- Pricing models differ: per user, per location (Homebase, 7shifts), headcount tiers (uAttend), base fee plus per user (Buddy Punch, QuickBooks Time).
- Keep payroll records three years and time cards two; overtime by workweek; neutral rounding only.
- Face and fingerprint clocks are biometric systems with notice and consent obligations in several states.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best employee attendance tracking software?
Jibble for most small and mid-sized employers, because its free plan covers unlimited users with a kiosk, GPS, timesheets and overtime rules. Deputy for hourly workforces with labour-law exposure. Buddy Punch for a simple time clock with GPS and geofencing. Time Champ for office and remote teams that want attendance recorded automatically, uAttend for a physical clock, and QuickBooks Time if payroll runs in QuickBooks.
Is there free attendance tracking software?
Jibble is free for unlimited users with GPS, timesheets, overtime rules and a kiosk. TimeCamp is free for unlimited users for basic timesheets. Connecteam is free for up to ten users with its whole app. Homebase is free for one location with ten employees, Sling for 30 users on scheduling, and Clockify for five users.
How do employees clock in with attendance software?
From a phone app with GPS, from a shared tablet kiosk with a PIN, photo or face scan, from a physical wall clock with a fingerprint, badge or PIN, from Slack or Teams, or automatically when they log in to a work computer. Most tools offer several; uAttend is hardware-first and Time Champ is automatic.
Can attendance software track breaks and overtime automatically?
Yes. Deputy, Homebase, 7shifts, QuickBooks Time, Buddy Punch and Clockify apply break and overtime rules and flag violations; Jibble applies overtime rules. Deputy encodes state and city rules including predictive scheduling. Check that daily overtime is handled if you employ in California, and that break rules match your state.
Is a facial recognition time clock legal?
Generally yes with obligations: Illinois requires written notice, consent and a retention policy under its Biometric Information Privacy Act, Texas and Washington have biometric laws, and several cities add rules. A PIN, badge or photo clock avoids the issue. Jibble, uAttend and Deputy offer face recognition as an option.
How much does attendance tracking software cost?
From free (Jibble, TimeCamp, Connecteam for ten, Homebase for one shop) through $1.70 to $5 per user (Sling, Time Champ, TimeCamp Starter, When I Work with the clock add-on, Buddy Punch plus a $19 base fee) to $5 to $10 (Clockify, Deputy, QuickBooks Time plus a base fee). uAttend charges $29 to $195 a month by headcount tier plus hardware. Homebase and 7shifts charge per location.