If you have employees working in the field, it’s important to know where they are while they’re on the clock. For this article, I’ve done extensive research on employee tracking apps so you can find the best option for your business.
Keeping track of your in the field employees is critical for safety, helps you bill clients for time spent on their projects, and makes it easier to redeploy employees to where they’re needed most.
The best way to manage employees in the field is with employee tracking apps that offer GPS capabilities, communication tools, and time tracking features. In this article, I’m going over the 10 best apps to track employees’ location and explain how to choose the right tracking app for your business.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one employee tracking app
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Good for payroll and accounting integrations
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Good for combined location and time tracking
How I Chose the Best Employee GPS Tracking Apps
There are many employee tracking apps on the market, so this is what I looked for while doing my research:
Important core features
- Real-time location tracking: The app should have GPS capabilities to track employee location while on the job.
- Time tracking: Time tracking features allow you to track how long employees spend on specific tasks and accurately bill clients for time spent on their projects.
- Attendance tracking: I checked if the app can record employee attendance and handle time-off requests.
I looked for usability features, like:
- Easy to use: It should have a user-friendly interface and not require much training for employees and staff to use.
- Cost-effective: The app should be reasonably priced and affordable for most small businesses.
- Offers a trial period or demo: This allows businesses to test out software to make sure it’s a good fit before committing to purchase.
- Customizable: The ability to tailor the app to fit the specific needs of your business, such as custom work hours, roles, or permissions.
I also checked for other key product features, including:
- Employee scheduling: You should ideally be able to create weekly and monthly schedules in the app and assign employees accordingly.
- Employee time clock: Employees should be able to clock in and out from their phones, activating the GPS location tracking feature.
- Team communication: You should be able to maintain communication with your staff no matter where they’re located with in-app chat and updates.
- Alerts and notifications: Alerts letting employees and managers know they missed clocking in and out on time as well as alerts for upcoming deadlines, or other relevant events can be very useful.
The 10 Best Apps to Track Employee Location of 2023
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one employee tracking app
When it comes to tracking employees in the field, Connecteam is the best all-in-one option for businesses.
Why I chose Connecteam: The mobile app provides GPS-based location tracking, time tracking, internal communication tools, and so much more.
Let’s take a look at the specific features:
Real-time GPS tracking while employees are on the clock
With Connecteam’s real time GPS tracker, you can see the location of all employees at the same time while they are clocked in. It also tracks location if employees move from job site to job site, so you can make sure they are where they’re supposed to be.
If an employee is suddenly unavailable for a shift or job, you can view what other team members are closest and send one of them to the site instead. You can even rotate employees between sites to ensure that all work is covered.
If you want to know where a team member has been throughout the day, you can enable breadcrumbs to display an employee’s full location history. This is a great tool if you want to know whether employees are taking roundabout routes that hinder productivity or whether they stopped by a particular job site before the end of the day.
You might also want to read our in-depth review of top employee time tracking apps we done this year
Automatic scheduling alerts reduce confusion
I like that Connecteam sends automatic alerts and notifications if there are changes in schedules. So, if someone does call out last minute, you can make the adjustments on the employee scheduler right from the app and all affected employees will receive alerts so they know where to go once their shift starts.
You might be interested in our in-depth review of the best employee scheduling app.
Streamlined communication so all employees stay connected
Connecteam has online team chat so you can message employees directly or create group chats with the app’s Smart Groups feature.
You can ask employees for updates on jobs, shifts, and tasks or how long it will take them to wrap up what they’re doing. If you have multiple employees near a job site, managers can start a group chat to see who will be available first.
The app’s company updates feature is also incredibly useful, with a social media-style newsfeed for shared updates and announcements. Employees can also respond with comments, likes, and emojis.
You might be interested in our in-depth review of the best work communications apps.
Geofencing and GPS enhance the app’s time management capabilities
Another great feature of Connecteam is that it’s both a GPS tracking app as well as a geofence time clock in one. That way, your business has better time management.
You can set up geofences around project sites, limiting employees to clock in only when they arrive at a job and clock them out when they leave. Geofences are extremely customizable—you can choose how far they extend around a job site and even what hours the geofence should apply.
And so much more…
Connecteam does all of this and more! Task and project management features, HR capabilities, document storage, and online training are just a few other features of this app.
It’s completely free for small businesses with up to 10 employees. Plans for larger businesses start at just $29 per month for up to 30 users, plus $0.50 per month for each additional user.
Employees spend less time wondering what they should do and where, and more time actually just doing it.
Key Features
Pros
Track full location history for each employee
Integrated time tracking
Customizable geofences
Free for businesses with up to 10 users
Cons
More third party integrations in development
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
QuickBooks Time — Good for payroll and accounting integrations
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
QuickBooks Time is a great solution for companies that already rely on QuickBooks for accounting and payroll. With this employee tracking app, companies can locate their field service employees in real-time. QuickBooks Time enables geofencing around project sites, making it easy to keep track of how much time each employee spends on specific projects.
Another benefit to QuickBooks Time is that it keeps track of how much employees drive. Mileage data can easily be imported into QuickBooks so that you can account for gas and other vehicle expenditures for your business.
One drawback to this app is that it only tracks employees’ locations when they’re clocked in. If your employees forget to clock in on their way to a job or if they clock out between jobs, you can’t see where they are. You could also end up missing important mileage data.
Learn more about QuickBooks TimeKey Features
- Set up geofences around project sites
- Tracks mileage in business vehicles
- Integration with QuickBooks accounting and payroll tools
- View all employees’ locations on a single map
Pros
- Low smartphone battery and data usage
- Compatible with all QuickBooks software
Cons
- Cannot view location for employees who are clocked out
- No integrated communication features
Pricing
Starts at $20/month + $10/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: No
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Time Tracker by eBility — Good for combined location and time tracking
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
eBillity was built first and foremost as a time tracker for office work, but it has some handy features for field services teams who work outside the office as well. You can see where employees are and see whether they’re currently working, clocked out, or on a break. This makes it easier to contact the right employees when you need a job covered right away.
eBillity enables you to set up geofences to keep employees honest when they’re clocking in and out. All clock-ins from outside a geofenced area are sent to a manager for approval.
This app really stands out for its time reporting features. Using location and time data, eBillity offers visual breakdowns of how much time employees have spent on different projects. It’s very useful for project management and even enables managers to check whether a job is staying on budget
Learn more about Time Tracker by eBilityKey Features
- See whether employees are clocked in or on a break
- Create geofences to manage clock-ins
- Reports showing time spent on projects
- Can automatically create invoices for clients
Pros
- Easy to use
- Includes time tracking tools
Cons
- Limited tools for redeploying employees in real-time
- Expensive per-employee cost
Pricing
Starts at $7.20/user/month + $12/month base fee Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Buddy Punch — Good for employee privacy
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Buddy Punch offers several unique features compared to other GPS tracker apps. You can view a map of all the locations an employee has clocked in along with a list showing the clock-in device.
This isn’t as helpful as breadcrumbs, and it’s important to note that you can’t monitor an employee’s location in real-time. However, Buddy Punch lets managers see where an employee has been without using up a phone’s battery life.
Another neat feature Buddy Punch offers is the ability to turn GPS tracking on or off for individual employees. This can offer a little more privacy for trusted employees.
Buddy Punch doesn’t enable you to view all employees’ locations on a single map, which makes it hard to redeploy workers quickly. It also doesn’t support geofences.
Learn more about Buddy PunchKey Features
- Turn GPS tracking on or off for each employee
- View each clock-in location as a pin
- Manages paid time off (PTO) requests
- Uses phone camera to capture photo when employees clock in
Pros
- Lots of scheduling and time management features
- Decide whether to require GPS tracking for individual employees
Cons
- Doesn’t support geofences
- Does not show an employee’s real-time location
Pricing
Starts at $2.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Clockify — Good for time and location reporting tools
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Clockify offers simple but effective tools for tracking the location of employees in the field. It works well for a variety of industries including construction and delivery.
You can view all of your employees’ locations on a single map and track them in real-time when they’re clocked in. Clockify doesn’t track the location of off-the-clock employees, which ensures your employees have more privacy outside of work hours.
What’s really nice about Clockify’s location tracking is that it’s integrated with the platform’s time tracking and reporting tools. You can use GPS data to monitor the amount of time employees have spent at particular locations.
Customizable reports make it easy to visualize time and location data. Clockify also integrates with most payroll software so you can easily pay your employees for hours worked.
Learn more about ClockifyKey Features
- View employees’ locations on a single map
- Integrates GPS and time tracking
- Reports display time spent on projects
- GPS tracking starts automatically when employees clock in
Pros
- Excellent reporting tools
- Integrates with most payroll software
Cons
- Cannot control clock-ins with geofences
- No alerts for late or no-show employees
Pricing
Starts at $3.99/user/month Trial: Yes — For PRO features Free Plan: Yes
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Hubstaff — Good for no-show and late employee alerts
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Hubstaff is another handy time tracking app with GPS functionality. With Hubstaff, you can set up geofences to automatically clock employees in and out of jobs. If an employee is late or doesn’t show up, their supervisor will receive an alert notifying them of the problem. That’s a big plus for ensuring every job is covered.
This GPS time clock uses the time data it collects based on employees’ locations to build timecards automatically. That saves a lot of administrative work and eliminates inaccurate timecards.
The app also uses time and location data to build reports for each job. Project managers can see how much time employees have spent working at a location and make sure a project stays on budget.
Learn more about HubstaffKey Features
- No-show and late employee alerts
- Automatically clock employees in and out with geofences
- Track time spent at each job site
- Creates employee timecards automatically
Pros
- Includes employee monitoring and productivity tools
- Payroll integrations
Cons
- No built-in communication features
- Expensive
Pricing
Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — For one user only
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Homebase — Good for reducing time theft
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Homebase is primarily a mobile time clock app that’s designed to help employees keep track of their hours and make payroll easier. It includes GPS tracking as a way to reduce time theft. Time theft occurs when employees clock in before they actually arrive at a job site or stay clocked out after they leave.
You can set up geofences around each employee’s work location. If an employee tries to clock in or out outside the geofence, you will receive an alert and must approve the time entry manually. Clock-ins and clock-outs are used to automatically generate timesheets for each employee.
Notably, you can’t track employees in real-time with Homebase. The tracking system operates in the background to verify time entries and an employee’s current location is not visible to managers.
Homebase charges per job site where you set up a geofence rather than per user. So, it can be economical if you have a lot of employees working at just a handful of locations.
Learn more about HomebaseKey Features
- Alerts when an employee clocks in or out outside a geofence
- Integrated scheduling tools
- Built-in messaging
- Automatically creates timesheets for each employee
Pros
- Integrates with payroll platforms
- Billed per work location, not per employee
Cons
- Cannot track employees in real-time
- No alerts for no-show employees
Pricing
Starts at $20/location/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — For a single location & up to 20 employees
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Timeero — Good for tracking mileage
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Timeero is a robust employee tracking app that lets you easily see where all of your employees are at any time. Even better, you can view a breadcrumb trail to see where they’ve been. This is great for managers who want to keep a close eye on employees or want to create more productive schedules with less travel time for each employee.
Timeero isn’t a full-fledged fleet management software, but it does a nice job of tracking mileage for each of your employees. If you only have a few business vehicles, it works well enough for determining your vehicle expenses when tax time comes around.
Timeero is also a time clock app. Employees can clock in and out using the mobile app. Supervisors can also set up geofences to keep track of how much time employees are spending on each project.
Learn more about TimeeroKey Features
- Breadcrumb trail for each employee
- See all employees’ locations on a single map
- Keep track of business vehicle mileages
- Uses geofences to enforce time tracking
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Integrates with most major payroll providers
Cons
- Limited fleet tracking features other than mileage
- Reports lack visualizations and charts
Pricing
Starts at $4/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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OnTheClock — Good for tightly controlling clock-ins
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
OnTheClock uses GPS tracking mainly as a way to prevent time theft. With this platform, supervisors can create geofences around work areas and only enable employees to clock in if they’re inside a geofence.
This works well with one of OnTheClock’s more unique features: biometric clock-ins. Employees must use their fingerprint to clock in, ensuring that it’s really them that’s doing the time entry. The combination of requiring an employee’s location and fingerprint to clock in can dramatically reduce time theft.
OnTheClock has several other features, including shift scheduling and time off tracking. It cannot be used to track employees’ locations in real-time.
Learn more about OnTheClockKey Features
- Supports geofences to limit clock-in locations
- Requires employees to use their fingerprint to clock in
- Location tracking can be disabled for individual employees
- Includes employee scheduling tools
Pros
- Customizable geofences
- Supports biometric time tracking
Cons
- Cannot view employee location in real-time
- Limited payroll integrations
Pricing
Starts at $102/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes — For up to 2 users
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allGeo — Good for customizable data tracking
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
allGeo is a powerful platform designed for logistic companies, delivery services, and other businesses with a lot of employees on the move. The platform can capture a wide range of data including employee location, mileage, and vehicle loads.
The GPS tracking features enable a business owner or supervisor to pull up their employees’ locations in the field at any time. You can also enable employees to see each others’ locations. Rules for who can see what data are highly customizable.
allGeo supports geofences in some interesting ways, too. You can create alerts for no-show employees based on geofences. You can also set allGeo to remind employees to clock in if they forget to when entering a geofenced area.
Learn more about allGeoKey Features
- Tracks employee location and vehicle mileage
- Employees can see each other’s location
- No-show and late employee alerts
- Geofence-based reminders to clock in and out
Pros
- Extremely customizable
- Supports a wide range of automations
Cons
- Much more complex than other employee tracking apps
- Features are divided across multiple apps
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best s
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Reviews |
4.8
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4.7
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4.4
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4.8
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4.7
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4.6
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4.6
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4.4
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4
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Starts at $20/month + $10/user/month
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Starts at $7.20/user/month + $12/month base fee
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Starts at $2.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month
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Starts at $3.99/user/month
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Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum
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Starts at $20/location/month
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Starts at $4/user/month
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Starts at $102/month
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Contact vendor for price
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14-day
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30-day
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yes
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yes
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yes
For PRO features
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14-day
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yes
14-day
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
Free Up to 10 users
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no
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no
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no
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yes
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For one user only
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For a single location & up to 20 employees
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For up to 2 users
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What are Apps to Track Employees?
This type of team management app helps businesses locate employees in the field. Many apps offer employees’ locations in real-time so that business owners and supervisors always know where their team members are. Others use location tracking to ensure that employees clock in and out of job sites accurately.
GPS employee tracking is often a feature of other business apps, such as time management apps and employee scheduling apps. These platforms may also include team communication tools to enable supervisors to contact employees working in the field without changing apps.
Read our in-depth comparison of the best GPS time clock apps of 2023.
How do Apps to Track Employees Work?
Apps to track employees rely on the GPS capabilities on employees’ smartphones. Employees just need to keep the tracking app open and the GPS will run in the background. Most apps are designed to use up very little battery.
GPS employee tracking apps typically offer two key functions. First, most apps show employees’ real-time locations. This enables supervisors to know where their employees are throughout the workday.
Second, they enable supervisors to set up geofences around job sites. These geofences can be used to automatically clock an employee in or out of work, track how much time employees are spending on specific projects, or alert supervisors if an employee does not show up to a scheduled shift.
The Benefits of Apps to Track Employees
These are the primary benefits of using employee location tracking apps:
Improved productivity
Employee tracking apps can help identify and reduce time-wasting activities, leading to increased productivity. Employers can see how time is allocated throughout the workday and make adjustments as necessary.
Improved time management
Employees can use tracking apps to manage their time better, ensuring they allocate sufficient time to different tasks and projects, which can result in better work-life balance.
Better task management
These apps often include task and project management features that help employees stay organized and focused on their responsibilities.
Enhanced transparency and trust
Employee GPS tracking apps provide transparency in terms of work activities and progress. This can enhance trust between employers and employees and reduce the need for micromanagement.
Attendance tracking
For remote work or field-based employees, these apps can help track attendance and punctuality more accurately, reducing instances of absenteeism and lateness.
Performance assessment
Employers can use data from tracking apps for performance assessments and evaluations, which can be more objective and data-driven.
Resource allocation
Companies can optimize resource allocation by analyzing employee workloads and making informed decisions about staffing and project assignments.
Compliance and accountability
Employee tracking apps can help ensure that employees comply with company policies and industry regulations. This can be particularly important in fields like healthcare, finance, and cybersecurity.
Cost reduction
By identifying inefficiencies and optimizing processes, companies can reduce operational costs over time.
Field work support
These apps can help employers manage and support remote teams effectively by monitoring their activities and ensuring they have the necessary resources.
Payroll accuracy
These apps automate time tracking and payroll calculations, reducing errors and ensuring accurate compensation for employees.
How Much Do Apps to Track Employees Cost?
Employee location tracking software can vary widely in price. This is in part because GPS capabilities are often integrated into more comprehensive team management apps.
Most app providers charge a flat monthly fee plus an additional monthly price per user. For example, QuickBooks Time starts at $20 per month plus $8 per user per month. eBillity starts at $12 per month plus $7.20 per user per month.
Connecteam offers the best value for most businesses. It’s completely free for businesses with 10 or fewer employees to track. For larger businesses, Connecteam starts at just $29 per month for 30 employees plus $0.50 per month for each additional employee.
>>Get started with Connecteam for free today!<<
FAQs
Are companies allowed to track an employee’s location?
Employers are allowed to track an employee’s location if they are using a company-owned device. Employers must have an employee’s permission to track their location on a personal device.
Can I track employees for free?
The best way to track employees for free is to use an employee tracking app with a free plan. Connecteam is free for tracking up to 10 employees.
Can I track employees who are off the clock?
Employers are legally allowed to track employees if they use company-owned devices, regardless of whether they are on or off the clock. Tracking employees who are off the clock is a way to see if an employee is on the way to a shift. With Connecteam, employees can only be tracked as long as they are clocked in.
The Bottom Line on Apps to Track Employees
Tracking your employees’ locations plays a key role in day-to-day business operations. Supervisors who know where their employees are can more easily redeploy people when work demands change unexpectedly.
Employee GPS apps also make it easier to accurately track the time employees spend working and on what jobs.
Connecteam is the best app to track employees for most businesses. It lets you see where all your employees are on a single map, supports geofences around job sites, and offers built-in messaging tools.