Time clock and scheduling software simplifies time tracking and shift scheduling and prevents costly errors. We review the 7 best time clock and scheduling software so you can pick the best tool for your team.
Planning and handling employee shift schedules can be a frustrating part of team management. A single case of a last-minute absence or an employee being assigned to the wrong shift can lead to multiple scheduling changes and work disruptions.
Additionally, employees may spend their hours unproductively or claim to work longer than they did. You end up overpaying employees and damaging your reputation with customers. This can be concerning for managers who can’t monitor their employees in person.
Fortunately, time tracking and scheduling apps help with all of this and more. Time clocks let you record hours spent across projects, while scheduling tools help with effective shift coverage and reduce scheduling conflicts. The best solutions offer both software on one platform to make your work easier.
Below, we look at the 7 best employee scheduling and time tracking software, so you can choose the right one 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 time clock and scheduling software
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Good for existing customers of QuickBooks accounting
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Good for hiring and onboarding
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Tools considered
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What to Look For in a Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Software
Look for these key features when making your choice::
- Intuitive scheduling: Drag-and-drop functionality, reusable shift templates, and repeatable shift features allow for quick and flexible employee scheduling.
- Customizable shifts: Assign shifts based on employee availability, qualifications, locations, and more.
- GPS-enabled time tracking: Easy clock in and out functionality with GPS software lets you see where employees are working and what they’re working on.
- Notifications and alerts: Reminders to clock in and out reduce timesheet errors. Similarly, smart alerts notify employees of scheduling changes so they’re always updated.
- Breaks, PTO, time off, and overtime management: Knowing which employees are on leave helps with creating your weekly schedule. Custom time off, PTO, and break policies give employees the downtime they need to perform better.
- Automated timesheets save you time from creating them manually.
- Payroll integrations: Integrating your time tracking software with payroll providers allows for quick and seamless payments.
- Reporting features: Customizable dashboards provide insights on hours spent across different employees and projects. You can also use this data to create accurate customer invoices.
- Forms and checklists: Checklists tell employees exactly what they need to accomplish on their shifts, and they can update their progress in real time.You can use digital forms to sign off on important documents so work isn’t halted.
- Mobile app: Access your time tracker, employee scheduling software, and reporting dashboard from anywhere. This is particularly useful for managers in frontline industries.
The 7 Best Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Softwares of 2024
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one time clock and scheduling software
Key Features
Pros
User-friendly interface
Push notifications and smart alerts
Fully mobile so you manage projects and teams from anywhere
Prompt and responsive customer service
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
Connecteam is the best employee scheduling and time clock software on the market. It’s a do-it-all work management solution with simple but powerful features for time tracking, geolocation, shift management, and more.
Plus, Connecteam has a user-friendly interface and proactive customer support—so even your less tech-savvy employees can use it stress-free.
Let’s dive into how Connecteam’s time tracker, employee scheduling software, and other features can benefit your business.
Accurate time and location tracking with GPS-enabled time clock
Employees can clock in and out with a single click from their desktop or mobile device—perfect for teams who work from multiple job sites. Companies that operate from a single location, such as a school or call center, can use Connecteam’s kiosk functionality to set up a single clock-in and out location.
Connceteam’s built-in GPS software lets you track your workers’ real-time location so you know everyone is where they need to be during their scheduled hours.
The geofencing feature lets you set up virtual boundaries around work zones. Workers are sent reminders to use the time clock when entering or leaving a geofence. The geofence restricts them from clocking in early or clocking out late, saving you a ton in overtime expenses.
Reduce payroll errors with automated timesheets
Time logs can be used to generate automated timesheets. You can instantly convert timesheets into error-free payroll reports, and Connecteam offers direct payroll integration with Gusto and QuickBooks Online. This eliminates the hassle of manual work and ensures that hourly employees get paid correctly.
Save time with easy drag-and-drop scheduling
Connecteam’s drag-and-drop scheduling tool lets you create shifts quickly and is highly customizable.
You can create jobs and sub-jobs and assign employees to projects based on their locations, qualifications, and more. You can also let them pick from open shifts, with or without approval. Smart alerts will tell you when employees are assigned to shifts they’re not qualified for, so you can address the issue immediately.
Additionally, color coding schedules can help employees find shift information easily. You can also save time with reusable templates, recurring shifts, and repeatable schedules, or simply import schedules from Excel.
Add files, notes, descriptions, tasks, and checklists to shifts
You can attach files, and add detailed descriptions and notes to each shift, giving employees the information they need for a project. If you have multiple employees working on one job, each shift has a collaboration board so you can share important updates with your team in real time.
You can also add tasks and checklists directly into shifts. When employees clock in, they can see their task lists and forms such as inspection reports right there.
Track real time progress with feature-rich task management
Connecteam’s task management tool provides employees with a clear set of tasks to work on during shifts. Subtasks help to break down projects into manageable chunks, and checklists remind workers of critical action items. Employees can tick items off in real time, so you can be assured that they’ve taken care of key project tasks.
Moreover, the forms tool lets employees collect digital signatures for important documents like safety inspections or end-of-shift sign-offs. Employees are sent reminders so they never miss a form.
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Easy attendance tracking and shift-swapping
Connecteam offers a shared schedule where employees can add information about their days off so the team has full transparency on everyone’s availability.
You can also create custom overtime rules, and break schedules that reduce overtime costs and provide employees with downtime without hampering work. You can use the Connecteam app to view employees’ PTO allowances and staff can use it for time-off requesting—making it a great tool to track attendance and fill in resource gaps ahead of time.
When required, though, employees can request to swap shifts, or you can enable open shift-swapping. Employees are sent push notifications to alert them of schedule changes.
Option to sync time clock with work schedules
Connecteam offers the ability to sync its time clock and scheduling system so employees can clock in and out directly from their shifts within the app.
Plus, changing job details in one feature will automatically update the other, preventing double entries on timesheets.
Customized reporting, in-app chat, and so much more
Connecteam’s highly customizable reporting feature lets you track time, attendance, and task progress across different employees, locations, projects, and more. This helps ensure your team is showing up on time and getting work done efficiently. You can also use time logs to create accurate customer invoices.
Connecteam’s in-app chat enables quick discussions about tasks, and the newsfeed can be used to make company-wide announcements so your employees have all the important updates. You can also use customizable training courses to keep workers skilled.
Connecteam’s time clock and scheduling tools are great for optimizing time and resources, and its additional communications and HR tools make it the best all-in-one solution for workforce management.
Connecteam is affordable and offers multiple pricing plans. Small businesses with fewer than 10 users can access the app completely free. Connecteam’s paid plan starts at just $29 per month for up to 30 users.
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Get Started Now!
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 existing customers of QuickBooks accounting
Key Features
- Time card reports
- “Who’s working window” to monitor employees
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Alerts for shift changes
Pros
- Employees can attach photos to timesheets
- Integrates with QuickBooks payroll and accounting
Cons
- Expensive
- Users report it can be complicated to use
QuickBooks Time is a time tracking and employee time scheduling software. You can use it to create employee shifts, manage schedules, and monitor how employees spend their work hours.
It also includes GPS location tracking, clock-in and out reminders, and smart alerts informing employees of shift changes. Additionally, you can create automatic payroll reports by integrating timesheets with QuickBooks’ accounting software.
QuickBooks Time lacks features such as communication tools and knowledge bases that help employees work faster and better. Plus, some businesses may find the platform expensive.
Pricing
Starts at $20/month + $10/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: No
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Homebase — Good for hiring and onboarding
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- Online timesheets
- Availability tracking
- Overtime alerts
Pros
- In-app messaging
- Add overtime to and subtract breaks from timesheets
Cons
- Difficult to manually enter time data or change time clock entries
- Less expensive plans lack essential features
Homebase is an HR management solution that offers drag-and-drop shift scheduling, time tracking, online timesheets, and payroll reports. It also provides hiring and onboarding tools, such as an applicant tracking system, to simplify the recruiting process. It has its own payroll software as well, but it’s an add-on tool with additional costs.
The platform’s price plans work on a per-location basis, so if your team operates from different locations, you may find Homebase to be quite costly.
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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Hubstaff — Good for employee monitoring
Key Features
- Time tracking
- GPS location tracking
- Payroll integrations
- No-show and late employee alerts
Pros
- Offline time tracking
- Integrates with payroll and invoicing
Cons
- Minimum cost per month can make it expensive
- Screenshots and app tracking can feel intrusive
Hubstaff gives you oversight of what employees are working on and how they’re spending their time. Its time tracker comes with built-in GPS technology, and you can manage schedules on a dashboard, approve time-off requests, and integrate timesheets with payroll software.
Additionally, Hubstaff has employee surveillance tools such as in-app screenshots and apps and URL tracking that let you monitor your workers’ screens while they’re at work. However, this isn’t very useful for teams who don’t regularly work from screens.
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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Buddy Punch — Good for preventing buddy punching
Key Features
- Time-off tracking
- IPS address locking
- Shift swapping with approvals
- Repeating shifts feature
Pros
- Payroll integrations
- Mobile app for remote access
Cons
- Reports of interface being confusing and clunky
- Lacks communications software
Buddy Punch is an employee monitoring solution. You can set up geofences on its time tracker, enable IP address locking, and use biometric facial recognition so no one punches in for another employee.
The platform’s scheduling tool integrates with its time-tracking feature. You can assign and edit shifts and approve shift-swap requests from within the app.
While Buddy Punch is good for time management, it lacks software that allows for quick and easy communication between employees.
Pricing
Starts at $3.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No
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Toggl Track — Good for invoicing integrations
Key Features
- Single-click timer
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Employee database
- Filter reports
Pros
- Allows for manual time entries
- Color-coded availability timelines
Cons
- Can be expensive to access all team management features
- Not easy to fix timer errors
Toggl Track is a timekeeping and scheduling solution. Employees can use the single-click timer to make time entries, and teams can use drag-and-drop timelines to schedule jobs.
The app sends employees reminders to start and stop their timers, but you can also manually adjust the time clock if needed.
With Toggl Track, you can view time logs for a specific time period or by shifts. The software also offers tools for project management and hiring. However, these are charged as separate products.
Pricing
Starts at $9/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: Yes — For up to 5 users
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Timely — Good for freelancers
Key Features
- Time tracking
- Employees control what tracked activity they want to share
- Project dashboard
- Team management
Pros
- Mobile app
- Automatic time tracking
Cons
- Expensive compared to some competitors
- Doesn’t have employee scheduling software
Timely is a project management and time tracking tool that captures employees’ work hours using either a manual or automatic timer. You can use its online timesheets to generate payroll reports and client invoices.
Timely’s reporting dashboard provides insights into how time is spent across different employees or projects, while Timely’s automatic timer detects when employees are working. This is best suited for people who work from screens and might not be relevant to employees on the move.
Pricing
Starts at $16/user/month, for 6-50 users Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Softwares
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Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $20/month + $10/user/month
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Starts at $20/location/month
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Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum
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Starts at $3.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month
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Starts at $9/user/month
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Starts at $16/user/month, for 6-50 users
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14-day
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yes
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yes
For a single location & up to 20 employees
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For one user only
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For up to 5 users
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Best all-in-one time clock and scheduling software
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Good for existing customers of QuickBooks accounting
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Good for hiring and onboarding
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Good for employee monitoring
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Good for preventing buddy punching
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Good for invoicing integrations
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Good for freelancers
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What Is Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Software?
Scheduling and time clock software provides a complete time management solution for your team. It’s typically used for employees who work hourly or on shifts.
With scheduling tools, you can create and assign workers to shifts so they know when and where their next job is. These tools also make it easy to manage PTO, absences, and breaks.
Time clocks enable employees to clock in and out from anywhere, usually using a mobile device, desktop or kiosk app, or web browser. They offer insights into how your team members spend their time at work and help in reducing payroll errors.
How Does Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Software Work?
Employee scheduling and time tracking software provides managers with an effective way to manage their teams and makes it easy for employees to manage their schedules and track hours worked. They typically offer the following features:
- Drag-and-drop scheduling helps create and assign shifts with ease.
- Shift templates, recurring shifts, and repeatable schedules saves valuable time.
- Custom shift allocation based on employee qualifications, location, and more.
- PTO, absence, and break management to know who’s available when and manage workflow.
- Easy shift-swapping to accommodate last-minute absences and schedule changes.
- GPS-enabled time tracking so you know where your employees are while on the job and how they’re spending their time.
- Automated timesheets that convert to accurate payroll reports and customer bills.
- A mobile app so workers can access their schedules and time clocks from anywhere.
The Benefits of Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Software
Any business needs an easy way to create employee schedules and track working hours. Without one, you can face challenges like employee lateness and no-shows, time theft, and payroll errors.
Scheduling and time clock software helps solve these problems. With these, you can:
- Create and assign shifts in seconds with features like drag-and-drop scheduling, schedule templates, and repeatable shifts.
- Ensure the right people are on each job by assigning shifts based on employee qualifications, locations, and preferences.
- Provide employees with all job-related information in one place by adding files, notes, forms, and checklists directly to their shifts.
- Manage PTO, breaks, and time off so you can remain compliant with labor laws and give your team downtime without hampering productivity.
- Track attendance and availability so you can assign shifts accordingly and minimize the chances of being understaffed.
- Have employees clock in and out of their shifts easily so they can track their hours and you see how efficiently they spend their time.
- Ensure that your employees are right where they need to be with GPS and geofencing features.
- Pay your employees easily and correctly by automatically converting timesheets into reports and exporting them directly to your payroll software.
- View customized reports on hours spent, attendance, task progress, and more so you have complete oversight of your business operations.
How Much Does Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Software Cost?
The cost of employee scheduling and time tracking software tools varies.
On the lower end, Hubstaff starts at $5.83 per user per month, while QuickBooks Time starts at $8 per user per month. That said, Hubstaff has a minimum cost of $140 per month and QuickBooks Time has a $20 per month base fee, which may be expensive for some businesses.
In contrast, Homebase quotes monthly prices per location. This pricing model may not work for industries that operate out of multiple locations, such as construction and hospitality. Homebase also lacks essential team management tools in its basic plan.
The best scheduling and time clock tool will provide you with more features for less money. And that’s exactly what Connecteam does! Its all-in-one employee management solution covers everything from time tracking and scheduling to communications and HR management—at a fraction of the cost of other platforms.
Connecteam’s basic fee starts as low as $29 per month for up to 30 users. Teams with up to 10 users can sign up for the Small Business Plan, which is free for life. You can also start a 14-day free trial to test out everything Connecteam has to offer.
FAQs
Is Excel good for scheduling?
You can use Excel for scheduling, but it’s not the ideal solution, as it’s manual and prone to errors. Digital scheduling tools like Connecteam make it easy to create and edit shifts. You can also attach files and notes within shifts so your staff can access everything they need from one place.
Which software is best for attendance?
Connecteam is the best software for attendance management. It lets you create custom time-off policies, approve PTO and absence requests, track attendance, and more from a single app. With Connecteam’s employee time scheduling software, it’s easy to plan ahead and avoid being understaffed.
How do I create a timesheet?
Timesheets are created from employees’ time logs and show the hours they’ve worked. You can create timesheets manually using pen and paper or a digital spreadsheet, but doing so is time-consuming and prone to errors. Time tracking software tools can automatically generate timesheets from employee time logs, so your payroll and invoices are always accurate.
The Bottom Line on Employee Scheduling and Time Clock Software
Digital employee scheduling and time tracking tools are a great alternative to manual scheduling and pen-and-paper tracking. They help eliminate time mismanagement, payroll errors, and scheduling conflicts with features like GPS-enabled time trackers, drag-and-drop scheduling, smart alerts, and more. With an easy way to schedule staff and track their hours, you can keep employees accountable and ensure everything gets done on time and within budget.
Connecteam is the best all-in-one solution for time tracking, scheduling, customized reporting, and so much more.
Sign up for your free 14-day trial to test out Connecteam’s powerful operations, communications, and HR management tools.