The right time card app makes it easy to quickly and accurately track employee hours. We cover the 11 best time card apps so you can get started with the right one for your business.
Employee time tracking enables accurate payroll, ensures compliance with labor laws and regulations, and helps you better manage your employees. However, tracking with pen and paper or manually using spreadsheets can be time-consuming and frustrating. Manual tracking can also lead to payroll errors and time theft, which can hurt your business’s bottom line.
Time card apps accurately track time—sometimes down to the second—and enable employees to clock in and out with their mobile devices from anywhere. Having a way to easily, efficiently track employees’ time helps your business simplify payroll, improve productivity, and reduce payroll errors.
In this guide, we take a look at the 11 best time card apps available in 2024, so you can choose the right one for your business and team.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
-
Best all-in-one time card app
-
Good for efficient employee time tracking
-
Good for simple, budget-friendly time tracking
Why trust us?
Our team of unbiased software reviewers follows strict editorial guidelines, and our methodology is clear and open to everyone.
See our complete methodology
41
Tools considered
28
Tools reviewed
11
Best tools
chosen
What to Look For in a Time Card App
There are several key features to consider when choosing a time card tracker app.
- Accurate, automatic time tracking: Time recording should start the moment an employee clocks in and stops exactly when they clock out. Connecteam, for example, has a one-click time clock that’s accurate down to the second.
- Break, time off, and absence management: Enable you to set clear rules and handle requests right from within the app. You can also set automatic breaks, helping you comply with labor laws.
- Digital timesheets: Apps that enable you to automatically generate timesheets save you time and money on payroll processes.
- Notifications and alerts: You should have the option to create custom shift reminders, overtime alerts, and other notifications to keep team members in the loop.
- GPS location tracking and geofencing features: Help you see exactly where your employees are working and make it easier to prevent time theft. Geofencing lets you restrict clock in and out to specific areas.
- Reporting: Detailed custom reports about the amount of time and money spent on jobs, clients, tasks, and employees can help you make informed business decisions.
- Customizability: Prioritize time-tracking apps that let you customize your dashboard, add custom fields or tags, create personalized workflows and automations, and more.
- Payroll integrations enable you to export timesheets directly to your favorite payroll software, saving you loads of time.
- Identity verification features help prevent time theft and guarantee everyone logs their own hours, not someone else’s. Some apps take a photo of employees when they clock in, while others use fingerprint scanning or facial recognition.
The 11 Best Time Card Apps of 2024
-
Connecteam — Best all-in-one time card app
Connecteam is the best time card application and all-in-one work management solution.
It offers powerful tools that make it easy to accurately track employee hours without much effort. Its user-friendly interface is highly customizable, and its capabilities go far beyond that of a time card app. Connecteam provides you with access to GPS tracking, job-specific tracking, payroll integrations, one-touch clock in and out, and much more.
Let’s take a closer look at what Connecteam’s time card app can offer you.
One-touch clock in and clock out for accurate timekeeping
It’s important to have a time-tracking app that’s streamlined and easy to navigate, so even your employees who aren’t super tech-savvy can use it. The intuitive interface of Connecteam’s employee time clock enables employees to clock in and out with a single tap, from wherever they are.
Connecteam also offers a kiosk app that enables multiple people to check in and out from a single device.
GPS tracking and geofencing limit errors and time theft
Connecteam’s time clock comes with GPS capabilities, including real-time location tracking and geofencing.
Logging where your employees clock in and out helps you ensure they’re on site before they clock in. You can also activate real-time tracking during an employee’s shift to make sure they’re working where they’re supposed to.
Connecteam’s geofencing tool enables you to create a virtual border around a job site so you can restrict clock in and clock out to that location. Importantly, employee location data is completely hidden when they’ve clocked out.
Together, these features help prevent errors and reduce time theft and buddy punch maneuvers.
Timesheet management to streamline payroll
Connecteam’s time card application also includes timesheet management features that can save you a ton of time. You can manage every aspect of employee timesheets—including setting different rates for different employees, adding automatic overtime rules, and automating breaks, time off, and absences.
Employees can request timesheet changes if they believe their work time isn’t correctly logged. To make things even easier, you can export timesheets in spreadsheet format with a single click.
Payroll integrations for easier payroll
Connecteam integrates seamlessly with Gusto, QuickBooks Online, Paychex and Xero. This integration enables you to import timesheets, making the entire payroll process faster, easier, and more accurate.
Read our in-depth review of the best payroll software for small businesses.
Time-off management to save you time
You’ll also find a suite of time-off management tools at your fingertips. You can create comprehensive time-off policies that enable the Connecteam app to automatically process absences and scheduled time off.
Additionally, employees can receive notifications when time-off requests are approved or denied. The entire process will be documented, so you’ll be able to view processed time-off requests. You can also manually process requests in more complicated cases. While you deal with specific requests manually, Connecteam frees up your time by taking care of simple requests.
Job-specific time tracking and comprehensive reports
Connecteam gives you full control of the way you track employee work hours. For example, you can track hours by location, client, or task. Employees can also add tags to time entries so it’s clear what they’re working on at any given time.
Doing this enables you to generate automatic reports and view information about the amount of time spent on specific clients and projects. This insight can help you ensure you’re charging clients a fair and accurate price for your services.
Drag-and-drop employee scheduling and much more
Connecteam is so much more than just a time-tracking app. It offers loads of other work management features, including employee scheduling app. This directly integrates with the time-tracking tool and enables you to add notes, tasks, and other instructions to an employee’s shift.
Employees can see their schedule and shift notes right as they clock in, ensuring they have everything they need for a productive workday. You can also create forms and checklists that employees can view when they clock in, so they’ll know exactly what work they need to do.
Connecteam also includes an in-app chat, a company directory and knowledge base, survey and poll tools, rewards and recognition features, and more.
Ultimately, Connecteam is an all-in-one solution that has everything your small business needs to run smoothly. Its plans start at $29 per month for up to 30 users, and its Small Business Plan is free for life for teams of up to 10 people.
Key Features
Pros
Very user-friendly
Affordable
Excellent customer service
Many other HR and management features
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
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 -
Toggl Track — Good for efficient employee time tracking
Toggl Track is a time card app with a range of management features. It enables straightforward employee time tracking from a mobile app or a web app.
The Toggl Track time card app free version supports up to five users. Premium subscriptions start at $9 per user, per month, which makes it a rather pricey option for larger teams.
Toggl Track has over 100 integrations, is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant, and enables you to generate custom reports and view analytics. You’ll also get access to various invoicing, budgeting, reporting, and payroll features.
Key Features
- 100+ app integrations
- Available on mobile, web, and desktop
- One-click time tracking
- Custom reporting
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Loads of extra features
Cons
- Quite expensive
- Free version supports only five users
Pricing
Starts at $9/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: Yes — For up to 5 users
-
Timecamp — Good for simple, budget-friendly time tracking
TimeCamp is a time card app backed by a suite of HR and employee management features. It offers various integrations to streamline payroll and other day-to-day workflows.
TimeCamp offers a basic free-forever plan that supports unlimited users. It tracks hours, includes GPS functionality, and comes with multiple plugins and integrations. Premium plans start at $6.99 per user, per month, which means TimeCamp can get expensive.
Key Features
- Custom reporting
- GPS functionality
- Tracking by project and client
- Time off and attendance management
Pros
- Free plan supporting unlimited users
- Easy to use
Cons
- Per-user pricing model can become expensive
- Integrations required for some features
Pricing
Starts at $2.99/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
-
Proofhub — Good for employee productivity tracking
ProofHub is an operations and project management program with time card features. Its time clock app enables employees to accurately log the amount of time they spend on each project or client. You can also set time estimates to let employees know how long you expect them to spend on a specific task.
Other features include manual time tracking, timesheet exporting, and simple reporting. There’s no free-forever version, but each of ProofHub’s monthly subscriptions supports unlimited users.
Key Features
- Manual time tracking
- Timesheet exporting
- Reports and analytics
- Time estimates
Pros
- Flat monthly subscription fees
- Numerous integrations
Cons
- Confusing user interface
- Limited customization options
Pricing
Starts at $79/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No
-
ClickUp — Good for freelancers and freelance team managers
ClickUp offers various employee management and productivity features, including time tracking. You can use its native employee time tracker to track employee work hours, create timesheets, and view detailed timesheet reports.
Its time estimator enables you to estimate how long employees will spend on different tasks. This makes it easier to plan projects and enables you to bring in extra help to meet deadlines if necessary.
ClickUp offers a very basic free version. Its premium plans range from $5 to $19 per user, per month.
Key Features
- Time estimation
- Timesheet creation and customization
- Customizable reports and analytics
- Various integrations
Pros
- Free-forever plan
- Desktop and mobile compatibility
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Per-user pricing can become expensive
Pricing
Starts at $7/member/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
-
Clockify — Good for affordable time tracking
Clockify is a free time tracking app that enables your employees to track time, generate timesheets, and access various apps and integrations. It also offers premium plans starting at $3.99 per user, per month, making Clockify a rather affordable option.
Employees can add and edit hours manually, track time using the built-in timer, and mark whether hours are billable or not. Clockify also has a built-in calendar that helps employees visualize tasks and work hours.
Unfortunately, Clockify doesn’t offer any scheduling tools.
Key Features
- Personal PIN for shared device clock-in
- Timesheet generation
- Manual timesheet editing
- Billable and non-billable tracking
Pros
- Free-forever version
- Attractive user interface
Cons
- Lacks advanced management features
- No scheduling features
Pricing
Starts at $3.99/user/month Trial: Yes — For PRO features Free Plan: Yes
-
Harvest — Good for accurate expense reporting
The Harvest personal time card app enables employees to clock in and out with just one click. They can enter time manually or track time by client, project, task, or other metrics.
Managers and payroll staff can review timesheets and request changes. Harvest also offers expense tracking.
Harvest is available on desktop and mobile devices, and it comes with various invoicing tools and third-party app integrations.
Key Features
- Manual time tracking
- Integrated expense management
- Timesheet generation
- 50+ third-party app integrations
Pros
- Great expense management tools
- Simple, intuitive reports and analytics
Cons
- User interface can become confusing
- Expensive
Pricing
$10.8/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: Yes — Up to 1 seat & 2 projects
-
QuickBooks Time — Good for field services businesses
With QuickBooks’ digital time card app, Android and iOS users can clock in and out on the go. QuickBooks Time integrates with the rest of the QuickBooks ecosystem and enables employees to change job codes instantly as they switch between jobs.
You can also automatically generate timesheets, set automatic breaks, and add information to timesheets manually.
QuickBooks Time is an expensive option, with the cheapest plan starting at $10 per month plus $8 per user, per month.
Key Features
- GPS tracking
- Automatic time tracking
- QuickBooks ecosystem integrations
- Expense tracking
Pros
- Easy to use
- Integrates with other QuickBooks apps
Cons
- Expensive
- Reports of poor customer support
Pricing
Starts at $20/month + $10/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: No
-
HoursTracker
HoursTracker — Good for freelancers and businesses with freelance workers
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
HoursTracker is one of the most useful timesheet apps for businesses with freelance workers who need to accurately track their hours. Your team members can add tags to entries and filter them by job, paid and unpaid hours, and more.
They can also track time automatically by configuring the HoursTracker mobile app to start or stop tracking time when they arrive at or leave a specific location.
Unfortunately, HoursTracker has no third-party app integrations.
Key Features
- Automatic time tracking
- Location-based tracking
- Entry tagging system
- CSV data export
Pros
- Simple and easy to use
- Automatic GPS-based time tracking
Cons
- Limited customer service
- Few extra features
Pricing
Starts at $5.99/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
-
Buddy Punch — Good for simple time tracking
With the BuddyPunch time card app, Android and iOS users can clock in and out from anywhere. Its cloud-based interface enables you to manage employees and view reports and analytics.
Buddy Punch uses various strategies to reduce time theft, buddy punching, and similar issues. GPS tracking enables you to view the location of your employees when they clock in and out. You can also manually modify time entries, and your team members can access their timesheets through the app.
BuddyPunch also has a web version.
Key Features
- One-click clock in and out
- GPS tracking
- Automatic overtime calculation
- Time-off management
Pros
- Easy to use
- Features to reduce time theft
Cons
- No shift-swapping features
- No timesheet archives
Pricing
Starts at $3.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No
-
Timely — Good for project management
The Timely personal time card app offers both time tracking and project management features. You can manually add tags to projects or set the software to automatically add tags. Employees can track time by team, project, or client. You can also automatically generate timesheets.
Timely is one of the more expensive time card apps on the market. It starts at $9 per user, per month, which can add up quickly.
Key Features
- Automatic work tracking
- Automatic timesheet generation
- Third-party software integrations
- Track by team, project, client, and more
Pros
- Intuitive user interface
- Decent project management tools
Cons
- Can become expensive
- No ability to create recurring tracking events
Pricing
Starts at $16/user/month, for 6-50 users Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Time Card Apps
| Topic |
Start for free
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HoursTracker |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
|
| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
|
Starts at $9/user/month
|
Starts at $2.99/user/month
|
Starts at $79/month
|
Starts at $7/member/month
|
Starts at $3.99/user/month
|
$10.8/user/month
|
Starts at $20/month + $10/user/month
|
Starts at $5.99/month
|
Starts at $3.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month
|
Starts at $16/user/month, for 6-50 users
|
| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
|
yes
30-day
|
yes
|
yes
14-day
|
no
|
yes
For PRO features
|
yes
30-day
|
yes
30-day
|
no
|
yes
14-day
|
yes
|
| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
|
yes
For up to 5 users
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
Up to 1 seat & 2 projects
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
no
|
| Use cases |
Best all-in-one time card app
|
Good for efficient employee time tracking
|
Good for simple, budget-friendly time tracking
|
Good for employee productivity tracking
|
Good for freelancers and freelance team managers
|
Good for affordable time tracking
|
Good for accurate expense reporting
|
Good for field services businesses
|
Good for freelancers and businesses with freelance workers
|
Good for simple time tracking
|
Good for project management
|
| Available on |
Web, iOS, Android
|
What Are Time Card Apps?
Time card apps enable employees to clock in and out from anywhere using their mobile devices or a web app or browser. Employers can use them to track employee work hours, reduce time theft and buddy punching, streamline payroll processes, and more.
The best app for time cards should be easy to use and customizable to meet your team’s needs. Many come with extra reporting and analytics features you can use to inform your business and management decisions. You can also use integrated features like GPS tracking and biometric verification to further ensure your employees track their work hours accurately.
How Does a Time Card App Work?
Employees can download the appropriate time card app free of charge and use it to clock in and out. Many apps feature GPS technology to ensure employees are clocking in and out from the right place. Time card apps also commonly have timesheet features, which usually enable employees to request or accept modifications to their timesheets before they’re finalized.
For managers, time card apps enable you to log employee hours in a straightforward, error-free way. You can generate reports based on custom time periods, and you can usually allocate tracked time to individual jobs or clients. Many time card apps can be integrated with payroll programs to streamline payroll processes and save you time. Looking for the right solution? Explore our comparison of the best time tracking apps for small businesses.
The Benefits of Time Card Apps
Time card apps offer powerful digital solutions to help employers track and manage employee work hours. Here are a few of the main benefits of using a time card app.
Reduce the risk of time theft and human error
Most time card apps come with some form of automatic time tracking. Usually, employees are required to clock in and out using the platform’s mobile or kiosk app. Some solutions will automatically put work hours together into timesheets, which you can modify or approve in seconds.
Automatic time tracking reduces the risk of time theft and human error. By accurately tracking the exact hours your employees work, you make it difficult for them to add hours they didn’t work.
Additionally, automating payroll processes lowers the risk of payment errors.
Know where your employees are
Using a time card app with GPS functionality can provide actionable insights into where and how your employees are working.
You can also use GPS data to ensure employees are only able to clock in and out from a specified location, which helps reduce time theft. Real-time location data is often used to ensure workers are where they’re supposed to be during the workday.
Understand your labor costs in real time
Time card apps commonly provide real-time payroll information to help you understand exactly how much you’re spending on labor. This includes information about employees who are currently on the clock and what they’re working on.
Know when employees are about to enter overtime
Most time card apps enable you to set up alerts that let you know if an employee has entered overtime. You can quickly take the appropriate action if you see an employee working overtime when they shouldn’t be. This saves your employees time and your business money.
Manage your team with ease
Many time card apps also come with scheduling, team, or project management features. Some have all three! These make it much easier to oversee your team, balance employee workloads, and make sure no one works too many hours.
Stay compliant with labor laws and regulations
Time card apps can help you maintain regulatory compliance. The exact rules vary from state to state, but employers are usually required to keep accurate time card records that they can produce on request. Using an app will ensure you have all your data right at your fingertips.
How Much Do Time Card Apps Cost?
Time card apps are becoming a must for many business owners, but the common per-user price structure can lead to high subscription costs. Many apps charge $5 to $20 per user, per month.
Although some are happy to pay these fees, it’s unrealistic for some small businesses to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month on a time card app.
Connecteam was created with this in mind, and it’s perfect for small businesses and growing organizations alike. Prices start from just $29 per month for up to 30 users. Additional users can be added for just $0.50 per month each.
Connecteam also offers its Small Business Plan, which is free for life for teams of up to 10 users. This gives you full access to the platform’s time-tracking features, as well as tools for HR management, scheduling, event planning, and more.
This makes Connecteam not only the best time card app on the market, but also the perfect all-in-one work management solution.
FAQs
What is the best free time card app?
The best free time card app is Connecteam. It has a free-forever plan that supports up to 10 users and includes GPS location tracking, automatic timesheets, a user-friendly mobile app, and much more. Its premium subscriptions are also very affordable, which makes it a great option for growing businesses.
Is there a free time card app?
Yes, Connecteam is one of the best free time card apps on the market. Its free plan supports teams of up to 10 people, and it comes with a host of other project management, communications, and HR features.
Is there an app to log employee hours?
Time card apps like Connecteam provide a powerful digital solution to track employee hours. Connecteam enables employees to clock in and out using a mobile or web app, and there are many extra features to help you get the most out of it.
The Bottom Line On Time Card App
Manual employee time tracking is a time-consuming, often frustrating process. Using a time card app can help you streamline time tracking, reducing errors and time theft and saving you time and money. There are numerous time card apps on the market, but most use expensive user-based pricing.
Connecteam is an exception, with a simple monthly subscription and low per-user fees. Its time-tracking features make it the best app for time cards, and it’s one of the most user-friendly solutions on the market. What’s more, it’s a do-it-all solution that offers many other HR, operations, and communications tools.