Timesheet apps make it easy to track your employees’ hours and ensure accurate payroll processing. Below is our in-depth review of the 7 best timesheet apps in Australia.
Keeping track of employees’ hours is crucial to ensure your payroll is accurate and your business stays compliant. However, manually monitoring hours worked and keying them into a timecard can be a tedious process.
It’s also very error-prone and leaves your business vulnerable to time theft, buddy punching, and other issues that can impact your bottom line.
Using a reliable timesheet app can provide the solution. Timesheet apps enable workers to track their time accurately, including their rest breaks, paid time off (PTO), and overtime. The apps will then collate time entries into handy digital timesheets.
Workers have time to catch and correct any errors, and approved timesheets can then be exported to your payroll provider for seamless processing.
To help you choose the best timesheet software for your business, we’ve compiled a list of the 7 best timesheet apps in Australia.
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 timesheet app
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Good for last-minute schedule changes
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Good for in-field tradespeople
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
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Tools considered
16
Tools reviewed
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Best tools
chosen
What To Look For in a Timesheet App
When picking a timesheet app for your business, keep an eye out for the following features:
- One-touch clock in and out: Workers should be able to track their hours effortlessly. Look out for a tool that lets employees punch in and out of work with a single touch from any device.
- Smart alerts and push notifications: Set notifications to remind employees to clock in and out, alert you of employee absence, or let you know if an employee enters unapproved overtime. Plus, location-based reminders can let you know if an employee forgets to clock in or out.
- GPS location tracking: Lets you verify that employees are where they need to be during working hours.
- Payroll integrations: Look for tools that integrate with your current payroll software for streamlined payroll processing. Connecteam, for instance, offers integrations with Xero, Gusto, QuickBooks Online, and Paychex.
- Custom reporting: Shows you key information like hours worked per project, task, shift, and more. Employees’ time and attendance logs can also help you identify areas of concern such as absenteeism and frequent lateness.
- Employee scheduling tools: With drag-and-drop scheduling tools, you can assign workers to shifts in minutes. You can also see your team’s availability, schedule your employees’ time off, and manage break times.
- Break and overtime management: Create custom rules around breaks and overtime for improved compliance, and auto-add break and overtime hours to employees’ tracked time.
- Paid time off (PTO) management: These features support workers requesting time off and allow you to review and approve requests instantly.
- Mobile app: Allows employees to easily track their hours view their timesheets, and manage time off requests on the go.
The 7 Best Timesheet Apps in Australia for 2024
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one timesheet app
Connecteam is the best free timesheet app in Australia—for small businesses and organisations of all sizes.
Why I chose Connecteam: It has the tools to help you manage your team’s time effectively, including automatic timesheet creation, payroll processing, shift scheduling, and more.
Connecteam’s also integrates with Xero, Australia’s leading payroll software, making it incredibly simple for companies that already rely on this software for payroll. It’s also got an intuitive interface and excellent customer service that make it stand out among competitors. Plus, it has a mobile app so you and your team can use it anytime and from anywhere.
Let’s take a closer look at some of Connecteam’s most useful features.
Create one account for your entire team, no matter where they are
With Connecteam, you only need to create one account for your entire team, no matter where they’re located or stationed. Keep your entire staff under one user-base and maintain all of your manager responsibilities in one place so all information is consolidated to one admin dashboard. Staff can all clock in under one account so you have an entire overview of when they’re clocked in, no matter where they are located. Then, all of your employee timesheets are in one place where you can edit them if needed, view total hours worked, or export them to payroll.
Automatic timesheet creation and one-touch approval
Connecteam will automatically generate timesheets for payroll from employee time entries. Break times, PTO, sick leave, and other types of leave are automatically deducted from their hours. You can also customise pay cycles, review timesheets, and authorise these timesheets from any device.
Once created, timesheets are sent to a central dashboard where you can review and correct any errors before approving them for processing. These automated timesheets also allow you to accurately track billable and non-billable time. This can help prevent disputes over worked hours.
In addition, you can leave a comment directly on an employee’s timesheet if you have any questions about their time entries. Connecteam also includes online team chat that lets you and your employees communicate directly for easy resolutions.
Payroll integrations for stress-free processing
Connecteam directly integrates with the most popular payroll providers—including Xero, Gusto, QuickBooks Online, and Paychex —for streamlined processing.
Additionally, you can export timesheet data from Connecteam in Excel or CSV formats for use in whatever payroll software your business prefers. This makes it easy to transfer employee hours and payroll data from one system to another.
Portable time tracking software allows employees to clock in and out from anywhere
Connecteam has a built-in employee time clock that employees can use from any mobile device for on-the-go time tracking. They can punch in and out with a single touch and log their time by job, location, project, client, and more.
In addition, you can use Connecteam as a time clock kiosk app at any location of your choice. Multiple employees can clock in and out using a shared device, like a tablet. Connecteam also allows admins to require their users to take a selfie when logging in to put an end to buddy punching.
Our time clock is accurate to the second. It also begins tracking employees’ time as soon as they clock in and stops the moment they clock out. Break times, vacation hours, and sick leave are automatically added to schedules, too.
Employees can manually enter or edit their hours in case of any mis-clocks or timing errors. As a manager, you’re able to restrict timesheet editing as needed.
GPS location tracking and geofencing let you know when and where employees clock in
Connecteam’s real time GPS tracker, which allows you to confirm your employees’ locations in real time during work hours. But don’t worry—Connecteam only tracks your employees’ locations when they’re clocked in, so there’s no risk of breach of privacy.
Connecteam also lets acts as a geofence time clock around your workplace. This lets you restrict employees to only clock in or out at a specific location. When an employee attempts to clock in outside of a geofence, you receive an automatic request on your phone to approve or decline, helping you to eliminate time theft and inaccurate timesheets.
Drag-and-drop shift scheduling takes schedule planning from hours to minutes
With Connecteam’s employee scheduler, you can easily create employee schedules with the user-friendly drag-and-drop tool. Simply click, drag, and drop to create a schedule in minutes. What’s more, you can customise shifts, use shift templates, or duplicate recurring shifts to streamline your schedule planning process.
In addition, Connecteam’s scheduling tools integrate with its time-tracking features. This means you can cross-reference time entries against employee schedules when reviewing them to simplify the approval process.
Connecteam also allows employees to request shift swaps with their coworkers, which you can quickly review and approve. You can also attach documents, checklists, notes, and other important information to shifts.
Break management features that are fully customizable
Connecteam also acts as break management software that you can customise to suit your team’s needs. You can configure break lengths, add labels for different types of breaks, and allow employees to take breaks whenever they want or schedule them in advance.
Using Connecteam’s time clock, employees can easily punch in and out of breaks using their mobile devices. In addition, you can set up both paid and unpaid breaks, track the location and time of each break, and receive push notifications if an employee misses a required break.
Together, these features ensure timesheets are accurate, employees get the downtime they need, and your business stays compliant with labour laws and regulations.
And more, at zero cost for small businesses
Beyond these tools, Connecteam has features for event management, employee rewards and recognition, surveys and employee polls, benefits administration, internal communications, and a whole lot more.
The best news for small businesses? Connecteam offers a Small Business Plan that’s completely free for life for teams of up to 10.
Premium plans start from $29 USD ($43.35 AUD) per month for up to 30 users. There’s a 14-day free trial you can take advantage of, too.
Key Features
Automatic timesheet creation
Ultra-accurate, one-touch time clock
Integrates with the most popular payroll providers
Drag-and-drop shift scheduling
Custom break management tools
Pros
Easy-to-use mobile app
Completely free version for up to 10 users for life
Free trial available
All-in-one workforce management solution
Cons
Currently no video conferencing tools
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 -
Deputy — Good for last-minute schedule changes
Deputy is an employee management system and timesheet mobile app. It focuses on managing employee shift swaps and supporting managers in making last-minute schedule changes—for example, if an employee is late or calls in sick.
Why I chose Deputy: Deputy offers a drag-and-drop shift scheduling feature and built-in chat functions to help managers communicate any shift changes to employees. Employees can use the Deputy mobile app to clock in, and these worked hours are automatically collated into a timesheet.
Deputy doesn’t offer any digital organisation tools such as forms and checklists and doesn’t allow managers to colour code or add notes to shift patterns.
Learn more about DeputyKey Features
- In-app chat feature
- Automatic payroll calculations
- Built-in time clock
- Automatic shift scheduling
Pros
- Free trial available
- Mobile app
Cons
- No digital organisation tools
- No free plan
Pricing
Starts at $4.5/user/month, for Scheduling or Time & Attendance Trial: Yes — 31-day Free Plan: No
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Tradify — Good for in-field tradespeople
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Tradify is a job management software for tradespeople. It offers tools for timesheet management, quoting jobs, and employee scheduling.
Why I chose Tradify: The software allows employees to clock in and out, track time spent on tasks, and record break times. Managers can see an overview of their team’s timesheets, including hours worked, time off, and overtime.
Tradify offers integrations with popular accounting software like Xero and QuickBooks. However, Tradify doesn’t offer in-app chat or digital organisation tools like forms or checklists.
Learn more about TradifyKey Features
- Mobile app
- Track time spent on individual jobs
- Built-in job quoting
- Employee scheduling tools
Pros
- Free set-up and training
- Automatic shift scheduling
Cons
- No digital organisation tools
- No in-app chat feature
Pricing
Starts at $34/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Timecamp — Good for teams or managers who work with computers
TimeCamp is a time tracking and timesheet software designed to help in-office and remote employees manage their time spent on the computer.
Why I chose TimeCamp: It allows employees to create custom calendars with assigned tasks and track any time spent on tasks.
TimeCamp provides detailed time cards broken down by job, task, or project. These can be used to invoice clients, for payroll purposes, and for tracking employee productivity. Additionally, TimeCamp offers built-in reporting tools and integrates with popular team management apps such as Trello, Asana, and Monday.com.
Learn more about TimecampKey Features
- Data and analysis tools
- Time tracking for individual jobs
- Personal calendar creation
- Built-in invoicing tools
Pros
- Integrates with popular team management apps
- Mobile app
Cons
- May not be useful for non-desk teams
- No built-in chat tools
Pricing
Starts at $2.99/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Toggl Track — Good for categorising worked hours
Toggl Track is a time management and timesheet app. It offers manual time entry editing, one-touch clock in and out, project budgeting, and reporting and analytics tools. Users can categorise hours into projects and tasks as well.
Why I chose Toggl Track: Toggl Track offers visualisations of hours worked, PTO accruals, sick leave, and more. This is useful for those who prefer a visual representation of data. Toggl Track also has Pomodoro timers, project budgeting, and data and analytics tools.
However, Toggl Track doesn’t offer GPS location tracking or geofencing tools.
Learn more about Toggl TrackKey Features
- Categorise time spent on different tasks or projects
- Project budgeting
- Data and analytics tools
- Pomodoro timer
Pros
- Free-to-use plan
- Visualisation of worked hours
Cons
- No GPS location tracking
- Most features hidden behind paywall
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 maintaining employee privacy
Timely is a time tracking and timesheet app that aims to reduce payroll administration time.
Why I chose Timely: Instead of manually setting timers, Timely captures user data as employees go about their work day. This data is then stored in its memory app. This allows employees to drag and drop their tracked time entries into a timesheet template, which can then be shared with their managers.
Timely also provides managers with an overview of worked time. This can be recorded by hours, performance, or by project or team. Managers can view time recording data on Timely by hours and performance based on project or team.
Learn more about TimelyKey Features
- Mobile app
- Records hours by project or team
- Integrates with popular payroll providers
- Reporting and analytics tools
Pros
- Automatically captures worked hours
- Free trial
Cons
- Limited customer support options
- No free-to-use plan
Pricing
Starts at $16/user/month, for 6-50 users Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Clockify — Good for tracking time on projects
Clockify is a time tracking and timesheet software. The platform allows managers to set up tasks and projects and enables employees to track their time against those projects or tasks.
Why I chose Clockify: Clockify has a Pomodoro timer that reminds employees to take regular breaks. The software also allows employees to track billable and non-billable hours spent on breaks.
Unfortunately, Clockify lacks more advanced features like an in-app chat, budget tracking tools, biometric login, or client invoicing features. Clockify can also become quite expensive due to its pricing structure.
Learn more about ClockifyKey Features
- Pomodoro timer
- Client invoicing
- Built-in time tracker
- Automatic timesheet creation
Pros
- Simple user interface
- Multiple integration options
Cons
- No biometric login
- No in-app chat feature
Pricing
Starts at $3.99/user/month Trial: Yes — For PRO features Free Plan: Yes
Compare the Best Timesheet Apps in Australia
| Topic |
Start for free
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
  |
|
|
|
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $4.5/user/month, for Scheduling or Time & Attendance
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Starts at $34/month
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Starts at $2.99/user/month
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Starts at $9/user/month
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Starts at $16/user/month, for 6-50 users
|
Starts at $3.99/user/month
|
| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
|
yes
31-day
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
30-day
|
yes
|
yes
For PRO features
|
| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
|
no
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no
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yes
|
yes
For up to 5 users
|
no
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yes
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| Use cases |
Best all-in-one timesheet app
|
Good for last-minute schedule changes
|
Good for in-field tradespeople
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Good for teams or managers who work with computers
|
Good for categorising worked hours
|
Good for maintaining employee privacy
|
Good for tracking time on projects
|
| Available on |
Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
|
What Are Timesheet Apps?
Timesheet apps are software tools that help businesses manage their employees’ work hours, mimise time theft, and prevent payroll errors. They’re a digital alternative to paper timesheets. Most options are available on mobile devices, desktop computers, and via web browsers. Some, however, may have only a mobile or desktop app.
Timesheet apps allow employees to track their work hours and categorise time entries by task, client, or project. They then automatically generate timesheets that list the hours an employee worked during a pay period. Any vacation time, sick leave, or break times are automatically deducted from worked hours.
Managers can review and approve employee timesheets and export them for payroll processing. In addition, historical timesheets can be saved in case of company audits.
In general, timesheet apps make it easier and more efficient to manage employees’ time, all while reducing errors and improving productivity.
How Do Timesheet Apps Work?
Timesheet apps enable employees to track their hours using a digital clock. They then create digital timesheets based on those entries.
Most platforms allow workers to manually add and edit time entries in case they forget to punch in or out, or if they accidentally clock in or out early or late. Additionally, many apps enable employees to categorise time entries by certain projects, tasks, locations, and clients. This makes it easier for managers to see what employees have spent their time on.
The apps typically track overtime, PTO, and break times as well to ensure workplaces comply with labour laws and that timesheets are as accurate as possible. This time will typically be automatically deducted from an employee’s total hours.
Employees and managers can review timesheets before payroll and request any changes. Once timesheets are approved, managers can export them to their payroll provider, helping streamline the payroll process.
The Benefits of Timesheet Apps
Reduced payroll errors
Keying errors can be time-consuming and costly to fix. Timesheet apps can accurately track employees’ hours, sometimes to the second, then automatically generate error-free digital timesheets.
If errors do happen, you can easily check timesheets against time entries and correct any issues before payroll processing.
These automations prevent the need to manually key employee worked hours, reduce the risk of mis-entries, and ensure employees are paid accurately.
Time savings
Timesheet apps eliminate the need for filling out employee time cards by hand or doing any manual time tracking, saving you a ton of time. What’s more, these apps can send reminders to employees and managers for timesheet approvals, helping to ensure that payroll processing isn’t delayed.
Better compliance
This software can also improve compliance by ensuring you have an accurate record of employees’ working hours and break times. Apps can also automatically track and calculate overtime, helping you avoid penalties for non-compliance with labour laws.
Reduced time theft
Timesheet apps help minimise the risk of time theft using tools like biometric logins, GPS time tracking, and geofencing. In this way, they offer greater transparency, improve accountability, and make it more difficult for employees to cheat the system.
Paperless payroll processing
By eliminating the need for paper timesheets, timesheet apps can make the entire process digital (depending on what payroll provider your business uses).
Paperless payroll processing is environmentally friendly and reduces the amount of money you spend on supplies like paper, ink, and more. It also cuts down the risk of losing employees’ time cards, as all data is securely stored in one place and backed up in the cloud.
How Much Do Timesheet Apps Cost?
Timesheet apps usually charge per user, per month. However, some charge a set rate for a certain number of users, with an extra cost for additional users. Charging per user may be more beneficial for small businesses, while a flat fee can be more cost-effective for larger teams.
For example, Clockify charges $3.99 per user, per month, while Toggl Track costs $9 per user per month. This is relatively affordable for a small business of 10-15 workers. However, costs quickly add up for medium-sized and large businesses with 150-250 employees.
Connecteam offers better value for money compared to other timesheet apps. We offer a 100% free plan for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Bigger teams can sign up for one of our paid plans, starting at only $29 per month for up to 30 users. For all new customers, we offer a 14-day free trial.
FAQs
Is there a free timesheet app?
Connecteam is the best free timesheet app for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. It’s an all-in-one timesheet app, making it great value for money for small businesses. Additionally, businesses with up to 30 employees can use Connecteam for $29 per month— that’s less than $1 per employee!
What is the best app to track staff hours?
While there are many time tracking apps out there, Connecteam is the best. The all-in-one software is user-friendly and makes it easy for employees to clock in, log breaks, and view their timesheets. This will help you save time, reduce payroll errors, and so much more.
What spreadsheet to keep track of employee hours?
You can use a spreadsheet to track employee hours. However, using spreadsheets creates the potential for human errors when manually entering time data. A more efficient and accurate solution is to use dedicated timesheet software such as Connecteam.
The Bottom Line on Timesheet Apps for Small Businesses in Australia
Tracking employee working hours is essential to the smooth running of your business. But, with the potential for so many errors along the way, it’s important you find reliable and accurate timesheet software.
There are many options for timesheet software on the market today. We recommend Connecteam, the best all-in-one free timesheet app in Australia. Connecteam offers a range of features beyond just time tracking. These include automatic timesheet generation, overtime and break management, employee scheduling, and more.
Plus, it’s also the perfect free solution for small businesses with up to 10 employees, who can take advantage of Connecteam’s free-for-life plan.
Ready to see what Connecteam can do for your business? Try it free for 14 days.