Best Time Clock Software

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Keeping track of your employees’ working hours can be challenging. Luckily, time clock software is here to help, and we’ve tested them to narrow down to the top five options available today.

The Best 5 Time Clock Software

  • 7shifts – Best for Bars and Restaurants
  • Homebase – Best for Retail
  • Wrike – Best for Project Management
  • ClockShark – Best for Mobile Businesses
  • Clockify – Best for Reports

What Is Time Clock Software? 

Time clock software is a tool for tracking the hours, attendance, and scheduling of employees. The software is valuable to businesses of all sizes and offers many benefits. 

Key benefits include increased accuracy, as employees can track their time across multiple devices, and higher worker satisfaction due to timely and accurate pay. It’s great for flexible working arrangements too and can help to optimize payroll processes. It also prevents employees from clocking in for each other. 

Do I Need Time Clock Software?

You may be wondering if you need time clock software. You might think the benefits sound great but aren’t sure if your company really needs to invest in software. After all, it’s not a small decision to make. 

Time clock software is suitable for companies of all sizes and models. That said, some industries enjoy using it and get more benefits than others. 

For example, field service providers, restaurants, offices, and bars may experience extra challenges tracking working hours and attendance over traditional office settings. 

Some key decision factors will help you to decide. It’s important to mention that these decision factors will depend on the needs of some companies more than others. Keep in mind what’s pertinent to your company as you read them. 

If You Need To Build Employee Trust 

Time clock software can build trust with employees. Few things erode trust more than being watched and managed at every step.

With time clock software, you don’t need to remind them to hand in their time cards every week. The software encourages participation and shifts the responsibility onto the employees in a positive way.

That’s not all, though. Trust is built further by the understanding time clock software brings. Employees can see which jobs they’ve worked and can know and own their schedule.

Overall transparency is improved, which helps to build a sense of ownership. Accurate paychecks are more than popular among employees and can help you save on labor costs, too.

Of course, this won’t be relevant for every company. You may be running a small business where employees respect and trust their management, so bringing in new software might not be needed.

If You’re Going Over Payroll Budget 

Paying your employees make up a significant wedge of payroll costs. You may find yourself in the tricky position of frequently going over budget, which can be disastrous in the long term.

No one wants to hear that the company they work for has run out of money, least of all the people running it.

Time clock software ensures employees receive accurate pay. The automated systems keep track of every employee, hours worked, and monthly salaries.

The outcome is twofold: not only do workers welcome the correct pay, but the costs are calculated in advance so that you don’t go over budget.

If You Need To Analyze Your Labor or Project Costs 

Good time clock software will have access to reporting features. Why is this a vital part of the package? Detailed reports allow you to analyze your labor costs each month, break down expenses, and show you how your business is doing.

We’re not just talking employee costs—reports can offer insights into project expenses, too.

Not all time clock software is the same, and the reporting features differ, as do your requirements. For example, you might need software that shows you overtime costs or scheduled hours versus hours worked.

Others might prefer time clock software that shows labor law violations and the likelihood of them happening.

Think about how important this is for you and your business because it won’t apply to everyone.

If You Need To Stop Time Theft 

Not every employee is out to exploit a company. That said, sometimes, a small minority of individuals may want to ruin it for everyone else.

Time theft is when an employee receives pay for working hours they didn’t complete. This concept can be as simple as being dishonest about the hours worked to engaging in “buddy punching, which is when one person clocks in for another employee—or fudging the numbers on physical timecards.

The good news that time clock software can prevent this from happening, and it doesn’t have to turn dystopian to do so.

The software allows you to track both time and attendance. Advanced features such as geolocation positioning are also available. Geolocation technology is more relevant to field service providers, which sees when employees are working from multiple locations. 

Think carefully if time theft is something you need to address at your company. For some, it may be a non-issue, but for others, it is a serious problem.

7shifts – Best for Bars and Restaurants

7shifts is the best time clock software for bars and restaurants. Over 300,000 restaurants are already using it.

The software allows users to create and assign shifts not just weeks but months ahead. Scheduling uses a drag-and-drop builder, simplifying the entire process and allowing you to keep your restaurant staffed and operating smoothly.

What’s more, there’s a template system that enables users to duplicate common shifts to cut down on the manual work involved. The schedules factor in employee availability, time off, and overtime. You’ll even receive alerts of any labor compliance issues.

An AI-driven schedule creator makes entire schedules based on accurate forecasts, too.

In terms of the time tracking side of things, 7shifts uses a punch pad app to securely log hours worked. Users will be able to track punch edits and export audit reports.

You can export hours worked directly to payroll providers streamlining the entire payroll process.

All of this is without mentioning handy tasks lists, manager log books that track shift notes, and the ability to trade and swap shifts between employees.

There’s a real-time dashboard you can check on the go that monitors restaurant sales and labor goals to offer business insights.

7shifts starts at $17.99 per location per month for the Appetizer plan—for 20 employees—and goes up to $69.99 per location per month on the highest plan for unlimited employees. All plans come with a 14-day free trial, and they offer a free plan for up to 10 employees.

Pros

  • Mobile data insights show you where you need to make adjustments
  • Integrates with popular point of sale (POS) systems
  • Easy to use and simple user interface

Cons

  • Payroll integration and export are only available on the more expensive tiers
  • Sometimes fails to load and logs users out of the app
  • The mobile app is basic and lacks certain features

Homebase – Best for Retail

Homebase is the best software on the list for retail teams—over 20,000 retailers across the US trust it.

With simple time tracking, fast and easy team scheduling, and dedicated mobile apps, it’s a compelling piece of software.

You’ll be able to build your retail schedules, run payroll from wherever you are, and track events with ease. You can share schedules with your team at any time, keeping them up to date and ready to go.

The schedule-making app even calculates overtime and breaks and can alert you to conflicts in a schedule.

Homebase also helps with things like onboarding and other HR jobs, including managing applications. It has a lot to offer, and most businesses will find something to like here.

Homebase starts at $14 per month per location for the Essentials plan and goes up to $70 per month per location on the highest plan. You’re granted unlimited employees per location and can get started for free.

Pros

  • Free to get started with an unlimited number of employees
  • Very easy to use with a simple interface
  • Price to features ratio is excellent

Cons

  • The app can freeze up, and there are reported bugs
  • No live weekend customer support
  • It’s possible to bypass the geofence

Wrike – Best for Managing Projects

Wrike helps teams manage both their time and projects, making it a great hybrid choice.

For instance, the time tracking features of Wrike allow teams to upgrade their planning and resource management.

The software automatically logs hours worked, creates timesheets, and allows you to see exactly where a team’s effort is going.

There’s more of a focus on the project management side of things here. Customizable templates help to automate processes and track time across projects. You can use a live timer or add hours to the time log manually.

It’s a great choice for companies looking to check time spent on projects and those that need to cut down or better manage their project expenses.

Just be aware that the time tracking features are only available from the Business plan upward.

Wrike starts at $9.80 per user per month for the Professional plan and goes up to $24.80 per user per month on the Business plan. All plans come with a 14-day free trial, and you can cancel at any time.

Pros

  • Time tracking and project management in one place
  • Ability to lock timesheets as required
  • Configure reports and schedule updates via email

Cons

  • Time tracking features locked to the Business plan
  • The user interface could be both smarter and faster to use
  • Not the most affordable higher plans

ClockShark – Best for Mobile Businesses

ClockShark is some of the best time clock software available for field service and mobile businesses.

If you manage many employees moving from one site to the next, this software is for you. ClockShark features automated time tracking, enhanced GPS tracking, and dedicated scheduling functionality.

What’s more, file sharing capabilities allow photos and documents to be shared straight from the field. You see work in progress from both mobile and desktop.

Timesheet reminders help employees keep on top of their time tracking with notifications. You can set up custom geofences to guarantee employees aren’t clocking in away from a site.

ClockShark starts at $3 per user per month for the Basic plan with a base fee of $15 per month for five employees and goes up to $8 per user per month with a base fee of $45 per month. All plans come with a 14-day free trial, and you receive two months for free when billed annually.

Pros

  • Paid plans are affordable for most businesses
  • Software is easy to use with a clean design
  • Efficient and friendly customer service

Cons

  • ClockShark doesn’t offer a free plan
  • Slow down and freezing in the mobile app
  • GPS tracking needs improvement

Clockify – Best for Reports

Clockify is a timesheet software coupled with excellent reports.

You can track work hours across apps and sites with an easy-to-use timer. You’ll be able to log data in timesheets and manage it in calendars.

We like the reporting features, which offer a real-time view of project budgets and show how each person is contributing. There’s also a large number of reporting filters that can cut down the data however you like.

You can share reports with others, export them as PDF, CSV, and Excel files, and review your team’s overall time, too.

Clockify starts at $3.99 per user per month for the Basic plan and goes up to $11.99 per user per month on the highest plan. All plans come with a 7-day free trial, and the free version is more than substantial.

Pros

  • Generous free version that’s enough for some alone
  • A variety of excellent reporting features and filters
  • Integrates with over 50 web apps, including Trello and Salesforce

Cons

  • No built-in invoicing
  • The mobile app doesn’t offer many features
  • Can freeze up when starting and stopping timers

Summary

As you can see from this list, there’s time clock software available for different businesses and their independent needs.

That said, Clockify and Homebase would be best for most businesses. Clockify is an excellent option for teams of all sizes that want timesheet software with great reporting features.

And Homebase is for managing teams and streamlining operations—it has something for every company.

  • 7shifts – Best for Bars and Restaurants
  • Homebase – Best for Retail
  • Wrike – Best for Project Management
  • ClockShark – Best for Mobile Businesses
  • Clockify – Best for Reports

Whatever your business, time clock software is vital for tracking employee hours, attendance, and scheduling. Think carefully about the best one for you.

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