As your small business grows, so does your stack of paperwork. So, instead of focusing on exciting new ventures like launching a new product, adding more services, or opening another location, you’re stuck writing schedules and doing other administrative work.
So, you’re likely looking for a human resources app to take care of these tasks and free up your time. However, you’re struggling to pick between the popular software solutions Homebase and Time Clock Wizard.
Our article compares the two platforms based on their key features, pros and cons, and pricing. That way, you’ll know which one will work best for your business and will be able to get started right away.
Why choose Homebase over Time Clock Wizard in 2023?
When it comes to employee management, Homebase and Time Clock Wizard have some of the most complete tool kits on the market.
But Homebase is the only true all-in-one solution.
Homebase not only provides features for scheduling, time tracking, and payroll but also has built-in chat and recruitment. That means you can handle all your essential processes in one place instead of juggling different apps.
Many of our features are also more versatile than Time Clock Wizard’s. For example, Homebase scheduling gives you four different tools to create timetables, whereas Time Clock Wizard only has two. And Homebase has more features to keep you compliant with labor laws, like a custom employee handbook service and professional HR advice on demand.
And despite its more limited features, Time Clock Wizard actually comes at a higher cost than Homebase. That means you pay more to get less at the end of the day.
Comparison chart: Homebase vs. Time Clock Wizard at a glance
| Feature | Homebase | Time Clock Wizard |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Time clock | ✅ | ✅ |
| Timesheets | ✅ | ✅ |
| Payroll | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team chat | ✅ | ❌ |
| HR and compliance | ✅ | ✅ |
| Hiring and onboarding | ✅ | ❌ |
| Early cash out | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mobile app | ✅ | ✅ |
How Homebase and Time Clock Wizard stack up against each other
Although we think Homebase is the best all-around choice for your team management needs, the software that will suit your best depends on your specific business. With that in mind, let’s dig deeper into what each app can do.
The two platforms differ mostly in terms of their use cases. Homebase prioritizes hourly workers with features like the GPS time clock and team communication mobile app, while Time Clock Wizard has tools for office workers, like webcam clock in verification.
Homebase is also more well-suited for small businesses looking to grow. Our per-location pricing system means your costs won’t balloon as you hire more workers. On the other hand, Time Clock Wizard’s per-employee pricing means it’s most suitable for very small teams or companies with larger budgets.
Last, Homebase’s range of integrations gives you more flexibility. You can add apps as and when you need them. So, while you might not need to connect to other software now, they’re available for future use.
An in-depth breakdown of Homebase’s features and fees
Designed with small businesses in mind, Homebase tailors all its features to hourly workers in a variety of industries. So, whether you run an independent shop, a boutique salon, or an equipment rental out of your garage, we can help you manage your staff effectively.
Scheduling
As scheduling is one of the most time-consuming tasks for small business owners and managers, Homebase offers four features to get this job done in record time while honoring your team’s preferences:
- Team availability: Have staff update the hours they can and can’t work via our mobile app.
- Automated scheduling: Generate timetables based on labor demand, roles, and availability.
- Template library: Save and reuse workable schedules.
- Self-scheduling: Allow employees to arrange swaps and covers or claim open shifts.
Combined with our built-in chat tool, the Homebase schedule builder also lets you easily notify your staff about timetable updates and news, approve changes, and send out shift notes.
Time clock
Recording employee hours incorrectly can mean you end up overspending on labor and cutting into your profits. That’s why Homebase has a time clock with a range of sign in methods to suit different business setups.
The GPS time clock is the standout tool. Employees can sign into work via the mobile app as they arrive at your business premises, and the clock verifies both the time and location. That way, no team members can punch in for each other, which avoids the “buddy punching” phenomenon.
There’s also the possibility of creating virtual geofences for off-site teams so no one has to stop by your central business location to clock into work.
But Homebase knows that a GPS time clock won’t work for everyone as some employees don’t have smartphones or track hours as rigidly. So, we also have kiosk, selfie, and manual data entry options to give you a wider selection of options.
Payroll
Getting payroll right is crucial for keeping staff happy and staying legally compliant. But figuring out wages and taxes can be complicated and leave a lot of room for error. Homebase’s built-in payroll tool eliminates these problems by calculating wages and taxes, sending payments, and generating reports for you.
Many small businesses have a pre-existing accounting system, so we also integrate with popular payroll apps like QuickBooks and ADP. That way, you can choose whether you want to combine Homebase with your current software or use our all-in-one platform.
Team communication
Employee management tools can make your business more efficient, but they’re nothing without chat features to help coordinate your team. If you rely on texts, emails, and instant messages, all those chats and updates can easily get missed.
So, Homebase has built-in chat features to complement the rest of our tools. You can:
- Use the messenger to send chats to individuals, custom groups, or the whole team.
- Post announcements in an easy-to-spot place within the Homebase dashboard.
- Leave notes on specific shifts to assign tasks, leave instructions, or just say hello.
- Use messenger shortcuts to quickly arrange cover in the case of no shows.
- Set triggers to notify employees about upcoming shifts, published schedules, and breaks.
All team members have to do to take advantage of these features is download the free Homebase app.
HR and compliance
Unlike many employee management apps, Time Clock Wizard included, Homebase has a full range of HR and compliance features. You can access things like document management tools, compliance alerts, and custom time off settings that you can adjust to your policies.
But we also go beyond just tools to offer you a dedicated team of experienced HR professionals. They can advise you on everything from the labor laws that are relevant to your business to how to deal with challenging situations like terminations and injuries on-site. There’s also a bespoke employee handbook service based on a 30-minute phone interview about your business.
Hiring and onboarding
You don’t always find recruitment features on platforms for small businesses. But Homebase has a range of hiring and onboarding tools to streamline finding and welcoming the best candidates.
When you have an open position, you can use our templates to quickly put together an ad and post it across several different top job boards. You can then track the progress of each candidate on the dashboard and even set up interviews with them.
After you’ve picked the right person for the job, simply collect their documents online and get them set up before they even begin their first day.
Mobile app
The Homebase mobile app shares most of the capabilities of the desktop version. That means you can tweak schedules, get notified about late arrivals, and run payroll no matter where you are. Employees can also check their timetables, receive paychecks, and communicate with you via the app.
Pricing
Homebase has a free account for teams at one business location with twenty employees or less. But we recommend one of the paid plans if you want to take advantage of our full range of features (and enjoy the impact they can have on your small business).
Here’s a breakdown of the plans so you can make a fully informed decision:
- Basic. Free for one location and up to 20 employees. It has basic scheduling and time tracking, POS integrations, and email support.
- Essentials. $24.95 per month per location. Everything in Basic, plus advanced scheduling and time tracking, performance tracking tools, integrations with popular payroll apps, and access to live support.
- Plus. $55.95 per month per location. Everything in Essentials, plus hiring tools, time off controls, and departments and permissions.
- All-in-one. $99.95 per month per location. Everything in Plus, plus labor cost controls, business insights, HR and compliance, and onboarding tools.
Payroll is available as a separate add-on for $39 per month plus $6 per active employee. That includes automated payroll and tax filing, early access to pay, and self-service via the employee mobile app.
Customers can also save 20% by committing to an annual plan.
User ratings
As of July 2023, Homebase has a 4.2/5 (out of 100+ reviews) rating on G2 and a 4.6/5 (out of 900+ reviews) on Capterra.
An in-depth breakdown of Time Clock Wizard’s features and fees
Time Clock Wizard is primarily a time tracking tool that offers other employee management features. Similar to Homebase, the platform positions itself as a solution for different types of businesses with both on and off-site teams.
Scheduling
Compared to Homebase and many other apps on the market, Time Clock Wizard’s scheduling tools are limited. The platform doesn’t have any auto-scheduling features, only templates. You can only create a new schedule by clicking on the calendar and manually inputting the information.
Time tracking
As its name suggests, Time Clock Wizard’s most robust feature is time tracking. Employees can clock in using a shared kiosk, GPS, or webcam photos. There’s also the option to track workers’ locations throughout the workday to keep better tabs on remote crews.
However, Carly P. notes, “It’s generally a clunky software and works best on desktop, which is fine for me but not ideal for the employees when they’re clocking in and out on their mobile device.” This drawback may prevent managers from effectively tracking teams offsite or on the shopfloor.
Task management
Time Clock Wizard has a dedicated task management feature that lets you assign jobs to staff and oversee them. Teams can then leave each other notes to coordinate and keep each other updated.
You can use Homebase’s scheduling feature in a similar way by assigning roles and leaving shift notes.
Payroll
Like Homebase, Time Clock Wizard has a full-service payroll tool that includes payment processing, tax filing, and early access to wages. They also provide benefits management, which may interest large companies with the budget for extra staff incentives.
The drawback is that the extra features push the cost of the payroll package up higher than many of Time Wizard’s competitors.
HR and compliance
Some basic HR and compliance tools come as part of Time Clock Wizard’s payroll package. There are guides to building employee handbooks, creating policies, and navigating compliance issues. However, you can’t access a team of professionals like you can with Homebase.
Mobile app
While Time Clock Wizard’s app shares many of Homebase’s features, it lacks versatile communication tools. You have to log into the desktop version to send schedules and updates and employees receive them as emails or text messages. That means there’s a greater risk that a notification about a shift change will get buried in someone’s inbox.
Pricing
Time Clock Wizard offers the following plans:
- Free: Unlimited employees.
- Value: $24.95 per location per month for unlimited employees.
- Pro: $44.95 per location per month for up to 50 employees.
- Enterprise: $199.95 per location per month for unlimited employees.
Like Homebase, Time Clock Wizard offers payroll as a separate add-on for $59.95 plus $12 per employee.
User ratings
As of July 2023, Time Clock Wizard has a 4.7/5 (out of 50+ reviews) rating on G2 and a 4.3/5 (out of 80+ reviews) on Capterra. It’s worth noting that Time Clock Wizard has very few recent reviews, so these ratings reflect customer satisfaction from around 2021.
Homebase vs. Time Clock Wizard’s integrations compared
When it comes to integrations, Homebase has a clear advantage over Time Clock Wizard. We let customers connect with over 25 business apps, including:
- QuickBooks
- ADP
- Paychex
- Shopify
- Square
- Clover
- ZipRecruiter
On the other hand, Time Clock Wizard’s main integration is QuickBooks. That means you can’t choose the accounting system that suits you best or sync with other essential tools like point of sale (POS), project management, and recruitment software. And instead of instantly transferring data, you have to constantly switch between all your apps.
How to choose between Homebase and Time Clock Wizard
The decision of which employee management app to choose shouldn’t be taken lightly. Depending on what type of business you have, your software of choice could hinder you more or make your operations more efficient than ever before.
That’s why you should consider Homebase and Time Clock Wizard carefully — they may appear similar, but there are some important differences.
Time Clock Wizard has some unique features — like employee tracking — that might work well in an office environment. But Homebase is the clear choice for most small businesses with hourly teams. Our platform has the essential trio of scheduling, time tracking, and payroll tools but also includes communication, recruitment, and compliance features. They also come at a lower cost than Time Clock Wizard.
So, if you choose Homebase, you’ll have all the tools you need to manage your small business effectively at a price you can easily afford.
Remember: This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.
