Time clock kiosk apps can be so accurate and reliable these days that you’ll be kicking traditional punch clocks and spreadsheets systems out the door. But for small businesses with in-person associates, a physical time kiosk might be something you’ve come to rely on.
It can be a big change to switch to seemingly high-tech options for time tracking. That’s why we’ve tracked down the best time clock kiosk apps for 2024. We compare them below, complete with pros, cons, and cost analysis.
There are modern time kiosk apps that can play well with traditional clock-in stations, as well as act as secure, user-friendly mobile time clock apps to help you streamline employee time management and ensure employees have a great experience. Ready to find the one that works for you?
What is a time clock kiosk?
A time clock kiosk is a device, station, or platform that allows an employee to clock-in and log their time. Traditionally, a clock-in kiosk was a physical station where employees would punch in.
Today, time clock kiosk apps have largely replaced physical stations for many businesses. But, many time clock kiosk apps are compatible with physical kiosk clock-in stations, specifically giving small business owners greater flexibility over time tracking.
How to find your next time kiosk app.
The prospect of spending time and money on a new tool can be daunting, especially when you’re a time-pressed business owner with a team to manage.
Here are a few best practices to keep in mind before you start researching:
- Identify needs — Think about your business needs, from team distribution to pay structure, to determine potential app functionality you’ll need.
- Research — Check reviews and ratings of apps, cross-compare features and pricing, and make sure any solution can support your number of locations and users.
- Evaluate — Request a demo or trial or try the basic plan to make sure the solution meets your team’s needs. Get feedback from management and your team as well—they’ll be using it, too.
- Make a choice — Make a decision that factors in your business requirements, budget, learning comfortability, and scalability.
- Implement — Be patient as you set up the software, train employees to use it, and integrate it with other tools. Host ongoing training sessions as needed, and don’t hesitate to contact support.
What to look for in a time clock kiosk app.
You probably already have an idea of how time clocks work, but every app offers different features to help you move your business forward. Keep an eye out for these key functions:
- Time tracking and attendance — Accuracy is everything when it comes to tracking employee hours. Look for built-in GPS time stamping to capture secure punch-in data by location. Other features, like alerts that tell you when someone is over hours, can make a huge difference to your bottom line—and regulation compliance.
- Employee verification — Kiosk apps can help you prevent time theft and labor leakage the same way mobile time clocks can. Look for platforms that combat buddy punching with unique PINs, or even biometric login.
- Payroll management — Many time clocks automatically convert employee hours into timesheets that you can export directly to third-party accounting software. Even better, a solution like Homebase can eliminate that exportation step altogether, allowing you to pay employees directly from the platform with built-in payroll tools. Talk about a time saver!
- Reporting and analytics — Look for in-depth reporting that allows you to review attendance, labor trends, performance data, and more.
- Integrations — You likely have a point of sale (POS) system, as well as various accounting tools. The right time clock kiosk app should integrate with them, preventing any kind of double data entry and extra work.
- Budget friendliness — Prioritize options with a free plan or trial so you can test their basic functionality and see how they work for your team. Platforms like Homebase offer a free account option that gives you access to time tracking, scheduling, and team messaging for a team of up to 20 employees.
The best time clock kiosk apps for small businesses.
Every small business is unique, and so are your time clock kiosk app needs. To help you decide on the right solution for you, we’ve examined the top time clock kiosk apps for small businesses and broken them down by use case.
1. Homebase: Best all-in-one solution.
Homebase is more than a time clock app: It’s an all-in-one team management solution designed for small business owners who need support with end-to-end HR tasks. With tools for time tracking, scheduling, messaging, payroll, hiring and onboarding, and labor compliance, our platform helps you trade time-consuming, error-prone manual processes for one easy-to-use system.
And the best part? You can access almost all of Homebase’s features from a phone or kiosk, which is perfect for off-site employees and teams on the go.
Top features
- GPS time clock accessible from any device, including phone or kiosk
- Free employee time tracking, scheduling, and timesheets
- Geofencing tools restrict clock-in areas and prevent time theft
- Built-in team messaging so managers can follow up when team members are late
- Easy-to-use schedule builder with auto-scheduling and template tools
- Hiring and onboarding templates, dashboards, and workflows
- Access to HR resources and a team of qualified experts to answer your HR questions
- Built-in, full-service payroll
Pros and cons
You can download the Homebase app on a mobile phone, iPad, or dedicated tablet that serves as your clock-in kiosk.
Employees can sign in with a unique PIN for extra security. Our GPS-enabled time clock automatically captures a time stamp when a team member punches in from any device.
Homebase sends your team reminders via text to let them know about their upcoming shifts. If they’re late or forget to punch in, the app alerts managers so they can send a reminder or cover staffing.
While Homebase doesn’t offer task management tools or mileage tracking, it’s still one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective options on the market today.
Pricing and support
Homebase’s scheduling and timesheet tool is completely free. If you want to maximize efficiency and get the most out of the entire software, we offer the following price options:
- Basic. Free for one location up to 20 employees. This includes basic scheduling and time tracking; employee management tools like messaging and point-of-sale integrations; and access to email support.
- Essentials. $24.95 per month per location. Everything in Basic, plus advanced time tracking and scheduling, payroll integrations, team communication, performance tracking, team communication, and access to live support.
- Plus. $59.95 per month per location. Everything in Essentials, plus hiring tools, retention and performance tracking, time off controls, and departments and permissions.
- All-in-one. $99.95 per month per location. Everything in Plus, with HR and compliance, specifically new hire onboarding, labor cost controls, and business insights.
Users can also save 20% on their overall cost when they sign up for an annual plan.
2. QuickBooks Time: Best for tracking travel.
QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) offers essential features for time tracking, employee scheduling, and exportable timesheets. It also allows you to schedule individual jobs, tasks, and shifts.
Top features
- Mobile time clock app that works on most smartphones
- GPS mileage tracking for teams who travel or commute
- Geofencing functions prevent employees from starting their shift in the wrong place
- Schedule builder allows you to create timetables based on a shift, job, or specific task
- Integration with the QuickBooks suite of tools for business accounting
Pros and cons
The GPS mileage tracking and time clock app make Quickbooks Time a solid option for teams in need of travel tracking.
Plus, QuickBooks Time customers like that it integrates smoothly with other Quickbooks products.
Unfortunately, QuickBooks doesn’t offer a free plan or location-based pricing. And in order to access basic time and attendance features, you’ll have to pay per user, which makes it less cost-effective for larger teams.
Pricing and support
QuickBooks’ plans include:
- Premium — Time and attendance features for $20 per month and $8 per user per month.
- Elite — Project tracking and geofencing for $40 per month and $10 per user per month.
You can contact their support team by phone or chat.
3. ClockIt: Best for tracking attendance data.
ClockIt is a time tracking app that employees and managers can access from any desktop browser. It also has a mobile time clock app that automatically logs the GPS location of your employees.
Top features
- Time tracking tools accessible for desktop browser, mobile device, or kiosk
- Geolocation and geofencing tools to make sure team members clock in at the right time and place
- Schedule builder with shift planning tools
- Configurable reporting tools to analyze attendance data
- Attendance tracking dashboards that give you a quick view of time clock data
- Paid time off (PTO) management tool that automatically calculates accruals
- Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations that lets you clock in from both channels
Pros and cons
The ClockIt mobile app is compatible with smart devices. Users also say they enjoy its Slack integrations, reporting features, and instant updates.
The attendance auditing dashboard gives you real-time updates on who’s working, who’s absent, and who’s traveling for work. Additionally, ClockIt offers a built-in time card calculator that helps you prepare for payroll.
ClockIt lacks a built-in payroll feature, so you can’t pay employees straight from the app.
Pricing and support
ClockIt is $2.99 per user per month and includes tools for time tracking, PTO management, geofencing, and route planning. For help from customer service, you can submit a ticket via the ClockIt support dashboard.
4. Buddy Punch: Best for preventing time theft.
Buddy Punch is a desktop and mobile time tracking app that provides in-depth features for time theft prevention, including webcam selfies and QR code clock-ins. You can also assign specific job codes for employees so you know exactly which projects they’re working on every day.
Top features
- QR code, facial recognition, PIN, or password logins for time tracking
- Alerts and notifications when employees clock in and out
- Job codes for tracking productivity on different projects
- Schedule builder for convenient shift management
- Built-in full-service payroll
Pros and cons
Multiple options for secure clock-ins make Buddy Punch suitable for businesses that deal with sensitive information.
Users enjoy that employees and managers can edit time entries even if they forget to punch in or out. Plus, it’s a payroll provider, so you don’t need to export your timecards to pay employees, saving you hours of time every pay period.
Note that Buddy Punch doesn’t offer no-show or late clock-in alerts, so managers still have to check in with team members to make sure everyone is present and on time.
Pricing and support
Buddy Punch time tracking is $3.99 per month per user, and it’s $4.99 per month per user to add scheduling. Both plans come with a base fee of $19 per month. You can contact their support team by email or live chat.
5. ClockShark: Best for labor compliance.
ClockShark offers time tracking, scheduling, and financial tools for users in field service and construction industries. It’s also a useful platform for any business owner who needs clock-in tools for on or off-site work.
Top features
- Time tracking with facial recognition tools to prevent buddy punching
- Time clock kiosk app available from both phone and tablet
- Drag-and-drop schedule builder for fast shift planning
- Job costing and job management tools to help you stay under budget
- Clock-out questions and job documentation help with labor compliance
Pros and cons
One standout ClockShark feature is its customizable clock-out questions. This function allows you to verify every shift change requested by the employee rather than the supervisor. This includes information like schedule changes, overtime hours, or even missed breaks, helping you keep more detailed records for labor compliance.
Although it lacks built-in payroll, ClockShark users say they like being able to process payroll quickly and accurately with integrations.
Clock-in kiosk features are limited, so employees can’t use it to ask for time off or view their hours. Plus, customers report that the platform can’t keep up with large labor forces.
Pricing and support
ClockShark offers the standard plan at $40 per month, plus $8 per user each month. The pro plan adds in PTO, clock out questions, and more for $60 per month plus $10 per user each month. You can contact customer support by phone, email, or chat.
6. Connecteam: Best for delegating tasks.
Connecteam streamlines time tracking with mobile and kiosk apps. Like Homebase, employees can clock in and out with a unique PIN. It also offers tools for scheduling, task management, training and onboarding, and team messaging.
Top features
- A dedicated kiosk app for tablets
- GPS-enabled time tracking and geofencing for time theft prevention
- Shift reminders and alerts to prevent no shows and late clock-ins
- Schedule builder with shift duplication and template tools
- Task management with forms and checklists
- Team messaging for keeping everyone on the same page
- Employee surveys to gather team engagement data
Pros and cons
Connecteam customers find the platform intuitive and easy to navigate, which makes it especially practical for small business owners who have limited experience with time kiosk apps.
Built-in tools for assigning and tracking tasks help keep everyone more productive throughout the day.
Some customers find its customizability a bit overwhelming and time-consuming to figure out, so you may want to prepare for a steep learning curve when testing it for your teams.
Pricing and support
Connecteam is free for up to ten users. Otherwise, their Operations hub offers scheduling, time tracking, and task management features, and its plans include:
- Small Business — Free for up to ten users.
- Basic — $29 per month for up to 30 users. Extra users are $0.50 per month.
- Advanced — Everything in Basic, plus extra features like time tracking tasks. $49 per month for 30 users. Extra users are $1.50 per month.
- Expert — Everything in Advanced, plus GPS features and automation. $99 per month for 30 users. Extra users are $3 per month.
You can contact the support team by email.
7. Clockify: Best for detailed reporting.
Clockify caters to teams that rely on detailed project tracking tools. Its in-depth reporting features make it ideal for managers who need granular insights into their team’s productivity, e.g. where their teams are working and in-depth project tracking.
Top features
- In-depth time and project tracking
- Intuitive calendar that syncs with Google and Outlook
- GPS activity monitoring to track where teams are working
- Granular reporting and analytics dashboards
- Expense and invoice management to track billable hours
- Timesheets and payroll reports you can export to third-party software
- Integrates with QuickBooks, Slack, Trello, Asana, and dozens of other tools
Pros and cons
Clockify users rave about its ease of use, and they also like that it offers a Chrome extension for tracking time spent on other apps and websites.
The clock-in kiosk allows managers to view who’s working every day so they don’t have to log onto a browser to check team attendance.
Clockify does lack buddy punching and time theft prevention tools, so it might not be the right fit if you’re looking for added security features.
Pricing and support
Clockify’s free plan comes with basic time tracking capabilities, but you can upgrade for more advanced features. Plans include:
- Standard — Time off management, invoicing, and timesheets for $6.99 per user per month.
- Pro — Scheduling and labor forecasting and budgeting for $9.99 per user per month.
- Enterprise — Advanced control and security for $14.99 per user per month.
Contact the support team by chat, email, or phone.
Ready for a kiosk clock in? We’ve compared the apps.
| Software | Pricing | Free plan | Time tracking | Scheduling | Time theft prevention | Payroll |
| Homebase | Plans range from free to $99.95 per location per month. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| QuickBooks Time | Plans range from $30/month to $200/month. | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| ClockIt | Plans range from $29/month per ten users to $199 per 100 users per month | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Buddy Punch | Plans range from $3.99/month per user to $4.99/month per user, plus a base fee of $19/month. | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ClockShark | Plans range from $40/month plus $8/month per user, to $60/month plus $10/month per user. | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| connecteam | Plans range from free to $119/month. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Clockify | Plans range from free to $14.99 per user per month. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Save time and boost team productivity with Homebase time tracking.
Time clock kiosk apps give you the flexibility of a mobile app and the simplicity of a centralized punch clock, basically making it everything you need. Even though not all solutions offer built-in payroll, most of them come with the added benefit of auto-calculating wages for you, making for a more error-free payday experience.
As your business expands, so too will your needs. While a time clock kiosk app will help you manage punching in and out, it may lack other business management tools you could benefit from.
With a suite like Homebase, you can benefit from time tracking, scheduling, communication, and more. All of this empowers you to focus on your business while stressing less about the little things.
See for yourself—start a free trial today.
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.
