Best Attendance Tracking Software for Small Business

Buddy Punch focuses on one problem and solves it well, which is making sure the person clocking in is really that employee. Staff punch in from a computer, phone or kiosk with a PIN, QR code or facial check, and managers can require a selfie at clock-in, set GPS and geofence rules, and get alerts for late arrivals or missed shifts. Punch rounding and automatic overtime calculations sit on every plan, so a small business does not need the top tier to get payroll-ready hours.

The Starter plan costs $4.99 per user per month on annual billing plus a $19 monthly base fee, which means a five-person team pays about $44 a month and a 15-person team pays about $94. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Scheduling costs $1 per user per month on Starter and is included on Pro, while real-time GPS is a $2 per user add-on. It will not run payroll, so pair it with a payroll tool.

Price: $19 per month plus $4.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: buddypunch.com

Deputy is a scheduling and time tracking tool built for shift-based businesses, and it suits small businesses that need proper labor controls from the start. It combines rosters, a time clock with photo verification, and leave management in one app, with links to POS systems and payroll providers that move hours straight into pay runs. Managers can set wage rules, break rules and overtime thresholds that match local labor law, and the system flags shifts that would breach them before they are published.

Staff clock in from a tablet kiosk or their phones, with GPS stamps and facial checks that cut down on early clock-ins by friends. The Lite plan costs $5 per user per month, Core costs $6.50 and adds auto-scheduling and demand forecasts, and Pro costs $9. There is no free plan, only a trial, and a $30 monthly minimum applies. Small teams with many part-time staff should compare the per-user total with per-location tools such as Homebase, since the bill grows with every rostered worker.

Price: $5 per user/month

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: deputy.com

ZoomShift is the plainest tool on this list, and that is its selling point. The free Essentials plan covers up to 20 employees at one location with scheduling up to two weeks ahead, shift reminders, time off requests and swaps. Starter costs $2 per active team member per month on annual billing, or $2.50 month to month, and adds unlimited users and locations, templates, time tracking and payroll reports. Premium costs $4 on annual billing and adds auto-scheduling, overtime warnings and geofenced clock-ins.

There is no base fee and no tangle of add-ons, which makes the bill easy to predict: a 10-person team on Starter pays $20 a month on annual billing. Every plan can be tried free for 14 days with no credit card required, and subscriptions can be paused in off-season months without losing data. The simplicity is the ceiling: there is no hiring suite and no native payroll, so hours are exported to a payroll provider.

Price: $2 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes, free Essentials plan for up to 20 users at 1 location

Website: zoomshift.com

Connecteam is an all-in-one app for deskless teams, and it fits small businesses that want scheduling, a time clock, task checklists and team chat without buying four tools. Staff get one mobile app for their schedule, clock-ins, shift notes and messages, which suits teams who never sit at a desk. The time clock supports GPS stamps and geofencing, and managers can attach forms such as opening checklists or cleaning logs to a shift, so the same app covers the daily routine as well as the hours.

The free plan covers up to 10 users with basic scheduling and time tracking, which suits a tiny team. The Basic plan costs $29 per month for the first 30 users on annual billing, and higher tiers add automation and advanced reporting. Time tracking is solid for routine use, but businesses that need deep overtime rules or tip handling will find more depth in Deputy or Homebase. Check which features sit on each tier before you buy, since several useful tools are add-ons.

Price: $29 per month for the first 30 users (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes, free plan for up to 10 users

Website: connecteam.com

Clockify is a time tracker first and a scheduling tool second, which makes it a good fit for small businesses that already have a roster and only need clean hours. The free plan covers unlimited users with timers, manual timesheets, projects and basic reports, so a business can track every shift without a monthly bill. Staff clock in from a phone, tablet or desktop, and managers approve timesheets each week before they go to payroll.

The Basic plan costs $3.99 per user per month on annual billing and adds admin controls, time off tracking, invoicing and more detailed reports. Higher tiers add GPS tracking, a kiosk mode and scheduling, but those are not the core of the product, and businesses that need a full roster with demand forecasts should look at Homebase or Deputy instead. Clockify exports hours to common payroll tools and keeps a clear audit trail of edits, which helps when a dispute about hours comes up.

Price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes, free plan with unlimited users

Website: clockify.me

When I Work charges $2.50 per user per month on Essentials, which is one of the lowest published per-person rates in this list. That suits a small business with a fixed team of 10 to 15 staff, where the monthly bill stays under $40 before the time tracking add-on. Essentials includes auto scheduling, schedule templates, team messaging, shift swaps and OpenShifts, so a manager can publish a week of shifts in minutes and let staff pick up open shifts from their phones.

Time tracking and attendance is an add-on at $1.50 per person per month on Essentials, which lifts a 12-person team to $48 a month, so include it in any comparison. Pro costs $5 per user per month and Premium costs $8, both before the add-on. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and the vendor page does not publish annual rates, so budget on the monthly figure. Confirm multi-location rates in writing before signing up.

Price: $2.50 per user/month

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Website: wheniwork.com

OnTheClock keeps time tracking simple: staff clock in and out from a phone, tablet or computer, with GPS stamps and optional photo capture, and managers approve timesheets online. The plan includes PTO tracking, overtime alerts and payroll exports, which covers the basics for a small business without a maze of tiers and add-ons. Setup takes minutes, and there is no per-user minimum beyond the base fee, so a three-person team can start without paying for empty seats.

Pricing is $5 per month as a base fee plus $4 per active employee per month, so a 10-person team pays $45 a month and a 20-person team pays $85. There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial. Scheduling is basic next to Deputy or Homebase, and payroll links are exports rather than deep integrations, so businesses that want rostering and payroll in one place should compare the bigger suites before they choose.

Price: $5 per month plus $4 per active employee/month

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: ontheclock.com