Best Time Clock App for Small Business

Website: https://www.homebase.com

Best for: Small teams that need scheduling and payroll in one place

Starting price: $24 per month (Essentials)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free Basic plan covers scheduling and time clock; payroll add-on available

Cons: Essentials is priced per location; payroll add-on costs $49 plus $6 per person

Homebase is built for small businesses with hourly staff, and it covers the whole shift workflow: schedule, time clock, and payroll. The Basic plan is free and covers scheduling, time clock, and team messaging, while Essentials at $24 per month per location adds hiring, onboarding, and more controls. A payroll add-on at $49 plus $6 per person per month closes the loop from hours to pay. The limits are the per-location pricing and the add-on cost. A business with two locations pays Essentials twice, and payroll is a separate charge on top, so the monthly total can rise above the headline price. Homebase suits restaurants, retail shops, and salons with hourly staff at one location, and it is the easiest starting point for a team that has never used a time clock app.

Website: https://www.deputy.com

Best for: Shift scheduling with a strong time clock

Starting price: $5 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (31 days)

Pros: Strong scheduling with auto-approval; 31-day free trial with no card required

Cons: $30 monthly minimum applies; HR and messaging are extra-cost add-ons

Deputy is the scheduling-first time clock, built for shift-based teams that need rosters, swaps, and compliance in one place. Lite at $5 per user per month on annual billing covers basic scheduling, basic timesheets, and time clocking with geofencing, while Core at $6.50 adds auto-scheduling, timesheet auto-approval, and biometric clocking. Pro at $9 adds custom access levels, single sign-on, and the HR and messaging add-ons. The 31-day free trial is generous, with no card required and full access to features. The catch is the $30 monthly minimum, which means a team of 3 still pays $30, and HR, Messaging, and Analytics are extra-cost add-ons on Lite and Core. Deputy suits hospitality, retail, and healthcare teams that schedule shifts every week and need a clock that enforces the roster.

Website: https://www.connecteam.com

Best for: Frontline teams that need a free plan for 10 users

Starting price: $29 per month (Basic)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free plan covers up to 10 users; GPS time clock with kiosk mode included

Cons: Basic is priced per hub per month; scheduling depth waits for Advanced at $49

Connecteam is built for frontline teams, and its free plan is the most generous in this list: up to 10 users with a GPS time clock, kiosk clock-in, tasks, forms, and team communication. Basic at $29 per month covers up to 30 users and adds payroll-ready timesheets, payroll integrations, and basic scheduling, while Advanced at $49 adds time clock customisation, automatic clock-out, and up to 10 geofences. The pricing is per hub per month, so a team that uses several hubs pays more, and scheduling depth waits for the Advanced tier. Expert at $99 adds GPS breadcrumbs, unlimited geofences, and API access. Connecteam suits construction, cleaning, security, and field service teams that need a clock their staff can use on a phone, with a free plan that covers the smallest teams.

Website: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/

Best for: Teams already running QuickBooks payroll

Starting price: $20 per month base + $10 per user/month

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: Deep QuickBooks payroll integration; GPS and mileage tracking included

Cons: A QuickBooks Online account is required; prices rose in July 2026

QuickBooks Time is the time clock for teams that already run QuickBooks, because hours flow straight into payroll without an export step. Premium at $20 per month base plus $10 per user per month covers GPS tracking, mileage, time off, and scheduling, while Elite at $40 plus $12 adds geofencing, project tracking, and timesheet signatures. There is a 30-day trial, and a QuickBooks Online account is required. Prices rose on 1 July 2026, up $2 per user, which is worth noting for buyers comparing older quotes. The requirement for a QuickBooks Online account is a real limit for teams that use another accounting tool, since the value of QuickBooks Time sits in the integration. It suits small businesses that already pay for QuickBooks and want hours, payroll, and invoicing in one flow.

Website: https://www.rippling.com

Best for: Growing teams that want HR, payroll, and time in one system

Starting price: $8 per user/month plus $40 platform fee

Free plan: No

Pros: One employee record across HR, payroll, and time; strong automation

Cons: No free plan or trial for time tracking; time and attendance is a quoted add-on

Rippling is the all-in-one option for a small business that is growing into a real HR system. The platform starts at $8 per user per month plus a $40 monthly base fee, and time and attendance is added on top as a quoted module, with scheduling, time clocks, and overtime rules. One employee record drives HR, payroll, benefits, and time, so a change to a pay rate flows everywhere at once. There is no free plan and no free trial for time tracking, only a demo, and the 14-day trial covers the IT product only. That makes Rippling hard to test before buying, and the quote sets the real budget, since module prices are not published. It suits a growing business that wants one system for the whole employee lifecycle and can fund a platform, not a team that only needs a clock.

Website: https://clockify.me

Best for: Budget teams that need a simple clock and timer

Starting price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free plan covers 5 users with unlimited tracking; very low entry price

Cons: Kiosk mode and GPS tracking wait for higher tiers; no native payroll

Clockify is the low-cost way to give a small business a shared clock and a single source of truth for hours. The free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited projects, clients, and tracking, and Basic at $3.99 per user per month on annual billing adds admin controls, a time audit, and bulk editing. Standard at $5.49 adds invoicing, time off, and timesheet approvals, which covers the billing workflow for many small firms. The trade-off is that clock-specific features cost more. Kiosk mode, GPS tracking, and screenshots wait for the higher tiers, and there is no native payroll, so hours must be exported to a payroll tool. Clockify suits a small office or studio that needs a simple, honest clock at the lowest price, and it is less useful for a field team that needs GPS proof.

Website: https://buddypunch.com

Best for: Simple clock-in with GPS and photo proof

Starting price: $19 per month + $4.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Pros: GPS and photo capture on clock-in; simple interface staff learn fast

Cons: Scheduling is a $1 per user add-on on Starter; real-time GPS costs extra on lower tiers

Buddy Punch is the simple time clock for small businesses that want proof of attendance without a complex system. Starter at $19 per month plus $4.99 per user per month on annual billing covers time clocking with GPS and photo capture, overtime rules, and PTO tracking, while Pro adds scheduling, job codes, and more integrations. Staff clock in from a phone or a shared kiosk, and managers see hours in real time. The add-ons add up: scheduling costs $1 per user per month on Starter, and real-time GPS costs $2 per user per month on Starter and Pro, so the monthly total can rise above the headline price. There is a 14-day trial and no permanent free plan. Buddy Punch suits small businesses that need a straightforward clock with GPS and photo proof, and it is a good fit for teams that had trouble with buddy punching.

Website: https://www.ontheclock.com

Best for: Small teams that want a low base fee

Starting price: $5 per month + $4 per employee/month

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: Low $5 base fee; all core features included with no tier upgrades

Cons: Standard plan is for under 100 employees; full-service payroll is an extra-cost add-on

OnTheClock keeps pricing simple: a $5 monthly base fee plus $4 per employee per month, with all core features included and no tier upgrades to chase. That covers time clocking, PTO tracking, scheduling, and reporting, with a 30-day free trial. A team of 10 pays $45 per month, which is one of the lowest totals in this list for a full-featured clock. The limits are scale and payroll. The Standard plan is for under 100 employees, with Enterprise above that, and full-service payroll is an extra-cost add-on at $6 per employee per month plus a $40 base fee and a $250 one-time fee. There is no offline punching, so a site without a connection cannot clock in. OnTheClock suits a small business that wants one price, one plan, and no surprises.

Website: https://hubstaff.com

Best for: Field teams that need GPS and screenshots

Starting price: $4.99 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Pros: GPS tracking, screenshots, and payroll in one place; low starting price

Cons: 2-seat minimum on priced plans; Starter caps screenshots at 500 per user per month

Hubstaff is the tracker for small businesses with people working away from the office, because it pairs a clock with GPS and screenshots. Starter at $4.99 per seat per month on annual billing covers time tracking, screenshots, activity levels, and basic reports, with a 2-seat minimum. Grow and Team tiers add scheduling, payroll, and deeper reporting, while Insights, Locations, and the silent app are extra-cost add-ons. There is no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial, so a business must commit after the trial ends. Starter caps screenshots and app and URL tracking at 500 per user per month, which can bind a team that tracks heavily. Hubstaff also handles payroll and invoicing, which suits a business that pays contractors by the hour and wants one system for hours and pay. It fits field and remote teams that need proof of work alongside the hours.