Time clock software, as the name itself suggests, are apps that will measure the time the user spends on a certain task. While the benefits of tracking time when working on a certain project might not be immediately evident at first, you will begin to realize the immense advantages these tools provide once you appreciate how much time simply goes to waste every single day.
From checking your emails in the morning to browsing social media feeds, there are so many ways for productivity to leak in any business. Don’t believe us? Well, consider this: professionals have reported spending up to 3 hours on checking emails every single day. The results can quickly accumulate when you factor in the fact that such leaks occur routinely.
Using the best time clock for small business will allow you to remove the hassle of managing your time so you and your team can be more productive.
Clearly, there’s something every virtual employee, professional, and remote freelancer must do about it. This is where time clock apps, also called time management or tracking apps come into the picture. These apps can help you stay on track while working so that all potential distractions are eliminated. Ultimately, time tracking apps can show you real metrics that reflect your work routines. Once you have actionable data before you, the necessary corrections can then be made to boost productivity significantly.
In this article, we bring you the 10 best time clock apps that have quite a following and are being used by millions of businesses across the world.
1. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is one of the most recognized time clock software in use globally. The app is extremely popular owing to its clean UI and the fact that it can get both a startup and a Fortune 500 company up and running in minutes.
Features
Powerful Insights
One of the best features of Time Doctor is that the software provides you with very comprehensive reports that cover several aspects of your work. You can see time cards, when employees clock in, and employee time sheets in a very visual form that is easy to digest.
Project Management
While most time clock software will simply integrate with project management tools such as Asana and Basecamp, Time Doctor also has some very useful project management tools built right into the app apart from supporting the integrations. You can share files with the team conveniently or see future staff projections.
Integrated Payroll Processing
Once again, while most time management software will only generate time cards, Time Doctor lets you pay invoices from right within the system by integrating it with payment services such as PayPal and Payoneer. These payroll integrations, including quickbooks, makes it very convenient to track time and pay for all work hours from within one app.
Boost Productivity
Time Doctor can be configured to pop up alerts that indicate poor time use or when the user ventures off to a non-work related website. You can see screenshots of the employee system too.
Pricing
Unlike other apps that complicate things with multiple plans to choose from, Time Doctor offers just one simple price plan: $9.99 per user per month which also includes one free team manager account.
2. Sundial Timekeeping
Sundial is a time and attendance tracking software that is built for enterprises. It’s a complete timekeeping system with a host of features.
Features
Cross-Platform Solution
Sundial is a cross-platform application that can be executed in the browser or on a smartphone as well. This makes the tool highly versatile for large teams where people work in a variety of environments.
Real-time Systems
The tool provides managers with detailed real-time work reports including when team members clock in and clock out. You can use biometric devices and fingerprint/facial systems. All devices support time clocks. The system shows you 23 time reports that can be customized according to your specific business needs.
Pricing
Sundial can be used for $10 per month for teams with up to 5 members.
3. ClockSpot
ClockSpot is a timesheet generation software that can help detect and measure productivity leaks. This is a complete payroll management system.
Features
Online Time Tracking
ClockSpot includes an online time clock that is set up in literally minutes. All data is stored in the cloud and can be accessed as and when needed.
Seamless Payroll Management
The app is most known for its ability to help companies cut down on the time spent in payroll processing. Thanks to a number of automated payroll management tools, you can focus on more important tasks with ClockSpot taking care of the rest.
Pricing
In the words of the company, the software ‘pays for itself’ as users can encounter significant profits with increased productivity. ClockSpot charges users a base fee of $10 every month. The software subscription price is $5 per user per month.
4. Toggl
Toggl is another well-known name in the time tracking space. This employee time clock app is quickly set up in minimal time and is perfect for freelancers who need a basic time clock.
Toggl works on most mobile devices including android and ios platforms like the iPhone and iPad.
Features
Intuitive Design
One of the most significant advantages of using Toggl is that the app is very user-friendly. This is unlike many time management apps that can require complex setups in the beginning.
Visual Reports
Toggl will present all time tracking data in the form of rich visual reports that are easy on the eyes. You’ll be delighted with the charts and graphs that allow you to track employee progress.
Pricing
Toggl has a variety of premium plans to choose from. The starter plan is priced at $10 per month per user.
5. TimeCamp
TimeCamp is a time management suite that comprises of several tools that aid project management and attendance tracking. The app is very flexible and can be tailored to serve in a variety of work environments.
Features
Automated Tracking
TimeCamp supports automated tracking which means that the moment an employee turns her system on, the app kicks into action. It will then track time in the background.
Integrations
The software offers integrations with popular project management tools such as Asana and Trello. You can thus track time without having to switch.
Pricing
TimeCamp provides a Solo version that is free to use for one user. However, the free version lacks several important features such as integrations. The Basic plan is priced at $7 per month per user when billed monthly and has more features.
6. AcroTime
AcroTime is an efficient time tracking system that also includes a simple time clock system. The company provides mobile apps for use on the field.
Features
HR and Payroll
AcroTime is actually a complete suite of tools for HR and payroll management. The software allows managers to automate routine HR tasks and processes.
User-specific Time Tracking
The app allows managers to specify the work context of an employee as salaried, contract-based, and hourly, for example. Time can then be tracked accordingly. Pay rules can be defined in the software as well.
Multiple Collection Points
One of the great things about AcroTime is that it supports multiple data collection points. Employees can clock time in from their web browser, use a biometric device, through their smartphones if they’re away from their desk, and even via a telephone!
Pricing
AcroTime pricing plans start at $1.74 per user per month. While the company offers a free trial period in which users can evaluate the app, there is no free version.
7. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a popular time clock app that is used in multiple industries. It’s quite a versatile app that packs in a number of time management features.
Features
Visual Dashboard
The app features a power-packed dashboard that will show managers all key work-related insights, including payroll systems, when they log in. They can see the number of hours worked, the non-productive times, etc at a glance.
Activity Logging
Hubstaff has a unique activity tracker that shows how active users have been during the logged sessions. The software notices if there has been any activity on the mouse or the keyboard every single second and reports all data.
Pricing
The Hubstaff Basic plan costs $7 per month per user. However, the plan has only the basic features and lacks some important ones including the ability to track apps and websites. The Premium plan is priced at $10 per month per user.
8. Clockify
Clockify is a time clock app that targets both small and large teams. This is a simple timer app that also allows managers and business owners to see productivity data to make important decisions.
Features
See and Export Reports
You can see extremely detailed data reports based on the timesheets. The reports can also be exported for further analysis in other software. Clockify lets you extract reports, like payroll reports, in formats such as Excel, PDF, and CSV.
Client Billing
Users can mark the time logged as billable and later issue an invoice by downloading the time report with one click. It’s a great way to keep things transparent in a remote working environment.
Live Status
A great feature of the Clockify app is that managers can use the app to see what tasks the team members are working on in real-time.
Pricing
Clockify is free to use for teams of all sizes. There are no premium plans.
9. RescueTime
RescueTime offers an app can help identify potential bottlenecks in your day to day work affairs for boosting productivity and profits. The app is also privacy-friendly. They offer a time tracking software for individuals as well as team pricing, which makes it ideal for small business.
Features
Data Categorization
Once you start to track employee time time with RescueTime, the software will automatically organize all time logged under different categories so you could have a bird’s eye view of where your time was spent every day.
Distraction Management
RescueTime lets you take two approaches to non-work websites. You can either choose to completely block them during a session or specify time limits. This is a very flexible approach to tackling disturbances during employee hours indeed.
Pricing
RescueTime provides a free version that lacks certain features. The paid plans start at $6 per month.
10. Stratustime
Stratustime is an offering from Nettime Solutions and is a time and attendance tracking software.
Features
Scalability
This attendance software is highly scalable and adapts itself well to your workflow whatever the team size. As your business grows, the app fits right into the new working model.
Flexible
With Stratustime, managers can decide which features to begin with. Startups can choose the time app with the basic analytics and tracking functions while larger companies and enterprises can choose employee scheduling functions and biometric time logging as well.
Pricing
Stratustime plans start at $4 per month per user for basic time tracking functionality. The price grows as more features are added to the bundle.
Tips for Choosing
There are several time clock software available today—so many that you’re probably clueless which to use or how to choose. Fortunately, this article can help you solve this dilemma.
When choosing time clock software, it’s vital that you consider the following:
1. Compare the functionalities needed vs. those provided
The operations of businesses often vary. While some businesses only need to track the hours worked of their employees for payroll purposes, others want to know what websites their employees look at during their working hours.
When deciding which clock software to use, assess the nature of your business and what functionalities do you need from the software. Do you need a software that merely tracks the time or do you need a tool that allows you to see your employees’ screens? Are you looking for a software that measures the activity of your employees when working?
Knowing what you want in a time clock software is one of the first steps to take when deciding which to use.
2. Pick an easy-to-use application
Paying for a time clock software that is too complex will eventually become useless because you or your employees will be discouraged from using it. This is especially true if you or your staff aren’t too tech-savvy.
Ideally, the time clock software you’ll choose should be user-friendly so everyone can use it with ease and there’s no downtime for everyone to adjust to the tool.
3. Ease of invoice
One of the reasons why businesses invest in a time clock software is because they want to speed up their payroll process. If you have the same purpose for using a time clock software, make sure that you end up paying for one that offers ease of invoice.
You won’t have any problems preparing your business’s payroll if you use a time clock software that effectively tracks working hours and duration of absences, and then automatically calculates each of your employees pay based on their respective pay scale.
Final Words
Employee Time clock software and apps are an essential part of the modern remote professional’s toolkit. They’re a great way to cut down on unnecessary expenses and labor costs while also maximizing profits. With the right employee time tracking app, users can see employee schedules and how they manage their everyday tasks and what can be done to improve productivity.