Best Time and Attendance Software: 10 Tools Compared

Paper timesheets and memory make for messy arguments. Someone forgets to clock out, a shift runs late, a manager edits the hours on a Friday afternoon, and by payday nobody's sure what's right.

Time and attendance software replaces that guesswork with a record everyone can see. The ten tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If you only need to track time against projects, my guide to choosing the right time tracking tool may suit you better.

Time and attendance tools side by side

In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it or book a demo.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
ADP	Time and attendance within payroll	Employers wanting hours linked to payroll	Not stated
Buddy Punch	Time clock, scheduling and payroll	Hourly staff working in several places	Not stated
ClockShark	Field service and construction time tracking	Construction and field service crews	Not stated
Deltek Replicon	AI-powered time tracking	Project-based businesses tracking time	Not stated
Deputy	Timesheets and time and attendance	Shift-based teams with labour rules	Not stated
Jibble	Time tracking and time clock	Small teams wanting a free time clock	Yes
OnTheClock	Employee time clock and scheduling	Small businesses wanting simple clock-ins	Not stated
QuickBooks Time	Employee time tracking	QuickBooks users with mobile teams	Trial only
Timeero	GPS time and mileage tracking	Crews moving between job sites	Trial only
TimeTrex	Workforce management and payroll	Self-hosting with open source software	Yes

Ten time and attendance tools to look at

ADP

Best for: Employers already using ADP for payroll that want time and attendance feeding straight into pay runs from the same provider.

Buddy Punch

Best for: Businesses whose hourly employees work in more than one place and need clock-ins, scheduling and payroll exports.

ClockShark

Best for: Construction and field service businesses whose crews clock in and out with a tap on the job.

Deltek Replicon

Best for: Project-based businesses that want time tracking tied to projects and delivery, from the Deltek family.

Deputy

Best for: Shift-based employers that want timesheets and time and attendance with built-in labour compliance tools.

Jibble

Best for: Small and growing teams that want a free time clock on mobile devices, with no cap on the number of users.

OnTheClock

Best for: Owners of small businesses who want an easy employee time clock with scheduling and payroll links in one place.

QuickBooks Time

Best for: QuickBooks users with mobile teams that want geofenced reminders to clock in or out at job sites, with a 30-day free trial.

Timeero

Best for: Mobile crews whose time should start and stop automatically when they arrive at or leave a job site.

TimeTrex

Best for: Organisations that want time and attendance, payroll and HR in one system, including an open source edition.

Time and attendance or time tracking?

Time tracking usually means logging hours against projects or clients, and it's often for billing. Time and attendance is about employment: when people clocked in and out, their breaks, overtime, leave and lateness, and getting those hours to payroll correctly.

Most tools here can clock people in from a phone, a shared tablet or a computer, so you aren't tied to one method. Some add location checks for staff on job sites, photo verification at a shared device or scheduling, so rotas and actual hours sit side by side.

The records an inspector can ask for

The US Department of Labor says employers must preserve payroll records for at least three years, and that the records wage calculations are based on, such as time cards and work and time schedules, should be retained for two years.

That's a good reminder that your time system isn't just a convenience. Check how long each tool keeps raw clock-ins and every edit managers make, not just the final approved timesheet, and make sure you can export it all. UK employers have their own record-keeping rules for working time, so check those too.

Questions to ask a time and attendance vendor

1. How do staff clock in: phone, kiosk, computer or all three?
2. Can we stop people clocking in from the wrong place?
3. How are breaks, overtime and missed punches handled, and who's told about them?
4. Which payroll systems do you send hours to?
5. Can managers edit hours, and is every edit recorded?
6. How long do you keep raw clock-in data, and can we export it?

Signs your timesheets need replacing

• Payday brings disputes. Hours don't match what people remember.
• Missed punches are fixed by guesswork. Nobody can prove the real times.
• Overtime surprises you. You don't see it until it's happened.
• Edits leave no trace. Anyone can change anything.

Do you make time and attendance software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on choosing time and attendance software

Watch how your staff start a shift today, then pick the tool that fits that moment. A warehouse team with a shared tablet, a crew driving between sites and an office team on laptops need very different clock-in options, and the wrong one creates workarounds on day one.

Then check the payroll link before anything else, because that's where the hours turn into money people feel. If rotas are the bigger headache, have a look at my roundup of the best employee scheduling software too.

Frequently asked questions

What is time and attendance software?

It's software that records when employees start and finish work, their breaks, overtime and absences, and sends approved hours to payroll.

How long should time records be kept?

In the US, the Department of Labor says records such as time cards should be retained for two years and payroll records for at least three.

Is there free time and attendance software?

Yes. At least one tool here offers a free time clock with no cap on users, and another has an open source edition.

Can staff clock in from their phones?

Most tools offer a mobile app, and many can check location so people can only clock in at the right site.

What's the difference between time tracking and time and attendance?

Time tracking logs hours against tasks or clients. Time and attendance covers shifts, breaks, overtime and leave for payroll.

Does time and attendance software connect to payroll?

Most do, either through built-in payroll or by exporting approved hours to popular payroll systems.