A clocking in system records when staff start and finish work, so rotas, timesheets and payroll match the hours worked. UK employers choose between a fixed clock on the wall, a shared kiosk or tablet by the door, and a phone app that checks location. Pick the method that suits where your team works, then compare the ten options below.
Paper timesheets and a signing-in book work fine until someone rounds up their hours or forgets to sign out. A clocking in system takes the guesswork out, and it settles those awkward arguments about who was in and when.
The ten options below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from each company's own website, read as of Oct 2026. If you mainly need to track hours on client projects rather than shifts, my guide to time tracking software is the better fit.
UK clocking in options compared by method
I checked the free plan column on each vendor's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page names a free plan, a free version or an open source edition. Trial only means it names a time-limited free trial. Not stated means the page I read named neither, so check the vendor's own site before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrightHR | HR software for UK businesses | Small firms wanting clocking in with HR and payroll help | Not stated |
| Clockify | Time tracker and timesheet app | Teams wanting a timer, kiosk or timesheet | Yes |
| ClockRite | Clocking systems supplier | Sites wanting a wall clock, card machine or fingerprint reader | Not stated |
| Connecteam | Employee management app | Deskless teams clocking in on their own phones | Yes |
| Hubstaff | Time tracking with GPS job sites | Field crews moving between job sites | Not stated |
| RotaCloud | Rota, leave and timesheet software | Shift teams wanting rotas and clocking in one system | Trial only |
| Shiftbase | Workforce software for shift businesses | Shift businesses wanting rounding rules and break calculations | Trial only |
| UKG | HR, pay and workforce management | Large employers with complex rosters | Not stated |
| Workforce.com | Workforce management for shift workers | Hourly workforces wanting scheduling, time and payroll | Not stated |
| Zoomshift | Schedule maker and time clock app | Small shops and restaurants wanting web and mobile clocks | Yes |
Ten clocking in systems for UK teams
BrightHR
Best for: Small employers who want clocking in, timesheets, holiday planning and lateness tracking inside HR software for UK businesses, with managed payroll available too.
Clockify
Best for: Teams that want to clock in through a timer, a shared clock-in kiosk or a timesheet, with daily attendance and overtime tracked in the same app.
ClockRite
Best for: Factories, workshops and multi-site firms wanting proximity, fingerprint or face recognition clocks, clock card machines or job clocking, from specialists in clocking systems since 1999.
Connecteam
Best for: Deskless and field teams who clock in with one tap on their phones, with location verification, automatic clock-outs and timesheets sent straight to payroll.
Hubstaff
Best for: Field crews and remote teams who need geofenced job sites, attendance and shift tracking, and timesheets built automatically from tracked time.
RotaCloud
Best for: Care homes, cafes, retailers and other shift teams wanting mobile and tablet clocking in, GPS clock-in restrictions and payroll exports beside their rota.
Shiftbase
Best for: Hospitality, retail and cleaning businesses that want clock-in from any device, rounding rules, breaks calculated automatically and hours approved in one pass.
UKG
Best for: Large employers in retail, manufacturing, logistics and rail that want rosters, absence, time and attendance and payroll connected in one suite.
Workforce.com
Best for: Employers of hourly, shift-based staff who want scheduling and time tracking joined up with payroll, plus HR templates and guides for managers.
Zoomshift
Best for: Small retailers and restaurants with up to 20 employees who want a free schedule maker, web and mobile time clocks and timesheets they can export.
Three ways staff can clock in
- A fixed clock on site. Card machines, proximity fobs, and fingerprint or face recognition readers on the wall. ClockRite's page sells all of these, plus job clocking for engineering and automotive workshops that want to see where time is lost.
- A shared kiosk or tablet. One device by the door that every employee clocks in on. It's a simple step up from a paper book, and nobody needs the app on their own phone.
- A phone app with location checks. Staff clock in on their own phones, and the app checks they're where they should be. Connecteam describes one-tap clock-ins with location verification, and Hubstaff says it can create job sites that automatically clock teams in and out.
None of these is better in every case. A wall clock suits a factory floor with one entrance, while a phone app suits cleaners, carers or trades who start the day at a client's door.
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Just the clock, or rotas and holidays as well?
A clocking in system answers one question: when did each person start and finish? A time and attendance suite adds rotas, holidays, absence and payroll on top. RotaCloud, for example, brings rotas, annual leave and timesheets together in one system, and the larger HR suites connect rosters, absence, time, attendance and payroll for big frontline workforces.
If you've got a small team on one site and a rota that rarely changes, the clock alone may be all you need. If you run several sites, or shift patterns that change every week, it's worth having the rota and the clock in one place so you can see who's late against who was scheduled.
Rules to agree before anyone clocks in
- Rounding. Decide whether clock-ins round to the nearest few minutes and write it down, because some shift tools build rounding rules into the clock.
- Breaks. Agree whether breaks are clocked or calculated automatically, then set the system to match.
- Forgotten clock-outs. Choose what happens when someone forgets, since some apps can clock people out automatically.
- Location rules. If staff clock in on their phones, set the areas they can clock in from, and tell them what location data you collect and why.
- Sign-off. Name the manager who approves timesheets before they go to payroll, so nothing slips through on a busy week.
If the new clock is part of a wider HR tidy-up, my guide to HR software for small businesses covers the next step.
Do you make a clocking in system or time clock app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a clocking in system in the UK
Choose the method before the brand. If everyone works on one site, a wall clock or a tablet by the door is hard to cheat and easy to explain. If your team's out on the road or spread across several sites, a phone app with location checks makes more sense. Run the new system alongside your old timesheets for two pay periods and compare the hours before you switch the paper off.
And tell your team why you're doing it. People take to a new clock far better when they know it's there to get their hours right, not to catch them out.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a clocking in system?
It's a way for staff to record when they start and finish work, using a wall clock, a shared kiosk or tablet, or a phone app. The hours then feed timesheets and payroll.
Can staff clock in on their phones?
Yes. Several apps here let staff clock in on their own phones, and some check location or use GPS job sites to make sure they're in the right place.
What's the difference between clocking in and time and attendance?
Clocking in records start and finish times. Time and attendance software adds rotas, holidays, absence and payroll exports, so the clock is one part of a bigger system.
Can I get a fingerprint clocking system in the UK?
Yes. One UK clocking specialist here sells proximity, fingerprint and face recognition hardware alongside cloud and desktop software, as of Oct 2026.
Is there a free clocking in app?
Some tools name a free plan, as of Oct 2026, including one that covers up to 20 employees. The free plan column shows which ones, and two others name a free trial.
