Time & Workforce
The Best Time & Attendance Software of 2026
Time and attendance software, from a simple time clock app to a full pay-rule engine, ranked from verified product data. Compare punch methods, buddy-punching controls, overtime rules and payroll sync instead of vendor claims. Every score traces back to a capability or price we checked on the vendor's own pages.
- products compared
- 23
- with a published score
- 14
- per employee per month
- $2–$13
- last updated
- facts checked
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LeadChange may earn a fee when you request pricing through our site or follow a sponsored link. Rankings never depend on whether a vendor pays us.
Top 10 by LeadChange Scoreof 23 compared · 9 not scored yet
Clockify8.3 out of 10, High confidence
TCP Humanity8.3 out of 10, High confidence
Buddy Punch8.1 out of 10, High confidence
Deputy8.0 out of 10, High confidence
Connecteam7.6 out of 10, High confidence
Timeero7.6 out of 10, Medium confidence
Sling7.1 out of 10, Medium confidence
Homebase6.9 out of 10, Medium confidence
QuickBooks Payroll6.6 out of 10, High confidence
ClockShark6.1 out of 10, Medium confidence
See all 23 rankedHighMedium confidence
Our top picks
- Best overall
Clockify
by CAKE.com Inc.
Highest LeadChange Score here (8.3/10), with 6 of 11 core time and attendance capabilities verified.
From $3.99/user/mo (billed annually)1
- Best for small businesses
Highest score among products that list small businesses as a target segment, with pricing and fit weighted more (8.3/10).
From $19/mo + $4.99/employee/mo (Starter plan, annual)2
- Best for enterprises
TCP Humanity
by TimeClock Plus, LLC (TCP Software)
Highest score among products that list enterprises as a target segment, with security and integrations weighted more (8.5/10).
From $2.75/employee/mo (up to 250 employees, billed annually)3
- Best value
Lowest paid list cost at 25 employees ($125/mo) among top-ranked time and attendance products at or above the median score, after TCP Humanity and Clockify, already picked above.
From $5/user/mo (billed annually)4
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
Time & Attendance Software ranked by LeadChange Score
Ranked by LeadChange Score from verified facts; products with too few verified facts are not scored yet and come last. Scores are for time & attendance software, so a product's score or «not scored yet» here can differ from its own page, which scores its main category. Prices are list prices as published by each vendor.
Filter by verified facts
Clockify
Scored 9.7/10 in Project Time Tracking & Timesheets on its own page
Best for Small teams that want a free time tracker for up to 5 users
Clockify is a time tracking and timesheet app from CAKE.com with timers, kiosk time clocks, attendance and overtime, time off, invoicing and, on Pro, activity monitoring. It is free for up to 5 users; paid plans start at US$3.99 per seat a month billed annually (US$4.99 monthly).
TCP Humanity
Best for Public-sector, education and healthcare employers needing scheduling plus time tracking
TCP Software offers TimeClock Plus for time and attendance and Humanity Schedule for scheduling. Only Humanity Schedule has public pricing, from $2.75 per employee per month billed annually; TCP's pricing page lists no prices for TimeClock Plus. SSO/SAML starts on the Professional plan.
Buddy Punch
Best for Small businesses with hourly staff across several sites who need GPS and photo punch controls
Buddy Punch fits small businesses with hourly staff across job sites, stores or patients’ homes that want punch controls (GPS, geofences, photos, kiosks) and published prices.
- Pricing model
- Base fee + per employee2
Show all 23 products
- Deputy8.0/10 · High confidence · Scored 9.2/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own pageDeputy scheduling pricing
- Connecteam7.6/10 · High confidence · Scored 8.9/10 in Workforce Management Software on its own pageConnecteam plans and prices
- Timeero7.6/10 · Medium confidenceTimeero pricing
- Sling7.1/10 · Medium confidence · Scored 8.4/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own pageWhat Sling costs
- Homebase6.9/10 · Medium confidence · Scored 8.3/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own pageHomebase pricing
- QuickBooks Payroll6.6/10 · High confidence · Scored 8.5/10 in Payroll Software on its own pageQuickBooks Payroll pricing
- ClockShark6.1/10 · Medium confidenceWhat ClockShark costs
- busybusy5.8/10 · Medium confidenceBusybusy pricing
- Workforce.com4.5/10 · Medium confidence · Scored 5.3/10 in Workforce Management Software on its own pageWorkforce.com pricing
- Paycor4.4/10 · Medium confidence · Primarily payroll software; time and attendance module is secondary · Scored 6.3/10 in Payroll Software on its own pagePaycor pricing
- Netchex3.2/10 · Medium confidence · Primarily payroll software; time and attendance module is secondary · Scored 4.8/10 in Payroll Software on its own pageWhat Netchex costs
- ADP Workforce NowNot scored yet (14 of 25 facts verified) · Primarily HCM software; time and attendance module is secondary · Scored 6.5/10 in HCM Software on its own page; unscored hereADP Workforce Now pricing
- HourlyNot scored yet (14 of 25 facts verified)Hourly payroll pricing
- HubstaffNot scored yet (14 of 25 facts verified) · Scored 8.9/10 in Employee Monitoring on its own page; too few time and attendance facts verified to score it hereHubstaff plans and prices
- PaycomNot scored yet (14 of 25 facts verified) · Primarily HCM software; time and attendance module is secondary · Scored 6.5/10 in HCM Software on its own page; unscored herePaycom pricing
- When I WorkNot scored yet (14 of 25 facts verified) · Scored 9.0/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own page; too few time and attendance facts verified to score it hereWhen I Work pricing
- 7shiftsNot scored yet (13 of 25 facts verified) · Scored 9.2/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own page; too few time and attendance facts verified to score it hereWhat 7shifts costs
- QuickBooks TimeNot scored yet (11 of 25 facts verified)What QuickBooks Time costs
- ZoomShiftNot scored yet (11 of 25 facts verified) · Not scored yet in Employee Scheduling Software on its own pageZoomShift plans and prices
- SurePayrollNot scored yet (10 of 25 facts verified) · Scored 4.9/10 in Payroll Software on its own page; too few time and attendance facts verified to score it hereWhat SurePayroll costs
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
Find your fit
By industry
By company size
By price
Compare the top 8 side by side
| Product | Score | Starting price per employee | Pricing model | Free trial | API | SOC 2 Type II | Mobile apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clockify1,5,7,8Scored 9.7/10 in Project Time Tracking & Timesheets on its own page | 8.3 | $3.99/user/mo (billed annually) | Per user | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS, Android |
| TCP Humanity3,6 | 8.3 | $2.75/employee/mo (under 251 employees, billed annually) | Per employee | Yes | Yes, as an add-on | Yes | iOS, Android |
| Buddy Punch2,9,10 | 8.1 | $4.99/employee/mo (billed annually) | Base fee + per employee | Yes | Yes, on its Pro and Advanced plans | Not verified | iOS, Android, ChromeOS |
| Deputy4,11–13Scored 9.2/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own page | 8.0 | $5/user/mo (billed annually) | Per user | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS, Android |
| Connecteam14–16Scored 8.9/10 in Workforce Management Software on its own page | 7.6 | See plans | Base fee + per employee | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS (Connecteam), Android (Connecteam), Kiosk app for shared tablets |
| Timeero17–20 | 7.6 | $5/user/mo (under 11 employees, billed annually) | Per user | Yes | Yes, on its Premium plan | Yes | iOS, Android, Timeero Terminal (tablet kiosk) |
| Sling21,22Scored 8.4/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own page | 7.1 | $2/user/mo | Per user | Yes | Yes | Not verified | iOS, Android |
| Homebase23,24Scored 8.3/10 in Employee Scheduling Software on its own page | 6.9 | See plans | Tiered plans | Yes | Not verified | Yes | Yes |
Not verified = we have no sourced value for it yet.
Pricing at a glance
Monthly cost from each vendor’s published base and per-employee prices for a plan sold at that size, at the annual-billing rate where one is offered, before add-ons.
10 employees
$20–$218/mo
Median $50/mo
Published list prices of 14 products at 10 employees
50 employees
$100–$738/mo
Median $250/mo
Published list prices of 13 products at 50 employees
200 employees
$400–$2,688/mo
Median $1,000/mo
Published list prices of 13 products at 200 employees
How the 5 pricing models work
- Per user per month
- A monthly fee for each person who clocks in, with no base fee. Deputy, Sling, When I Work and ZoomShift publish prices this way, so the bill grows in step with your team.
- Base fee + per employee8 of 23 products
- A monthly platform fee plus a fee per employee, as Buddy Punch, ClockShark and QuickBooks Time publish. The base fee weighs most on small teams.
- Tiered plans2 of 23 products
- Plans that unlock features such as geofencing, job costing or overtime alerts at higher tiers. Match the tier to the rules you actually need.
- Hardware plus subscription
- Wall clocks or kiosks bought or leased on top of the software. Ask about support and replacement before you buy.
- Custom quote5 of 23 products
- Larger suites such as ADP Workforce Now, Paycom and Paycor quote time tracking with their payroll and HR modules.
How to choose time & attendance software
6 criteria · Requirements by company size · 6 red flags
Time data feeds pay, so rule accuracy and the payroll connection matter most. Choose for how well the system encodes your pay rules and how little re-keying remains.
Test with a real week of punches that includes a missed punch, a manager edit and an overtime case, then compare results to your payroll register.
Overtime and workweek rules
Federal overtime is owed above 40 hours in a fixed workweek, and hours cannot be averaged across weeks. State and local rules may add daily overtime or other premiums.
Rounding and grace period settings
Federal rules accept rounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth or quarter hour only if it does not, over time, underpay employees for time actually worked. Early clock-ins are a related setting: voluntary early arrival with no work need not be paid, but any work must be.
Break and meal rules
Under federal rules, rest breaks of 20 minutes or less are usually paid, while bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more generally are not. Federal law does not require breaks, but many states do and add premiums.
Punch methods and buddy-punching controls
Buddy punching (one employee clocking in for another) and off-site clock-ins distort hours and cost. Photo capture, geofencing and biometrics each stop a different kind of misuse.
Geofencing versus GPS tracking
Geofencing checks location only at the moment of a punch, while continuous GPS tracking follows employees during the shift. They differ in privacy impact and battery use.
Edit trail and approvals
Records must be complete and accurate, and open to inspection. An edit log protects you in a wage dispute.
Requirements by company size
Small businesses
- Mobile and web punching at a low per-user price
- Overtime calculation and timecard approval
- Direct payroll export or integration
Watch out for
- Minimum user counts or monthly base fees
- Features such as geofencing or job costing gated behind higher tiers
- Clocks or hardware sold separately
Mid-sized companies
- Configurable rules by location, group and union
- Manager approval workflows and exception alerts
- Native connections to payroll and scheduling
Watch out for
- Rule changes that require vendor professional services
- Per-module licensing that raises cost as needs grow
- Weak reporting on labor cost by department
Enterprises
- Complex pay rule engines across jurisdictions and agreements
- Hardware options, device management and high availability
- Audit and compliance reporting for each legal entity
Watch out for
- Long implementations tied to rule design
- Hardware refresh and support contracts
- Customizations that block upgrades
Red flags
- Rounding cannot be configured or audited.
- Manager edits are not logged by user and reason.
- The vendor cannot explain how the product handles a missed meal period in your state.
- Biometric collection is offered without consent workflows or retention controls.
- Payroll integration is described as available but requires a manual file upload each cycle.
- Geofencing is promised, but the app only reminds staff to clock in and does not block or flag punches outside the zone.
Popular comparisons
Popular alternatives
Integrations for time & attendance software
Apps with documented integrations across the products ranked on this page.
Related subcategories
- Employee Scheduling Software
Shift schedules, availability, swaps and coverage for hourly teams.
14 products ranked
- Workforce Management Software
Suites that plan, schedule, track and pay hourly and frontline labor.
17 products ranked
- Payroll Software
Software that calculates pay, withholds and files payroll taxes and pays employees.
25 products ranked
- HCM Software
All-in-one suites that run HR, payroll, talent and workforce data on one platform.
15 products ranked
- HRIS Software
Systems of record for employee data, self-service, time off and HR workflows.
25 products ranked
- Project Time Tracking & Timesheets
Track billable hours by client and project, approve timesheets and invoice from time.
4 products ranked
- PTO & Leave Management
Time-off requests, accruals, approvals and leave balances.
6 products ranked
- Employee Monitoring
Measure activity on company devices with notice, privacy controls and audit logs.
4 products ranked
Learn
From the leadership library
- Minimum Wage by State
Employers pay the higher of the state and federal rates, and many states raise theirs every year.
Glossary
Frequently asked questions
What is time and attendance software?
Time and attendance software records employee work hours, applies pay rules such as overtime and rounding, and sends approved time to payroll. Employees punch in through clocks, mobile apps or computers. It replaces paper timesheets with a searchable record of hours worked.
What is the best time clock app for employees?
The best time clock app is the one that matches how your staff work: mobile punching with geofencing for crews, a kiosk with photo capture for a shared site, or web punching for office staff. Our ranking scores each product from capabilities and prices we verified on vendor pages, so filter by team size and check which punch methods each one documents.
Do I have to keep time records for employees?
Yes for covered employers. Federal rules require preserving time cards and wage computation records for two years, and payroll records for three. Records must be open to Department of Labor inspection. No particular form is required, but they must be complete and accurate.
Can I round employee time punches?
Federal rules allow rounding to the nearest five minutes, one-tenth of an hour or quarter hour, as long as it does not result over time in failure to pay employees for all the time they worked. Check state rules and test rounded versus actual time regularly.
Are employee breaks paid?
Under federal law, short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid work time, while meal periods of 30 minutes or more are generally unpaid. Federal law does not require breaks, but state laws may. Configure break rules in your software to match your state.
What is the difference between time tracking and time and attendance?
Time tracking records hours, often for projects or billing. Time and attendance also applies pay rules, approvals and attendance policies so hours can feed payroll accurately. If you pay hourly employees, you usually need the second, with rules for overtime, breaks and rounding.
Is time and attendance software worth it?
It is worth it when manual timesheets cause pay errors, overtime disputes or payroll re-keying. It is harder to justify for a few salaried employees with no overtime. Estimate the hours spent correcting time data today and compare that to the software cost.
What is buddy punching and how do time clocks prevent it?
Buddy punching is when one employee clocks in or out for another. Time clock apps reduce it with a photo taken at each punch, PIN or biometric checks on a kiosk, and geofencing that limits punches to the work site. Ask the vendor whether a failed check blocks the punch or only flags it for a manager.
Do I need employee consent for a biometric time clock?
In some states, yes. Illinois law requires an employer to give employees written notice and to get a written release before collecting biometric data. Other states have their own rules, so check the law where you operate and ask the vendor how consent and deletion work.
Do I have to pay employees who clock in early?
Not if they arrive early by choice and do no work, according to federal rules on time clocks. If they start working, that time must be paid, even if no one asked them to work. Many time clock apps let you block early clock-ins or flag them for review.
What is the best time & attendance software?
Clockify has the highest LeadChange Score of the 23 products in our ranking, 8.3 out of 10, ahead of TCP Humanity (8.3) and Buddy Punch (8.1). Clockify's score rests on 19 of 25 checks verified from public sources. 9 more products are listed without a score until enough of their data is public.
Which time & attendance platforms in our ranking integrate with QuickBooks?
18 of the 23 time & attendance platforms in our ranking document an integration with QuickBooks: 7shifts, Buddy Punch, busybusy, Clockify, ClockShark, and 13 more.
How we research
Ranked by the LeadChange Score, computed only from verified facts: capability coverage (30%), pricing and value (20%), integrations and API (15%), security (15%), fit and support (10%) and data confidence (10%), times a category fit. Products with too few verified facts are not scored yet and come last. Payment never changes a score or a position.
Facts, not impressions · Missing data is never assumed · Independent of revenue
Facts, not impressions
Every input is a fact verified against vendors’ official documentation, with the date we last checked it.
Missing data is never assumed
Unverified items are left out of the score and lower its coverage; below 60% coverage a product is not scored yet.
Independent of revenue
Rankings never depend on whether a vendor pays us.
How this page was made
What it is built from
58 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 14, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology
Independent review
Our independent review of Nov 6, 2026 asked for changes. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested these products hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction
Get your time & attendance software shortlist
Tell us about your team and get a shortlist ranked without regard to who pays us.
Sources
The 54 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Clockify clockify.me/pricing“US$ 3.99 per seat /month billed annually (or US$4.99 if billed monthly)” “Clockify API”
- Buddy Punch buddypunch.com/pricing“Starter Time tracking essentials for small teams and businesses. $4.99/user/mo +$19 base fee per month” “There is a per employee fee and then a base fee each month. This can be paid monthly or annually. If paid annually there is a discount.”
- TCP Software tcpsoftware.com/pricing“$2.75 per employee/mo billed annually” “unlimited access to the Humanity Schedule Professional plan”
- Deputy deputy.com/pricing“Lite Everything you need to get started with scheduling and time tracking $5 per user per month (USD excl. all applicable taxes) billed upfront or in monthly installments” “SMS charges apply if the SMS message is sent via the Deputy platforms (Web app/iPad/mobile apps)”
- Clockify cake.com/security“An annual audit that demonstrates our ongoing commitment to security and data privacy.”
- TCP Software tcpsoftware.com/security“TCP’s Service Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2 type II) reports outline information related to our internal controls for security, availability, processing integrity, and confidentiality over a time period.”
- Clockify clockify.me/features/activity-monitoring“7-day free trial · No credit card required”
- Clockify clockify.me/apps“Chrome • Firefox • Edge • Mac • Windows • Linux • Android • iOS”
- Buddy Punch buddypunch.com/integrations“Automatically create and edit employees, department codes, geofences, locations, positions, and more using our external API.”
- Buddy Punch buddypunch.com/features“We also have apps for iOS and Android phones/tablets and a ChromeOS app for Chromebooks.”
- Deputy deputy.com/features“Up to 31 days, no credit card required”
- Deputy developer.deputy.com/docs/getting-started-with-the-deputy-api“This can allow a developer to build integrations which are not currently possible via the RESTful API”
- Deputy trust.deputy.com“ComplianceCyber EssentialsISO/IEC 27001:2022SOC 2 Type 2TX-RAMP Level 2”
- Connecteam connecteam.com/pricing“Our prices are fixed for the first 30 users, and from the 31st user and above we have a price per user, per month, for each plan.” “For 14 days, you can use Connecteam’s unlimited capabilities, completely free (you’ll experience the Expert plan).”
- Connecteam trust.connecteam.com“SOC 2 Type II”
- Connecteam connecteam.com/employee-time-clock-app“Connecteam is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store and is compatible with all Android and iOS devices.”
- Timeero timeero.com/pricing“$7.50$9per user/month9.007.50total/month/monthly” “One flat per-user rate, no matter the role”
- Timeero timeero.com/integrations“Use Timeero's API for a Custom, Effortless Data Flow between your favorite Apps.”
- Timeero timeero.com/trust-center“Timeero is proud to be SOC 2 Type II compliant, verifying that our internal systems, policies, and controls meet the highest benchmarks for security, availability, and confidentiality.”
- Timeero timeero.com/mobile-app“Apps for iOS and Android”
- Sling getsling.com/pricing“Take it to the next level by adding tools for tracking time and optimizing labor costs. $2.001.70 per user per month” “Customers using Premium or Business plans have the option to save 15% by paying annually.”
- Sling api.getsling.com“In order to interact with the API you need to have an authorization token”
- Homebase joinhomebase.com/pricing“/ location / month unlimited employees” “Free 14-day trial of All-in-One”
- Homebase trust.joinhomebase.com“SOC 2 Type 2”
- 7shifts 7shifts.com“Get running in under 30 days”
- Connecteam connecteam.com“Get fully set up in a day. No IT, consultants, or long onboarding.” “Trusted by 80,000+ businesses worldwide from small teams to global enterprises”
- Paycom Paycom implementation (Paycom)“Adoption timelines vary, but most organizations are implemented within three months.”
- When I Work wheniwork.com“Build the schedule in minutes and share it instantly to make shift management easier”
- 7shifts 7shifts.com/pricing“Enterprise/franchise questions or quotes?”
- ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/payroll-for-50-1000-plus-employees.aspx“Free up time to focus on strategy with a partner you can trust to tackle the payroll details for businesses with more than 50 employees.”
- Deputy deputy.com“Tackle today’s challenges andtomorrow’s opportunities with DeputySingle locationMulti locationFranchiseEnterprise”
- Netchex netchex.com/netchex-faqs“More than 7,500 organizations run payroll and HR on Netchex, from small local teams to employers with hundreds of employees.”
- Paycom paycom.com/about“Paycom supports small, medium and enterprise-sized companies across the education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and transportation industries and more.”
- TCP Software tcpsoftware.com“For smaller teams looking for scalable automation, Humanity Time helps you track time, attendance, and labor costs essential to small business workflows.”
- When I Work wheniwork.com/pricing“Whether you’re scheduling five employees or 500, When I Work keeps workforce management simple.”
- Hourly hourly.io/accounting“Integrate with Quickbooks”
- dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 21: Recordkeeping Requirements under the FLSA
- dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA
- law.cornell.edu 29 CFR 785.48: Use of time clocks
- dol.gov DOL: Breaks and Meal Periods
- dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 43: Child Labor Provisions for Nonagricultural Occupations
- dol.gov DOL: Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
- dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 22: Hours Worked under the FLSA
- ilga.gov Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14/15
- Intuit (QuickBooks) QuickBooks Time (Intuit)
- dol.gov DOL: Instructions for Completing Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form, WH-347
- law.cornell.edu 29 U.S.C. § 218 — Relation to other laws (FLSA)
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov California Labor Code § 510
- oregon.gov Oregon BOLI: Predictive Scheduling
- seattle.gov Seattle Office of Labor Standards: Secure Scheduling Ordinance
- ecfr.gov 29 CFR 778.115: Employees working at two or more rates
- dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- law.cornell.edu 2 CFR 200.430: Compensation, personal services
- dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 14A: Non-Profit Organizations and the FLSA