With a vast number of small businesses expected to increase staff salaries in the near future, getting a handle on your business operations and workforce expenses is critical. You won’t have the supervision you need to remain within budget, stay compliant, and preserve correct records if you don’t use an attendance tracking system.

Time and attendance tracking is a basic and important business function, but figuring out where to begin or which service is best can be stressful. We’ve put together a quick rundown of several possibilities, as well as the most effective software to keep track of staff attendance.

Top 8 Time and Attendance Software

  1. UKG/Kronos Workforce Ready: Best for controlling and mitigating employee absence.
  2. TimeClock Plus: Best for managing payroll through integration for big businesses.
  3. Humanity: Best for streamlining day-to-day workforce management processes.
  4. OnTheClock: Best for fast-growing small businesses in order to track working hours.
  5. Quickbooks Time/TSheets: Best for lightweight attendance tracking that offers flexibility.
  6. Buddy Punch: Ideal for businesses of all sizes.
  7. ZoomShift: Best for hourly workers that are usually seen in small businesses.
  8. When I work: Best in terms of customized pricing packages for businesses of all sizes.

1. UKG/Kronos Workforce Ready: Best to monitor absents and leaves

Pricing: Customized pricing

Kronos is a popular time and attendance system with a wide range of features. In addition to allowing your employees to punch in via a web or mobile interface, Kronos also provides its own time clock device if you want your staff to punch in physically at a predetermined location (e.g. your building entrance).

Key Features:

  • It has efficient customer support.
  • It accommodates businesses of all sizes.
  • It operates globally.

Reasons to Buy:

  • Offers customization
  • Unlimited features

Reasons to Avoid

  • The entire customization process can be time-consuming.

2. TimeClock Plus: Best for managing payroll

Pricing: From $24 per year per employee.

Your employees can clock in via a smartphone app, a web interface, or one of TimeClock Plus’ many various time clock devices. You can also use biometric authentication, such as fingerprint scanning or facial recognition, as an extra anti-time-theft tool.

Key Features:

  • Automated Scheduling
  • Configurable geolocation and geo-fencing
  • Punch approvals

Reasons to Buy:

  • Built-in reports
  • Private consultations

Reasons to Avoid:

  • No free trials

Humanity: Best for streamlining day-to-day workforce management

Pricing: From $2 per user per month

Humanity is a simple program that largely relies on scheduling. Although there is just one way to punch in – via a smartphone application – there are a number of unique features that you could find handy.

Key Features:

  • Customizable time-off policies
  • Payroll integration
  • Scheduling of templates and rules

 Reasons to Buy:

  • GPS clock-ins
  • Huge help center with several blogs and guides

Reasons to Avoid:

  • Complex shift trading functionality 

3. OnTheClock: Best for tracking per hour

Pricing: From $9 per month

OnTheClock is a cloud-based employee time clock tool that allows you to arrange staff shifts, compute hours worked automatically, and manage time off, as well as offer several clock-in alternatives.

Key Features:

  • Self Service Portal
  • Activity Dashboard
  • Reporting/Analytics

Reasons to Buy:

  • Employee Database
  • Mobile Access
  • Data Import/Export

Reasons to Avoid:

  • GPS features don’t work with enough precision at times.

4. Quickbooks Time/TSheets: Best for flexible time tracking

 Pricing: from $8 to $20 per month

QuickBooks Time, formerly known as TSheets, is a time and attendance system. It allows you to easily evaluate and track employee hours, execute payroll, and reprint invoices. Each employee’s timesheet is kept in QuickBooks Hours, which enables them to clock in using a mobile device or manually enter time. QuickBooks Time is ideal for businesses that require accessibility as well as additional time-tracking and geo-fencing features.

Key Features:

  • Billable Time Rate Management
  • Business Tool Integration
  • Automated Reminders
  • Policy Compliance Management

Reasons to Buy:

  • Mobile User Support
  • Ease of Completing Timesheets

Reasons to Avoid:

  • It is a bit complicated to use so it requires a lot of training

5. Buddy Punch: Ideal for businesses of all sizes.

Pricing: from $39 per month

Buddy Punch was created in response to a demand for a simple, user-friendly, and cost-effective scheduling and time card solution. You can’t keep track of time in excel spreadsheets or handwritten/faxed time cards in today’s world. That is where software like Buddy Punch comes in handy. It’s straightforward, efficient, and intuitive.

Key Features:

  • Biometric Recognition
  • Calendar Management
  • Online Punch Card

Reasons to Buy:

  • Accounting Integration
  • User-friendly
  • Access Controls/Permissions

Reasons to Avoid:

  • There are no customer billing features.

6. ZoomShift: Best for hourly workers that are usually seen in small businesses.

Pricing: from $2 per employer per month

ZoomShift is an employee scheduling software for hourly workers. It improves time management by allowing you to readily view milestones and schedule tasks in minutes. Employees may clock in for allotted shifts using the online or mobile time clocks, and managers can amend timesheets on the go using the free iOS and Android apps.

Key Features:

  • Automated Scheduling
  • Approval Process Control
  • Employee Scheduling

Reasons to Buy:

  • GPS
  • Attendance Tracking

Reasons to Avoid:

  • Doesn’t offer free trials

7. When I work: All rounder

Pricing: starts from $4 per user per month

When I Work is a cloud-based employee scheduling tool that allows you to log time and attendance, create and amend employee schedules, add new jobs to the calendar, review timesheets, and fill shifts. When I Work offers native and browser-based tools for managing schedules and tracking time on mobile devices.

Key Features:

  • Geo-fencing capability
  • Trade shifts
  •  Payroll integration

Reasons to Buy:

  • Get clock-out reminders
  • Workers can punch in via a mobile app

Reasons to Avoid:

  • The time-consuming setup can be frustrating.

References and Links

  • https://www.insightful.io/blog/top-10-time-attendance-tracking-software
  • https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-time-and-attendance-software/
  • https://www.quicksprout.com/best-time-attendance-systems/
  • https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6730-best-time-and-attendance-systems.html
  • https://www.getapp.com/hr-employee-management-software/a/quickbooks-time/reviews/
  • https://www.kronos.com/products/time-and-attendance