A clock in clock out app does one job: record when each employee starts and stops work, then turn those punches into hours you can pay. The best ones also prove the punch happened where it should (GPS or a kiosk), catch the punches that never happened, and hand the totals to payroll without retyping. This is our 2026 shortlist for small hourly teams: seven apps, what each is best at, what it costs, and where the catch is. ClockOut is on the list, so read the others first if you want to keep us honest.
The shortlist at a glance
| Free plan | Paid from | GPS punches | Kiosk | Scheduling | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClockOut | 2 employees, forever | $3/employee/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Homebase | 1 location, up to 10 employees | $24-30/location/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connecteam | Up to 10 users | Flat fee per 30 users | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clockify | Unlimited users | Per user, paid tiers | Paid | Paid | Limited |
| Jibble | Unlimited users | Per user, paid tiers | ✓ | ✓ | Limited |
| Buddy Punch | 14-day trial only | $4.49/user/mo annual | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| QuickBooks Time | Trial only | ~$10/user/mo + base fee | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Prices are the published list prices as of August 2026 and change often; confirm on each vendor’s site before you decide. “Scheduling” means shift scheduling for hourly staff (recurring shifts, open shifts, swaps), not project planning.
1. ClockOut
Best for: small hourly teams that want time clock, scheduling, and payroll export in one app, priced per employee.
ClockOut is a clock in clock out app built for shops, clinics, restaurants, crews, and other hourly teams. Employees punch from their phone (with a GPS stamp on every punch and optional geofence enforcement) or from a shared tablet kiosk. Managers get an exception inbox that collects the things a time clock usually hides: late arrivals, missed clock-outs, skipped breaks, and overtime creeping in. Scheduling lives in the same app, so a punch is always compared to a shift.
- Free: up to 2 employees, GPS punches, basic scheduling, CSV export, no time limit.
- Starter, $3 per active employee per month: geofences, kiosk mode, recurring schedules, open shifts and swaps, PTO, multi-location, exception inbox.
- Pro, $5 per active employee per month: payroll runs, ADP / Gusto / QuickBooks export formats, reporting, configurable compliance rules.
- Watch out for: no built-in team chat, forms, or HR documents. It is a time clock plus schedule, not an all-in-one employee app.
Details on the free plan, the GPS time clock, and employee scheduling.
2. Homebase
Best for: single-location retail and restaurants that want hiring, scheduling, and a time clock in one place.
Homebase is the most widely used clock in clock out app in main-street retail and food service. The free Basic plan covers one location and up to 10 employees with a time clock and basic scheduling. Paid plans are priced per location, not per employee, which is a good deal for one busy store and a poor one for a three-person team or a multi-site operator.
- Free: Basic, one location, up to 10 employees.
- Paid: Essentials from $24 per location per month billed annually ($30 monthly); payroll is a separate add-on.
- Watch out for: per-location pricing when you have several small sites, and the upsell into Homebase Payroll.
Full comparison: ClockOut vs Homebase. Also see Homebase alternatives for restaurants.
3. Connecteam
Best for: deskless teams that want chat, forms, training, and HR alongside the time clock.
Connecteam is an all-in-one employee app. The time clock has GPS, geofencing, and kiosk mode, and the scheduling module is solid. Its free Small Business plan covers up to 10 users. Above that, paid plans are billed as a flat fee per block of 30 users, so the per-person cost drops as you approach 30 and jumps when you cross it.
- Free: up to 10 users.
- Paid: flat fee per 30 users, per feature hub (Operations, Communications, HR).
- Watch out for: paying for hubs you do not use, and the price step at user 11 and user 31.
Full comparison: ClockOut vs Connecteam.
4. Clockify
Best for: freelancers, agencies, and anyone who bills clients by the hour on projects.
Clockify is a timer first and a clock in clock out app second. It is genuinely free for unlimited users, and the project, client, and billable-rate model is excellent for invoicing. It is a weaker fit for shift work: no real shift scheduling, and location and kiosk features sit on paid tiers.
- Free: unlimited users, timers, timesheets, basic reports.
- Paid: per user tiers add GPS, kiosk, approvals, and scheduling-lite.
- Watch out for: hourly shift teams end up paying for add-ons to get what a shift-focused app includes.
Full comparison: ClockOut vs Clockify.
5. Jibble
Best for: teams that need a free clock in clock out app for more than a handful of people.
Jibble’s free plan is unusually generous: unlimited users with GPS, kiosk mode, and face recognition on punches. Reports, approvals, and finer controls move to paid tiers. Scheduling is basic. If your only requirement is “free time clock for a team of 15,” Jibble belongs on your list.
- Free: unlimited users, GPS and kiosk punches, face recognition.
- Paid: per user tiers for overtime rules, approvals, integrations.
- Watch out for: facial recognition on punches has legal requirements in Illinois, Texas, and Washington. Read our note on biometric time clocks and BIPA before turning it on.
6. Buddy Punch
Best for: teams that already know they want a paid time clock with broad payroll integrations.
Buddy Punch overlaps heavily with ClockOut on features: GPS clock-in, geofences, kiosk, scheduling, payroll export. It has no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and its lower tiers carry a minimum seat count, so the entry price for a very small team is higher than the per-user rate suggests.
- Free: none, 14-day trial.
- Paid: Standard from $4.49 per user per month annual ($5.49 monthly), seat minimums on lower tiers.
- Watch out for: the seat minimum if you have fewer than about 20 employees.
Full comparison: ClockOut vs Buddy Punch.
7. QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets)
Best for: businesses that run everything in QuickBooks and want hours to land in payroll with no export step.
QuickBooks Time is the old TSheets. It is a strong time clock with GPS and kiosk, and the QuickBooks Payroll integration is as tight as you would expect. It has no free plan, a base fee on top of the per-user price, and no scheduling layer worth choosing it for.
- Free: none, trial only.
- Paid: roughly $10 per user per month plus a monthly base fee.
- Watch out for: total cost for small teams once the base fee is included.
Full comparison: ClockOut vs TSheets / QuickBooks Time.
How to choose a clock in clock out app
Six questions separate the right app from the wrong one faster than any feature list.
- How many people, how many sites? Per-employee pricing (ClockOut, Buddy Punch) wins for small or multi-site teams; per-location pricing (Homebase) wins for one big store; per-30 blocks (Connecteam) win right at 30.
- Do you need proof of location? Field crews, cleaners, home care, and security need a GPS stamp on every punch and, usually, geofences. Office and retail teams are usually fine with a kiosk.
- Do you schedule shifts? If yes, pick an app where the schedule and the time clock are the same product. Comparing punches to shifts is what catches no-shows and early clock-ins.
- How does payroll get the hours? Check the export format your payroll provider actually imports (ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, or plain CSV) and try one export during the trial.
- Who catches the mistakes? Missed clock-outs and skipped breaks happen weekly. An exception inbox or approval queue is worth more than most headline features.
- What does “free” actually cap? Employees (ClockOut), locations (Homebase), users (Connecteam, Clockify), or features (Jibble). Match the cap to how you will grow.
FAQ
What is the best clock in clock out app for small business?
For a small hourly team that also schedules shifts, ClockOut, Homebase, or Connecteam. ClockOut is the cheapest per employee and includes GPS punches on the free plan; Homebase fits single-location retail and restaurants; Connecteam fits teams that also want chat, forms, and HR tools.
What is the best free clock in clock out app?
Depends on the cap you can live with. ClockOut is free for 2 employees with full GPS and scheduling. Jibble and Clockify are free for unlimited users, Jibble with GPS and kiosk, Clockify focused on project timers. Homebase Basic covers one location and up to 10 employees.
Do clock in clock out apps track employee location all day?
They should not. A well-designed app records location at the moment of the punch (and optionally checks it against a geofence), not continuously. ClockOut only stamps punches; see our location privacy page.
Can employees clock in from a shared tablet instead of their phones?
Yes. ClockOut, Homebase, Connecteam, Jibble, and Buddy Punch all offer a kiosk mode with a PIN per employee. It is the usual choice for kitchens, retail floors, and clinics where staff should not be on personal phones.
How do the hours get into payroll?
Every app on this list exports a CSV. The differences are in formatted exports for specific providers (ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks) and whether approvals and locking happen before the export. ClockOut Pro includes payroll runs with provider formats; QuickBooks Time syncs directly into QuickBooks Payroll.