ClockOut vs TSheets (now QuickBooks Time) comes down to this: a 15-person team pays $170 a month on QuickBooks Time Premium and $49 a month on ClockOut Starter, which also adds scheduling, kiosk mode, and compliance tools. QuickBooks Time wins on deeper project tracking and native QuickBooks Payroll sync. Here’s the full breakdown before you assume the integration wins the argument.
QuickBooks Time vs ClockOut: monthly price by team size
Prices below are monthly, checked September 2026. QuickBooks Time Premium is the $20 base fee plus $10 per user. ClockOut Starter and Pro include 5 people in the base price, then $3 or $6 per extra person. ClockOut takes 20% off with annual billing and every paid plan starts with a 14-day trial.
| ClockOut Starter | ClockOut Pro | QuickBooks Time Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $19 / mo | $39 / mo | $70 / mo |
| 15 people | $49 / mo | $99 / mo | $170 / mo |
| 25 people | $79 / mo | $159 / mo | $270 / mo |
| Scheduling included | ✓ | ✓ | Basic shift assignment only |
| Geofencing included | ✓ | ✓ | Elite tier only ($40 + $12 / user) |
| Free plan | Up to 2 people | Up to 2 people | None |
ClockOut vs TSheets (QuickBooks Time): at a glance
| ClockOut | QuickBooks Time (TSheets) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 2 people, including you, forever | None |
| Starting paid price | $19 / mo for up to 5, then $3 per person | $20 / mo base + $10 per user |
| GPS + geofencing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline clock-in | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kiosk mode (PIN) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shift scheduling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Exception inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Compliance rules engine | ✓ | ✗ |
| Job / project time tracking | Job codes (Starter and up) | ✓ (projects and customers) |
| Mileage tracking | Visit-to-visit estimate (Pro) | ✓ |
| QuickBooks payroll export | ✓ | ✓ |
| ADP / Gusto export | ✓ | Limited |
How much do ClockOut and QuickBooks Time cost?
As of September 2026, ClockOut is free for up to 2 people, including you, and $19 per month for up to 5 people on Starter, then $3 per extra person; QuickBooks Time has no free plan and starts at $20 per month plus $10 per user per month. This is where ClockOut vs TSheets diverges most sharply for small teams.
ClockOut pricing
- Free: $0/mo, up to 2 people, including you, no card required. GPS clock-in, basic scheduling, CSV export.
- Starter: $19 / month for up to 5 people, then $3 per extra person. Geofencing, kiosk mode, exception inbox, open shifts and swaps, PTO management, overtime alerts, timesheet approvals.
- Pro: $39 / month for up to 5 people, then $6 per extra person. Adds payroll runs, ADP / Gusto / QuickBooks export, compliance rules engine, multi-location support, scoped roles, PDF reports, API access.
QuickBooks Time (TSheets) pricing
- No free plan, only a 30-day trial.
- Premium: $20 / month base fee plus $10 / user / month (September 2026 list price; Intuit runs introductory discounts on the base fee for the first few months). GPS tracking, timesheet management, QuickBooks integration, basic scheduling.
- Elite: $40 / month base fee plus $12 / user / month. Adds project time tracking, geofencing, and geofence alerts.
Time clock and GPS
Both products capture GPS on every punch. QuickBooks Time also tracks location breadcrumbs throughout the day, useful for field crews and delivery teams where knowing someone’s GPS trail matters as much as the punch coordinates.
The key differences:
- Geofencing. ClockOut includes geofencing enforcement on the Starter plan ($19/month for up to 5 people, then $3 per extra person). QuickBooks Time puts geofencing on the Elite tier ($40/month plus $12/user/month). The price gap is significant.
- Offline mode. ClockOut captures clock-ins offline and syncs on reconnect. QuickBooks Time requires a live connection for most functions.
- Kiosk mode. ClockOut supports tablet kiosks with PIN clock-in from the browser on any tablet an admin sets up once, no MDM enrollment. Employees use the native iOS and Android apps on their own phones. QuickBooks Time doesn’t offer a comparable kiosk mode.
Does QuickBooks Time have shift scheduling?
Not in any meaningful sense. QuickBooks Time is a time clock. It has basic scheduling on the Premium plan, but “basic” means basic shift assignment: you can assign shifts, but there are no open-shift broadcasts, no conflict detection, no shift-swap workflows, no PTO-aware scheduling, and no recurring shift templates worth the name.
ClockOut has a full scheduling layer: recurring templates, open-shift broadcasts, one-tap swaps with manager approval, conflict detection, PTO-aware scheduling, and availability management. For teams where the weekly schedule is a half-hour job rather than an afterthought, ClockOut’s scheduler is meaningfully more complete.
If your team has a predictable rotating schedule (clinic shifts, retail coverage, restaurant floor) and you’re publishing it weekly, QuickBooks Time is not the right scheduling tool.
Where does QuickBooks Time beat ClockOut?
QuickBooks Time has one genuine advantage over ClockOut: deeper project-level time tracking. Employees can clock in against a specific job, project, or cost code, and those hours flow into QuickBooks for job costing, useful for construction crews, consultants, HVAC techs, and anyone who bills by the job.
ClockOut has job codes on Starter and Pro. Admins set up the codes, employees pick one when they clock in (and can switch it during the shift), and the reports page totals hours by job code. The generic CSV export carries a Job Code column; the ADP, Gusto, and QuickBooks files do not. That covers per-job labor hours. It does not do client invoicing, billable rates, or construction WIP tracking, so if job costing inside QuickBooks is core to your operation, QuickBooks Time goes further.
QuickBooks Time also includes mileage tracking via the mobile app, which is useful for field teams with vehicle reimbursement requirements. ClockOut Pro has a lighter version: a report that estimates the straight-line miles between one visit’s clock-out and the next clock-in on the same day, with a CSV export. It is an estimate, not a route or odometer log.
Compliance and the exception inbox
QuickBooks Time has overtime alerts and basic break reminders. It does not have a compliance rules engine (configurable OT thresholds, mandatory meal periods, rest-break enforcement, consecutive-day limits) and it has no exception inbox.
ClockOut Pro has both. Configure the rules, and every violation routes automatically into the exception inbox for manager review. For compliance-sensitive industries (clinics, multi-state retail, California food service) this is a meaningful operational difference.
On related compliance topics, see how to stop buddy punching for the methods that work in practice.
Payroll exports and QuickBooks integration
QuickBooks Time is native to the QuickBooks ecosystem: timesheet data flows directly into QuickBooks Payroll without a CSV step. If you’re already running QuickBooks Payroll and want zero-friction handoff, that integration is a real advantage.
ClockOut Pro exports to QuickBooks in a ready-to-import CSV format, plus ADP- and Gusto-formatted CSV files. If you run QuickBooks Payroll, the ClockOut export takes one additional step (file import) but covers the same ground. If you run ADP or Gusto, compare the exact import workflow and plan requirements before choosing either product.
For the step-by-step on payroll exports, see how to export payroll to ADP, Gusto, and QuickBooks.
Who each product fits best
Pick ClockOut if…
- You need shift scheduling, not just a time clock.
- You want geofencing without paying the Elite base fee plus $12/user/month for it.
- You run payroll in ADP or Gusto as well as (or instead of) QuickBooks.
- You need a kiosk for shared-device locations (clinic front desk, restaurant BOH, retail back room).
- You want a compliance rules engine and exception inbox for OT, meal-break, and consecutive-day violations.
Pick QuickBooks Time (TSheets) if…
- You’re already running QuickBooks Payroll and want zero-step timesheet-to-payroll sync without a CSV.
- Your team needs project costing that flows into QuickBooks (construction, field service, consulting), beyond per-job hours.
- You need GPS breadcrumb trails throughout the day, not just at punch-in.
- Full mileage logs for reimbursement are an operational requirement, not just a visit-to-visit estimate.