Employee time clock software costs about $30 to $270 a month for a team of 25 in the United States, and most small teams land between $60 and $170. The spread is that wide because vendors price three different ways: a flat fee per location, a base fee plus a charge per person, or a straight per-user rate. This guide works out the real monthly bill at 10, 25 and 50 people for seven tools (eight plans), using list prices read off each vendor’s own pricing page, last checked October 15, 2026.
What a GPS time clock costs for 10, 25 and 50 people
On monthly billing for one location, a mobile time clock that records location costs $25 to $120 a month at 10 people, $30 to $270 at 25 and $30 to $520 at 50 across these seven tools (or $0 at 10 people on Connecteam’s free plan, which stops at 10 users). Homebase is the cheapest from 25 people up, and QuickBooks Time costs the most at every size.
| Plan used (GPS or geofenced mobile clock-in) | 10 people | 25 people | 50 people | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homebase | Essentials, $30 per location | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Connecteam | Operations Basic | $35 ($0 on free Small Business) | $35 | $55 |
| When I Work | Single-location plan | $25 | $62.50 | $125 |
| ClockOut | Starter | $34 | $79 | $154 |
| Deputy | Lite | $55 | $137.50 | $275 |
| Buddy Punch | Starter (Scheduling add-on in parentheses) | $78.90 ($88.90) | $168.75 ($193.75) | $318.50 ($368.50) |
| QuickBooks Time | Time Premium (plus a QuickBooks Online plan) | $120 | $270 | $520 |
Monthly billing, one location, list prices from each vendor’s own pricing page checked October 15, 2026, sorted by the 25-person price. The plan shown is the lowest one with a mobile time clock that records location by GPS or geofence. Every plan shown also includes a weekly schedule except Buddy Punch Starter, which needs the Scheduling add-on at $1 per user a month (that total is in parentheses). Headcount counts everyone with an account, owner and managers included. QuickBooks Time’s base fee includes 1 admin and Buddy Punch admins are free, so if one of your people is an admin who never clocks in, take one user fee off those two ($10 on QuickBooks Time, $5.99 on Buddy Punch Starter or $6.99 with scheduling). QuickBooks Time also requires a QuickBooks Online subscription, which is not included. Connecteam’s free Small Business plan covers up to 10 users; its page does not say whether admins count.
The same team sizes on annual billing
| Plan used (GPS or geofenced mobile clock-in) | 10 people | 25 people | 50 people | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homebase | Essentials, $24 per location | $24 | $24 | $24 |
| Connecteam | Operations Basic | $29 ($0 on free Small Business) | $29 | $45 |
| When I Work | Single-location plan | No annual price published | No annual price published | No annual price published |
| ClockOut | Starter | $27.20 | $63.20 | $123.20 |
| Deputy | Lite | $50 | $125 | $250 |
| Buddy Punch | Starter (Scheduling add-on in parentheses) | $68.90 ($78.90) | $143.75 ($168.75) | $268.50 ($318.50) |
| QuickBooks Time | Time Premium | Monthly prices only | Monthly prices only | Monthly prices only |
Annual figures are the monthly equivalent of a one-year commitment, checked October 15, 2026. Deputy bills annual plans upfront or in monthly installments. When I Work offers annual billing but publishes no annual price, and QuickBooks Time lists monthly prices only. Buddy Punch shows one Scheduling add-on price, so we assume the same $1 per user on annual billing.
Time clock software cost at 10, 25 and 50 employees
Every figure below is the monthly-billing price for a single location, computed from the published rule on the vendor’s pricing page. Where a vendor charges a base fee, the base fee is included. Where a vendor charges per location, the number does not move as the team grows. Sales tax, payroll add-ons and implementation fees are not included. A headcount here means everyone with an account, including the owner and any managers, which is how ClockOut counts people.
| ClockOut Starter | ClockOut Pro | Homebase Essentials | Connecteam Basic | QuickBooks Time Premium | Buddy Punch Starter | When I Work (single location) | Deputy Lite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 people | $34 | $69 | $30 | $35 | $120 | $78.90 | $25 | $55 |
| 25 people | $79 | $159 | $30 | $35 | $270 | $168.75 | $62.50 | $137.50 |
| 50 people | $154 | $309 | $30 | $55 | $520 | $318.50 | $125 | $275 |
| How it is priced | $19 base for 5 people, then $3 each | $39 base for 5 people, then $6 each | $30 per location, unlimited staff | $35 flat to 30 users, then $1 each | $20 base, then $10 per user | $19 base, then $5.99 per user | $2.50 per user, time clock included | $5.50 per user monthly ($5 annual), $30 minimum on monthly plans |
| Annual discount | 20% | 20% | 20% ($24 per location) | About 18% ($29 flat) | No annual price published | Up to 18% ($4.99 per user) | Offered, no annual price published | 10% ($5 per user), upfront or monthly installments |
| Free plan | Up to 2 people | Up to 2 people | 1 location, up to 10 staff | Up to 10 users | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Price source, checked Oct 15, 2026 | useclockout.com/pricing | useclockout.com/pricing | joinhomebase.com/pricing | connecteam.com/pricing | quickbooks.intuit.com time tracking pricing | buddypunch.com/pricing | wheniwork.com/pricing | deputy.com/pricing |
Prices were read from each vendor’s public pricing page on October 15, 2026, and the per-headcount figures were computed from the rule each page states. QuickBooks Time was showing a “50% off for 3 months” promotion on the monthly base price on the day we checked; the table uses the standard rate that applies after it, and does not include the QuickBooks Online subscription that QuickBooks Time requires. When I Work’s live page lists $2.50 per user per month for a single location and $5 for multiple locations, with time and attendance (GPS clock-in) in every plan; it offers annual billing but publishes no annual price, so confirm your billing term before you sign. Deputy’s $30 minimum monthly spend applies to its monthly plans and does not bind at any headcount in this table. 7shifts, which prices per location for restaurants, is not in the table because its pricing page does not say which plan has GPS or geofencing; its Essentials plan is $44.99 per location a month ($39.99 annual) for up to 30 employees.
What actually drives the price
Two teams of the same size can pay very different amounts for the same job. Four things explain almost all of the gap.
1. The pricing unit: per location, per seat, or base plus seat
- Per location. Homebase charges $30 per location per month on Essentials with unlimited employees, so a 50-person restaurant pays the same as a 10-person one. Add a second site and the bill doubles. 7shifts also prices per location for restaurants, but each plan caps headcount (Essentials, $44.99 a month, covers up to 30 employees).
- Per seat. When I Work ($2.50 per user on its single-location plan) and Deputy ($5.50 per user on Lite, billed monthly) charge a straight per-user rate. Cheap for a crew of 8, linear forever after that. Deputy adds a $30 minimum monthly spend on its monthly plans so very small teams do not pay less than that.
- Base fee plus per seat. ClockOut ($19 base covering 5 people, then $3 each on Starter), Buddy Punch ($19 base, then $5.99 per user) and QuickBooks Time ($20 base, then $10 per user) all mix the two. The base fee makes tiny teams cost more than a pure per-seat tool; the per-person rate is what decides the bill once you pass about 15 people.
- Flat fee for a block of users. Connecteam charges $35 a month (monthly billing) for the Operations hub covering the first 30 users, then $1 each. That is the second-lowest bill in this set at 25 and 50 people, after Homebase, but it buys one hub. Chat lives in a second hub with its own fee, and the geofence is not in the Basic tier.
The rule of thumb: count your sites and your heads. One site and many heads favors per-location. Few heads, or heads spread over several sites, favors per-seat. Our multi-location comparison works through the crossover in more detail.
2. The tier the feature you need actually sits on
The advertised entry price is rarely the price you pay, because the one feature you bought the software for often sits a tier up. Geofencing is the usual culprit. On Connecteam it starts at the Advanced tier, which is $59 a month on monthly billing instead of $35, so a 25-person team that wants a geofence pays $59, not $35. On Deputy, biometric clock-in sits on Core ($7.25 per user monthly, $6.50 annual), and location hierarchies and pay by location sit on Pro ($10 monthly, $9 annual), rather than Lite. Before comparing prices, write down the three features you will not go without and price the tier that has all three.
3. Annual billing
Almost every vendor discounts an annual commitment. Checked October 15, 2026: ClockOut takes 20% off, Homebase takes 20% ($24 per location instead of $30), Connecteam about 18% ($29 instead of $35 for Operations Basic), Buddy Punch up to 18% ($4.99 per user instead of $5.99 on Starter), and Deputy 10% ($5 per user instead of $5.50 on Lite), billed upfront or in monthly installments. When I Work offers annual billing but publishes no annual price, and QuickBooks Time lists monthly prices only. On a 25-person team the published discounts are worth $6 to $32 a month, in exchange for locking in for a year.
4. Add-ons, mainly payroll
Time tracking and payroll processing are separate products almost everywhere, and payroll is priced the same way across the board: a monthly base fee plus a charge per employee paid.
- Homebase Payroll: $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid ($29 a month for teams up to 5). For 25 employees that is $199 a month on top of the $30 Essentials fee.
- Deputy Payroll (enabled by Paycor): $49 a month plus $8 per user, on US annual Core and Pro plans. Deputy notes the fees vary by business size.
- Buddy Punch payroll: $49 a month plus $8 per user.
- QuickBooks: the Workforce plans bundle payroll with time tracking rather than adding it, which is why they are priced far above the Time plans.
- ClockOut: no payroll processing at all. Pro runs pay periods and exports payroll-formatted files for ADP, Gusto and QuickBooks, and you keep whatever payroll provider you already have.
Other line items worth asking about: SMS or push message limits, extra charges for a second kiosk device, hardware if you want a physical terminal, and implementation or onboarding fees on annual contracts.
What you get for nothing
Free plans are real, but each has a hard edge. Connecteam is free for life for up to 10 users with a single time clock. Homebase Basic is free for one location and up to 10 employees with capped scheduling and time-tracking features. ClockOut is free for up to 2 active people, including you, with GPS-stamped punches, basic scheduling and CSV export. Buddy Punch, When I Work, Deputy and QuickBooks Time have no free tier, only trials. If you are testing the category rather than buying it, start on Connecteam or Homebase free and see whether the cap is the thing that stops you.
The wider list, including tools we do not sell against, is in the best free time clock apps.
What ClockOut costs, and what it does not do
ClockOut Starter is $19 a month covering up to 5 active accounts, then $3 per additional person. Pro is $39 covering 5, then $6 each. Annual billing takes 20% off either one, and every new company gets a 14-day Starter trial with no card. Billing follows active accounts, so deactivating someone above the first five lowers the next invoice without a support ticket.
| Free | Starter | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price at 10 people | Not available | $34 | $69 |
| Monthly price at 25 people | Not available | $79 | $159 |
| Monthly price at 50 people | Not available | $154 | $309 |
| Annual price at 25 people | Not available | $63.20 | $127.20 |
| Headcount cap | 2 active people, including you | None | None |
| GPS stamp on each punch | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Geofence enforcement | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kiosk with PIN or QR badge | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Timesheet approval | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Exception inbox | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple locations | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payroll runs and payroll-formatted export | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| CSV export | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Being straight about the limits, because they matter to the price comparison: ClockOut has no built-in payroll processing, so if you want one vendor to both track hours and cut checks, Homebase or QuickBooks will suit you better. There are no point-of-sale integrations, so restaurant sales-versus-labor reporting is not something we do the way 7shifts or Toast do. Payroll data leaves as CSV files, including the ADP, Gusto and QuickBooks formats on Pro, rather than through a live API sync. And there is no forms or training module of the kind Connecteam bundles.
A quick way to compare quotes
Do this on one sheet of paper before you sign anything:
- Write your headcount and your number of physical sites.
- Write the three features you will not go without (usually: geofence or kiosk, schedules, payroll export format).
- For each vendor, find the cheapest tier that has all three, then apply its pricing rule to your headcount and site count.
- Add the payroll add-on only if you plan to move payroll to that vendor.
- Multiply by 12, and compare that annual number, not the headline monthly one.
FAQ
How much does time clock software cost per employee?
How much does employee time clock software cost for 10 employees?
How much does time and attendance software cost for 50 employees?
Is annual billing worth it for time clock software?
Does time clock software include payroll?
Related reading
- Homebase review and Connecteam review
- Connecteam pricing, plan by plan
- ClockOut vs Homebase and ClockOut vs Connecteam
- What a time and attendance system does
- ClockOut pricing
Sources and method
Written by the ClockOut product team. Every competitor price was read from the vendor’s own public pricing page, first on September 9, 2026 and again on October 15, 2026, and per-headcount figures were computed from the rule stated on that page rather than quoted from a third party. We do not take payment for placement in these tables, and we sell one of the products listed.
- joinhomebase.com/pricing, checked October 15, 2026
- connecteam.com/pricing, checked October 15, 2026
- quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/pricing, checked October 15, 2026
- buddypunch.com/pricing, checked October 15, 2026
- wheniwork.com/pricing, checked October 15, 2026
- deputy.com/pricing, checked October 15, 2026
- useclockout.com/pricing and /product-facts, checked October 15, 2026
- 7shifts.com/pricing, checked October 15, 2026 (the page does not say which plan has GPS or geofencing)
Software vendors change packaging often. If you are reading this more than a month after the date above, re-check the two or three prices that decide your choice before you commit.