If you are replacing a wall punch clock, a spreadsheet, or a system the team quietly stopped using, you need one thing: honest hours that reach payroll without a week of cleanup. ClockOut is a time and attendance system for 10 to 100 hourly staff, run by an office or operations manager rather than an IT department.
What a time and attendance system needs to do
- Capture the punch honestly. A punch should record who, when and where, from a device the person actually had in hand, and it should still go through when the Wi-Fi drops.
- Stop early and buddy punches. One person clocking in 20 minutes early every day, or clocking in for a friend, adds up to real money across 40 people.
- Schedule, then compare to actual. The plan and the punches belong in one place, so late arrivals and no-shows show up without a manual side-by-side.
- Approve and fix exceptions. Missed clock-outs and forgotten breaks need a queue a manager can clear in minutes, not a stack of paper to chase down.
- Export to payroll. Whatever runs your payroll, the hours need to arrive in a file it accepts, with overtime already applied.
- Manage several locations. Each site needs its own address and boundary, and a site manager should only see their own people.
How ClockOut covers each piece
Capturing the punch (every plan)
Employees clock in from the ClockOut Time Clock app on iPhone or Android, or from the web app in any phone browser. Each clock in and clock out is stamped with GPS and a readable address, and location is captured only at those two moments. If the phone is offline, the punch is saved on the device with its original tap time and syncs when the connection returns, flagged so an admin can see it was recorded away from the network. See the GPS time clock page for the exact behavior.
Kiosk mode on a shared tablet (Starter)
Mount a tablet at the entrance and let people clock in with a 4-digit PIN or by scanning a personal QR badge. An optional photo at clock-in gives a manager something to check by eye. It is a plain snapshot, not face recognition.
Stopping early and buddy punches (Starter and Pro)
Geofence enforcement (Starter) refuses a clock-in from outside the work area. Punch limiting (Starter) opens clock-in a set number of minutes before the scheduled shift (15 by default) and can block clock-in for anyone with no shift that day. Device locks and IP locks (Pro) only accept punches from admin-approved devices, or from the workplace network for web and kiosk punches. Clock-out is never blocked by any of these controls.
Schedules against actuals (Starter)
Basic scheduling is on every plan. Starter adds recurring schedules, open shifts and swaps, shift confirmation with reminders, availability, and PTO policies with accrual. Because the schedule and the time clock share one system, the exception inbox flags no-shows, late arrivals and missed punches for review. Weekly overtime is calculated on every plan; the Pro compliance pack adds daily overtime, double-time rules and break premiums.
Approvals and fixes (Starter)
Timesheet approval lets a manager review each pay period, correct a missed clock-out, and sign off before anything exports. Employees, groups and job codes keep the review organized by crew and by the work being done.
Payroll export (every plan, formatted files on Pro)
Every plan exports hours and pay totals as a plain CSV. Pro adds payroll runs (draft, approve, lock, export) and files formatted for ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero and Sage, plus a read-only API. ClockOut does not run payroll or withhold taxes; you download the file and import it into the system that does.
Several locations (Pro)
Pro supports up to 20 work locations, each with its own address and geofence. Scoped roles let a manager see only their own location or department, so a site lead approves their team without seeing everyone else's hours.
Punch clock vs spreadsheet vs ClockOut
| ClockOut | Punch clock | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | An afternoon, no hardware to buy | Buy and mount a unit at each site | Instant, then upkeep every week |
| GPS or location proof | ✓ | Proves where the clock is, not the person | ✗ |
| Early punch control | Punch limiting and geofence (Starter) | Depends on the model | ✗ |
| Payroll export | CSV on every plan; ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero, Sage on Pro | Depends on the model | Rebuilt by hand each period |
| Cost for 30 people | $94 / mo on Starter | Hardware per site plus cards or badges | $0 plus admin hours every week |
| Works for multiple sites | Up to 20 locations (Pro) | One unit per site, totals merged by hand | One tab per site, merged by hand |
What it costs for 30, 50 and 100 people
Both paid plans have a base fee that covers the first 5 active accounts (the owner counts as one), then a flat rate for each extra person. Deactivate someone and the next bill drops.
| Starter | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | $19 / mo for up to 5 | $39 / mo for up to 5 |
| Each extra person | $3 / mo | $6 / mo |
| 30 people | $94 / mo | $189 / mo |
| 50 people | $154 / mo | $309 / mo |
| 100 people | $304 / mo | $609 / mo |
| Built for | One site: kiosk, geofence, approvals, PTO | Several sites: payroll formats, device locks, compliance pack |
Annual billing takes 20% off. Paid plans start with a 14-day free trial, and the free plan covers up to 2 people with no time limit. Full detail is on the pricing page.
Time and attendance system FAQ
What is the best time and attendance system for 40 employees across 3 locations?
Look for phone and kiosk clock-in, a separate geofence for each site, a way for each site manager to see only their own people, and a payroll export your provider accepts. ClockOut covers that on the Pro plan: up to 20 locations, each with its own geofence, scoped roles per location, and formatted exports for ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero and Sage. For 40 people Pro is $249 a month ($39 for the first 5, then $6 each), or $124 on Starter if all three sites can share one plan without per-location managers.
Does ClockOut replace a physical punch clock?
Yes. Kiosk mode on Starter and Pro turns a shared tablet into the clock: employees enter a 4-digit PIN or scan a personal QR badge, with an optional photo at clock-in. People with a phone can also clock in from the ClockOut Time Clock app or the web app, so you can run both at once. There is no hardware to buy.
Can employees clock in without a smartphone?
Yes. A shared tablet in kiosk mode takes a PIN or a printed QR badge, and no personal device is needed. Anyone with a basic phone browser can also use the web app without installing anything. Kiosk mode is on Starter and Pro.
Does it export to ADP, Gusto or QuickBooks?
Yes, on the Pro plan. ClockOut generates CSV files formatted for ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero and Sage, with hours, overtime and pay totals already calculated. You download the file and import it into your payroll system. Every plan, including Free, exports a plain CSV. ClockOut does not run payroll or withhold taxes.
How much does it cost for 50 employees?
50 people is $154 a month on Starter ($19 for the first 5 accounts, then $3 each) or $309 a month on Pro ($39 for the first 5, then $6 each). The owner counts as an account. Annual billing takes 20% off, and paid plans start with a 14-day free trial.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Starter and Pro both start with a 14-day free trial. There is also a free plan for up to 2 people that never expires, which is enough to test clock-in, GPS stamps and the CSV export with yourself and one employee before inviting the rest of the team.
Related pages
- GPS time clock explains exactly what is recorded at each punch and how geofencing behaves.
- PTO tracker covers time-off policies, accrual and approvals.
- Employee scheduling shows how shifts, swaps and confirmations tie into the time clock.
- Pricing has the plan comparison and a calculator for your exact head count.
- Built for healthcare and cleaning services, among other hourly industries.
- Rolling it out? Start with the clocking in and out policy template.