A clock in clock out app lets employees start and end their shift from a phone, tablet or computer, and stores each punch as a timesheet ready for payroll. It replaces the paper sheet, the wall-mounted punch clock and the weekly guess about who worked when.
The apps below were checked in August 2026: every price comes from the vendor’s own pricing page, and one tool that appeared on this list previously has been removed because it no longer does time tracking at all. Desktop-based clock in clock out software and phone-first apps are both covered, since most teams end up using a mix.
What a clock in clock out app does
A clock in and out app records the moment work starts and stops, turns those punches into a timesheet, applies break and overtime rules, and hands the result to payroll.
The payroll handoff is why most teams adopt one. Recording hours is the easy part; totalling them, chasing the person who forgot Tuesday, and retyping everything into payroll is the job that quietly consumes a manager’s fortnight.
Most also run on a shared device. One tablet at the entrance, each person punching in with a PIN, is how a clocking in app works for teams where not everyone carries a work phone. Our wider comparison of employee time clock apps covers the same category from the free-plan angle, and Android time clock apps goes deeper on mobile specifically.
What they cost, and which are free
Clock in clock out apps typically cost between $2 and $8 per user per month, and several offer a permanent free plan rather than just a trial. The free ceilings vary enormously, which is the fact worth checking before anything else.
| App | Free plan | Paid from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| actiTIME | Up to 3 users | $6 per user per month | Hours tied to projects and cost |
| Sling | Up to 30 users, scheduling only | $2 per user per month for time tracking | Larger shift teams on a budget |
| TimeCamp | Free forever | $2.99 per user per month | Free with no headcount cap |
| ClockIt | Free for Life plan | $2.99 per user per month | Attendance with biometrics |
| Homebase | Basic plan, free | $30 per month | Shift work at one location |
| Clockify | Up to 5 users | $3.99 per user per month, billed annually | Cheapest capable option |
| Toggl Track | Up to 5 users | $9 per user per month | Least friction to adopt |
| Buddy Punch | None, trial only | $4 per user per month, billed annually | Punch clock with strong controls |
| OnTheClock | None, trial only | $4 per employee per month | Simple punch clock with GPS |
| When I Work | None, trial only | $2 per user per month, time tracking extra | Scheduling first, clocking second |
The best clock in and out apps
There is no single best clock in clock out app, because a tablet kiosk on a shop floor and a project team billing clients need different things. actiTIME is our own tool and leads the list; each entry says plainly who it suits and who it does not, so skip to the one matching your setup.
actiTIME
- Timesheet and one click timer
- Hours against projects and tasks
- Cost and billing rates
- Approvals and reports
actiTIME records hours against customers, projects and tasks rather than only recording attendance, so the same punches answer both who worked and what the work cost. Estimates sit next to actual hours, which is what makes the next quote realistic.
It suits teams billing clients or running projects more than a shop floor needing a kiosk.
Pricing: free for up to 3 users. Paid plans $6 per user per month for 1 to 40 users and $5 for 41 to 200, with a 30 day trial and no credit card.
We reduced payroll processing to 45 minutes per week
actiTIME is very robust, integrated well into your business process, and most important, helps you focus on your business instead of monkeying around with technology. actiTIME has reduced our payroll processing from 4-6 hours per week to 45 minutes per week.
Sling
- Shift scheduling and clock in
- Labour cost tracking
- Team messaging
- Free for up to 30 users
Sling has the most generous free ceiling here at 30 users, which is far beyond what most competitors allow. The catch is that free covers scheduling rather than time tracking, so a team wanting punches needs the Premium tier.
At $2 per user per month it is still among the cheapest ways to add clocking to a shift team, and there is a 15 day trial.
Pricing: free for up to 30 users, scheduling only. Premium $2 and Business $4 per user per month.
TimeCamp
- Automatic and manual time tracking
- Kiosk clock in
- Attendance and timesheets
- Free forever plan
TimeCamp runs a free forever plan without the tight user caps most rivals apply, which makes it the strongest genuinely free option for a team of any size that only needs basic punches and timesheets.
Paid tiers add billing rates, approvals and integrations. It leans more towards computer-based work than shop-floor shifts.
Pricing: free forever. Starter $2.99, Premium $4.99 and Ultimate $7.99 per user per month.
ClockIt
- Attendance dashboards
- Biometric and GPS clock in
- Leave management
- Free for Life plan
ClockIt focuses on attendance rather than project work, with biometric options and location capture on punches. It has a Free for Life plan and one of the lowest paid rates in the category.
Pricing: Free for Life plan available. Paid from $2.99 per user per month, or $29.90 per user per year.
Homebase
- Tablet kiosk clock in
- Shift scheduling
- Team messaging
- Free Basic plan
Homebase is built for hourly teams in retail and hospitality, where a shared tablet at the door is the clock. Scheduling and clocking sit in one product, which removes the usual mismatch between the rota and the timesheet.
It tracks presence rather than what the hours went towards, so it answers “who was on shift” but not “which client that shift belonged to”.
Pricing: Basic plan is free. Paid plans start at $30 per month, then $70 and $120.
Clockify
- Timer and manual entry
- Kiosk mode with PIN
- Timesheets and reports
- Free for up to 5 users
Clockify offers a proper kiosk mode where several people clock in from one shared device using a PIN, which is the feature that matters most for a team without individual work phones.
Its free plan covers up to 5 users, a cap that is newer than many people expect since it previously had none.
Pricing: free for up to 5 users. Basic $3.99, Standard $5.49 and Pro $7.99 per user per month billed annually.
Buddy Punch
- Photo and GPS on punches
- Geofencing
- Overtime and break rules
- Payroll integrations
Buddy Punch is built specifically to stop punches happening where they should not. Photo capture at clock in, GPS location and geofencing are core features rather than upgrades, which makes it the strongest choice where buddy punching is the actual problem.
There is no free plan, only a trial.
Pricing: Starter $4 per user per month billed annually, or $5 monthly. Pro $6 and Advanced $12.
OnTheClock
- Punch clock with GPS
- PTO tracking
- Scheduling
- Payroll integrations
OnTheClock is a straightforward employee clock in app with GPS on punches, aimed at small businesses that want a clock and nothing more elaborate.
Pricing: $4 per employee per month. Payroll is a separate paid module. Free trial, no permanent free plan.
When I Work
- Shift scheduling
- Shift swapping and OpenShifts
- Team messaging
- Time tracking as a paid add-on
When I Work is a scheduling product first, with clocking added on. If the rota is your main problem and punches are secondary, that ordering suits you.
Two things to know: it no longer offers a free plan, and Time Tracking and Attendance is a paid module on top of the base subscription rather than included.
Pricing: Essentials $2, Pro $5 and Premium $8 per user per month, plus the time tracking add-on. Free trial only.
Toggl Track
- One click timer
- Browser extension
- Idle detection
- Free for up to 5 users
Toggl Track is the easiest tool here to actually keep using, which matters more than any feature: the most accurate clock is the one nobody avoids. It is built around individuals starting timers rather than a shared clock-in point, so it fits desk teams better than shift teams.
Pricing: free for up to 5 users. Starter $9 and Premium $14 per user per month.
Clocking in with location
If you need staff to clock in only from a specific place, look for geofencing rather than GPS alone. The two get used interchangeably and do different things.
- GPS on the punch records where someone was when they clocked in. It tells you afterwards, and it does not prevent anything.
- Geofencing defines a radius around a site and refuses a punch outside it. This is the one that actually stops clocking in from the car park or from home.
- Photo capture takes a picture at the moment of punching, which addresses one person clocking in for another.
- Biometrics use a fingerprint or face, usually on a fixed kiosk device.
Buddy Punch, OnTheClock and ClockIt all handle location, and it is the clearest dividing line between free and paid tiers across this whole category. If you also need hours attributed to clients or projects rather than just to a shift, compare the options in our roundup of free time trackers. Be aware that recording employee location carries legal and privacy obligations that vary by country and state, so tell your team what is being collected before switching it on.
How to choose
-
Work out how people will physically punch in.
Personal phones, a shared tablet at the door, or a desktop each point to different tools. If you need a kiosk, that alone removes half the list.
-
Decide whether you are tracking attendance or work.
Attendance means who was on shift, which Homebase, Sling and OnTheClock handle. Work means which project the hours belonged to, which is actiTIME, Clockify and TimeCamp.
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Check the free ceiling against your headcount.
Sling allows 30 users free but only for scheduling, TimeCamp and ClockIt are free with no strict cap, Clockify and Toggl stop at 5, actiTIME at 3.
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Test the payroll export before you commit.
Run one pay period through and check the file your payroll provider actually accepts. Finding out two months in is an expensive lesson.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a clock in clock out app cost?
Most cost between $2 and $8 per user per month. At the lower end, Sling and When I Work start at $2, TimeCamp and ClockIt at $2.99, Clockify at $3.99 and Buddy Punch and OnTheClock at $4. actiTIME is $6 and Toggl Track $9. Homebase prices per month rather than per user, starting at $30. Several run permanent free plans, so a small team can often pay nothing at all.
What is a clock out app?
A clock out app is the same thing as a clock in app: software that records the start and end of a work period. The phrase usually refers to the employee-facing side, the button someone presses when leaving. Behind it, the app stores the punch, calculates hours worked against your break and overtime rules, and builds a timesheet a manager approves before payroll.
Is there a free online clock in system available?
Yes, several. TimeCamp and ClockIt both offer permanent free plans without tight user caps. Homebase’s Basic plan is free, Sling is free for up to 30 users for scheduling, Clockify and Toggl Track are free for up to 5 users, and actiTIME for up to 3. What free plans almost never include is geofencing, timesheet approvals and payroll integration, so check those before assuming free will be enough.
What is the best app to clock in and out with location?
Buddy Punch is the strongest choice, because photo capture, GPS and geofencing are core features rather than paid extras. OnTheClock includes GPS on punches at $4 per employee per month, and ClockIt offers location capture alongside biometric options. Look specifically for geofencing rather than GPS if you want to prevent off-site punches rather than simply record them.
Is a clock in clock out app the same as a timesheet app?
They overlap but start from opposite ends. A clock in and out app captures punches in real time and builds the timesheet from them. A timesheet app expects hours to be entered, often at the end of a day or week. Punches are more accurate for hourly and shift work; entered timesheets are more practical for project work where somebody needs to say which client the hours belonged to. Tools like actiTIME, Clockify and TimeCamp do both.
Record the punch, then find out what it cost
A clock in clock out app tells you who worked and for how long. What most of them never answer is whether those hours went where you expected, which is the question that decides whether a job was worth taking.
actiTIME records hours against projects and tasks, applies cost and billing rates, and reports the variance against your estimates. Start a free 30 day trial. No credit card required, and the free version covers up to 3 users afterwards.
