Best Time and Attendance Systems 2018

Chad Brooks
August 17, 2018

A good time and attendance system can help you keep track of your employees' hours, schedules and even time off requests. We conducted research on dozens of products to narrow down the best choices for businesses in 2018. Our top recommendations are below, but if you want to take a step back and learn more about time and attendance systems, see what experts advise in our guide to choosing a time and attendance system.

Our Best Picks

To help you find the right Time and Attendance Systems, we researched and analyzed dozens of options. Here is a roundup of our 2018 best picks for Time and Attendance Systems and an explanation of how we chose them.

Best for Small Businesses

stratustime

Cost: $4/mo per employee

Read Review

Best for Very Small Businesses

uAttend

Cost: $18/mo, up to 9 employees

Read Review

Best for Businesses with a Mobile Workforce

TSheets

Cost: $5/employee + $20/mo base

Read Review

Best for Larger Employers

TimeClock Plus

Cost: $24-$36/employee, per year

Read Review

Editor's Note: Looking for information on time and attendance systems? Use the questionnaire below, and our vendor partners will contact you to provide you with the information you need:

stratustime

Best for Small Businesses

Summary

Stratustime offers everything small businesses need in a time and attendance system. The cloud-based solution has a comprehensive assortment of time-tracking options, with employees able to clock in and out via traditional time clocks, internet-connected computers, mobile devices and telephones. The system also manages paid time off, generates employee schedules, monitors overtime hours, integrates with a wide range of payroll services and features a variety of mobile options.

We were impressed with the system's easy-to-use online portal, the company's customer service and the system's affordable monthly cost.

Read our full review of stratustime

uAttend

Best for Very Small Businesses

Summary

The uAttend time and attendance system is a good fit for very small businesses because it is cloud-based and requires no special software to install. The system is very flexible, letting employees clock in and out with time clocks, web browsers, mobile devices and telephones. UAttend's time clocks are plug-and-play ready, include lifetime guarantees and are among the cheapest we found.

Besides its ability to record when employees come and go, the system also manages paid time off, tracks how long employees work on specific projects and creates office-wide schedules.

Read our full review of uAttend

TSheets

Best for Businesses with a Mobile Workforce

Summary

TSheets allows remote employees to clock in and out with laptop computers, smartphones, telephones, text messages and Twitter. Additionally, the system records not only exactly where workers start and end their shifts, but also their locations throughout the day. The pricing is extremely affordable, and the customer service is among the best we encountered.

Read our full review of TSheets

TimeClock Plus

Best for Larger Employers

Summary

TimeClock Plus is a cloud-based time and attendance system that offers three different service plans, which vary by price and the number of features included. The most comprehensive plan not only includes multiple ways to track when employees come and go but also features a paid time off management component and scheduling tools. Additionally, TimeClock Plus is affordable and easy to use.

Read our full review of TimeClock Plus

Our Methodology

Locating the Best Services

To determine the best time and attendance systems, we started by listing all the vendors that have a good reputation online (i.e., services that were favorably and consistently reviewed by other websites). Then, we interviewed small business owners to discover new ones to add to our list.

Choosing the Best Services

We ultimately settled on 18 time and attendance systems to consider as best picks. They were: Acrotime from Acroprint, Buddy Punch, Clockspot, ClockVIEW from Acumen, EPAY Systems, Kronos' Workforce Ready, myGeoTracking from Abaqus, NovaTime, stratustime from nettime solutions, TimeAttend from Replicon, TimeClick from Hawkeye Technology, TimeClock Plus, TimeForce from Infinisource, Timesheets.com, TimeStar from Insperity, TSheets, uAttend from Processing Point and Webtimeclock. (See full list of time and attendance systems and their websites below.)

Researching Each Service

Next, we researched each provider by investigating its services, watching tutorials and how-to videos, trying out the system when possible, reading user comments and checking out its Better Business Bureau rating. We also considered pricing. After narrowing down the list to 10 contenders, we contacted each company's customer service department by phone (and live chat if possible) and posed as business owners to gauge the type of support each provider offered.

Analyzing Each Service

In all, we analyzed each service based on the following factors: Cost; Time-tracking capabilities; Time off management; Overtime monitoring; Scheduling tools; Available reports; Ease of use; Customer service; Integration options; Mobile access; Better Business Bureau complaints and rating.

Considering Biometric Time and Attendance Systems

We know that many businesses are looking for biometric time and attendance systems. These systems require employees to use their fingerprints or a facial scan to log into the system. This prevents "buddy punching," which is when employees clock in or out for their late or absent co-workers. Businesses should know, however, that nearly all time and attendance systems, including most of our best picks, offer biometric options. As long as the system you choose works with physical time clocks, it is likely it utilizes biometrics. Nearly all time and attendance system providers that offer physical time clocks have biometric time clocks as an option.

Full List

Best Picks

Full List of Time and Attendance Systems

Here is a full list of time and attendance system providers and a summary of what each company claims to offer. This alphabetical list also includes our picks for best services.

Boomr

Boomr is a mobile app-based time and attendance system that is especially useful for businesses with remote employees or multiple business locations. With the app, employees can quickly clock in and out, and receive automatic reminders when it is time to take a break or they are nearing overtime. Employers can create shifts, receive detailed labor reports and track paid time off.

https://www.boomr.com

Time Clock MTS

Time Clock MTS is a high-performing time clock program with many helpful tools and features.

https://www.timeclockmts.com

TimePilot PC

TimePilot PC is designed easy to use for employees, making it a good choice for time card software.

http://www.timepilot.com

ADP

ADP offers payroll services for businesses of all sizes. While the size of your business will determine the platform you use, each offers the same core payroll services, including the ability to run payroll online, over the phone or via mobile app.

https://www.adp.com

TimeCard Manager

TimeCard Manager by EconSoft has many time-tracking features in its time card system, including automatic accrual calculations.

http://www.econsoft.com

ShopClock

ShopClock is an easy-to-use time-keeping system with a comprehensive set of features. This well-organized software is very easy for both employees and administrators to use.

https://www.shopclock.com

Sundial Timekeeping

Sundial is a popular time clock software with a comprehensive and powerful tool set for web-based tracking employee time. It includes many robust features that several other time card solutions lack, such as the ability to track shift differentials and a shift scheduler.

http://www.sundialtime.com

TimeClick

TimeClick by Hawkeye Technology is a comprehensive time clock software app that can provide custom features for your business. It includes powerful tools for tracking time cards, creating schedules and creating payroll.

http://www.timeclick.com

TimeClock Plus

TimeClock Plus provides organizations with a number of options to create a system that fits their specific needs and price point. The system can be hosted in the cloud or on-premises, and is available in three different service plans. With TimeClock Plus, employees can track time in a variety of ways, including via timeclocks, web browsers or mobile apps. It tracks both hourly and salaried employees, has robust administrative tools with many customizable options, manages paid time off and allows for scheduling.

https://www.timeclockplus.com

Replicon TimeAttend

Replicon's TimeAttend helps you track employees' time, including hourly, salaried and contract workers.

https://www.replicon.com

Insperity

Insperity provides PEO services to businesses that need benefits administration, payroll processing, risk management resources and human resource consulting. This company excels in the employee training and HR outsourcing spaces, and its competitive pricing and contract structure puts it on par with competitors.

https://www.insperity.com

iSolved Time

iSolved Time manages your employees' time and integrates with different types of time clocks, including badge, biometric and rugged models. This rules-driven system works for all employee types, including hourly, exempt salaried and non-exempt salaried. You can set tracking rules, exceptions, minimum and maximum hours, and other useful parameters to ensure accuracy and efficiency when processing your payroll.

https://www.isolvedtime.com

Redcort Software Virtual TimeClock

Redcort Software's Virtual TimeClock is time tracking software that can be used by small and large businesses using either Macs or PCs. Instead of subscribing to a cloud-based service on a monthly basis, you purchase a license for the software and then host it on your own computer.

http://www.redcort.com

Pyramid Time Systems

Pyramid Time Systems offers a variety of time tracking solutions for businesses, including manual punch clocks, software-based time clocks and synchronized clocks.

https://www.pyramidtimesystems.com

InfoTronics Attendance on Demand

InfoTronics' Attendance on Demand can be customized to meet your business's needs. It's available as a cloud-hosted or on-premises solution and offers several ways employers and employees can track time, work schedules, and paid time off.

http://www.infotronics.com

OnTheClock.com

OnTheClock.com is a web-based time and attendance system that hosts a virtual time clock online rather than on your own server. Both the employee and administrative portals are easy to navigate with most of the functions and tools businesses need in a time and attendance system.

https://www.ontheclock.com

Acumen Data Systems ClockView

Acumen's ClockView is a complete solution that automates employee time and attendance. Users can track employees’ time accurately, across the board, and in real time on any device, including biometric and web-based timeclocks.

http://acumendatasystems.com

TSheets

TSheets is cloud-based time tracking and management software that's easy to use and has a capable mobile app.

https://www.tsheets.com

Kronos

Workforce Ready Time Keeping is part of the Kronos' cloud-based Workforce Ready suite of services. The time and attendance system offers all the features businesses need to manage their employees' time and schedules, such as multiple ways to clock in and out and paid time off management and scheduling. Employees can clock in and out and manage their other time needs from timeclocks, web browsers and mobile apps. The system, which can be used by small- to medium-size businesses in various industries, also tracks time-off accruals, and has a notification system and audit trail that helps you comply with labor laws.

https://www.kronos.com

Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch is a powerful time and attendance system that is easy for both employees and administrators to use. The cloud-based system allows employees to clock in and out each day from their own workstation. The system includes a wide range of features, such as paid time off management, job codes and overtime alerts. This system also provides access controls and handles California overtime tracking to ensure accurate payroll.

https://buddypunch.com

TimeCamp

TimeCamp tracks attendance and monitors productivity. With this software, managers can quickly see how many paid hours employees have logged each day and get a breakdown of the projects their staff are working on. The software also includes the ability to track billable hours, online invoicing and review how much time is wasted each day. TimeCamp offers a wide range of integrations.

https://www.timecamp.com

NOVAtime

NOVAtime provides complete time and attendance systems equipped with badge time clocks, biometric time clocks, proximity time clocks and web-based kiosk devices. It's also capable of integrating with many human resource or payroll applications.

http://www.novatime.com

Mitrefinch

Mitrefinch is a provider of workforce management solutions for organizations with more than 100 employees. Its on-premises and cloud-based systems include HR software that helps manage vacation planning, sick leave and other absences. The system is compatible with any iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows mobile device. The system works with biometric, proximity and web-based clocking terminals.

https://mitrefinch.com

stratustime

stratustime from nettime solutions has all the features businesses of any size would want in a time and attendance system. The cloud-based system tracks when employees come and go, when they take breaks, how long they work on certain projects, and how much paid time off they've accrued.

http://www.nettimesolutions.com

uAttend

uAttend is a versatile time and attendance system that gives you wide selections in time-tracking methods.

https://uattend.com

SutiSoft

Capture accurate employee clock in and clock out details using biometrics or cards and regularize attendance. Data can be easily viewed, downloaded, or exported. SutiSoft's HR system also allows employers to keep track of employee time off and implement leave policies.

https://www.sutisoft.com

Editor's Note: Looking for information on time and attendance systems? Use the questionnaire below, and our vendor partners will contact you to provide you with the information you need:

Chad Brooks

Chad Brooks is a Chicago-based writer and editor with nearly 20 years in media. A 1998 journalism graduate of Indiana University, Chad began his career with Business News Daily in 2011 as a freelance writer. In 2014, he joined the staff full time as a senior writer. Before Business News Daily, Chad spent nearly a decade as a staff reporter for the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago, covering a wide array of topics including local and state government, crime, the legal system and education. Chad has also worked on the other side of the media industry, promoting small businesses throughout the United States for two years in a public relations role. His first book, How to Start a Home-Based App Development Business, was published in 2014. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Chicago suburbs.