As a CEO of a time tracking software company, my team and I are constantly looking at the best B2B software to know what’s going on in the market. That means we’re often researching about and/or playing around with their products; you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of the top 6 free employee time clock apps, giving credit to those products where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful. I hope it helps you make the right decision…
Overview
More and more employees in the US are going remote. According to Upwork, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025. And as the remote workforce continues to grow, so does the need for seamless time management and accurate attendance tracking. Enter employee time clock apps.
Employee time clocks are basically digital tools designed to track and record the working hours and attendance of employees. These clocks have evolved from traditional punch-in machines to sophisticated software applications tailored to meet the needs of modern workplaces, including remote work setups. The primary goal of these time clocks is to monitor the hours employees spend on work-related tasks accurately.
These apps offer a convenient way to manage time and track attendance, whether you’re a freelancer or part of a distributed team. The best part? You don’t have to spend a dime to access some of the best options available.
Below I share the top free remote employee time clock apps that can truly make a difference. By exploring these valuable tools, you’ll be equipped to optimize your time management and boost productivity in your remote work journey. Let’s get started!
6 Best Free Employee Time Clock Apps for Remote Workers
1. Jibble
There’s a ton to love about the Jibble Employee Time Clock App. It offers a range of convenient and powerful features that make managing employee time and attendance a breeze.
With Jibble, employees can punch in and out using either their mobile devices or desktop computers. It’s super flexible, so they can use their iPhone or Android time tracker, a tablet, or simply login from laptops and desktops via the web app. This way, your employees can use the device that suits them best.
Even if you and your staff work in areas without an internet connection, Jibble still works smoothly. You clock in and out offline, and the data will automatically sync up once the device regains internet access.
Now, even the best of us can forget to turn on our time clocks, but thankfully Jibble’s time clock app is packed with reminder and notification features. It can send time-based or location-based reminders through GPS tracking, making sure everyone is on top of their time entries.
Jibble goes beyond basic clock-ins and outs, offering valuable insights at your fingertips. You can access detailed reporting and analytics within the app to help you easily manage payroll, monitor employee productivity, and track budget costs. These reports can also be exported to your billing software for more accurate payroll processing.
There’s no doubt that Jibble is the go-to employee time clock app with its user-friendly features, robust functionality, and seamless integration into your workflow. Don’t just take my word for it – Jibble has also received high ratings on trusted platforms like Google Play Store, Capterra, and GetApp. The reviews speak for themselves!
Key Features
- Free plan with unlimited users
- Geolocation tracking and geofencing
- User-friendly interface
- Project time tracker
- Detailed reporting and analytics
- Automatic timesheets
- Multi-device compatibility
- Offline time tracking
- Time tracking with screenshots
Ratings
- G2: 4.6/5
- Capterra: 4.8/5
- GetApp: 4.8/5
2. Hubstaff
With a user-friendly interface and a range of features, Hubstaff is designed to help you manage your remote workforce better.
First up, the time tracker comes with built-in GPS technology, allowing you to monitor your team’s locations as they work. You can easily manage schedules on a dashboard, making it simple to keep track of your team’s availability and assign tasks accordingly.
Hubstaff also offers employee surveillance tools like in-app screenshots, app tracking, and URL tracking. These features allow you to monitor your workers’ screens while they’re at work. While this may be useful for some teams, it may not be practical for those who don’t regularly work from screens.
Time-off requests can be approved within the app, streamlining the process for both managers and employees. And the best part? Hubstaff integrates seamlessly with payroll software, making payroll processing a breeze.
Key Features
- Online timesheet calculation
- Invoicing and payroll management
- Project budgeting
- Productivity reports
- No-show and late employee alerts
- Offline time tracking
Ratings
- G2: 4.3/5
- Capterra: 4.6/5
- GetApp: 4.6/5
3. Connecteam
Connecteam is a powerful and user-friendly employee time clock app with great features for time tracking, scheduling, and more. It offers a GPS-enabled time clock for accurate tracking, geofencing to prevent overtime expenses and automated timesheets for easy payroll processing.
With drag-and-drop scheduling, you can create customized shifts, assign tasks, and add files or notes. The app also has task management tools, real-time progress tracking, and in-app chat for quick discussions.
The built-in GPS software lets you track your workers’ real-time location during their scheduled hours, ensuring everyone is where they need to be. The geofencing feature adds another layer of control by setting virtual boundaries around work zones. It sends reminders to workers when they enter or leave a geofence, preventing early clock-ins or late clock-outs and saving you overtime expenses. This is definitely a handy feature to have when working remotely.
There are, however, some drawbacks to consider about Connecteam. Its mobile app has gained low rating of 3.9 stars on the Google Play Store in the US due to frequent app crashes, impacting user experience. There are also bugs and errors in the scheduling feature, which can be frustrating.
While Connecteam has some room for improvement, its overall time-tracking and management capabilities make it an excellent choice for businesses with remote teams. It’s worth exploring its features to see if it aligns with your specific needs.
Key Features
- Shift and Group Scheduling
- Absence & Leave Management
- GPS location tracking
- Automated Reports
- Team collaboration features
- Informative quiz feature
Ratings
- G2: 4.7/5
- Capterra: 4.8/5
- GetApp: 4.8/5
4. Toggl Track
With Toggl Track, employees can easily make time entries with a single click using the timer. The app sends reminders to start and stop timers. Manual adjustments are also possible if needed. You can view time logs for specific periods or by shifts, making it easy to keep track of your team’s activities.
What makes Toggl stand out is its seamless integration with over 100 popular tools like Asana, Zapier, Jira, and Salesforce. This is very handy if you and your team work using several platforms. You can easily connect Toggl with your existing business tools, streamlining their workflow and enhancing productivity.
Toggl’s reporting feature offers customizable charts and graphs, visually representing data in formats like bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs. These visualizations provide valuable insights, helping businesses make informed decisions. You can also export reports in various formats, such as Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, and CSV files.
While Toggl Track presents itself as an appealing option for remote workers, it’s worth noting that some features, such as access to reports or billable hours, come with a price tag of $9 per user per month. This may be a bit steep for some, especially when considering other alternatives that offer similar features at a lower cost.
Key Features
- Calendar Integration
- Light and Dark Mode
- Time Optimization Suggestions
- Visual Time Reports
- Easy Time Tracking
- Flexible time tracking with offline support
Ratings
- G2: 4.7/5
- Capterra: 4.7/5
- GetApp: 4.7/5
5. TimeCamp
TimeCamp is a feature-packed time clock app for remote employee tracking. It offers automatic tracking, invoicing, and extensive reporting.
What makes TimeCamp ideal for remote employee time tracking is its flexibility and seamless collaboration with other tools through its API and integration options. It easily connects with popular apps like Quickbooks, Evernote, and WordPress, streamlining your workflow.
TimeCamp also helps you stay on top of your team’s performance and ensure accurate resource estimates for all projects. The clear reports and charts give you a better view of the time tracked, making project management a breeze.
Furthermore, TimeCamp allows you and your employees to keep track of absences, sick days, and vacation leaves with ease.
All in all, TimeCamp is a valuable tool for remote employee time tracking, helping you optimize team productivity and streamline your workflow. Fair warning, though, the initial setup can be complex, with some users experiencing issues with the UI and the start/stop button of the automatic tracker.
Key Features
- Automatic Time Tracking
- Productivity Tracking
- Smart Invoicing
- 10+ different report formats
- Integrations with apps like Quickbooks, Evernote, and WordPress
Ratings
- G2: 4.7/5
- Capterra: 4.7/5
- GetApp: 4.7/5
6. Harvest
Harvest is a user-friendly employee time clock app that simplifies time tracking and expense management. I like that it has a clean interface. Its timer is fairly easy to set up too. And if you’ve accidentally left your timer on, as well all sometimes do; Harvest lets you manually remove the idle time to ensure accurate time data.
Harvest isn’t just about time tracking, though; it also includes an expense tracking feature. You can use it to monitor expenses and associate them with specific projects or clients, making billing and reimbursement a seamless process.
You can get a wealth of information through timesheets and visual summaries within the app. This can help you manage your diverse team more intelligently. You can also scope and estimate future projects with costing reports on current and past projects.
While Harvest is exceptional for tracking time and expenses on specific projects, it doesn’t directly tabulate attendance. You’ll have to manually do this, which can be inconvenient.
Key Features
- Time and Expense Tracking
- Invoicing Features
- Offline Tracking
- Automatic Reminders and Notifications
- Accounting Integrations
Ratings
- G2: 4.3/5
- Capterra: 4.6/5
- GetApp: 4.6/5
What Should Remote Workers Look for in an Employee Time Clock App?
Not all employee time clock apps are created equal. So, if you’re a remote worker looking for the perfect employee time clock app, here are some features you should keep an eye out for:
- User-Friendly Interface: Nobody wants to waste time figuring out a complicated app. Look for one that’s user-friendly, allowing you to clock in and out without any head-scratching moments.
- Seamless Integrations: Make sure your chosen time clock app can sync up with your payroll and project management systems, making your work life smoother and more organized.
- Reliable Time Tracking: Accuracy is the name of the game. You want an app that’ll keep track of all your work hours, from breaks to overtime, so there are no disputes when it comes to billing and payroll.
- Multi-Device Compatibility: As a remote worker, you’re always on the go, so you need an app that can keep up! Choose one that works seamlessly across various devices, like your laptop, smartphone, or tablet, allowing you to clock in and out wherever you are without any hassle.
- Reporting and Analytics: A good time clock app should provide detailed reports and analytics to help you monitor and improve your productivity. These reports can also be very helpful when it comes to streamlining your payroll process.
- Security: Prioritize an app with robust security measures to protect your sensitive work-related data. It should use encryption and other measures to protect your sensitive information from prying eyes.
