Question 1

Is Clockify actually free forever?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Clockify's free plan has no seat cap and no expiration date, confirmed on Clockify's own pricing page as of 2025. You can add unlimited users and track unlimited hours at no charge. The catch is what the free tier excludes: direct payroll integrations (QuickBooks, Gusto), time rounding, overtime calculations, and formatted payroll exports all require paid plans starting at $4.99/user/month. If your payroll process depends on clean, formatted exports rather than raw CSV, the free plan will create manual cleanup work. See free time clock pricing true cost analysis for a deeper look at what free plans actually cost in payroll time.

Question 2

Is Homebase really free?

Accepted Answer

Homebase offers a free tier, but it is limited to one location with basic scheduling and time tracking. Payroll sync, labor cost controls, and advanced compliance features require a paid plan starting at $24.95/location/month. If you operate multiple job sites or need approved hours to flow directly into payroll software, you will hit the paywall quickly. The free plan works for a single-location team that can tolerate manual timesheet exports.

Question 3

Is Jibble really free?

Accepted Answer

Jibble's free plan supports unlimited users for basic clock-in and clock-out with facial recognition and GPS. However, overtime rules, automated payroll exports, and advanced reporting are locked behind the Premium tier at approximately $2.49/user/month (billed annually, 2025). If you need overtime calculations applied before export or formatted payroll files, the free plan will not get you there without manual work.

Question 4

Is QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) free?

Accepted Answer

No. QuickBooks Time has no free plan. It starts at $20/month base plus $10/user/month as of 2025. QuickBooks Workforce, the employee self-service portal for viewing pay stubs and W-2s, is included with qualifying QuickBooks Online Payroll subscriptions, but it is not a standalone time clock. Buyers sometimes confuse the two. If you need time capture with direct payroll sync into QuickBooks, QuickBooks Time is the product, and it carries a per-user cost from day one. payroll integrations

Question 5

How much does Buddy Punch cost per month?

Accepted Answer

Buddy Punch starts at $3.49/user/month (Starter plan) with a $19/month base fee. The Pro plan runs $4.49/user/month with the same base. No free plan is available, per Buddy Punch's pricing page (2025). Payroll export is included on all paid plans, and the platform supports GPS punch, scheduling, and photo verification. For field teams that need location-verified punches and payroll-ready exports, the total cost includes both the base fee and the per-user charge. EasyClocking vs Buddy Punch comparison

Question 6

How much does Clockify cost per month for paid plans?

Accepted Answer

Clockify's paid plans range from $4.99/user/month (Basic) to $14.99/user/month (Enterprise), billed annually. The Basic plan unlocks time rounding, project templates, and integrations with QuickBooks and other payroll tools. The Standard plan ($6.99/user/month) adds timesheet approvals, overtime tracking, and scheduling. For teams that need more than raw CSV exports, the Basic tier is usually the minimum viable plan for payroll readiness.

Question 7

How much does ClockShark cost?

Accepted Answer

ClockShark starts at $16/month base plus $8/user/month on the Standard plan and $30/month base plus $10/user/month on the Pro plan (ClockShark pricing page, 2025). It targets construction and field service teams with GPS tracking, job costing, and crew scheduling. The per-user cost is higher than general-purpose time trackers, but the job costing features reduce the need for a separate tool. EasyClocking vs ClockShark comparison

Question 8

How much does OnTheClock cost?

Accepted Answer

OnTheClock charges $4.50/user/month for teams of 3 to 9 employees, scaling down to $3.95/user/month for 10 to 24 employees (OnTheClock pricing, 2025). The first two users are always free. There is no separate base fee. Payroll export and GPS tracking are included on all tiers. For very small teams, the two free seats make it one of the lowest-cost entry points in the category.

Question 9

How much does uAttend cost?

Accepted Answer

uAttend's software plans start at $27/month for up to 25 employees. Hardware time clocks are sold separately. Payroll integrations are included on all software plans. The bundled cost depends on which physical clock you choose, so request a quote that includes both software and hardware to get an accurate total cost of ownership.

Question 10

Does Buddy Punch offer a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Buddy Punch offers a 14-day free trial with full feature access and no credit card required. After the trial, a paid plan ($3.49 to $4.49/user/month plus the $19 base fee) is required to continue. Use the trial period to test payroll export formatting with your specific payroll system. If the exported file maps cleanly to your payroll import template without manual column editing, that is a strong signal the tool is payroll-ready for your setup.

Question 11

What forces an upgrade from Clockify's free plan?

Accepted Answer

The most common upgrade trigger is payroll export formatting. Clockify's free plan exports raw CSV but does not support direct integrations with QuickBooks, Gusto, or other payroll systems. Those require the Basic ($4.99/user/month) or Standard ($6.99/user/month) plan. Teams also hit friction when they need timesheet approvals, overtime rule automation, or time rounding, all of which sit behind paid tiers. If your current process involves reformatting CSV columns before every payroll run, that is the clearest sign the free plan is costing you time.

Question 12

Which time clock plans include payroll integration?

Accepted Answer

Among the most-compared tools, payroll integrations with QuickBooks, Gusto, or ADP are paywalled on Clockify (Basic and above), Homebase (Essentials and above), and Jibble (Premium and above). Buddy Punch includes payroll export on all paid plans. uAttend includes it on all tiers. Before committing to any free or entry-level plan, confirm whether payroll integration means a direct API sync or just a downloadable file that still requires manual formatting. The difference determines how much cleanup work lands on your payroll team each pay period. payroll errors in small business

Question 13

Does QuickBooks Time sync automatically with QuickBooks Payroll?

Accepted Answer

Yes. QuickBooks Time syncs approved hours directly to QuickBooks Payroll in real time. This is the primary reason buyers choose it despite its higher cost ($20 base plus $10/user/month) over free alternatives. Hours, job codes, and overtime calculations flow without manual re-entry. If you already run QuickBooks Payroll, the integration eliminates the export-import step entirely. If you use a different payroll provider, the value of that automatic sync drops significantly.

Question 14

Can free time clock apps produce payroll-ready exports?

Accepted Answer

Most free plans (Clockify Free, Jibble Free, OpenTimeClock Free) export raw CSV that requires manual formatting before import into payroll software. Common gaps include missing department or cost center codes, no overtime calculation applied, no approval status column, and inconsistent date or time formatting. A payroll-ready export should include employee ID, hours by pay type (regular and overtime), department or job code, and approval status. If any of those fields are missing or require manual addition, the export is not truly payroll-ready. free time clock pricing true cost analysis

Question 15

What are the best free alternatives to Clockify?

Accepted Answer

The strongest free Clockify alternatives for small teams are Toggl Track (free for up to 5 users with unlimited time tracking), Jibble (free for unlimited users with GPS clock-in), and OnTheClock (free for the first 2 users). All three offer CSV export but differ on payroll integration depth. Toggl Track is strongest for project-based time tracking. Jibble is strongest for GPS-verified attendance. OnTheClock is strongest for small teams that need a simple punch clock without a base fee. None of the free tiers include direct payroll API sync.

Question 16

How does Buddy Punch compare to Clockify on price?

Accepted Answer

Clockify is cheaper for large teams because its free tier has no seat cap, and paid plans start at $4.99/user/month with no base fee. Buddy Punch ($3.49/user/month plus a $19 base fee) includes scheduling, GPS punch verification, and photo capture features that Clockify gates behind higher tiers. For field teams that need location-verified punches and shift scheduling in one tool, Buddy Punch can be more cost-effective despite the base fee. For office or remote teams doing project-based time tracking, Clockify's free or Basic plan is usually the better value.

Question 17

Is QuickBooks Workforce the same as QuickBooks Time?

Accepted Answer

No. QuickBooks Workforce is the employee-facing self-service portal for viewing pay stubs, W-2s, and time-off requests. It is included with QuickBooks Online Payroll subscriptions at no extra charge. QuickBooks Time is a separate time tracking product with its own subscription ($20/month base plus $10/user/month). The two integrate but are billed independently. If you need employees to clock in and out with GPS, job codes, and overtime tracking, you need QuickBooks Time. If you only need employees to view their pay information, QuickBooks Workforce is already included with your payroll plan.

Question 18

How does EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software pricing compare to these vendors?

Accepted Answer

EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software uses quote-based pricing that varies by employee count, number of locations, hardware selection, and integration requirements. The published starting price listed on Capterra is $3/user/month. The platform bundles biometric time clock hardware and cloud software into one package, which means comparing it to software-only vendors on a pure per-user basis can be misleading. You should request a quote from EasyClocking by WorkEasy Software that includes hardware, software, and implementation so you can compare total cost of ownership rather than just the software line item. request a quote

Question 19

What hidden costs should I watch for in time tracking pricing?

Accepted Answer

The most common hidden costs are payroll integration fees (some vendors charge extra for direct API sync versus basic CSV export), hardware costs for physical time clocks sold separately from the software subscription, implementation or onboarding fees not shown on the pricing page, and per-location surcharges for multi-site deployments. Also watch for seat minimums that force you to pay for more users than you have, and for annual billing requirements disguised as monthly pricing. Always ask for a written quote that includes every line item before committing. gap assessment tool

Question 20

Should I choose a free time clock app or pay for payroll-ready time tracking?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your payroll process. If you have fewer than five employees, run payroll manually, and can tolerate reformatting a CSV file each pay period, a free plan from Clockify or Jibble may be sufficient. If you have more employees, multiple job sites, overtime rules, or a payroll system that expects formatted imports, the manual cleanup from a free plan will cost more in labor hours than a paid subscription saves. The real comparison is not free versus paid. It is the subscription cost versus the hours your payroll team spends fixing export gaps every pay cycle.

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