Top 7 Best Time Clock Apps in 2024 & How to Choose the Right One

best time clock apps

In 2024 there are more time clock apps available than ever before. This can make it difficult to choose the right one for your business. While all time clocks provide some type of time-tracking features, some are focused on web application productivity while others provide features for shift work time-tracking when managing shift work employees and multiple clients and locations.

We tested out the platforms to give you a list of 7 best time clock apps to choose from, each with its own focus, features, pros and cons. This article will guide you through the review process and highlight the features and best use cases for each of the platforms.

What are the best time clock apps in 2024?

What is the best time clock for 2024? We tested out features for our 7 top choices for this year to understand which features each one offers and how these can benefit your workflows. Our list has the best time clock apps for both small and large businesses, for complex needs and simple, straightforward setups as well as for both creative freelancers and large staffing companies.

Top employee clock In apps comparison & ratings chart

Software Name Best for Price Capterra Rating
PARiM Shift-based industries, staffing agencies, complex schedules £39 per month, unlimited users 4.8
Deputy Retail scheduling $3.50 per user per month 4.6
Clockify Basic time-tracking needs $3.99 per user per month 4.5
Time Doctor Complex office time-tracking needs $5.90 per user per month 4.4
DeskTime Individual desktop time-tracking €6 per user per month 4.6
Timely Creative agencies, individual freelancers $9 per user per month 4.8
Quickbooks Time Small businesses $20 per month + $8 per month per user 4.7

Best 7 Clocking-In Apps In the UK Reviewed

We tried and tested seven of the best clocking-in apps UK companies should look for when deciding to implement a new time-tracking system. We condensed our experience into the following reviews, highlighting the main features, pros, and cons to help you choose the best fit for your business.

The best time clock apps for 2024 are listed below.

1. Parim

employee clock in apps

The Parim time clock app provides a simple solution for employees working with shift schedules and multiple locations to clock in and out with their mobile devices. Managers and supervisors receive instant updates each time a staff member has clocked in, out or started their breaks. It offers the best GPS time clock for geofencing to give you an overview if everyone is at their shifts or if someone is running late.

Parim time tracking software integrates the payroll into this workflow to make it a quick and seamless process. Custom pay rules with overtime rates and multipliers are automatically calculated based on time clock data. Furthermore, Parim operates as a comprehensive workforce management solution, providing scheduling automation for complex patterns and irregular hours. Parim’s unique pricing structure offers one of the best scalable solutions for your business operations, as all plans have unlimited users

Top Features

  • Real-time updates to supervisors

  • GPS and geofencing

  • Complex pay calculations

Pros

  • All-in-one workforce management

  • Unlimited users with all plans

  • Customisable and scalable

  • Quick payroll process

Cons

  • Few integrations at the moment

Integrations 

Parim offers data integrations with industry-leading platforms Zapier and BambooHR. For a quick and employee-friendly payroll process, you can integrate Parim with Wagestream. Additionally, Parim has its own API for data extraction.

Support

Parim has a comprehensive help centre with support articles and quickstart guides, as well as tutorial videos and webinars. All users receive email support. The professional plan clients have the addition of chat support, and premium clients have the option to book online meetings. All enterprise customers will be provided with dedicated account management for priority support.

Ratings and Reviews

clock in apps for employees

Parim time clock users praise its simplicity, speed and accuracy, as well as providing automated timesheets for a quick payroll process. Supervisors highlight the convenience of seeing who checks in when and the geofencing features that help ensure staff attendance.

Parim holds an average score of 4.8 out of 5 stars on G2 and Capterra

Pricing

Parim offers four different pricing plans, all of which receive an unlimited number of users with an unlimited staff database to store temporary workforce and subcontractors’ information:

  • Starter: £39 per month, 1,000 shift hours included

  • Professional: £99 per month, 2,500 shift hours included

  • Premium: £249 per month, 4,500 shit hours included

  • Enterprise: custom pricing, 15,000 shift hours included


2. Deputy

Deputy is a staff scheduling tool with a time clock feature for shift work employees to clock in and out. Its features and pricing structure make it a sound choice for small to medium-sized shift work businesses, such as retail.

Top Features

  • Alerts and notifications

  • Communication tools

  • Scheduling options

Pros

  • Well-designed user interface

  • Payroll integrations

Cons

  • Can be very pricey

  • Steep learning curve

  • Limited mobile functionality

Integrations 

Deputy has multiple integration options with payroll software, accounting systems and HR databases, such as ADP, BambooHR, Xero and Zapier, among many others.

Support

Deputy has a help centre with support articles by topic, which are also findable by the search function. All plans receive email support with custom support options for enterprise clients.

Ratings and Reviews

Deputy reviewers hold positive views about the system's notifications and alerts as communication tools. The user interface has received mixed feedback and some point out that time-tracking features could be more accurate.

Deputy holds an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 on G2.

Pricing

Deputy has created two separate plans for staff scheduling and time-tracking functions. The premium plan combines both and adds reporting features. An enterprise plan with custom pricing is also available. The current prices are the following:

  • Scheduling: $3.50 per user per month

  • Time & Attendance: $3.50 per user per month

  • Premium: $4.90 per user per month

  • Enterprise: Custom pricing


3. Clockify

Clockify is a simple time-tracking application designed to provide straightforward functionality to those who are not looking for advanced features. Clockify’s simple interface and basic project management tools make it a good choice for small teams and freelancers.

Top Features

  • Free Version

  • Simple project management tools

  • Collaboration features

Pros

  • Beginner-friendly

  • Somewhat flexible

Cons

  • Very limited features

  • Can be too basic for mid-sized and large teams

  • Few integrations

Integrations 

Clockify has integrations with project management platforms Jira, Asana, Trello and Monday. Additionally, it can be integrated with productivity software, such as Google Workspace and Salesforce.

Support

Clockify has a feature-specific help. Articles can also be found via the search function. There is also a contact form for sending feedback.

Ratings and Reviews

Clockify users highlight its simple concept and usability. There has been some mixed feedback about the system’s overall speed, as many report it being unresponsive. Some have also been reviewing the user interface as outdated.

Clockify currently holds an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 on G2.

Pricing

Clockify has a free version and four separate pricing options:

  • Basic: $3.99 per user per month

  • Standard: $5.49 per user per month

  • Pro: $7.99 per user per month

  • Enterprise: $11.99 per user per month


4. Time Doctor

Time Doctor is a productivity management and time-tracking tool designed to measure and optimise work done on computers. It’s a good choice for those needing detailed reports about how many hours were spent on specific tasks. Time Doctor measures time spent on the web and applications with optional features such as distract notifications to help out with productivity.

Top Features

  • Website monitoring

  • Distraction notification

  • Integrations

Pros

  • Office work productivity features

  • Reporting functions

Cons

  • Not useful for anything other than computer work

  • More robust than most users need

  • Very steep learning curve

Integrations 

Time Doctor has integrations with project management software Asana and GSuite and CRM integration options with Pipedrive and Hubspot.

Support

Time Doctor has created its support hub around multiple types of support articles, tutorial videos and quick start guides.

Ratings and Reviews

Time Doctor’s users praise the detailed reporting features and measurements that showcase productivity. On the other hand, there have been reports about bugs. Some users find the limited mobile support to be a bottleneck of the system.

Time Doctor holds an average of 4.4 out of 5 score on G2.

Pricing

Time Doctor currently offers the following pricing options:

  • Basic: $5.90 per user per month

  • Standard: $8.40 per user per month

  • Premium: $16.70 per user per month


5. Desktime

Desktime is a time tracking system for desktop work, using methods such as the Pomodoro technique to balance focus with rest breaks to maintain a healthy workload and a healthy work-life balance. Desktime is a good fit for individuals and small teams requiring automatic time tracking and freelancers who are focused on productivity analysis.

Top Features

  • Schedule planning

  • Break reminders

  • Private time rest features

Pros

  • Automatic time tracking for convenience

  • Productivity analysis features

  • Suitable for freelancers and small businesses

Cons

  • Lack of advanced features

  • User interface preferences vary among users

Integrations 

Desktime offers productivity integrations with Google Workspace, Outlook, Trello, Jira and Asana.

Support

Desktime offers support articles that are structured around frequently asked questions. Additionally, users can book support calls.

Ratings and Reviews

Desktime users praise its quick and easy setup and cloud-based operation that records user history. Some users point out inaccuracies about productivity vs entertainment labelling and occasional glitches that stop time-tracking.

Time Doctor holds an average of 4.6 out of 5 score on G2.

Pricing

Time Doctor currently offers the following pricing options:

  • Pro: €6 per user per month

  • Premium: €9 per user per month

  • Enterprise: €18 per user per month


6. Timely

Timely is a modern time-tracking solution designed to track time and projects for billable hours. This makes it a good choice for accountants, creative agencies and other professionals who operate with clients and partnerships.

Top Features

  • Individual data protection

  • Mobile workflows

  • Automatic time-tracking

Pros

  • Simple and clean interface

  • Suitable for creative freelancers

Cons

  • Pricing is higher than most other options

  • Lack of advanced features

Integrations 

Timely offers a good variety of integrations based on functionality. Productivity integrations include Google Workspace, Outlook, Trello, Jira and Asana.

Support

Timely has a comprehensive help centre with support articles. Additionally, all plans receive email support.

Ratings and Reviews

Timely customers praise its user-friendly interface that provides a clear overview of projects and billable hours. As Timely uses AI, many users report that it has to be manually retrained for some purposes and that calendars need resyncing from time to time. Some reviewers found that a lack of search functionality has made some steps a bit slower than they could have been.

Timely holds an average of 4.8 out of 5 score on G2.

Pricing

Time Doctor currently offers the following pricing options:

  • Starter: $9 per user per month

  • Premium: $16 per user per month

  • Unlimited: $22 per user per month

7. Quickbooks Time

Quickbooks Time provides simple and straightforward scheduling and time-tracking options for small companies. It's a good step up from manual scheduling if you don't require advanced features or manage complex schedules.

Top Features

  • Employee scheduling

  • Mobile app

  • Time kiosk

Pros

  • Quick to set up

  • Comprehensive reporting functionality

Cons

  • Limited scheduling options

  • Reports of bugs and glitches

Integrations 

Quickbooks has available integrations with multiple payroll and HR data management platforms. It can be easily integrated with the Quickbooks Online bookkeeping platform.

Support

Finding the right support article can take some navigation on the web as Quickbook's main is still their accounting software. However, all Quickbooks Time users receive chat support to help them solve their issues.

Ratings and Reviews

Quickbooks Time has received positive feedback for its integrations and syncing options with Quickbooks Online. Some employees have reported occasional time clock inaccuracies.

Quickbooks Time currently holds an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 on G2.

Pricing

Quickbooks Time offers two separate pricing options:

  • Premium: $20 per month + $8 per month per user

  • Elite: $40 per month + $10 per month per user


What Features To Look For When Choosing Clock in Apps for Employees?

First and foremost, you should always look for something that is easily accessible, available and usable. A user-friendly mobile app and efficient desktop environment for managers and supervisors help quickly adapt a new system within your organisation. And while time-tracking itself is great for data collection, the real value comes from streamlining the timesheets and payroll process. This is why we have listed the top 5 features of employee clock-in apps:

  1. Real-time updates and data

  2. A user-friendly app

  3. Automated salary calculations

  4. A quick payroll process

  5. GPS and geofencing functions for attendance tracking

Which Of The Top Clock-in Apps for Work Is Right For You?

If you want to know how to select the best time clock software, it’s important to first define your work type to better understand which features you need. For individuals working mostly with computers, web productivity software tools like Desktime or Time Doctor might be the best fit.

Organisations operating shift work for multiple locations, such as healthcare facilities, security companies and event staffing agencies, will want their time clock apps to ensure staff attendance while providing accurate real-time data. For these types of businesses, Parim is the best-fitting solution, providing a real-time overview of all job sites and clock-ins while ensuring accountability with GPS and geofencing features.

Another thing to consider for managing employees with shift schedules is the working time regulations UK organisations must follow. Having a time tracking system that ensures compliance with labour regulations will significantly improve your organisational efficiency and reduce any legal risks.

Automate your time clock and payroll processes with Parim

clocking in apps uk

Accurate salaries for complex pay rules

Parim time clock app not only accurately tracks employee time but also provides automated calculations for complex pay rules with overtime rates and multipliers, which are often essential requirements for shift work.

Automated timesheets with 3-way approval process

When employees clock in and out with the Parim time clock app, timesheets are automatically created. These can be quickly approved by the employee and their manager with the option to also require the client’s approval in the app. This provides an incredibly quick workflow for staffing agencies and other businesses that provide staff as a service for a 3-way timesheet approval process.

Bulk export timesheets to payroll

After timesheets are approved, managers can bulk export them to payroll providers to ensure quick and accurate salaries for all their employees. You no longer need to worry about time-consuming and error-prone manual salary calculations. Move towards efficiency, free up management time, and reduce overhead costs.

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Full Guide to Working Time Regulations in the UK in 2024