Buddy Punch vs Hubstaff

Buddy Punch

• Businesses with hourly staff spread across job sites, stores or clients' homes
• Employers that want GPS, photo or geofence checks on every punch
• Small companies that want a time clock, scheduling and payroll from one vendor

Hubstaff

• Remote teams whose managers want screenshots and activity data as proof of work
• Companies that pay contractors from tracked hours
• Field teams that need mobile location tracking and geofenced job sites

Buddy Punch

• There is no free plan: the FAQ says all plans are paid once the free trial ends.
• Every plan carries a $19 monthly base fee on top of the per-user price, and managers count as paid users.
• Geofencing, kiosk and QR code punching, punch photos, offline mode and API access are not in Starter.
• Real-time GPS, advanced reporting and extended data retention are add-ons at $2 per user a month each on Starter and Pro.

Hubstaff

• No free plan: Hubstaff's FAQ says free use is limited to the 14-day trial.
• Starter, Grow and Team have a 2-seat minimum, and Enterprise is listed as billed annually.
• Starter includes no integrations and Grow includes 1; unlimited integrations need Team.
• Insights, Tasks, Locations and the silent app cost extra on lower plans: $1.67 to $3.33 per seat a month on annual billing.

Buddy Punch

Punching from any device

Employees clock in from a browser, the iOS and Android apps or a ChromeOS app. A tablet can serve as a shared kiosk with four-digit PINs, QR codes or Face ID, and text-to-punch covers staff without internet.

GPS and geofences

Every plan records GPS coordinates with each punch. Geofences that block off-site punches start on Pro, and live location maps are a $2 per user a month add-on that Advanced includes.

Automatic timesheets and overtime

Punches are compiled into timesheets that employees submit for approval each pay period. More than a dozen overtime types, automatic breaks and punch rounding rules are available.

Employee scheduling

A drag-and-drop schedule builder with recurring shifts, templates, shift trades and availability. It costs $1 per user a month on Starter and is included with Pro and Advanced.

Time off tracking

PTO accrues by rules you set or is entered by hand. Employees see their balances and request time off, and approved time is added to timesheets and shown on schedules.

Payroll and payroll integrations

Hours sync to providers such as QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP and Paychex. Buddy Punch's own payroll service can be added to any plan for $8 per user a month plus a $49 monthly base fee.

Hubstaff

Timer and timesheets

A timer on desktop, web and mobile produces timesheets on every plan. Timesheet approvals, scheduling and attendance, time off and overtime start on Team.

Screenshots and activity levels

Captures screenshots, activity levels and the apps and URLs used during tracked time. Starter allows 500 screenshots per seat a month, Grow 1,500, and Team is unlimited.

Insights

A workforce analytics add-on from $2.50 per seat a month that classifies work time, reports focus and meeting time and flags unusual activity. Included with Enterprise.

Payments and payroll

Team members can be paid from their tracked hours. Payments are limited on Starter and Grow and open up on Team, with integrations such as PayPal, Wise, Deel and Gusto.

Clients, invoices and budgets

Client invoices are part of every plan, with Starter capped at 5 clients. Project budgets and expense tracking start on Grow.

Locations

Mobile location tracking with geofenced job sites and work orders. It is a $3.33 per seat a month add-on for Team, included with Enterprise and not offered on Starter or Grow.

Buddy Punch

• Starter$4.99

  per user / month, billed annually ($5.99 monthly), plus $19 base fee

  Punch clock, GPS on punches, mobile apps, time off tracking, job tracking, payroll integrations and reports. Scheduling is a $1 per user add-on.

• Pro$6.99

  per user / month, billed annually ($7.99 monthly), plus $19 base fee

  Adds offline mode, basic geofencing, QR code and kiosk punching, punch photos, break compliance, API and MCP access, and scheduling.

• Advanced$12.99

  per user / month, billed annually ($13.99 monthly), plus $19 base fee

  Adds advanced reporting, SSO with Okta, OneLogin or SAML 2.0, manager permissions by group, real-time GPS and dedicated support.

Hubstaff

• Starter$4.99

  per seat / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum

  Time tracking, timesheets, activity levels, clients and invoices, limited reports and payments, and 500 screenshots per seat a month.

• Grow$7.50

  per seat / month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum

  Adds full reports, 1 integration, idle timeout, project budgets, expenses and the Tasks add-on, with 1,500 screenshots per seat a month.

• Team$10

  per seat / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly); 2-seat minimum

  Adds unlimited screenshots and app and URL tracking, teams, payments and payroll, unlimited integrations and a 3-month Insights trial.

• Enterprise$25

  per seat / month, billed annually

  Adds the silent app, Locations and Insights, higher public API limits, ACH payment, HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II compliance, and SCIM provisioning.

Buddy Punch

• Annual discount

  Save up to 18% with annual billing

  The pricing page labels annual billing "Save up to 18%": Starter is $4.99 per user a month against $5.99 monthly, Pro $6.99 against $7.99 and Advanced $12.99 against $13.99.

Hubstaff

• Annual discount

  2 months free with annual billing

  The pricing page labels annual billing "2 months free": Team is $10 per seat a month annually against $12 monthly, and Starter is $4.99 against $7.

• Other savings

  Small Business Essentials flat-fee plan

  Hubstaff's support site describes a special-offer plan for new organizations at $144 a year, billed annually, with 3 paid seats plus a free owner seat and no add-ons.