Buddy Punch vs OnTheClock (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Buddy Punch if

• Fits if your hourly staff are spread across job sites, stores or clients' homes
• Works for small companies that want a time clock, scheduling and payroll links from one vendor

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, since everything is paid once the 14-day trial ends
• Pricey if you're only two or three people, as the $19 base fee is the same for any team and managers count as users
• Tight if you're on Starter and want geofencing, a kiosk, punch photos, offline mode or the API, which all start on Pro
• Watch out: scheduling is $1 a user extra on Starter, and real-time GPS and advanced reporting are $2 each on Starter and Pro
• Not for you if you want a Mac or Windows desktop app, as it runs in a browser, on phones and on ChromeOS

Pick OnTheClock if

• Fits if you run hourly staff and want clock-in and schedules together
• Works for businesses under 100 employees

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: a $5 base fee is charged every month on top of the per-employee price
• Pricey if you want payroll, at $6 per paid employee plus a $40 base and a $250 migration fee
• Too light for large firms, as plans are for under 100 employees and bigger ones are quoted
• Skip it if you want a free plan, as it bills monthly after the 30-day trial

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.

OnTheClock

• Standard plans are designed for under 100 employees; larger organizations are quoted under Enterprise.
• Billing is monthly, and a $5 monthly base fee is charged on top of the per-employee price.
• Payroll costs extra ($6 per paid employee plus a $40 monthly base) and has a one-time $250 migration fee.
• Discounts for education, government and churches or nonprofits are by request.

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.

OnTheClock

Online and mobile time clock

Employees clock in from a browser, desktop, kiosk or mobile app, with timesheet editing, approvals, rounding rules and automatic break tracking.

GPS and punch controls

Location maps, GPS breadcrumb trails, geofencing, IP and Wi-Fi restrictions and biometric fingerprint clocks help verify where employees start work.

Scheduling

Drag-and-drop schedules by employee, location or department, an hours estimator, and schedules shared by email, web, PDF or Excel.

Time off and overtime

Tracks paid time off balances, overtime calculations, salaried employee time, and tips, bonuses, commissions and mileage.

Payroll

An optional add-on runs payroll with direct deposit, state and federal tax compliance, benefit withholdings and year-end forms.

Payroll integrations

One-click exports for QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Square Payroll and others, plus CSV and PDF export.

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.

OnTheClock

• Time and scheduling$4

  per employee / month, plus $5 base fee a month, billed monthly

  One plan with everything: time clock, scheduling, time off, GPS and geofencing, overtime, payroll integrations and support.

• Payroll add-on$6

  per paid employee / month, plus $40 base fee a month

  Unlimited payroll runs, direct deposit, tax filing, W-2s and 1099s. A one-time $250 migration and onboarding fee applies.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For businesses with more than 100 employees. Contact sales for pricing.

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.

OnTheClock

• Education

  Discounts for education, government and nonprofits

  The pricing page lists education, government, and churches and nonprofits as eligible for a discount, which is given on request.