Buddy Punch vs QuickBooks Time

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

QuickBooks Time

• Businesses that already run accounting or payroll in QuickBooks
• Field and mobile crews that clock in from phones with GPS
• Shift-based teams that need schedules and a shared time clock

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.

QuickBooks Time

• The pricing page states that a QuickBooks Online account is required to use QuickBooks Time.
• There is no free plan, and both plans charge a monthly base fee on top of the per-user fee.
• Mileage tracking, project tracking and timesheet signatures are limited to Time Elite.
• No Mac or Windows desktop app is listed; computers use a web browser or the time kiosk.

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.

QuickBooks Time

Mobile time clock

Employees clock in and out and sign and submit timesheets in the QuickBooks Workforce app on iPhone, iPad and Android, with GPS location points recorded while on the clock.

Time kiosk

A shared punch clock for on-site teams that runs on a tablet, desktop or laptop. It is part of both the Premium and Elite plans.

Scheduling

Managers create schedules by job or by shift, then edit, publish and share them with the team.

Payroll and invoicing sync

Tracked hours sync to accounting and payroll rather than being re-entered. Intuit says QuickBooks Time integrates with more than 50 accounting and payroll apps.

Projects and mileage

Time Elite adds GPS mileage tracking, project tracking with estimates against actual hours, a project activity feed and timesheet signatures.

Reports and time off

Customizable reports cover job costs and payroll planning, and both plans include time-off management with alerts and notifications.

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.

QuickBooks Time

• Time Premium$20

  per month base fee, plus $10 per user / month

  Base fee includes 1 admin. Workforce app, payroll and invoicing sync, time off, alerts, photo attachments and the time kiosk.

• Time Elite$40

  per month base fee, plus $12 per user / month

  Everything in Premium plus mileage tracking, project tracking, project estimates vs. actuals, a project activity feed and timesheet signatures.

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.

QuickBooks Time

• Other savings

  50% off the base fee for 3 months

  Intuit lists 50% off the monthly base price for the first 3 months of new subscriptions. The discount does not apply to per-user fees.