Buddy Punch vs Timeero (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 Timeero if

• Fits if you manage staff on the road and need GPS clock-ins and mileage
• Works for crews that export hours to payroll

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay on Basic, which is capped at 10 users and has no scheduling or geofencing
• Pricey if you add segmented tracking from $5 or messaging at $2 a user
• Watch out: the API, time off and facial recognition need Premium at $10
• Watch out: SMS notifications are billed at about $0.02 a message

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.

Timeero

• The Basic plan is capped at 10 users, and scheduling, geofencing and job tracking need Pro.
• Segmented tracking (from $5 per user a month) and messaging ($2 per user a month) are paid add-ons on Pro and Premium.
• SMS notifications are billed separately at about $0.02 per message.
• Time-off management, the public API and facial recognition need the Premium plan.

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.

Timeero

GPS time clock

Employees clock in from a mobile app that records location, and managers watch the team on a map and in timesheets.

Mileage tracking

Trips and mileage are logged automatically from GPS; suggested and commute mileage need the Premium plan.

Scheduling and geofencing

Pro adds shift and job scheduling, geofences around job sites, auto clock-in and out and photo attachments to entries.

Compliance tools

California break policy tracking starts on Pro; electronic visit verification and signatures are listed for Premium.

Payroll and accounting export

Hours and mileage sync to QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Paycor and others, or to over 5,000 apps through Zapier.

MCP server and API

Premium includes a public API and an MCP server for asking questions about Timeero data from AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude.

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.

Timeero

• Basic$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)

  Time, GPS, mileage and break tracking for small teams. Limited to 10 users.

• Pro$7.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly)

  Adds auto clock-in and out, job tracking, payroll and accounting integrations, scheduling, geofencing, photo attachments and California break rules.

• Premium$10

  per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)

  Adds time-off management, kiosk facial recognition, commute and suggested mileage, EVV, public API, signatures, custom fields and approvals.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Dedicated account manager, priority support and custom implementation. Priced through sales.

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.

Timeero

• Annual discount

  Two months free with annual billing

  Timeero's pricing page advertises two months free when paying annually, shown as lower per-user prices on each plan.