Buddy Punch vs Timesheets.com (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 Timesheets.com if

• Fits if you run a small team and need clock-ins that go straight to payroll
• Works for freelancers who only need to log their own hours and expenses for free

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a native iPhone or Android app, since it's a mobile website
• Pricey if you want photo punches, which add $1 a user on top of $5.50
• Not for you if you want a free plan for a team, because the free account can't track other workers
• Watch out: monthly customers can't pay by check, and the pricing page also shows a $7.50 Freelancer price next to the $0 one

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.

Timesheets.com

• Photo Timestamp, which saves a photo at each punch, is an extra $1 per user per month.
• It is browser-based; the vendor says no app is required, and no native iOS or Android app is mentioned.
• Freelancer accounts cannot track other workers.
• Monthly-plan customers cannot pay by check; annual customers can.

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.

Timesheets.com

Time tracking for payroll

Clock in and out with GPS, photo and IP lockdown options, with signatures, approvals, a complete audit trail and payroll exports.

Billable time and job costing

Track time by customer, project and task with custom bill and cost rates, and run job costing reports.

Time off and scheduling

Time off and PTO with accruals, plus employee scheduling and email or text notifications.

Mobile and kiosk

A mobile website needs no app download, and Kiosk Mode lets staff clock in from a shared device.

Expenses and mileage

Expenses with receipt photos and mileage with an optional odometer image, assigned to vendors, customers or projects.

Reports and API

Reporting, exports, a reports API and an HR small business suite are included in the per-user price.

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.

Timesheets.com

• Freelancer$0

  For single users and sole proprietors to manage their own time and expenses; cannot track other workers.

• Professional$5.50

  per user / month, same price billed monthly or annually

  All features except Photo Timestamp, which is sold separately for an extra $1 per user. No base fee.

• Nonprofit$4.40

  per user / month, same price billed monthly or annually

  The same as the Professional account with a 20% price reduction.

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.

Timesheets.com

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit accounts at 20% off

  The pricing page lists a Nonprofit account at $4.40 per user per month, the standard account with a 20% price reduction.