Buddy Punch vs TimeTrex (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 TimeTrex if

• Fits if you run hourly staff and want clocks, scheduling and payroll in one
• Works for businesses that want an on-site or open-source option

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you are one person, because the minimum is $50 a month
• Not for you if you hate contracts, as prices carry a 1-year term and new accounts may pay an activation fee
• Skip it if you bill clients by project, since job costing starts on the $8 Corporate plan
• Watch out: biometric face clocks may cost extra

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.

TimeTrex

• Prices carry a minimum 1-year term, and new accounts may pay an activation fee.
• Biometric facial recognition timeclocks may carry additional fees.
• The page shows flat monthly minimums for 1 to 10 employees, then falls per employee as headcount rises.
• It is a payroll and HR suite, so time tracking by project or client is secondary to attendance.

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.

TimeTrex

Time and attendance

Web punch-in and out, a mobile time clock with GPS, offline clock-in that syncs later, and biometric facial recognition timeclocks at extra cost.

Payroll

Payroll is included from the Professional edition, with time data feeding pay processing and customizable reports.

Scheduling and leave

Employee scheduling, shift management, and leave and absence management sit alongside time tracking.

Job costing and invoicing

Corporate adds detailed job costing, geofencing, document storage and invoicing with accounts receivable.

Recruiting and expenses

Enterprise adds expense management, recruitment and onboarding, and an applicant tracking system.

Cloud or on-site

The vendor offers cloud deployment and on-site deployment, plus a custom API and an open-source edition.

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.

TimeTrex

• Professional Edition$5

  per employee / month, $50 minimum, 1-year term

  Time and attendance, payroll, biometric timeclocks, web and mobile punch, scheduling, leave, HR and reports. Per-user rate falls above 25 employees.

• Corporate Edition$8

  per employee / month, $80 minimum, 1-year term

  Everything in Professional plus job costing, geofencing, document storage and invoicing with accounts receivable.

• Enterprise Edition$10

  per employee / month, $100 minimum, 1-year term

  Everything in Corporate plus expense management, recruitment and onboarding, and an advanced applicant tracking system.

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.

TimeTrex

No public discounts listed.