Buddy Punch vs Workyard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buddy Punch grades higher than Workyard: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Buddy Punch grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Buddy Punch
Online time clock with GPS, scheduling and payroll add-ons
Workyard
GPS time tracking and job costing for construction crews
Which one is for you
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 Workyard if
- Fits if you run field crews and need GPS clock-ins with payroll export
- Makes sense if you want labour cost by project
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want prices before a sales call, as only the $6 starting price is shown
- Tight if you want scheduling or geofence rules, as they need Pro
- Watch out: the API needs Autopilot and no price is shown
- Watch out: the pages do not say which phone systems the app supports
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABuddy PunchFair | 2.0GPAWorkyardFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $4.99 a user a month billed annually, but the $19 monthly base fee lands on top: five of you comes to about $8.80 each. Managers count as paid users, and real-time GPS and advanced reporting are $2 a user each on Starter and Pro. | CFrom $6 per user a month billed yearly, near the time-tracking middle of $6.67; the other plans show no price. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. The FAQ is blunt about it: everything is paid once the 14-day trial ends. The trial asks for no card and covers the whole product. | D14-day free trial, but no card detail on record, and no free plan. |
| Features | CPunching covers browser, phone, ChromeOS, a tablet kiosk with PINs, QR codes or Face ID, and text-to-punch for staff with no internet, and timesheets work out a dozen overtime types. But Starter leaves out geofencing, kiosk and QR punching, punch photos, offline mode and the API. | CGPS clock-in, mileage, break and overtime rules, but scheduling, geofence rules, kiosk and project costing need Pro or higher. |
| Ease of use | B4.87 on the App Store, though from only 739 ratings, which is too small a pile for our top mark. Staff punch in and out and the timesheet builds itself for them to submit each pay period, and text-to-punch covers people with no signal. | CNo store rating on record. Crews, job sites and pay rules are set up first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BBrowser, iPhone, Android and a ChromeOS app, with no Mac or Windows desktop app. For payroll it connects to QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Gusto, ADP Workforce Now, Paychex, Rippling, Workday and Zapier. API and MCP access start on Pro. | BWeb with a clock-in app, an API on Autopilot and 7 integrations on record; the pages don't list which phone systems it supports. |
| Best for | a time clock for hourly staff across job sites | a GPS time clock for construction crews |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Buddy Punch and Workyard. How we grade
Price against what you get
Buddy Punch starts at $4.99 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Workyard starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Buddy Punch scores higher and starts $1.01 a month lower. Of the other time tracking apps on the chart, 6 score higher than Buddy Punch for less, and 15 score higher than Workyard for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Workyard also covers time clock, time off and job scheduling.
At a glance
| Buddy Punch | Workyard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 per user / month plus a $19 monthly base fee, billed annually | $6 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Buddy Punch Inc | Workyard |
| Price read from | buddypunch.com | workyard.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Workyard
- Only a starting price of $6 per user a month is published; the other plans show no price.
- Scheduling, geofence rules, kiosk and project labor costing need Pro or higher, and the API needs Autopilot.
- The pages read do not list which mobile operating systems the clock-in app supports.
Key features
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.
Workyard
- GPS time clock
- A mobile clock in and out app with supervisor-led entry, so one person can start a whole crew, plus notes, receipts and photos on time cards.
- Location and mileage
- Shows addresses visited, time on site and driving trips with mileage, without setting up geofences, and a live map of crew locations.
- Labor cost by project
- Pro requires project and cost-code tagging at clock-in and updates labor costs on project reports at each clock-out.
- Break and overtime rules
- Break reminders and overtime calculations follow state, federal or custom rules, with an audit history of time card edits and approvals.
- Autopilot corrections
- The Autopilot plan includes a time assistant that finds and fixes timecards for a pay period, with admin approval before payroll.
- Payroll and accounting export
- One-click export to QuickBooks, ADP and Gusto, and a developer API with more than 60 endpoints included on Autopilot.
Plans
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.
Workyard
Starter$6
per user / month, billed annually; monthly also offered
The page's starting price, not tied to a plan by name. Time clock app, GPS and mileage, break and overtime rules, payroll export, phone support.
ProCustom
No price shown. Adds scheduling and tasks, time off, geofence clock-in rules, kiosk, unlimited projects and labor cost reporting by project and cost code.
AutopilotCustom
No price shown. Adds an AI time assistant that fixes timecards, automatic clock-in at geofences, meal break rules, sign-offs, ERP sync and API access.
EnterpriseCustom
No price shown. Adds large rollout support, custom integrations, scalable pricing and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
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.
Workyard
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Buddy Punch or Workyard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buddy Punch is cheaper to start with: $4.99 a month for each person, against $6 a month for each person for Workyard. Buddy Punch starts at $4.99 per user / month plus a $19 monthly base fee, billed annually, and Workyard starts at $6 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Buddy Punch or Workyard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Buddy Punch nor Workyard has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Buddy Punch and Workyard run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Buddy Punch lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.