Connecteam vs Truein (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Connecteam if

• Fits if you have 10 staff or fewer and want to pay nothing
• Works for cleaning or field crews who clock in by GPS from different sites

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you also want chat and HR, since each hub is its own plan from $29 a month
• Tight if you stay free and run payroll, as the free plans have no payroll link and the 30-user Limited plan drops many features
• Skip it if you might want a refund: monthly plans get none, and yearly plans only within the first 30 days
• Watch out: past 30 users, each person is charged on every hub, $4.20 a month on Operations Expert billed yearly
• Watch out: repeating shifts and templates need Advanced at $49, and auto-assigned shifts and the API need Expert at $99

Pick Truein if

• Fits if you have several sites and want staff to clock in with their face
• Works for field crews that need geofenced punches and offline capture

Look elsewhere if

• Too light for HR records or payroll, as it covers time and attendance
• Pricey if you want scheduling and overtime rules, which are Advanced at $3.50
• Watch out: live tracking and time-off management are paid add-ons on top of Advanced
• Watch out: over 1,000 staff means Enterprise, with no published price
• Not for you if you want named payroll integrations, as only API and FTP links are listed

Connecteam

• Each hub is bought separately: scheduling and time clock sit in the Operations Hub, while chat and HR tools need their own hub plans from $29 a month each.
• The flat price covers the first 30 users; every user after that is charged per month on each hub, for example $4.20 on Operations Expert billed yearly.
• The free Small Business plan has no payroll integration, and the free Limited plan for up to 30 users drops many features.
• Monthly plans are not refunded for prepaid time; annual plans get a prorated refund only if cancelled within the first 30 days.

Truein

• Shift and job scheduling, overtime rules and advanced reports are on the Advanced plan, not Time Capture.
• Live tracking ($1.25 per user / month) and time-off management ($0.50 per user / month) are paid add-ons on top of Advanced.
• Companies with more than 1,000 staff are directed to Enterprise, which has no published price.
• The pricing page lists API and FTP integrations with HRMS and payroll systems but names no specific vendors; custom integrations are offered.

Connecteam

GPS, NFC and kiosk clock-ins

Staff clock in from their phones with a GPS stamp, by tapping an NFC tag, or at a shared tablet kiosk. Geofences and on-the-clock location tracking come on higher plans.

Scheduling with open shifts

Shifts repeat daily, weekly or monthly, open shifts can be claimed with approval, and reminders go out before work starts. AI auto-scheduling weighs availability, roles and labor rules.

Timesheets to payroll

Clock-ins build timesheets that export to payroll services including Gusto, QuickBooks, Xero, Paychex and ADP, with pay periods and pay rates per person.

Forms, checklists and shift tasks

Unlimited checklists, forms and tasks on every paid plan, plus tasks and attachments such as photos, mileage and signatures tied to a shift.

Chat, updates and knowledge base

The Communications Hub adds one-to-one and group chat, a company feed with surveys and polls, an employee directory and a knowledge base.

Time off, training and documents

The HR & Skills Hub covers time-off policies with balances, courses and quizzes, documents with e-signatures, hiring and onboarding.

Truein

Face-recognition clock-in

Staff clock in with a selfie in the mobile app or at a shared kiosk, and the system checks the face and flags suspected photo or video spoofing for admin review.

GPS geofencing

Punches can be limited to approved work sites, and each entry carries a location stamp.

Offline capture

When there is no network, punches are stored on the device with the face and location and sync once the connection returns.

Job-based time tracking

Hours can be logged against jobs, sites, shifts and staff categories, so a timesheet shows where time was spent.

Scheduling and pay rules

The Advanced plan adds shift and job scheduling, overtime and break rules, activity planning and contractor or agency management.

Multi-site dashboard

One dashboard covers every location, with approval workflows for time corrections and exception flags for late, off-site, duplicate or missing punches.

Connecteam

• Small Business$0

  Free for life for up to 10 users, covering all three hubs. Payroll integration is not included.

• Operations Basic$29

  per month for up to 30 users, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)

  GPS time clock, basic scheduling with open shifts, unlimited forms and tasks, payroll integration. Each user past 30 is $0.80 a month ($1 monthly).

• Operations Advanced$49

  per month for up to 30 users, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)

  Adds repeating shifts, templates, auto clock-out, up to 10 geofence sites and up to 6 schedules. Each user past 30 is $2.50 a month ($3 monthly).

• Operations Expert$99

  per month for up to 30 users, billed annually ($119 billed monthly)

  Adds auto-assigned shifts, unlimited geofences, up to 12 schedules, automatic reports and API access. Each user past 30 is $4.20 a month ($5 monthly).

• Operations EnterpriseCustom

  Unlimited time clocks and schedules, SSO, two-factor sign-in and a success manager. Aimed at companies with 201 to 10,000 employees.

Truein

• Time Capture$2.25

  per user / month, billed annually ($3.00 billed monthly)

  Face-recognition clock-in, GPS geofencing, kiosk and mobile punching, offline capture, job-based tracking and basic timesheets.

• Advanced$3.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($4.50 billed monthly)

  Time Capture plus shift and job scheduling, overtime and pay rules, advanced reports and contractor management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Advanced plus an account manager, custom contracts and billing, integrations and priority support. For companies above 1,000 staff.

Connecteam

• Annual discount

  Save 18% with yearly billing

  Yearly billing brings Operations Basic, Advanced and Expert to $29, $49 and $99 a month against $35, $59 and $119 monthly; the FAQ calls it two months free.

Truein

• Annual discount

  25% off with annual billing

  The pricing page shows a Monthly and a Yearly toggle with a stated 25% saving for yearly billing, for example $2.25 instead of $3.00 per user a month on Time Capture.