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

Pick Homebase if

• Fits if you run one shop or restaurant with 10 staff or fewer
• Works for owners who want labor costs next to the sales from their till

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you add payroll, which is $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid on every plan
• Tight if you have several sites, as each address needs its own plan
• Skip it if you need PTO accruals on the $24 plan, since they start on Plus at $56
• Watch out: Tip Manager is $25 and Task Manager $13 a month per location, background checks $30 each, Hiring Assistant from $99
• Watch out: the free plan keeps timesheets for 90 days, and onboarding paperwork and the API need All-in-One at $96

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

Homebase

• Plans are priced per location: each separate address needs its own plan, and the free Basic plan covers only one location and up to 10 employees.
• Payroll is an add-on on every plan at $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid.
• Other add-ons cost extra: Tip Manager $25 and Task Manager $13 a month per location, background checks $30 each, Hiring Assistant from $99 a month.
• PTO accrual policies need Plus; onboarding paperwork, HR advisors and API access need All-in-One.

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.

Homebase

Weekly schedule builder

Managers build the week around availability and time-off requests, and staff trade, cover or claim open shifts. Plus adds an AI scheduling assistant.

Time clock on any device

Staff clock in on tablets, computers, POS terminals such as Clover and GoDaddy, or the mobile app with location checks, and tablets can take a photo at each clock-in.

Timesheets to payroll

Timesheets follow your overtime and break rules and sync to Gusto, ADP RUN, QuickBooks Online or Square Payroll, or feed Homebase's own payroll add-on.

Team messaging

Messenger channels, announcements and shift notes, with confirmation when employees have seen the schedule or read a message.

Hiring and onboarding

Job openings go out to online job boards, and All-in-One sends onboarding packets with W-4, I-9 and direct deposit forms for e-signature.

Labor cost controls

All-in-One alerts managers before overtime, blocks early clock-ins, clocks staff out at shift end and reports labor against sales pulled from the POS.

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.

Homebase

• Basic$0

  One location and up to 10 employees: basic scheduling and time tracking, a POS integration, timesheets kept 90 days.

• Essentials$24

  per location / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)

  Unlimited employees. Adds shift trades and open shifts, availability, location-based mobile clock-in, payroll integrations and team messaging.

• Plus$56

  per location / month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly)

  Adds an AI scheduling assistant, PTO policies with accruals, departments and manager permissions. Shown at $0 for 6 months with the payroll offer.

• All-in-One$96

  per location / month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)

  Adds onboarding paperwork with e-signatures, HR advisors and a custom handbook, overtime alerts, sales-based scheduling and API access.

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.

Homebase

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Annual billing brings Essentials, Plus and All-in-One to $24, $56 and $96 per location a month against $30, $70 and $120 monthly, or $72 to $288 a year saved.

• Other savings

  6 months free on Plus and Payroll for new customers

  New customers who set up payroll by December 15, 2026 and run it by January 20, 2027 get Plus free for 6 months and payroll free for 6 months for up to 50 employees.

• Other savings

  Payroll at $29 a month for teams of 5 or fewer

  Teams of up to 5 who start payroll in the same window get 6 months free, then $29 a month plus $6 per employee paid instead of $49, while they stay at 5 or fewer.

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.