OnTheClock vs QuickBooks Time (2026): which should you pick?

Pick OnTheClock if

• Fits if you run hourly staff and want clock-in and schedules together
• Works for businesses under 100 employees

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: a $5 base fee is charged every month on top of the per-employee price
• Pricey if you want payroll, at $6 per paid employee plus a $40 base and a $250 migration fee
• Too light for large firms, as plans are for under 100 employees and bigger ones are quoted
• Skip it if you want a free plan, as it bills monthly after the 30-day trial

Pick QuickBooks Time if

• Fits if your accounting or payroll already runs in QuickBooks Online
• Works for field crews who clock in from their phones, with GPS points recorded on the clock

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't use QuickBooks Online, because an account is required
• Pricey if you're a small team, with a $20 base fee before the $10 for each user
• Not for you if you're a freelancer timing client projects, as project tracking is Elite only, at $40 plus $12 a user
• Watch out: there's no free plan, and the 30-day trial is the only way to see it without paying
• Too light for desk work, as no Mac or Windows app is listed and nothing tracks automatically

OnTheClock

• Standard plans are designed for under 100 employees; larger organizations are quoted under Enterprise.
• Billing is monthly, and a $5 monthly base fee is charged on top of the per-employee price.
• Payroll costs extra ($6 per paid employee plus a $40 monthly base) and has a one-time $250 migration fee.
• Discounts for education, government and churches or nonprofits are by request.

QuickBooks Time

• The pricing page states that a QuickBooks Online account is required to use QuickBooks Time.
• There is no free plan, and both plans charge a monthly base fee on top of the per-user fee.
• Mileage tracking, project tracking and timesheet signatures are limited to Time Elite.
• No Mac or Windows desktop app is listed; computers use a web browser or the time kiosk.

OnTheClock

Online and mobile time clock

Employees clock in from a browser, desktop, kiosk or mobile app, with timesheet editing, approvals, rounding rules and automatic break tracking.

GPS and punch controls

Location maps, GPS breadcrumb trails, geofencing, IP and Wi-Fi restrictions and biometric fingerprint clocks help verify where employees start work.

Scheduling

Drag-and-drop schedules by employee, location or department, an hours estimator, and schedules shared by email, web, PDF or Excel.

Time off and overtime

Tracks paid time off balances, overtime calculations, salaried employee time, and tips, bonuses, commissions and mileage.

Payroll

An optional add-on runs payroll with direct deposit, state and federal tax compliance, benefit withholdings and year-end forms.

Payroll integrations

One-click exports for QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Square Payroll and others, plus CSV and PDF export.

QuickBooks Time

Mobile time clock

Employees clock in and out and sign and submit timesheets in the QuickBooks Workforce app on iPhone, iPad and Android, with GPS location points recorded while on the clock.

Time kiosk

A shared punch clock for on-site teams that runs on a tablet, desktop or laptop. It is part of both the Premium and Elite plans.

Scheduling

Managers create schedules by job or by shift, then edit, publish and share them with the team.

Payroll and invoicing sync

Tracked hours sync to accounting and payroll rather than being re-entered. Intuit says QuickBooks Time integrates with more than 50 accounting and payroll apps.

Projects and mileage

Time Elite adds GPS mileage tracking, project tracking with estimates against actual hours, a project activity feed and timesheet signatures.

Reports and time off

Customizable reports cover job costs and payroll planning, and both plans include time-off management with alerts and notifications.

OnTheClock

• Time and scheduling$4

  per employee / month, plus $5 base fee a month, billed monthly

  One plan with everything: time clock, scheduling, time off, GPS and geofencing, overtime, payroll integrations and support.

• Payroll add-on$6

  per paid employee / month, plus $40 base fee a month

  Unlimited payroll runs, direct deposit, tax filing, W-2s and 1099s. A one-time $250 migration and onboarding fee applies.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For businesses with more than 100 employees. Contact sales for pricing.

QuickBooks Time

• Time Premium$20

  per month base fee, plus $10 per user / month

  Base fee includes 1 admin. Workforce app, payroll and invoicing sync, time off, alerts, photo attachments and the time kiosk.

• Time Elite$40

  per month base fee, plus $12 per user / month

  Everything in Premium plus mileage tracking, project tracking, project estimates vs. actuals, a project activity feed and timesheet signatures.

OnTheClock

• Education

  Discounts for education, government and nonprofits

  The pricing page lists education, government, and churches and nonprofits as eligible for a discount, which is given on request.

QuickBooks Time

• Other savings

  50% off the base fee for 3 months

  Intuit lists 50% off the monthly base price for the first 3 months of new subscriptions. The discount does not apply to per-user fees.