Buddy Punch vs Clockify: Full Comparison
Buddy Punch proves where and when hourly staff clocked in, with GPS and geofencing. Clockify tracks project hours for billing, with a real free plan.
Free to start. No credit card needed.
Our quick verdict on both tools
Pick Buddy Punch if your staff clock in from different job sites and you need proof of where and when, plus scheduling built in. Pick Clockify if your team tracks hours against clients and projects and you want a free or low-cost start.
Start tracking freeWhat this comparison covers
Buddy Punch and Clockify are both time tracking tools, compared here side by side so you can see how they differ.
If neither tool fits because you need budgets and invoicing tied to tracked hours, TimeTracker is worth a look too.
Compare the two products at a glance
Both tools solve time tracking. Here is what each one includes, side by side.
Buddy Punch
An easy time clock with a lot of ways to prove who punched: GPS on every punch, plus geofencing, PIN and kiosk punching and a webcam photo from the Pro tier up.
- Best for
- Small and mid-size hourly or field workforces that want an easy time clock with GPS and scheduling.
- Pricing
- No free plan, 14-day trial only. Billed annually: Starter $4.99, Pro $6.99, Advanced $12.99 per user a month, each plus a $19 monthly base fee. Extras are sold per user on top.
- Punch in/out from web, mobile, or kiosk
- GPS coordinates on every punch
- Geofencing, PIN and kiosk punching (Pro)
- Webcam photo on punch (Pro)
- Scheduling, included from Pro
- PTO accrual and approvals
Clockify
Priced lower than most competitors, and its Free plan (capped at 5 users) still includes timers, timesheets, and basic reports.
- Best for
- Freelancers and small to mid-size teams who want a low-cost or free time tracker for billing clients.
- Pricing
- Free plan cut from unlimited users to 5 in April 2026. Paid from $4.99/user/mo (Basic) up to $14.99/user/mo (Enterprise), billed monthly; annual is about 20% less.
- Timer, manual entry, and auto tracker
- Kiosk mode for shared-device clock in/out
- Timesheet approvals (Standard plan+)
- Invoicing and QuickBooks integration
- GPS and expense tracking (Pro plan+)
- 100+ app integrations, even on Free
- Labor cost vs billable rate reports
See how they stack up
Pricing, best fit, and top strengths for both tools, side by side.
Pricing checked 2026-07-30. Confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Which one fits your team
Choose Buddy Punch when…
Your staff clock in from job sites, not one office, and you need proof of location.
GPS tracking with a live map view shows exactly where each punch happened, which a plain office timer cannot do.See how
You want to stop buddy punching, where one worker clocks in for another.
Photo capture on clock-in attaches a picture to every punch, so a supervisor can check who actually showed up.See how
You need staff to only be able to punch in once they are near the job site.
Geofencing with a set radius blocks a clock-in from outside the site, cutting down on early or remote punches.See how
You need to build and share shift schedules, not just record hours after the fact.
Drag-and-drop scheduling lives in the same app as the time clock, so shifts and actual punches sit side by side.See how
You want PTO accrual and approvals handled without a separate leave system.
PTO accrues by policy and requests route for approval, so leave balances stay correct without a spreadsheet.See how
You want a tool with a strong ease-of-use track record from real reviewers.
Buddy Punch holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating on both G2 and Capterra, which reflects how little training it needs.See how
Choose Clockify when…
You want to try full time tracking for free before paying for anything.
Clockify's free plan covers timers, timesheets, and basic reports for up to 5 users at no cost.See how
You bill clients by the project and need hours tied to a client and task, not just a shift.
Every entry ties to a client, project, and task, so reports can be sliced the way a client invoice needs.See how
You already run a lot of other software and want the widest integration list.
Clockify connects to 100 plus apps even on its free plan, well beyond what most attendance tools offer.See how
You need timesheet approvals but do not want to pay a per-employee base fee on top of seats.
Approvals are part of Clockify's Standard plan pricing, with no separate flat base fee added to the bill.See how
You want to send an invoice straight from tracked hours without a separate invoicing tool.
Clockify adds invoicing and a QuickBooks connection on its paid plans, turning tracked hours into a bill.See how
You need a shared kiosk device for staff to clock in and out at one location.
Kiosk mode turns any shared device into a clock-in station without GPS or per-site geofencing to configure.See how
Popular features
Employee time tracking your team will actually use
One click starts a timer, or people type hours in by hand. Every entry ties to a client, project, and task, so the record stays clean.
Explore Time Tracking→Bill for every hour you earn
Mark each entry billable or non-billable while you work. Approved hours roll straight into reports you can bill from.
Explore Billing→See where the time really goes
Break hours down by client, project, and team member. Find the work that pays off and the projects that run over.
Explore Reports & Dashboards→Use cases this solves
Leave & PTO Tracking
Track accruals and approvals so leave balances stay correct without a spreadsheet.
Explore→Timesheet Approvals
Let a manager sign off on hours before they turn into pay or an invoice.
Explore→Non-Billable Time Tracking
Keep internal hours separate from client-billable hours in the same report.
Explore→
Frequently asked questions
- Is Buddy Punch more expensive than Clockify?
- Buddy Punch starts around $4.49 a user a month plus a flat base fee. Clockify has a free plan for up to 5 users, then paid plans from about $4.99 a user a month. For most small teams, Clockify's time tracking plan is cheaper to start, but Buddy Punch's base fee covers GPS and scheduling that Clockify does not include at the same price.
- Which tool is better for staff who work at different job sites?
- Buddy Punch is built for this. GPS tracking and geofencing confirm where a punch happened, which matters when staff move between project sites. Clockify tracks hours well but has no built-in location check on a punch.
- Does Clockify have GPS tracking like Buddy Punch?
- Clockify adds GPS tracking on its Pro plan, but it is not part of the free or lower tiers the way it is in Buddy Punch, where location features come standard even on the entry plan.
- Which tool handles timesheet approvals?
- Both do, but differently. Buddy Punch includes approvals with its PTO and scheduling workflow. Clockify offers timesheet approvals from its Standard plan and up, not on the free tier.
- Can either tool send invoices to clients?
- Clockify can. Its paid plans add invoicing and a QuickBooks connection, so tracked hours turn into a bill. Buddy Punch does not offer client invoicing. It is built around attendance and payroll, not client billing.
- Does Buddy Punch include employee scheduling?
- Yes. Buddy Punch has drag-and-drop scheduling built in, so shifts and actual clock-ins live in one app. Clockify does not offer scheduling, since it focuses on project time tracking instead.
- Which tool is easier to set up for a small team?
- Both score well with reviewers. Buddy Punch holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating for ease of use. Clockify's reports and dashboards are simple too, and its free plan means a team can try it with no setup cost.
- Does Clockify track PTO and leave the way Buddy Punch does?
- Clockify has basic time off tracking on paid plans, but Buddy Punch's leave and PTO tracking goes further, with accrual policies built around hourly attendance.
- Which tool fits an agency billing clients by the hour better?
- Clockify fits that better. It ties hours to a client and project for billing, which Buddy Punch is not built around. Buddy Punch is a better fit for attendance and payroll for hourly staff, not client invoicing.
- What if neither tool fits what I need?
- If you need project budgets and invoicing tied to the same tracked hours, neither of these two is built around that. Our Clockify alternatives page covers more options, including TimeTracker, which is worth a look for that kind of setup.
Ready to pick the right time clock?
Buddy Punch and Clockify solve different problems. Weigh GPS and scheduling against billing and integrations before you commit.
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