Buddy Punch vs TimeCamp: Full Comparison
Buddy Punch is a time clock built around scheduling, GPS, and photo verification. TimeCamp tracks time automatically and adds invoicing, free for any team.
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Our quick verdict on both tools
Pick Buddy Punch if your team clocks in from a shift schedule and you want GPS, photo verification, and scheduling in one place. Pick TimeCamp if you want time tracked automatically without staff remembering to punch in, plus a free plan that scales past a handful of users.
Start tracking freeWhat this comparison covers
Buddy Punch and TimeCamp are both time tracking tools, compared here side by side so you can see how they differ.
If neither tool fits, TimeTracker is a third option worth a look for teams that want time tracking wired directly to project budgets, approvals, and invoicing.
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
TimeCamp
The free plan allows unlimited users and unlimited projects, unusual in this market, with automatic keyword-based background tracking.
- Best for
- Small to mid-size teams and agencies that want low-effort, automatic time tracking plus invoicing.
- Pricing
- Free forever with unlimited users and unlimited projects. Billed annually: Starter $3.99 (invoicing and time off included), Premium $6.99, Ultimate $9.99 per user a month, plus a quote-only Enterprise tier. An AI time tracker is billed by token use on every tier, about $6 a user a month.
- Automatic tracking via desktop app
- Optional screenshots and activity monitoring
- Attendance, overtime, time-off tracking
- Billable time and project budgeting
- Invoicing on Starter, expenses on Ultimate
- Geofencing, Enterprise plan only
- 26 tools for project sync, 80+ browser plugin
- AI time tracker, billed by token use
See how they stack up
Pricing, best fit, and top strengths for both tools, side by side.
Pricing checked 2026-07-31. Confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Which one fits your team
Choose Buddy Punch when…
You run shift work and need scheduling built into the same tool as the time clock.
Drag-and-drop scheduling sits next to the punch clock, so shifts and actual hours worked live in one place.See how
You need proof of where someone clocked in from.
GPS tracking with a live map and configurable geofencing shows exactly where a punch happened, not just when.See how
You want to stop one employee from clocking in for another.
A photo is captured at every clock-in, so a supervisor can check who actually punched in.See how
You want basic GPS and geofencing without paying for the most expensive plan.
Basic location features are available on Buddy Punch's lower tiers. Advanced real-time GPS tracking is reserved for the priciest Enterprise plan.See how
You track paid time off and want accruals handled alongside the time clock.
PTO accrual and approvals run in the same system as clock-ins, so time off and worked hours reconcile in one report.See how
You want a tool rated highly for ease of use by real reviewers.
Buddy Punch holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating on G2 and Capterra, which points to a shallow learning curve for new staff.See how
Choose TimeCamp when…
You want time tracked automatically instead of relying on staff to start a timer.
Automatic desktop tracking with keyword-based project matching logs hours in the background, so nobody forgets to clock in.See how
Your team is growing and you do not want to pay per user right away.
TimeCamp's free plan allows unlimited users and unlimited projects, which is unusual in this market.See how
You bill clients hourly and want project budgeting bundled in, with invoicing available if you move up to the top plan.
Billable time and budgeting come with any paid plan. Invoicing needs the top Ultimate tier, so hours turn into a bill without a separate tool on that plan.See how
You want to see billable versus non-billable time without much setup.
Billable time is flagged as part of the core tracking, so a report split by billable hours takes no extra configuration.See how
You have field staff and want geofencing at a lower price point than a dedicated field-service tool.
Geofencing is included for field teams without moving up to an enterprise-only tier.See how
You want a wide range of integrations without upgrading plans first.
TimeCamp connects to 40 plus apps, covering most project and accounting tools a small team already runs.See how
You want project budgeting alongside the time clock, not in a separate system.
Budgets and billable hours sit next to each other, so a manager can see burn rate without exporting data elsewhere.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
Frequently asked questions
- Is Buddy Punch cheaper than TimeCamp?
- TimeCamp's free plan allows unlimited users, which Buddy Punch does not offer. Buddy Punch starts around $4.49 a user a month plus a base fee. If you need billing and billable expenses on top, compare both plans against your headcount before deciding.
- Which tool tracks time more automatically?
- TimeCamp tracks time in the background using a desktop app, so hours get logged without someone starting a timer. Buddy Punch relies on a manual punch in and out, which fits time tracking by task better when staff work fixed shifts.
- Does Buddy Punch have GPS tracking?
- Yes. Buddy Punch shows a live map of where staff clocked in, with configurable geofencing, and basic location tools are available on lower-priced tiers. Advanced real-time GPS is reserved for the top Enterprise plan. See audit trail and compliance for how location proof fits into a compliance record.
- Can TimeCamp send invoices to clients?
- Yes, but only on TimeCamp's top Ultimate plan. Tracked hours can turn into a client invoice there, similar to how invoicing from tracked time works elsewhere. Lower paid plans and the free plan do not include invoicing.
- Does Buddy Punch include employee scheduling?
- Yes, drag-and-drop scheduling is a native part of Buddy Punch, not a bolted-on tool. TimeCamp does not build scheduling in the same way, so if you need team time reporting tied to a shift plan, Buddy Punch fits that better.
- Which tool has a better free plan?
- TimeCamp's free plan wins here. It allows unlimited users and unlimited projects, which is rare in this market. Buddy Punch has no free tier at all, only a trial, so a cash-strapped team doing non-billable time tracking may lean toward TimeCamp early on.
- Does either tool stop buddy punching?
- Buddy Punch captures a photo at every clock-in, so a supervisor can confirm who punched in. TimeCamp does not offer photo capture in the same way, but its automatic tracking reduces the audit trail and compliance gaps that come from staff forgetting to clock in at all.
- Which tool handles overtime better?
- TimeCamp lists overtime tracking as a built-in feature alongside attendance and time off. See overtime tracking for what that kind of flow looks like. Buddy Punch does not call out dedicated overtime rules in its feature set, so check its scheduling tools directly if that matters to you.
- Is TimeCamp good for a field service team?
- TimeCamp includes geofencing for field teams at a lower price than many dedicated field-service tools, which helps with resource planning across multiple job sites. Buddy Punch also covers field GPS, so weigh scheduling needs before picking either.
- What if neither Buddy Punch nor TimeCamp fits my agency?
- Some agencies need budgets and approvals tied to the same hours they bill, which is closer to project profitability tracking than either of these punch-clock tools is built for. TimeTracker is worth a look as a third option in that case.
Not sure either one fits your billing needs?
If your team bills clients by the hour and wants budgets, approvals, and invoicing built around the same tracked time, see how TimeTracker handles it.
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