OnTheClock vs QuickBooks Time: Full Comparison
OnTheClock is a time clock for small teams, with GPS and PTO included at the base plan. QuickBooks Time syncs natively with QuickBooks Online and Payroll.
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Our quick verdict on both tools
Pick OnTheClock if you want GPS, PTO tracking, and scheduling included at a lower base price and you don't already run payroll through QuickBooks. Pick QuickBooks Time if your business already runs on QuickBooks Online or Payroll and you want timesheets to feed job costing and pay runs without a manual export step.
Start tracking freeWhat this comparison covers
OnTheClock and QuickBooks Time are both time tracking tools, compared here side by side so you can see how they differ.
If neither tool fits, TimeTracker is worth a look too. It ties tracked hours straight to project budgets, approvals, and client invoices instead of treating attendance and payroll as the main problem to solve.
Compare the two products at a glance
Both tools solve time tracking. Here is what each one includes, side by side.
OnTheClock
GPS tracking, geofencing, and PTO accrual come standard on the base plan, features most rivals gate behind higher tiers.
- Best for
- Small businesses that want a simple time clock with GPS, PTO, and scheduling included at the base tier.
- Pricing
- No free plan, 30-day trial. $4 per employee a month plus a $5 monthly base fee, so 2 employees is $13 a month. Payroll adds $6 per employee plus a $40 base fee, and a one-time $250 onboarding fee.
- GPS tracking and geofencing
- Biometric and IP punch verification
- PTO and leave tracking with accruals
- Drag-and-drop employee scheduling
- Project and job costing
- Tips, bonus, commission tracking
QuickBooks Time
Owned by Intuit and built to sync natively with QuickBooks Online and Payroll, so timesheets and payroll share one data source.
- Best for
- Small and mid-size field service or construction businesses already running QuickBooks Online or Payroll.
- Pricing
- No free plan. Time Premium $20/mo base + $10/employee/mo; Time Elite $40/mo base + $12/employee/mo. Intuit now also sells Workforce Premium and Elite alongside these.
- GPS time tracking with location breadcrumbs
- Geofencing to remind staff to clock in (Elite)
- Scheduling by shift or job
- Mileage tracking for field staff
- Job and project costing
- Native two-way QuickBooks sync
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 OnTheClock when…
You want GPS tracking and geofencing without paying for a higher tier first.
OnTheClock includes GPS tracking and geofencing on its base plan, where QuickBooks Time holds geofencing back for its pricier Elite plan.See how
You need to stop buddy punching with biometric or IP-based checks.
Biometric and IP punch verification confirm who is actually clocking in, a check QuickBooks Time does not offer at any tier.See how
You track PTO accrual and leave balances and want it built in from day one.
PTO and leave tracking with accruals come standard on OnTheClock's base plan, not held back for a higher tier.See how
You want a lower, more predictable monthly cost for a small team.
OnTheClock runs about $4 an employee a month plus a flat $5 base fee, cheaper than QuickBooks Time's base-plus-per-employee pricing.See how
You want drag-and-drop scheduling in the same place staff clock in.
Built-in scheduling lets a manager build and adjust shifts alongside the clock, without a separate scheduling app.See how
You pay tips, bonuses, or commissions on top of hourly wages.
Tip, bonus, and commission tracking cover pay details that QuickBooks Time's job costing does not track directly.See how
You want the dashboard simple enough that staff need almost no training.
A clean, intuitive dashboard keeps onboarding short for hourly staff who just need to punch in and out correctly.See how
Choose QuickBooks Time when…
Your business already runs payroll through QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Payroll.
Native two-way sync means approved hours flow straight into a QuickBooks pay run, with no manual export or re-entry.See how
You run field service or construction jobs and need labor costs tied to each job.
Job and project costing rolls hourly labor up by job, useful for a company pricing work by project, not just by shift.See how
Your crews drive between job sites and you want mileage tracked automatically.
Mileage tracking for field staff is built in, a feature OnTheClock's time clock does not offer.See how
You want scheduling by shift or job included on every plan, not just the top tier.
Scheduling comes on every QuickBooks Time plan, so a smaller team doesn't have to pay for the highest tier to get it.See how
You want GPS location breadcrumbs to review a full day's route, not just a punch location.
GPS time tracking with location breadcrumbs shows where staff were throughout a shift, useful for field crews spread across sites.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 OnTheClock cheaper than QuickBooks Time?
- Usually, yes. OnTheClock runs about $4 an employee a month plus a $5 base fee. QuickBooks Time starts at $20 a month base plus $10 an employee for Premium, or $40 plus $12 an employee for Elite. See how billing plans compare on the billing page.
- Does OnTheClock sync with QuickBooks like QuickBooks Time does?
- Not natively. QuickBooks Time is built by Intuit and syncs two-way with QuickBooks Online and Payroll out of the box. OnTheClock exports clean payroll reports, which supports team time reporting, but it needs a manual step into most payroll systems.
- Which tool includes GPS tracking at a lower price?
- OnTheClock wins here. GPS tracking and geofencing come on its base plan, useful for time tracking by task across job sites. QuickBooks Time offers GPS too, but geofencing is held back for the pricier Elite plan.
- Which tool handles PTO and leave tracking better?
- OnTheClock wins here. PTO and leave accruals are part of its base plan, useful for leave and PTO tracking. QuickBooks Time focuses more on job costing and payroll sync than on leave management.
- Can OnTheClock stop buddy punching?
- Yes. Biometric and IP-based punch verification confirm who is actually clocking in, which supports audit trail and compliance needs. QuickBooks Time relies on GPS location instead of biometric checks.
- Does OnTheClock offer job costing like QuickBooks Time?
- Yes, OnTheClock includes project and job costing at its base tier. QuickBooks Time also does job costing, and pairs it with team time reporting that feeds straight into a QuickBooks pay run, which OnTheClock does not do natively.
- Which tool is better for a construction or field service company?
- It depends on your payroll. If you already run QuickBooks Online or Payroll, QuickBooks Time's native sync and mileage tracking fit field crews well, supporting time tracking by task across job sites. If you don't use QuickBooks, OnTheClock covers GPS and scheduling for less.
- Does OnTheClock include payroll?
- No, not by default. Payroll is a separate paid add-on for OnTheClock. QuickBooks Time has no free plan either, but its whole point is timesheet approvals that flow straight into QuickBooks Payroll once a manager signs off.
- Is QuickBooks Time worth it if I don't use QuickBooks?
- Probably not. Its main value is the native payroll sync, so without QuickBooks Online or Payroll, you're paying base-plus-per-employee pricing for reports and dashboards you can get from OnTheClock for less.
- What if neither OnTheClock nor QuickBooks Time fits my team?
- Both tools are worth trying, but they are not the only options. Our OnTheClock alternatives page lists more time tracking and attendance tools side by side, including TimeTracker, which ties tracked hours to project budgets and invoices.
Still deciding between the two?
OnTheClock and QuickBooks Time solve different problems: lower-cost attendance versus native QuickBooks payroll sync. Pick the one that fits your setup.
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