A No-Nonsense Review of ExakTime

Would you rather have a hardy battery-powered time clock or a digital time tracker that fits in your front pocket?

With ExakTime, there’s no need to choose. It offers physical and digital time clocks, ensuring precise time tracking no matter where your construction crew works.

This review will peel off the layers and examine ExakTime’s features, usability, and overall performance. We’ll also explore how it integrates with your existing systems and what distinguishes it from the competition.

By the end of this article, you’ll know whether ExakTime is the solution your construction business needs to stay organized and efficient.

Let’s jump right in.

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What Is ExakTime?

In 1999, ExakTime was born out of a construction business owner’s frustration over inaccurate time recording. It’s since evolved into a comprehensive, mobile-friendly employee time-tracking app designed to meet the unique needs of construction businesses.

ExakTime’s reputation is built on reliability, ease of use, and robust features that cater to field-based operations.

ExakTime’s app has GPS tracking, photo verification, and integrations with popular payroll systems. It’s designed to ensure every hour worked is accounted for, reducing errors and saving businesses time and money.

ExakTime Overview

ExakTime empowers construction companies to track and manage employee time efficiently, streamline payroll processes, and enhance their crew’s productivity.

ExakTime achieves this through the following core features:

• GPS time tracking
• Integrated workforce scheduling
• Multimedia field notes
• Meal break and time off tracking
• Built-in reporting

Sign-Up and Onboarding

ExakTime offers quote-based pricing, which means signing up will require contacting one of the company’s sales reps.

As soon as you become a paying customer, ExakTime officially welcomes you with an email containing instructions on how to get started.

You’ll first need to create an ExakTime Connect account by going to the link provided and entering the signup code issued to you. If the code is accepted, ExakTime will direct you to a page containing more fields to fill out.

The company name and your company’s ExakTime URL are both auto-populated. Still, you need to manually input your preferred administrator username and password, which you’ll need to log in to your account.

ExakTime will then send a verification link to your registered email address. After clicking the link to verify your account, you can log in to your ExakTime Connect account.

Note that every company has a unique ExakTime URL. I appreciate this level of personalization, as it’s not widely seen in the industry. Without a branded URL like ExakTime’s, it’s easy to give the impression to employees or clients that your company is working for the software instead of the other way around.

While it may take some time to get ExakTime into full gear, a quick start tutorial can help you start using the software in as little as 15 minutes.

I followed the instructions to the T, and true enough, I was able to complete the basic setup in less than 15 minutes. It’s nothing groundbreaking since you’re only adding your employees, locations, and cost codes — the bare minimum you need to start using ExakTime’s time-tracking app in the field.

If you’re migrating from another platform, you can skip the manual steps and just upload your existing database of employees, locations, or cost codes. ExakTime has a helpful tutorial to help you import your CSV files correctly.

Ensure you only upload employees that you want to track; otherwise, you won’t be able to delete any unwanted items (you can only deactivate them).

Overall, I found the onboarding process more straightforward than expected. ExakTime’s detailed knowledge base articles and video tutorials helped, but I also give props to its intuitive, no-frills interface that makes navigating the site effortless.

The Web App Experience

ExakTime’s web interface was easy to navigate. The menu bar at the top displays all the main categories, and clicking one of the downward arrows reveals even more features.

The dashboard is the default landing page. It provides a quick overview of who’s currently on the clock and where they’re working. It also shows the ExakTime Mobile setup code, which you will need to set up the mobile app later.

Interestingly, a Clock In/Out button is easily accessible from the navigation menu beside the dashboard. Office employees mainly use this to log their hours, whereas field workers will clock in from ExakTime’s mobile app.

If you’re setting up your company’s ExakTime account for the first time, you can start by adding basic details like employees, project locations, and cost codes.

For each employee added, you can assign a security role (“Employee” is the recommended default role for regular employees) and a PIN, which the worker will need to access their ExakTime mobile app account.

Setting up geofences for added locations was equally easy. ExakTime offers more control by allowing you to click and drag the geofence marker or the GPS circle around the defined project location.

While I appreciate the customizable GPS settings, it’s too easy to manually make the geofence either too small or too large, leading to false negatives/positives. I still prefer automatic geofencing, where you only enter the project’s address or GPS coordinates, and the system handles everything for you.

ExakTime also consolidates all employee time cards and makes real-time data easily accessible from the web app. The Time Cards tab lets you see your time card or perform bulk time entry in your company’s timesheet.

Under Time Card Summary, you’ll get an overview of employees, their regular time, overtime amount, and number of hours worked.

If there were time recording errors (say, the employee clocked in beyond the geofenced site), red dots will appear under the “# of Exceptions” column. This makes it easier for managers to spot mistakes and correct them accordingly.

When reviewing erroneous time cards, you can use the Map View section to see when and where the employee clocked in/out. This makes it easier to confirm whether the employee clocked in outside the geofenced site or worked at the right location as reported.

The Mobile Experience

ExakTime’s mobile app is available on both Android and iOS devices.

If this is your first time using the app, you need to enter your company’s setup code which you can obtain from the ExakTime Connect account.

Admins can configure employee access to ExakTime’s mobile app from the company’s web app account. As detailed earlier, you can designate a security role and a corresponding PIN to each employee added to the database.

If the app only asks for a PIN, everything is ready, and the employee can log in immediately.

ExakTime doesn’t allow users to access different company accounts from one interface. So, if you’re working for multiple companies that all happen to be ExakTime users, you need to log in to their respective accounts and clear your mobile data before switching to a different account.

After logging in, you’ll instantly see two huge signs — a green circular Go button and a red octagonal Stop button — which correspond to clock in and clock out, respectively.

From a usability standpoint, I’m impressed with the choice of universally known road signs as key symbols in the time-tracking app.

The texts, button sizes, and color choices are all on point, resulting in an intuitive time-tracking interface any field worker can use immediately – even if English is their second language.

One noteworthy feature of ExakTime’s time clock is how it recognizes when the user has yet to clock in. If this happens, you’ll see a greyed-out Stop button preventing users from mistakenly clocking out.

When you click the hamburger icon in the upper left corner of the screen, the mobile app’s menu is instantly displayed. The list of menu options is vertically stacked, and it’s easy to jump from one tab to the next.

Managers can clock in their employees simultaneously. They can also check their team’s time cards from the mobile app. Time card entries and employees’ locations are updated in real time and are accessible from the mobile app’s Team View section.

SiteHub shows a live feed of every employee who clocked in and out for the day. A list of nearby hospitals and restaurants is also a helpful addition, giving workers quick access to information if they want to know the nearest places to eat or to visit in an emergency.

In addition, you can see all the employees currently on the clock in real time, along with information about their hourly labor costs. However, there’s no way to track labor expenditures against your current budget, so it’s difficult to see if you’re overspending or underspending.

More construction companies trust Workyard for employee time tracking

Discover why

ExakTime Key Features

GPS Time Clock

While it also sells weatherproof time clocks for outdoor use, ExakTime’s digital time clock is still its main selling point.

ExakTime’s time clock helps companies avoid tedious manual time recording. It differentiates itself from other time-tracking apps with its “Go” and “Stop” buttons, which correspond to clock-in and clock-out.

The app’s interface prominently displays the Stop/Go buttons, which greet users as soon as they log in to their ExakTime accounts.

After clicking the green Go button, you can select your assigned location and the appropriate cost code based on your current task.

If the Photo ID capture is enabled, your photograph will be captured and automatically linked to your recorded time. It ensures the right employee is clocked in or out at the right location, preventing buddy punching.

ExakTime’s FaceFront Biometrics™ shouldn’t be confused with AI-powered facial recognition. The latter is a more advanced technology that matches an employee’s face with a previously stored photo, making it more resistant to time fraud.

Since ExakTime is also geofencing-capable, field workers will receive a push notification each time they clock in or out beyond the defined project location. Managers are also notified about time recording errors through the team’s timesheet, allowing them to make adjustments or timely interventions accordingly.

Unfortunately, ExakTime doesn’t have an automatic clock-in/out feature for the geofenced site to trigger.

With an automatic clock-in feature, employees could be clocked in as soon as they set foot on the project location and could be clocked out the moment they leave. This would have ensured the accuracy of your company’s time card entries and lifted the burden off your workers, who (if they’re anything like many construction field workers) often forget to clock in at work.

In addition to geofencing, ExakTime also comes with a built-in location tracker. Known as the GeoTrakker, this feature enables managers to track their field workers’ locations in real-time.

However, ExakTime doesn’t have mileage tracking, so workers cannot be tracked for how much time they spend driving.

Managers can monitor locations through:

• Team View, which shows where the worker had last clocked in or
• Map View, where every GPS information tied to a time record is visible.

Employees can easily switch to another project without clicking the Stop button to clock out.

Click the green Go button again, select a different project location and cost code, and you’re ready. I would have liked this feature more if there was a “Switch” button I could click or a more direct way to indicate I’m switching to another job or project.

As soon as you clock out, ExakTime will ask you a few questions as part of its labor compliance toolkit.

Specifically, ExakTime asks if you were injured at work and if you took all the required meals and breaks during your shift. These are just a few examples; depending on the laws and guidelines your company must comply with, you can consider adding more questions.

With each clock out, ExakTime’s GeoTrakker also shuts off, protecting employees’ privacy and complying with state GPS tracking laws.

Unfortunately, the GeoTrakker is a known battery hog among ExakTime’s users. It tends to consume a lot of resources and shorten a mobile device’s battery life. In addition, GeoTrakker completely shuts down as soon as the device’s battery level goes below 20%.

Scheduling

With ExakTime’s scheduling, construction managers can efficiently plan and allocate their workforce.

ExakTime’s scheduling feature efficiently builds employee schedules with detailed information such as location and cost codes. The new version of Scheduler also allows you to include tasks, notes, and attachments for each shift.

Scheduling notifications are sent through email and SMS, keeping workers and supervisors in the loop even if they accidentally uninstalled ExakTime’s app from their phones.

Employees can review their schedules and clock in directly from the ExakTime Mobile app, making it easy for field workers to stay informed and punctual.

Users can scroll either vertically or horizontally to navigate the scheduled shifts. This intuitive navigation and the straightforward click-and-drag functionality for adding shifts make scheduling less cumbersome.

With ExakTime, you can also set shifts as single instances or have them repeat daily, weekly, or monthly. This repetitive scheduling is a significant time-saver, especially for large teams with consistent shift patterns.

However, one area for improvement is the visual scheduling interface, which can feel cluttered when managing numerous shifts and employees. A cleaner, more customizable interface would significantly enhance the user experience.

Multimedia Field Notes

ExakTime’s Field Notes allow workers to attach photos, draw on these images to highlight specific areas, and record voice memos or notes while on the job site.

Accessing the Field Notes is straightforward: press the menu button in the top left, select Field Notes, and press the + icon to specify the subject, such as who, where, or what the note pertains to.

ExakTime’s Field Notes lets you review and edit past entries easily. It allows access to notes from the past two weeks, showing the subject and comments for each. Tapping a field note reveals additional details and the option to edit if it hasn’t been sent yet.

Voice memos are a great upgrade from the usual project notes I’ve seen in other software. However, there’s room for improvement.

For instance, if a single field note has multiple voice memos, each memo appears as a separate entry, which can clutter the review process. Consolidating these entries would make the feature more efficient.

Meal Break and Time Off Tracking

ExakTime’s meal break tracking feature offers both automatic and manual options.

Automatic meal break tracking is particularly beneficial for companies in states with strict break regulations, like California.

Business owners can set an auto lunch policy, enable the feature, and define the minimum required hours to trigger the break. It ensures meal and/or break time is automatically deducted from time cards once employees reach the threshold.

ExakTime’s enforcement of break compliance was on point. When I tested it on the mobile app, it didn’t let me end my meal break before the 30 minutes were up, and it also notified me of upcoming breaks.

On the downside, the meal break feature doesn’t include break attestation or reminders to confirm that the employee took a break, which could be a valuable addition for businesses needing thorough compliance documentation.

Meanwhile, ExakTime’s time off tracking is accessible through a new side menu option on ExakTime Mobile. Employees can view their assigned time off plans, available hours, and the status of their requests.

The ability for supervisors to request time off on behalf of their team adds flexibility, though the inability to edit submitted requests can be inconvenient.

Notifications are also enabled by default, ensuring employees stay informed about their requests.

Reporting

ExakTime’s reporting feature empowers business owners to extract valuable insights from their workforce data.

With over 40 instant reports available, users can focus on critical metrics and leverage data to make informed decisions crucial to their business’s success.

ExakTime can effortlessly generate reports from data collected by the time clock app or rugged time clocks, covering aspects such as hours worked, regular and overtime hours, location, start and stop times, and more.

What I particularly like about ExakTime’s reporting feature is its detailed time card tracking reports. These reports offer actionable insights for effective workforce management, including:

• Employee Executive Summary – for a high-level overview
• Employee Time Card – for monitoring regular and OT hours
• Employee Touch Detail – for tracking start and stop times and work types
• Location by Employee – for understanding hours at specific locations
• Employees by Location – for a breakdown of working hours spent at each job site

However, the absence of comprehensive visual charts makes data analysis more challenging, as users must rely on raw data rather than easily interpretable visuals.

Moreover, the limited report filters can make it difficult for employers to drill down on specific data points.

Integrating Other Business Apps With ExakTime

ExakTime offers a wide range of pre-built integrations, making connecting with popular payroll systems like QuickBooks, ADP, and Paychex easy.

These integrations ensure accurate time-tracking data flows into your payroll processes, reducing manual entry and minimizing the risk of errors.

For those needing more tailored solutions, ExakTime offers a developer API. This API allows you to build custom integrations with other third-party tools without ExakTime’s pre-built connections.

ExakTime Might be a Good Fit for You If…

ExakTime offers a range of features designed to meet the unique needs of construction managers, owners, and admins.

ExakTime might be a good fit for you if:

• You want to easily connect with popular payroll systems like QuickBooks, ADP, and Paychex.
• You want access to robust time-tracking capabilities regardless of the plan you choose.
• You want your team to capture detailed job site updates that can include photos, notes, and voice memos.
• You want to enhance employee accountability and prevent buddy punching during clock-ins.

You Might Not Want to Use ExakTime If…

While ExakTime offers many valuable features, it’s essential to consider some potential drawbacks before deciding.

ExakTime might not be a good fit if:

• You’re looking for a precise time clock app with an automatic clock-in/out feature.
• Your business relies heavily on tracking mileage for reimbursements or job costing.
• You run a small construction business with a limited budget.
• You want advanced analytics accessible on any plan you choose.
• Your business needs detailed and customizable reports.

ExakTime Cost/Pricing

ExakTime has three pricing plans: Advanced, Premium, and Elite.

All plans have ExakTime’s time and location tracking features. Premium has all the basic features plus integrated scheduling and AI-enabled custom alerts. The priciest plan, Elite, has all the features in the lower tiers plus time-off administration.

ExakTime’s pricing page doesn’t reveal much apart from its cheapest plan’s $9 monthly per-user cost.

In addition to ExakTime’s per-user cost, all pricing tiers have a monthly base fee. The pricing page doesn’t disclose this amount, but Advanced users must pay a monthly base fee of around $50.

Neither a free plan nor a free trial is available, so users have no risk-free way to put ExakTime to a road test.

Standard reports are available across all plans. If you want deeper insights to make data-driven decisions, ExakTime also offers advanced analytics. However, this is only available as an add-on, which can be a drawback for those looking for a cost-efficient way to access performance-related business reports.

ExakTime Reviews

ExakTime’s time tracking and geofencing features have earned praise for simplifying employee hour and location management, yet frequent glitches and unexpected logouts mar the experience, especially on Android devices.

To gain deeper insights, explore the following verified user reviews:

iOS user JTtron criticized ExakTime’s recent update, citing reduced functionality and problematic time adjustments.

Needs improvement ⭐
“Whatever you guys updated on the last cycle completed destroyed the functionality of this program. It was 3-4 stars prior to this update. Remove the clock out feature on the web page, and stop the changing times. The three minutes from before wasn’t bad, but changing hours around and etc will cause me to quickly look into other options.”

Despite minor glitches, ExakTime impressed Android user Mornin Streeetch, who recommended adding a way to track clocked-in hours for each pay period.

Mornin Streeetch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This App has worked great ever since our boss switched. Some minor hiccups now and then but overall works great. The ONLY thing I can think of that would make this app top of the line is to have a feature where you can see how many hours you’ve been clocked in for that pay period, that would be so convenient”

While commending ExakTime’s announcement and goal-setting tools, user Slam J. expressed frustration over unexpected auto-logouts during annual reviews.

Does the Job It’s supposed to do ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Pros: Good program for managing company announcements, and personal goals

Cons: Every year when filling out my annual review, I would get automatically logged out, thus losing about an hour of work! I’m sure this is a security feature, but a warning alert would have been very nice. Because these reviews were done annually, I never remembered about the auto logout feature, so just about every year it happened. Very frustrating.”

Our Score (and Why We Chose It)

I tested ExakTime’s features, simulating its actual performance in the field to give you a clearer picture of what its app can (and cannot) do. To give it an objective rating, I relied on our standard scoring factors, which give you insights into ExakTime’s reliability on many fronts.

Here are the results:

Sign-Up and Onboarding: The sign-up and onboarding process is smooth but could benefit from more guided assistance. Setting up your account and configuring the initial settings can be overwhelming without detailed walkthroughs. Once set up, though, the platform is intuitive to navigate.

Ease of Use: ExakTime is user-friendly, with a clean and straightforward interface. The drag-and-drop scheduling and mobile accessibility are convenient. Some advanced features may require a learning curve, but it’s easy to use overall.

Features and Functionality: The software offers comprehensive time-tracking, GPS tracking, and multimedia field notes, which are useful for construction projects. However, it lacks mileage tracking, and advanced analytics come at an additional cost.

Customer Support: Customer support is responsive and knowledgeable. They provide helpful resources and are quick to resolve issues. Some users might find the initial setup complex, and additional support might be needed during this phase.

Value for Price: While ExakTime offers robust features, its pricing can be steep for smaller businesses. The advanced features requiring additional payment might not justify the cost for everyone. It’s best suited for larger operations that can leverage all the functionalities.

Integrations: ExakTime integrates well with popular payroll systems like QuickBooks and project management tools like Procore. The developer API allows for custom integrations, enhancing its flexibility.

Top Alternatives to ExakTime

ExakTime isn’t the first time tracking app to target the construction market, which means you’ve got plenty of software solutions to compare it against.

Whether it’s due to budget constraints, specific feature needs, or a preference for a different user interface, considering other options can help you find the best solution for your construction business.

Here are five strong alternatives to ExakTime, each with unique strengths that might better suit your needs.

Final Thoughts

ExakTime covers all bases with its physical and digital time clocks, ensuring construction crews can easily log their hours no matter where or what they’re doing.

While it meets the basic requirements for field-based time tracking, ExakTime still has room to grow. For instance, it lacks a reliable automatic clock-in/clock-out feature to ensure accurate time recording at geofenced locations.

In addition, Exaktime also doesn’t have the built-in mileage tracking your team needs for precise and quick driving cost reimbursements.

Workyard stands out as a great ExakTime alternative. Built specifically for construction businesses, Workyard offers the industry’s most accurate GPS time clock with both built-in automatic clock-in and mileage tracking features.

Discover how Workyard’s GPS time clock can help your business save time and money. Or, you can sign up for its 14-day free trial to immediately put it to a road test at no cost.