(650) 332-8623The 7 Best Time Clock Kiosk Apps for 2026
Looking for a time clock kiosk for your business? We’ve reviewed 7 of the best time clock kiosk apps on the market to help you!
Time clock kiosk apps are one of the simplest ways for construction teams to keep time tracking consistent on site. Rather than relying on supervisors or manual punch-ins, crews clock in and out on a shared device, typically an iPad set up at the jobsite.
This setup helps cut down on buddy punching, reduces missed punches, and keeps hours aligned across shifts and locations.
For teams managing hourly crews and payroll accuracy, this is the category that solves the problem best. The time clock kiosk apps covered here are suited to the realities of construction time tracking.
Top Time Clock Kiosk Apps at a Glance
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Our score |
9.2 |
8.4 |
8.2 |
Best for |
Precise kiosk time tracking for construction and field teams |
Retail staff attendance tracking |
Hospitality staff shift coordination |
Pricing |
Starts at $6/user/month + $50 monthly base fee |
Starts at $5.49/user/month + $19 base fee |
Starts at $35/month (first 30 users) |
Mario H. shared a positive experience using Buddy Punch to streamline time tracking and payroll.
Buddy Punch Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buddy Punch makes payroll & time tracking easy, accurate, and stress-free—highly recommend! 1000/100
Pros: Buddy Punch takes what used to be a complicated, time-consuming process and makes it effortless. Hours are tracked automatically, employee schedules are easy to manage, and the software organizes all the data in a way that’s clear and accurate. Running payroll is now stress-free, saving both time and headaches. I also love that it’s intuitive for employees—clocking in and out is simple, whether they’re on a computer or mobile device. Overall, it streamlines the entire process from time tracking to payroll.
Cons: Honestly, nothing—it’s been smooth across the board. Truly amazing app, not too expensive. Price is fair.
What are time clock kiosk apps?
Time clock kiosk apps are built around one simple idea: everyone clocks in at the same place.
Instead of tracking hours individually, a company sets up a shared device at a jobsite or entrance and assigns it to that location. From there, employees clock in and out directly on the kiosk using a PIN, badge, or photo prompt.
After clock-ins start coming in, most of the work happens quietly. Hours accumulate as the day goes on, breaks get accounted for, and managers can spot issues without waiting for the week to end.
By the time payroll comes up, the information is already in place, which matters more than it sounds when you’re not fixing mistakes at the last minute.
Benefits of time clock kiosk apps
- One place to clock in: When everyone uses the same device, fewer punches get missed or logged the wrong way.
- Less room for shortcuts: PINs, photos, or badges add verification similar to a biometric time clock, making it harder to clock in for someone else.
- Fewer payroll fixes: Digital punches reduce the back-and-forth that usually happens before payroll is finalized.
- Better tied to the jobsite: A kiosk on location keeps time records connected to where work actually happens.
- Lower admin effort: Paper cards and manual entry are no longer part of the process.
- Problems surface sooner: Managers can spot odd punches during the day instead of discovering them at the end of the week.
How much does a time clock kiosk app cost?
Pricing usually depends on how many people will be clocking in and how the kiosk is set up, similar to how costs are structured in timesheet software for small business.
Some platforms charge per active user each month, while others use a flat rate that covers a set number of employees on one device.
Costs tend to rise as features are added, such as GPS verification, photo capture, or payroll syncing. Free trials are common, though fully free plans are rare.
It’s also worth factoring in setup and training time, especially when rolling out kiosks across multiple locations.
What to look for in time clock kiosk apps
When you look at time clock kiosk apps, most of them check the same basic boxes. The key is knowing which capabilities are non-negotiable and which ones actually make day-to-day use easier once the system is live.
The first set of features determines whether the kiosk can handle everyday clock-ins without creating extra work later.
- Shared clock-ins on one device: Unlike dedicated time tracker devices, kiosks let crews clock in quickly without relying on personal phones.
- Basic identity checks: PINs, photos, or badges help keep time records credible.
- Consistent time capture: Unlike some clock-in clock-out apps that depend on individual phones, kiosk punches stay predictable across shifts.
- Simple review and exports: Managers should be able to review hours and send them to payroll without manual fixes.
Once those basics are covered, these added capabilities often separate usable tools from frustrating ones.
- Offline or low-connectivity support: Useful on sites with unreliable internet.
- Automatic rules: Applies breaks, overtime, or early clock-in limits without supervision.
- Integrations: Pushes time data directly into payroll, scheduling, or job costing systems.
How to choose the best time clock kiosk app
- Start with the physical setup: Where the kiosk sits and how crews interact with it matter more than feature depth. Shared devices work best when clock-ins are quick and obvious.
- Confirm the kiosk essentials work reliably: Look for stable shared-device clock-ins, basic identity checks, and time capture that doesn’t fall apart when shifts change, or crews rotate.
- Test the daily workflow, not just features: Kiosk tools behave differently than other apps for tracking work hours, so simulate a real shift during the trial.
- Check how time moves downstream: Make sure hours flow cleanly into payroll, accounting, or job costing without manual cleanup.
- Weigh setup effort against long-term payoff: A tool that takes longer to configure may still be worth it if it reduces payroll fixes and time disputes later.
Final Thoughts
Looking across these tools, most can handle basic kiosk clock-ins without trouble. The differences show up when things aren’t tidy.
Crews move. Signals drop. Payroll still needs to run. Workyard was the option that stayed predictable through those moments.
If you want fewer follow-ups and cleaner time data, Workyard is a strong place to start. Sign up for a 14-day free trial today and see how it fits your own workflow.
Our Scoring System Explained
Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.
We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:
The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.
How We Score Software
All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.
In general, the 0-10 range translates as:
- 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
- 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
- 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
- 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
- 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
- 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.
How We Calculate Overall Scores
The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:
- Ease of Use: 20%
- Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
- Scheduling Features: 15%
- Job Tracking: 15%
- Integrations: 10%
- Customer Support: 15%
- Company: 5%
Methodology for Each Factor
Ease of Use
We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:
- How easy is it to set up this app?
- How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
- How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?
These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.
Time Tracking Accuracy
Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…
- How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
- How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
- How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
- Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
- Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
- Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
- How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?
Scheduling Features
Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.
When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:
- Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
- Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
- Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
- Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
- Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.
Job Tracking
This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.
We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:
- Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
- Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
- Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
- Any built-in job costing views.
- Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)
Integrations
No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.
To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:
- How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
- How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
- Does it have robust data import and export features?
Customer Support
Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.
Customer support scores are calculated based on:
- Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
- Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
- The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
- What other users say about support in online reviews.
Company
A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.
When assessing this score, we’ll examine:
- Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
- Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
- Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
- Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
- Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
- Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).
Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!
A kiosk time clock combats buddy punching by using photo verification, facial recognition, PIN codes, and geofencing to ensure that only the correct employee can clock in. Time clock kiosk apps with GPS tracking confirm clock-in locations, preventing employees from logging time from unauthorized areas.
Some time kiosk solutions also require a live selfie during clock-in, further reducing fraudulent punches. By automating these security features, businesses can ensure accurate payroll and minimize labor costs.
Yes, many time clock kiosk apps include offline mode, allowing employees to clock in and out even when there’s no internet access. The kiosk stores punches locally and syncs data once a connection is restored. This feature is especially useful for construction and field service businesses working in remote locations where connectivity is unreliable.
However, not all kiosk time clock solutions offer offline capabilities, so businesses should verify this feature before choosing a provider.
The best time clock kiosk for construction and field service businesses should offer GPS tracking, geofencing, payroll integration, and compliance features to streamline workforce management.
Workyard stands out by providing precise GPS tracking, automated clock-in rules, real-time labor cost tracking, and built-in compliance tools. Unlike other time clock kiosk apps, Workyard is specifically designed for field teams, ensuring accurate and efficient time tracking on job sites.