The best QuickBooks Time alternative for crews is TrackBadges, a QR badge time clock where a supervisor scans each employee's printed badge with any phone — no app or smartphone for employees, free for 3 people. Other strong options: ClockShark, busybusy, Workyard, Buddy Punch, Clockify.
Why people look for a QuickBooks Time alternative
You don't use QuickBooks Online, or don't want to be tied to it.
Per-user pricing for a whole crew adds up.
Kiosk PINs and name lists don't stop buddy punching.
The 6 best QuickBooks Time alternatives
1
TrackBadges
Our pick for crews
A QR badge time clock for crews: a supervisor scans each employee's printed badge with any phone or tablet, and the owner gets live timesheets with overtime, ready for payroll. Best for: Crews that start the day together — construction, landscaping, cleaning, warehouses, farms and events — especially when not everyone has, or should use, a smartphone.
How employees clock in
A supervisor (or a shared tablet) scans each employee's printed QR badge. Scan once to clock in, again to clock out.
Employee needs a smartphone
No. Employees carry a printed badge.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 people, with every feature.
Pricing
Free for up to 3 people. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 people, plus $1.50 a month for each person after that.
ClockShark is a GPS time tracking and scheduling app for field service and construction, with job costing, a shared KioskClock and a CrewClock for foremen. Best for: Construction and field-service companies that want GPS tracking, job costing and scheduling, and can commit to a multi-year contract.
How employees clock in
In the ClockShark app on the employee's phone (with GPS), at a shared KioskClock with a 4-digit PIN and optional face recognition, or by a foreman using CrewClock.
Employee needs a smartphone
No — CrewClock and KioskClock cover workers without phones.
Free plan
No free plan; 14-day free trial.
Pricing
Standard is $42 a month plus $9.50 per user; Pro is $63 a month plus $11.50 per user. ClockShark's pricing page says a contract term of three years applies to all plans.
busybusy is a construction time tracking and job costing app with a free GPS plan, plus a kiosk and supervisor tools on its paid tiers. Best for: Construction companies that want job costing, equipment tracking and offline GPS time tracking.
How employees clock in
In the busybusy app on the employee's phone (works offline), at a kiosk with a PIN and photo, or by a foreman using Supervisor Tools to clock in crews.
Employee needs a smartphone
Not on Pro and above, where the kiosk and Supervisor Tools cover workers without phones. On the free plan, yes.
Free plan
Free for unlimited users with GPS time tracking — but no kiosk or supervisor tools.
Pricing
Free plan for unlimited users. Pro is $11.99 per user a month billed monthly ($9.99 annually) plus a $40 admin license that includes the first user; Premium is $17.99 ($14.99).
Workyard is a GPS time tracking and job costing app for construction and field service, with supervisor-led crew clock-in and an iPad kiosk on higher tiers. Best for: Contractors who want GPS-verified hours, job costing and project tracking, and are happy to pay annually.
How employees clock in
In the Workyard app on the employee's phone with GPS, by a supervisor clocking in the crew (supervisor-led time tracking), or at an iPad kiosk with a PIN and photo (Pro and above).
Employee needs a smartphone
No — supervisor-led tracking covers workers without phones; the kiosk needs the Pro tier.
Free plan
No free plan; free trial.
Pricing
Starter is $6 per user a month billed annually; Workyard doesn't publish its monthly price. Pro, Autopilot and Enterprise prices aren't published.
Buddy Punch is an online time clock with many punch methods — web, mobile app, PIN and QR code kiosks, Face ID and text — plus a supervisor "group punch". Best for: Businesses that want lots of punch options, PTO tracking and payroll integrations, and don't mind a base fee plus per-user pricing.
How employees clock in
On the web or mobile app, at a PIN or QR kiosk (from the Pro plan), with Face ID on iOS, by text message, or by a supervisor's group punch.
Employee needs a smartphone
No — kiosks and group punch cover employees without phones.
Free plan
No free plan; there's a free trial.
Pricing
A $19 monthly base fee plus a per-user fee: Starter $5.99, Pro $7.99, Advanced $13.99 per user a month billed monthly ($4.99 / $6.99 / $12.99 annually). QR and PIN kiosks start on Pro. Admins are free.
Clockify is a time tracker best known for project and billable-hours tracking, with a browser kiosk that supports PINs, QR codes and photo capture on paid plans. Best for: Office and project teams tracking billable hours that also need a simple kiosk for some staff.
How employees clock in
With timers and timesheets in the Clockify apps, or at a browser kiosk on any device: a PIN (Basic), a personal QR code held up to the camera (Standard), with photo capture on Pro. A manager with a Universal PIN can clock others in and out.
Employee needs a smartphone
No — the kiosk covers employees without phones, using cheaper kiosk-only seats.
Free plan
Free for a small team, but the free plan doesn't include the kiosk.
Pricing
Per seat: Basic $4.99, Standard $6.99, Pro $9.99 a month billed monthly ($3.99 / $5.49 / $7.99 annually). Kiosk-only "limited" seats are much cheaper — about $1.49 a month on Standard billed monthly ($1.19 annually).
No — CrewClock and KioskClock cover workers without phones.
Not on Pro and above, where the kiosk and Supervisor Tools cover workers without phones. On the free plan, yes.
No — supervisor-led tracking covers workers without phones; the kiosk needs the Pro tier.
No — kiosks and group punch cover employees without phones.
No — the kiosk covers employees without phones, using cheaper kiosk-only seats.
One supervisor clocks in a crew
Yes — it's how it works. One phone clocks in the whole crew.
Yes — CrewClock lets one person's phone clock in several employees.
Yes — Supervisor Tools on Pro and above.
Yes — supervisor-led time tracking is on the Starter plan.
Yes — group punch lets a supervisor clock in several employees.
Partly — a manager's Universal PIN can clock people in and out at the kiosk.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 people, with every feature.
No free plan; 14-day free trial.
Free for unlimited users with GPS time tracking — but no kiosk or supervisor tools.
No free plan; free trial.
No free plan; there's a free trial.
Free for a small team, but the free plan doesn't include the kiosk.
10 people / month
$19.50/mo
$137/mo
$147.91/mo
$60/mo
$98.90/mo
$21.89/mo
25 people / month
$42/mo
$279.50/mo
$327.76/mo
$150/mo
$218.75/mo
$44.24/mo
50 people / month
$79.50/mo
$517/mo
$627.51/mo
$300/mo
$418.50/mo
$81.49/mo
Monthly prices for a crew using each vendor's shared kiosk or supervisor clock-in, at list prices checked in October 2026. Each comparison page shows the exact plan used. Annual billing is cheaper with most vendors.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best QuickBooks Time alternative?
The best QuickBooks Time alternative for crews is TrackBadges, a QR badge time clock where a supervisor scans each employee's printed badge with any phone — no app or smartphone for employees, free for 3 people. Other strong options: ClockShark, busybusy, Workyard, Buddy Punch, Clockify.
Is there a free QuickBooks Time alternative?
Yes. TrackBadges is free for up to 3 people with every feature. ClockShark: No free plan; 14-day free trial. busybusy: Free for unlimited users with GPS time tracking — but no kiosk or supervisor tools. Workyard: No free plan; free trial. Buddy Punch: No free plan; there's a free trial. Clockify: Free for a small team, but the free plan doesn't include the kiosk.
Do you need QuickBooks Online to use QuickBooks Time?
Yes. Intuit's pricing page says a QuickBooks Online account is required. QuickBooks Time Premium is $20 a month plus $10 per user on top of that subscription.
Print a QR badge for everyone and scan them in and out with any phone or tablet. Free for up to 3 people — try it with your real crew before you sign up.