The best kiosk time clock app for crews is TrackBadges: any tablet or phone becomes a scanner in its browser — no app to install — and reads each worker's printed QR badge, free for 3 people, then $9 a month plus $1.50 per person ($19.50 for 10). Clockify has a cheap browser kiosk, Connecteam and Homebase have free PIN kiosks, and Jibble and Deputy add face recognition.
Key takeaways
Browser kiosks need nothing installed; native kiosk apps must be installed, signed in and locked down.
PINs are the easiest to share; QR badges and face recognition are harder to fake.
Face recognition struggles in poor light and raises biometric-privacy obligations in some states.
A kiosk only works where it's mounted — crews on the move need a scanner that travels.
Any phone or tablet scans printed QR badges in the browser, and the same scanner can travel with a supervisor to the job site.
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.
A browser kiosk with PINs or QR codes and very cheap kiosk-only seats on annual billing.
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).
A PIN kiosk with optional selfie, free for up to 10 users.
Connecteam is an all-in-one app for deskless teams — time clock, scheduling, chat, forms and training — where employees clock in on their own phone or at a shared kiosk with a PIN. Best for: Teams where everyone has a smartphone and you want scheduling, chat and forms in the same app as the time clock.
How employees clock in
In the Connecteam app on the employee's phone (with GPS), at a shared kiosk with a 4-digit PIN and optional selfie, or by tapping NFC tags placed at a site.
Employee needs a smartphone
Not with the kiosk, which takes a PIN. Otherwise each employee uses the Connecteam app on their own phone.
Free plan
Free for up to 10 users (Small Business plan), with one time clock.
Pricing
Free for up to 10 users. Operations Hub Basic is $35 a month billed monthly ($29 annually) for the first 30 users, then $1 per user; Advanced ($59) adds auto clock-out and geofences.
A free PIN time clock for one location, priced per location after that.
Homebase is a scheduling, time clock and payroll app for hourly teams, priced per location; employees clock in with a PIN on a shared time clock tablet, a computer, a POS, or their own phone. Best for: Single-location shops — restaurants, retail, salons — that want scheduling, hiring and payroll with the time clock.
How employees clock in
With a PIN on the Homebase time clock app on a shared tablet, computer or POS device, or on the employee's own phone (location-based clock-in starts on Essentials).
Employee needs a smartphone
No — the shared tablet takes PINs. Phone clock-in is optional.
Free plan
Free (Basic) for 1 location and up to 10 employees; timesheets are kept for 90 days.
Pricing
Priced per location: Basic is free for 1 location and up to 10 employees. Essentials is $30 a month per location billed monthly ($24 annually); Plus $70; All-in-One $120, the tier with automatic clock-out and overtime alerts.
Face, NFC, PIN, name-list and QR kiosk modes in its native app, with one kiosk free.
Jibble is a time and attendance app with a large free plan: employees clock in on the Jibble mobile app, or at a shared device running Jibble's kiosk app with face recognition, NFC, PIN or QR codes. Best for: Teams where everyone has a smartphone, or a single site that can dedicate a phone or tablet to Jibble's kiosk app.
How employees clock in
In the Jibble app on the employee's phone (with GPS and selfies), or at a shared iOS/Android device running the Jibble kiosk app in one mode: face, NFC, PIN, name list or QR scanner.
Employee needs a smartphone
Not if you use the kiosk: employees can clock in at a shared device. Each employee's personal QR code lives in the Jibble app, though; admins download codes one person at a time as PDFs.
Free plan
Free for unlimited users, with 1 kiosk, 2 locations and 1 admin.
Pricing
Jibble no longer publishes prices on its site. Third-party reviews in 2026 list paid tiers from $3.49 to $10.99 per user a month billed monthly ($1.99–$7.99 billed annually). Unlimited kiosks need the Growth tier.
An iPad or Android kiosk inside a full scheduling platform, with Face Unlock on higher tiers.
Deputy is a shift scheduling and time and attendance platform for hourly teams, with an iPad or Android kiosk and Face Unlock on higher tiers. Best for: Shift-based businesses — hospitality, retail, healthcare — that need scheduling, compliance rules and time tracking together.
How employees clock in
In the Deputy app on the employee's phone, or at a shared Kiosk on an iPad or Android tablet with a PIN (Face Unlock on Core and above).
Employee needs a smartphone
No — the kiosk covers employees without phones.
Free plan
No free plan; free trial.
Pricing
Per user: Lite $5.50, Core $7.25, Pro $10 a month billed monthly ($5 / $6.50 / $9 annually). Monthly plans have a $30 minimum monthly spend.
No — the kiosk covers employees without phones, using cheaper kiosk-only seats.
Not with the kiosk, which takes a PIN. Otherwise each employee uses the Connecteam app on their own phone.
No — the shared tablet takes PINs. Phone clock-in is optional.
Not if you use the kiosk: employees can clock in at a shared device. Each employee's personal QR code lives in the Jibble app, though; admins download codes one person at a time as PDFs.
No — the kiosk covers employees without phones.
One supervisor clocks in a crew
Yes — it's how it works. One phone clocks in the whole crew.
Partly — a manager's Universal PIN can clock people in and out at the kiosk.
No. Per Connecteam's help center, admins can't clock someone in directly; they add the time to the timesheet instead.
Not found in Homebase's plans or help pages.
Not as a supervisor workflow. Employees scan their own code or face at the kiosk.
Not found in Deputy's plans or help pages.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 people, with every feature.
Free for a small team, but the free plan doesn't include the kiosk.
Free for up to 10 users (Small Business plan), with one time clock.
Free (Basic) for 1 location and up to 10 employees; timesheets are kept for 90 days.
Free for unlimited users, with 1 kiosk, 2 locations and 1 admin.
No free plan; free trial.
10 people / month
$19.50/mo
$21.89/mo
Free
Free
$59.90/mo
$55/mo
25 people / month
$42/mo
$44.24/mo
$35/mo
$30/mo
$149.75/mo
$137.50/mo
50 people / month
$79.50/mo
$81.49/mo
$55/mo
$30/mo
$299.50/mo
$275/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.
Browser kiosk or native app?
A browser kiosk is a web page: open it on any tablet and it works. A native kiosk is an app you install from the App Store or Google Play, sign in to as an admin, and usually lock down with Guided Access or screen pinning. Native apps can do more offline; browser kiosks are faster to set up and replace.
Product
Kiosk runs in
Clock-in method
TrackBadges
Browser
QR badge scan, PIN fallback
Clockify
Browser
PIN, QR (Standard), photo (Pro)
Connecteam
Native app
PIN, optional selfie
Homebase
Native app or web
PIN
Jibble
Native app
Face, NFC, PIN, QR
Deputy
Native app (iPad/Android)
PIN, Face Unlock
Setting up a kiosk
Pick a tablet with a decent camera, mount it at chest height near the entrance, keep it charged, and lock it to the time clock. The kiosk setup guide has step-by-step instructions for iPad and Android.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time clock kiosk app?
For crews, TrackBadges — any tablet becomes a QR badge scanner in its browser, free for 3 people, then $9 a month plus $1.50 per person ($19.50 for 10). Clockify's browser kiosk is a cheap alternative, and Connecteam and Homebase have free PIN kiosks.
Can I use an old iPad as a time clock?
Usually, yes. Browser-based kiosks like TrackBadges and Clockify run on any tablet with a modern browser and a working camera. Native kiosk apps may require a recent iPadOS version.
Are face recognition time clocks legal?
They're legal in most places but regulated in some: Illinois' BIPA requires written consent and a retention policy before collecting biometrics, and Texas and Washington have their own rules.
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.