QR code time clock
The QR code time clock your crew doesn't have to install.
A QR code time clock records hours when a QR code is scanned at the start and end of a shift. With TrackBadges, every employee gets a printed QR badge and a supervisor scans it with any phone or tablet — scan once to clock in, again to clock out. Employees need no app, login or smartphone, and there's no hardware to buy.
- Your crew needs
- A printed badge. No app, account or phone.
- The scanner
- Any iPhone, Android phone or tablet, in its browser.
- Hardware to buy
- None. Print badges on paper or card stock.
- Setup
- About a minute, before you even sign up.
- Price
- Free for 3 people. Then $9/mo + $1.50 per person.
- Payroll
- Overtime applied. CSV for Excel, Sheets or payroll.
How a QR code time clock works
There are two kinds of QR code time clock, and the difference decides who has to carry a phone.
- Employee scans a code on the wall. A QR code is posted at the job site, and each employee scans it with their own phone and the vendor's app. Every worker needs a smartphone, the app, a login, data and battery.
- Supervisor scans the employee's badge. Every employee carries a printed QR badge, and a supervisor's phone or a shared tablet scans it. Only the scanner needs a phone. This is how TrackBadges works.
If everyone on your crew has a smartphone and is happy to use it for work, either kind works. If some don't, won't, or aren't allowed phones on the floor, the second kind is the only one that clocks in everybody.
Clock in a crew in three steps
- Add your crew. Name your business and paste in your team's names. You can do this before you sign up.
- Print their badges. Every person gets a QR badge with their name. Print on plain paper or card stock; a $1 badge holder makes it last.
- Scan with any phone. Scan a setup code and your phone becomes a scanner. Scan a badge once to clock that person in, and again to clock them out.
A crew of eight takes under a minute to clock in at the gate. Every scan is stamped with the time, the scanner, its location and (if you turn it on) GPS.
What you get on the other end
- Live who's-working board: everyone on the clock right now, with running timers, updated the second a badge is scanned.
- Timesheets with overtime applied: daily and weekly overtime and rounding rules, worked out automatically.
- Auto clock-out: shifts left open close themselves after the limit you set and are flagged for review, so one forgotten scan doesn't become 14 hours of overtime.
- Approvals and CSV export: approve the week, then export for Excel, Google Sheets or your payroll provider.
- Emergency roll call: one tap lists everyone on the clock, with a checklist to account for each person.
Why a supervisor-scanned QR badge beats the alternatives
| TrackBadges | Employee-app QR clock | Wall time clock | Paper timesheets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees need a smartphone | No | Yes | No | No |
| App or login for employees | None | Install and sign in | None | None |
| Hardware to buy | None | None | A unit per site | None |
| Stops buddy punching | Supervisor sees every scan | Varies (GPS, selfies) | Badge or fingerprint | No |
| Works at any job site | Yes | Yes | Where it's mounted | Yes |
| Overtime math | Automatic | Usually | Varies | By hand |
What it costs
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 ($19.50 for 10, $42 for 25). Every feature is on both plans: no hardware, contracts or setup fees. See pricing or compare what other time clocks cost on the best QR code time clock apps page.
When a QR code time clock isn't the right fit
If every employee works alone at a different location — a mobile nurse or a solo field tech — there's no supervisor or shared tablet to scan their badge, and an app on their own phone with GPS is the better tool. TrackBadges is built for crews: people who start the day together, at a gate, a truck, a front door or a time clock station.
Frequently asked questions
Do employees need to download an app to use a QR code time clock?
Not with TrackBadges. Employees only carry a printed QR badge. The scanner is a web page that runs in the browser of any phone or tablet you pair, so nobody downloads anything — not even the supervisor.
What do I need to set up a QR code time clock?
A phone or tablet with a camera, and a printer for the badges. Plain paper works; card stock or a plastic badge holder lasts longer. There's no time clock hardware to buy or mount.
Can employees clock in for each other with a QR code?
Not when a supervisor does the scanning: they see every person they clock in, so one worker can't punch in a friend who isn't there. Each punch also records which scanner made it, where and when.
What happens if an employee loses their QR badge?
Reissue it from the dashboard in a click and the old badge stops working right away. Until the new one is printed, the supervisor can type that person's PIN on the scanner.
Is there a free QR code time clock?
Yes. TrackBadges is free for up to 3 people with every feature, and you can try it with your whole crew before signing up. Larger crews pay $9 a month plus $1.50 per person after 3.
Keep reading
- Badge time clockA badge time clock with no reader to buy: print QR ID badges for your crew and scan them with any phone or tablet. Nothing to mount. Free for 3 people.
- Crew time clockA crew time clock where the foreman scans each worker's QR badge with one phone: 8 people clocked in in under a minute, no app for the crew. Free for 3 people.
- How QR code time clocks workA QR code time clock records a punch when a code is scanned. Compare the 3 designs, how each resists cheating, setup steps, costs and what a punch records.
- The best QR code time clock apps in 2026The best QR code time clock apps of 2026: who scans the badge, whether workers need a phone, and what 10, 25 and 50 people cost a month.
- vs JibbleTrackBadges vs Jibble: how employees clock in, whether they need a phone, and what 10, 25 or 50 people cost a month. Prices checked October 2026.
- QR badge makerMake printable employee ID badges with QR codes, free: paste your team, print 8 credit-card-size badges per page. No signup; nothing leaves your browser.
Clock your crew in with one phone.
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.