How Much Does a Time Clock App Actually Cost in 2026?

Every time clock app quotes a small number, and almost nobody pays the small number. The real monthly cost is a formula, and once you know it, you can read any pricing page in the category quickly.

JULY 29, 2026 · BY THE CLOX TEAM

Every time clock app quotes a small number, and almost nobody pays the small number. The real monthly cost is a formula, and once you know it, you can read any pricing page in the category quickly.

The formula

Monthly cost = base fee + (per-user rate x users) + paid add-ons, corrected for three things: whether the quoted rate requires annual billing, whether a feature you need lives in a higher tier, and whether a contract term locks you in. Those three corrections are where quotes usually come out higher than expected.

Vendor	Plan	Price	Billing notes
ClockShark	Standard	$40 a month plus $9 a month per user	Time and attendance, GPS, jobs and tasks, drag and drop scheduling, manager roles and approvals, integrations, draft schedules, and Spanish language support.
	Pro	$60 a month plus $11 a month per user	Adds paid time off, multi-department and multi-office controls, advanced job costing, and shift wrap-up and compliance forms.
Connecteam	Small Business	$0 for up to 10 users	Free for life across the hubs for 10 or fewer users. The page calls it all hubs and all features with an asterisk, so confirm any single must-have against the comparison table.
	Operations Basic	$29 a month for the first 30 users, then $0.80 a month per user	Real-time clock in and out with GPS, unlimited jobs, payroll integration, basic scheduling, checklists and forms. One time clock, and geofence sites are not included.
	Operations Advanced	$49 a month for the first 30 users, then $2.50 a month per user	Adds full time clock customization, auto clock out, up to 10 geofence sites, bulk actions, and repeating schedule templates.
	Operations Expert	$99 a month for the first 30 users, then $4.20 a month per user	Adds unlimited geofence sites, GPS breadcrumbs, auto assign shifts, up to 12 schedules, API access, and webhook management.
	Enterprise	Not published	Custom pricing. Unlimited time clocks and schedules, single sign on, two-factor authentication, biometric app lock, and a personal success manager.
Clockify	Free	$0 for up to 5 users	Unlimited tracking, time tracker, timesheet, auto tracker, calendar, apps, and reports.
	Basic	$3.99 per seat per month billed annually, or $4.99 monthly	Adds kiosk, breaks, import, required fields, and adding time for others.
	Standard	$5.49 per seat per month billed annually, or $6.99 monthly	Adds time off, approval, lock time, attendance and overtime, manager role, task rates, rounding, QuickBooks integration, and kiosk customization.
	Pro	$7.99 per seat per month billed annually, or $9.99 monthly	Adds scheduling, GPS tracking, kiosk photo capture, expenses, budgets, custom fields, force timer, and screenshots.
	Enterprise	$11.99 per seat per month billed annually, or $14.99 monthly	Adds single sign on, custom subdomain, SCIM provisioning, control accounts, and audit log.
Jibble	Free	$0 for unlimited users	Kiosk mode, facial recognition, basic GPS, and 2 geofences.
	Premium	$4.49 per user per month billed annually, or $5.99 monthly	Adds unlimited geofences, work schedules, PTO accruals, and multi-level approvals.
	Ultimate	$7.99 per user per month billed annually, or $9.99 monthly	Adds live location tracking, custom individual permissions, and attendance insight reports.
	Enterprise	Not published	Custom quote. Adds SAML single sign on, dedicated infrastructure, API access, and self-hosting options.
busybusy	Free	$0 for unlimited users	GPS time tracking, job costing, equipment tracking, overtime calculations, offline mode, and digital timecard signatures.
	Pro	$9.99 per user per month billed annually	Adds GPS breadcrumbing, supervisor tools, daily sign-offs, photos and notes, scheduling, kiosk, and time off approvals. A $40 admin license applies, with the first user included.
	Premium	$14.99 per user per month billed annually	Everything in Pro, plus documents, daily project reports, progress tracking, checklists, team messaging, and video and photo markups. The same $40 admin license applies.
Clox	One plan	$29 a month	Includes 3 users, then $6 per user. Every feature on the one plan. Month to month, no contract term. Annual saves about 20 percent. 14-day trial, no credit card.

Checked ClockShark July 28, 2026, Connecteam July 28, 2026, Clockify July 28, 2026, Jibble July 28, 2026, busybusy July 28, 2026. Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site.

The three hidden costs

Annual-only rates. The big print is usually the annual rate billed monthly. Paying actual month to month often costs 15 to 25 percent more, which matters for seasonal crews.

Tier ladders. Needing one feature from a higher tier means paying that tier for every user. A single must-have, like geofencing or approvals, can double a quote.

Contract terms. At least one major vendor in this category applies a multi-year contract term to all plans as of July 2026 (see our ClockShark pricing breakdown). A three-year commitment deserves different scrutiny than a monthly subscription.

A worked example: the six-person crew

Take a crew of six that needs GPS with geofencing, scheduling, approvals, and a payroll export. Run the formula against each vendor in the table above once its verified numbers are filled in, and against Clox it looks like this: $29 covers the first 3 users, three more at $6 each is $18, so the crew pays $47 a month, with every one of those features already included and no tier to climb. Annual billing brings it to about $38 a month. That's the entire calculation.

How to run your own comparison

Write your must-have list before opening any pricing page. Five features, no more.
For each vendor, find the single tier that contains all five. That tier's rate is your real rate.
Multiply by your August crew size, add base fees, and note the billing term next to the total.
Ask the demo rep the renewal-price question and the early-termination question, and write the answers down.

FAQ

What does a time clock app cost for a small crew?

Between free and roughly $15 per user per month depending on features and tier, plus base fees at some vendors. The worked example above shows the full math for six people.

Are free time clock apps good enough?

Sometimes, and honestly so. Clockify, Jibble, and busybusy all run real free tiers. The pattern is that job-site features like geofencing, approvals, and payroll exports live in paid tiers, which is where the formula starts mattering.

What does Clox cost?

$29 a month includes 3 users, then $6 per user, one plan with every feature, month to month with no contract. Annual saves about 20 percent. Free for 14 days, no credit card, 30-day money-back guarantee.

Our math: $29 a month includes 3 users, then $6 per user, everything included. Free for 14 days.