The best time tracking software for most contractor crews in 2026 is ClockShark: it was built for construction, GPS breadcrumbing tracks crews all day, and the Standard plan runs $40 per month plus $9 per user. If your payroll already lives in QuickBooks, pick QuickBooks Time instead, and if you will not spend a dollar yet, Clockify's free plan covers unlimited users. This roundup compares seven tools on verified mid-2026 pricing, including the base fees most lists leave out.
Key takeaways
- ClockShark is the best overall time tracker for field crews: Standard plan at $40 per month base plus $9 per user, with a 4.7 rating from 1,910+ Capterra reviews.
- QuickBooks Time raised prices on July 1, 2026: Premium is now $20 base plus $10 per user per month, a 25 percent per-user increase.
- Clockify and busybusy both offer genuinely free plans with unlimited users; busybusy's free tier even includes job costing.
- Base fees change the math: a 5-person crew pays about $85 per month on ClockShark and $80 on Workyard, but only $25 on Clockify Basic.
- Buddy punching and manual entry errors average 2.2 percent of gross payroll per Nucleus Research, about $13,200 per year on a $600,000 payroll.
The 7 best time tracking tools for contractors, compared
Every price below was checked against vendor pricing pages and Capterra listings in July 2026. Ratings are Capterra scores with review counts.
| Tool | Best for | Rating (reviews) | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClockShark | Best overall for construction crews | 4.7 (1,910+) | $40/mo + $9/user | GPS breadcrumbing all day, not just at punch-in |
| QuickBooks Time | Shops running QuickBooks payroll | 4.7 (5,700+) | $20/mo + $10/user | Native sync into QuickBooks payroll |
| Clockify | Free tracking for small crews | 4.7 (4,200+) | Free; paid from $3.99/user | Unlimited users on the free plan |
| busybusy | Free plan with job costing | 4.5 (440+) | Free; Pro $9.99/user | Job costing and equipment tracking at $0 |
| Workyard | GPS-heavy construction payroll | ~4.1 editor score | $50/mo + $6/user | Precise GPS mileage and drive-time capture |
| Jobber | Service contractors wanting all-in-one | 4.6 (1,460+) | From $39/mo | Time entries attach straight to jobs and invoices |
| Buildertrend | GCs already on Buildertrend | Custom quotes | Roughly $339 to $1,099/mo | Time clock tied to project phases and daily logs |
How we chose
We compared each tool on five things a field crew actually feels: GPS verification, offline mode for dead zones, payroll integrations, setup effort, and total monthly cost for a typical 5-person crew including base fees. Pricing came from vendor pricing pages and Capterra pricing listings in July 2026, ratings from Capterra review counts on the same date. We excluded tools that are really fleet trackers first (Samsara, for example, fits better in our GPS fleet tracking roundup) and tools that do not run offline.
1. ClockShark: best overall for construction and field service
ClockShark is the best pick for most contractor crews because it was designed for construction from day one and the whole feature set shows it. GPS breadcrumbing records crew movement throughout the shift, not just clock-in location, which settles payroll disputes fast. Kiosk mode adds facial recognition to stop buddy punching on shared tablets.
Best for: crews of 3 to 50 that want a purpose-built time tracker without buying a full field service platform.
Pros:
- GPS breadcrumb trails across the full workday
- Built-in job costing reports and crew scheduling
- Facial recognition kiosk mode blocks buddy punching
- Integrates with QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and Gusto
Cons:
- The $40 monthly base fee stings for crews of 1 or 2
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
Pricing: as of mid-2026, ClockShark lists Standard at $40 per month base plus $9 per active user, and Pro at $60 base plus $11 per user (per ClockShark's billing help pages and Capterra). Inactive users are not billed. Capterra shows a 4.7 rating from more than 1,910 reviews.
2. QuickBooks Time: best for QuickBooks payroll shops
QuickBooks Time earns its spot on integration alone: approved hours flow straight into QuickBooks payroll with no re-entry, which saves a bookkeeper hours every month. GPS tracking, crew scheduling, and a kiosk mode for the shop tablet are all included.
Know the new math before you sign up. On July 1, 2026, Intuit raised per-user pricing by $2 across both tiers, a 25 percent jump on Premium, as reported by OnTheClock's pricing analysis and Intuit's own plan pages.
Best for: any shop already running QuickBooks Online payroll.
Pros:
- Tightest QuickBooks payroll sync on this list
- GPS tracking and scheduling included on Premium
- Huge review base: 4.7 from about 5,700 Capterra reviews
Cons:
- Priced up 25 percent per user in July 2026
- Your time data is stuck if you leave the QuickBooks ecosystem
Pricing: Premium at $20 per month base plus $10 per user; Elite at $40 base plus $12 per user, as of July 2026. If QuickBooks anchors your whole back office anyway, see our contractor accounting software comparison before you commit.
3. Clockify: best free time tracker
Clockify remains the strongest free option: unlimited users, unlimited projects, timers, timesheets, and basic reports at zero cost. A 2-person crew moving off paper timesheets can prove the habit sticks before spending anything.
Best for: solo operators and crews under 5 testing digital time tracking for the first time.
Pros:
- Free plan with no user cap
- Cheapest paid upgrade here: Basic from $3.99 per user per month billed annually ($4.99 monthly)
- Clean mobile app, 4.7 from 4,200+ Capterra reviews
Cons:
- GPS tracking requires a paid tier
- Not construction-specific, so job-level reporting takes setup
- Payroll integrations are thin compared to ClockShark
Pricing: free forever plan; paid tiers from $3.99 to $14.99 per user per month as of 2026, per Clockify's pricing page. More free options for the rest of your stack are in our free contractor tools roundup.
4. busybusy: best free plan for construction specifically
busybusy is the sleeper pick on this list: its free plan includes not just time tracking for unlimited users but job costing and equipment tracking, features every other vendor locks behind payment. The company built the product for construction crews, and the GPS clock-in flow reflects that.
Best for: budget-minded construction crews that want job costing without a subscription.
Pros:
- Free plan includes job costing and equipment tracking
- Photo verification on clock-in stops buddy punching (Pro)
- No base fee at any tier
Cons:
- Smaller review base: 4.5 from about 440 Capterra reviews
- Scheduling is weaker than ClockShark or QuickBooks Time
Pricing: free plan; Pro at $9.99 per user per month with enhanced GPS, kiosk mode, and photo verification; Premium at $14.99 per user with daily project reports, per busybusy's pricing page as of 2026.
5. Workyard: best GPS precision for construction payroll
Workyard sells on GPS accuracy: it captures site arrival and departure times, mileage, and drive time automatically, which makes it a strong fit for crews that bounce between multiple job sites in a day. The trade-off is a $50 monthly base fee that makes it expensive for tiny teams.
Best for: construction crews of 5 to 30 where travel time and mileage are payroll line items.
Pros:
- Most precise GPS and mileage capture in this group
- Low $6 per-user rate on Starter
- Job cost reports tie labor to projects automatically
Cons:
- $50 monthly base fee is punishing for 1 to 3 users
- Younger product with a smaller review footprint
Pricing: Starter at $6 per user per month or Pro at $13 per user, both plus a $50 monthly company fee, per Workyard's published pricing as of 2026.
6. Jobber: best when time tracking should live inside your CRM
Jobber is field service management first and a time tracker second, but that is exactly the point: time entries attach to the job card, so labor hours, quotes, and invoices live in one record. Service contractors who want scheduling, invoicing, and time in one login should start here rather than bolt three tools together.
Best for: home service contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lawn) who want one platform, not a standalone tracker.
Pros:
- Time, scheduling, quoting, and invoicing in one system
- Billable vs non-billable hours visible per job
- 4.6 from about 1,460 Capterra reviews
Cons:
- Overkill and overpriced if you only need a time clock
- Per-user costs climb fast on team plans
Pricing: Core from $39 per month billed monthly ($29 annually), Connect at $119, Grow at $199, with team plans from $169 per month for 5 users, per Jobber's pricing page as of mid-2026. Our full Jobber review breaks down the real per-crew cost, and our field service management roundup covers its direct rivals.
7. Buildertrend: best for GCs already running it
Buildertrend only makes sense as a time tracker if you already use it to manage projects, and its 2026 pricing change makes that clearer than ever. The time clock module ties hours to project phases and daily logs, which is genuinely useful for multi-phase builds with subs documenting their own labor.
The old advice about a $199 entry plan is dead. Buildertrend removed published pricing in 2026 and now quotes based on your annual construction volume; independent pricing analyses from Downtobid and Projul put real-world quotes roughly between $339 and $1,099 per month, with unlimited users under one license.
Best for: general contractors and custom home builders already paying for Buildertrend.
Pros:
- Hours tie to project phases, daily logs, and change orders
- Unlimited users under a single company license
Cons:
- No published pricing since 2026; you must request a quote
- Far too expensive as a standalone time clock
Pricing: custom volume-based quotes, roughly $339 to $1,099 per month as of 2026. Comparing whole platforms instead? See our project management software guide for GCs.
What a 5-person crew actually pays per month
Base fees are where most pricing pages hide the real cost, so here is the math for a 5-person crew on monthly billing as of July 2026.
| Tool and plan | Formula | Monthly total (5 users) |
|---|---|---|
| Clockify Basic | 5 x $4.99 | ~$25 |
| busybusy Pro | 5 x $9.99 | ~$50 |
| QuickBooks Time Premium | $20 + 5 x $10 | $70 |
| Workyard Starter | $50 + 5 x $6 | $80 |
| ClockShark Standard | $40 + 5 x $9 | $85 |
| Jobber Connect Team | flat, 5 users included | $169 |
| Buildertrend | custom quote, unlimited users | $339+ |
Free plans from Clockify and busybusy bring the floor to $0 if you can live without GPS verification.
Why time tracking pays for itself
Time tracking software earns back its subscription in payroll accuracy alone. Nucleus Research puts the average cost of buddy punching at 2.2 percent of gross payroll, and the American Payroll Association estimates time theft touches 75 percent of US businesses. On a $600,000 annual payroll, 2.2 percent is $13,200, which buys a lot of $85 months.
Job costing is the second payoff. Accurate labor hours per job turn your next bid from guesswork into a lookup, and GPS-stamped logs end invoice disputes with homeowners and GCs before they start. Automated overtime flags also catch compliance problems before payroll runs instead of during an audit. If disputes and slow payments are your bigger problem, pair your tracker with one of the picks in our invoicing software roundup.
Which one should you pick
Choose ClockShark if you want the best construction-specific tracker and can absorb $85 per month for a small crew. Choose QuickBooks Time if payroll already runs through QuickBooks; the sync outweighs the July 2026 price bump. Choose Clockify or busybusy if the budget is zero, and prefer busybusy when you also want free job costing. Choose Workyard when GPS precision, mileage, and drive time drive your payroll. Choose Jobber when you really need a full platform (compare it with our contractor CRM roundup first), and stick with Buildertrend's time clock only if you already pay for Buildertrend.
The most common failure mode is not picking the wrong tool, it is picking one that needs too much setup and abandoning it in week two. Start with the simplest option that solves your actual problem and upgrade when the crew has the habit. If dispatch and calendars are the bottleneck instead, start with our scheduling software comparison.
How we put this together
We compared seven time tracking tools on pricing, GPS features, payroll integrations, and real 5-person crew costs. Prices were verified in July 2026 against vendor pricing pages (ClockShark, Clockify, busybusy, Workyard, Jobber) and Capterra pricing listings; the QuickBooks Time increase and Buildertrend's quote-based model were confirmed through OnTheClock, Downtobid, and Projul pricing analyses. Ratings are Capterra scores at the same date. No vendor paid for placement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free time tracking app for contractor crews?
busybusy has the best free plan for construction because it includes job costing and equipment tracking along with unlimited users. Clockify's free plan is the better generalist pick with unlimited users and projects, but GPS verification on either product requires a paid tier.
How much does time tracking software cost for a small crew in 2026?
A 5-person crew pays between $0 and about $85 per month for a dedicated tracker as of mid-2026. Clockify Basic runs about $25, busybusy Pro about $50, QuickBooks Time Premium $70, Workyard Starter $80, and ClockShark Standard $85 once base fees are included.
Do contractor time clock apps need GPS?
GPS verification is worth paying for the moment you bill labor by the hour or pay crews you cannot see. A location-stamped clock-in at the job address ends most invoice disputes and payroll arguments on the spot, and breadcrumb-style tracking (ClockShark, Workyard) also documents drive time between sites.
What is buddy punching and how much does it cost?
Buddy punching is one worker clocking in for another who has not arrived, and Nucleus Research puts its average cost at 2.2 percent of gross payroll. Kiosk face recognition (ClockShark), photo verification (busybusy), and GPS-restricted clock-ins all shut it down.
Does QuickBooks Time work if I do not use QuickBooks payroll?
QuickBooks Time works as a standalone tracker, but its main advantage disappears without the payroll sync. If you are not in the QuickBooks ecosystem, ClockShark or busybusy gives you more construction-specific features for similar or less money.
Did QuickBooks Time prices go up in 2026?
Yes: Intuit raised QuickBooks Time per-user pricing by $2 per month on July 1, 2026, taking Premium from $8 to $10 per user (a 25 percent increase) plus the $20 monthly base fee. Elite moved to $12 per user plus a $40 base.
