A time tracking app is a must-have tool for construction and field services workers. Time clock software allows employees to clock in and out from anywhere via an app or time clock. As soon as your employees arrive on the jobsite, managers can easily track attendance and hours through integrated jobsite management features. Time tracker apps also reduce the need to use paper time cards, making payroll more accurate and efficient.

Deciding to upgrade your time tracking process with an app is a no-brainer but deciding which one to implement is another story. Every time clock app has a certain number of similar features. For example, consider the features available with the ExakTime time clock app and QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets). Both have some common features necessary for accurate time tracking. The differences come down to value.

Common Features Between ExakTime and QuickBooks Time

Mobile Time and Attendance Tracking 

Mobile time tracking allows workers to clock in and out from a mobile device, eliminating the need for punch clocks or paper time cards. Mobile time tracking allows employees to clock in and out from the job site using their own phone or another mobile device. They can use the app to clock in when they start their day, clock out for lunch or breaks to end the day.

Mobile time tracking is far more accurate than tracking time using handwritten time cards. The app never fudges numbers or forgets actual clock in and clock out times. If there is at least one mobile device on site, both ExakTime and QuickBooks Time allow workers to clock in individually or have a foreman clock in the crew as a group.

Job and Task Tracking 

Both ExakTime and QuickBooks Time let employers track jobs or tasks. Time tracking software allows employers to view detailed reports about employees’ start and stop times, including which tasks the employee spent their time completing. You can see a breakdown of who is doing what and how long it takes. Reports can be generated per location or per employee. This gives you the opportunity to accurately see how time is being spent so you can keep productivity high—and you have a paper trail with a detailed breakdown if you ever need it.

Basic GPS Tracking

A mobile time clock with GPS location tracking uses a mobile phone’s native functionality to track employee locations. Basic GPS tracking software on time clock apps lets employers know the location of employees when they clock in or out.

Payroll Syncing 

ExakTime and QuickBook’s time tracking software both sync time data to payroll applications. This saves the time it takes to manually enter payroll information. It eliminates errors that can occur deciphering paper time cards. Payroll syncing is a basic but absolute “must have” benefit for all time clock apps.

Reporting 

Both ExakTime and QuickBooks Time allow you to pull reports to track productivity and payroll costs. Reporting is also necessary for compliance under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which applies to nearly all US non-exempt hourly wage workers. The law states these non-exempt employees must be paid overtime for any time worked over 40 hours in one week. Complete and easily accessible records of time worked simplify FLSA compliance and put reports at your fingertips should you ever face a government audit.

Differences Between ExakTime and QuickBooks Time

ExakTime is a Better Value

QuickBooks Time offers two pricing options: Premium which costs $20 per month for one user and $8 per month for every additional user and Elite, which costs $40 per month plus $10 per additional user. 

ExakTime’s time clock solution is not only comparable to QuickBook’s entry-level Premium package, at $50 per month plus $8 per user (two months free with annual billing), but it’s lower-priced than the Elite version and includes many of the features those Elite users must shell out extra for – like geofencing and GPS breadcrumbs. These features are included in the ExakTime time clock app at no extra cost.

The geofence feature gives employers a better ability to track and control when and where their employees are working. A geofence sets up a virtual “barrier” that can enforce certain restrictions or create certain opportunities. It works as a physical fence would by marking off areas.

An employer might want to put a geofence around a worksite. You want your workers to clock in inside the fence, not from their vehicles or a coffee shop across the street. With the geofence feature enabled, when employees clock in or out, their timestamp will be flagged as either on-site or off-site.

With GPS location tracking, not only can the software admin see where individual workers clock in, but the software creates a ‘bread-crumb’ that follows their movements, so you can keep track of where they are on-site or between sites. The tracking stops the moment the worker clocks out.

More Integrations 

QuickBooks Time integrates directly with QuickBooks payroll and accounting software, but ExakTime offers much more. With our AccountLinx software, you can import and export payroll data to and from several other programs, including Sage 100 Contractor & Master Builder, Sage Business Vision and more.

ExakTime’s ability to seamlessly integrate between our web-based workforce management system and your payroll package makes it a better choice.

ExakTime automates the information transfer and system setup, shares time tracking data with your payroll application, exports attendance records in seconds, and ensures paychecks are accurate and on time every week.

Top-Notch Support 

ExakTime’s top priority is to make sure you receive a personalized, excellent customer experience when implementing our software. Our award-winning Customer Success Team guides you through setup, configuration and testing of our time tracking software so you can start saving time and money. With targeted training and a thorough review of your time records through the first pay period with ExakTime, you’ll be an expert in our solution in no time. We offer:

  • “Train the trainer” approach tailored to the unique requirements of your business
  • Co-authoring of your company’s workforce management goals
  • Award-winning, responsive service every step of the way
  • A dedicated implementation manager assigned to you and focused on your specific needs
  • Custom development service available for clients with targeted functionality needs

Why You Should Choose ExakTime vs. Quickbooks Time

ExakTime knows time tracking. We pioneered time and attendance in the construction industry more than 20 years ago. ExakTime’s time tracking solutions allow you to view data from our three collection options in our secure cloud-based software anytime, anywhere. We also provide easy adoption for all team sizes no matter if you have two or 200 employees. 

Workers or crews can track themselves in seconds on our feature-rich app. Admins manage or edit the data in our user-friendly, cloud-based time tracking software. You also don’t have to worry about outgrowing our software. The ExakTime solution scales to any company size for streamlined labor tracking across multiple crews and locations, plus actionable reporting on project costs and simpler compliance.