Time and attendance software: what it does and how to choose
Time and attendance software records when each employee starts and finishes, calculates hours, breaks and overtime, and produces the month-end record for payroll and inspections. Below: the criteria that matter when choosing, cloud versus installed software, a comparison with spreadsheets and time clocks, and what it costs.
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What time and attendance software does
Whatever the vendor, good time and attendance software does five things:
- Records the punch – arrival, break, departure, with the exact time and where it was made.
- Checks the punch is genuine – that the employee was on site and didn't clock in for a colleague.
- Calculates hours – worked hours, late arrivals, early departures, overtime, night and weekend hours against the schedule.
- Shows the situation live – who is at work, who is missing, who is late.
- Closes the month and exports – the timesheet for payroll and the record for inspectors, with start and end times per day.
Modern tools also add team communication (announcements, chat), tasks and leave requests, so you don't run three apps for the same people.
No law in the UK or Ireland requires a particular product. What's required is an accurate record of working time kept for the right period. Any software that produces that record correctly is valid. See working time records in the UK and Ireland.
Buyer's checklist: the criteria that matter
Every demo looks good. The differences show in the first real month: a site with no signal, the night shift, the first payroll dispute. Check each point before you sign.
| Criterion | What to ask the vendor | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Offline mode | Is the punch saved without internet, with the real scan time? | Signal drops on sites, in basements and warehouses. Without offline mode you lose punches or get wrong times. |
| Anti-fraud | What stops one employee clocking in for another? What if someone changes the phone's clock? | Buddy punching is the most common problem with sign-in sheets and simple systems. |
| Multiple sites | Can each branch or site have its own method and manager? | A new site shouldn't mean a new device and manual consolidation. |
| Languages | Which languages does the employee app support? | With international staff, an English-only app causes errors and phone calls. |
| Exports | Does the export show start and end per day, not just totals? | Totals alone won't prove breaks, rest periods or minimum wage compliance. |
| GDPR and biometrics | Does it store fingerprints or faces? Where is data hosted? | Biometric data is special category data and needs a legal basis and a DPIA. |
| Cost | What do I pay over 3 years for all sites, including hardware and licences? | The first device or first month says little. |
| Free trial | Can I test it with my own people before paying? | The only way to know if employees actually use it. |
For a broader look at system types (card, fingerprint, face, QR, GPS) and their 3-year costs, see electronic time tracking.
Cloud or installed software?
Classic attendance software was installed on an office PC and read data from a device at the entrance. Modern tools run in the cloud: you open a website, and employees clock in from a phone or tablet.
| Installed (on-premise) | Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On a company computer or server | On the vendor's servers, via the browser |
| Access from home or site | Hard, usually office only | From anywhere, on computer or phone |
| Updates | Installed by you or a technician | Automatic |
| Backups | Your responsibility | Done by the vendor |
| Cost | One-off licence plus maintenance | Monthly subscription |
| Multiple sites | Networking or sync between sites | All sites in one account |
Installed software can make sense with one site, an IT department and rules that forbid the cloud. For small and medium businesses with field staff or several sites, the cloud removes almost all the technical work. Do check where data is hosted – ideally in the EU or UK.
Spreadsheet, installed software, time clock or cloud app?
| Spreadsheet | Installed software | Fingerprint clock | Cloud app on phones | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | None | Licence + installation | Device + installation per site | None |
| Who records hours | Manager, by hand | Device or employee at a PC | The device | Employee, by phone or tablet |
| Buddy punching | Easy | Depends on device | Hard | Hard, with rotating QR, GPS and one phone per employee |
| Field teams / sites | Phone reports | Hard | One device per site | Yes, with GPS |
| Without internet | N/A | Depends | Yes, locally | Only with offline mode |
| Hours and overtime | Your own formulas | Yes | Partly, with extra software | Automatic |
| Biometric data stored | No | Depends | Yes | No, if checks run on the phone |
| Export for inspectors | If filled in correctly | Yes | Depends on model | Yes |
A spreadsheet works for a few people in one office if it's filled in daily with real times – start from our free timesheet template. A fingerprint clock stops buddy punching but brings per-site costs and GDPR duties. The detailed device-vs-phone comparison is in employee time clock vs app.
What you get with QRtimetrack
QRtimetrack is cloud time and attendance software. Managers work in the browser; employees use an installable web app opened from a link – no Google Play or App Store – on Android and iPhone. It works offline.
- Clock-in methods per location: printed QR, rotating QR on a screen (every 15 seconds), GPS zone, optional selfie (deleted after 30 days), Face ID or fingerprint via passkeys, entrance tablet with PIN, printed badge or personal rotating code, office-network browser clock-in, and remote work from a registered address.
- Anti-fraud: server time, one phone per employee, impossible-travel alerts, a risk traffic light on every punch.
- Overtime confirmation with QR + photo, so only real overtime counts.
- "At work now" screen and a team-lead app for supervisors who see only their people.
- Chat, announcements, tasks and leave requests in the same app.
- Month close: you lock the hours; employees confirm or dispute them from the phone.
- Exports to Excel, CSV or PDF with in and out times per day; API and webhooks on Standard.
- Multi-company: run several businesses from one account.
- GDPR: EU hosting (Frankfurt), no biometric data on our servers, DPIA template included.
More on each method: time tracking app, QR code time clock, GPS time clock and online time clock.
Up and running in a day
- Create the account and add locations – office, shops or sites – each with a GPS radius and clock-in method.
- Set work schedules for the company or per employee: hours, breaks, shifts.
- Print QR codes and put them at entrances. Where traffic is high, show the rotating code on a tablet or monitor.
- Send invitations. Each employee opens the link and adds the app to the home screen. For staff without smartphones, prepare the entrance tablet.
- Inform employees in writing what's collected, why and for how long.
- Do a test clock-in and check everyone appears correctly.
Pricing
One plan, Standard: €1.99 per active employee per month, minimum 5 billed – €9.95/month for 1–5 active employees. Excl. VAT, monthly card billing, no long-term contract.
| Active employees | Price per month (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| 5 | €9.95 |
| 10 | €19.90 |
| 15 | €29.85 |
| 30 | €59.70 |
| 80 | €159.20 |
Free trial: 7 days, no card, up to 10 employees (tasks and integrations not included in the trial). Special offer: Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ entrance tablet, 3 months free and a step-by-step setup guide you follow yourself in about 10 minutes – €299 outside Romania, limited stock of 100 systems. See the offer.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free time and attendance software?
QRtimetrack has no permanent free plan, but the 7-day trial is free with no card for up to 10 employees. After that it's €9.95 a month up to 5 employees and €1.99 per employee from 6, excl. VAT. For a fully free option, use a paper or Excel timesheet filled in daily with real times.
What's the difference between time and attendance software and a time tracking app?
In practice the terms overlap. "Software" usually means the management side – hours, reports, exports – and "app" what the employee uses on the phone. QRtimetrack includes both: a browser dashboard for managers and a phone app for employees.
Do I need to install anything on company computers?
No. It runs in the cloud and opens in any browser. Employees don't install anything from an app store either – they open the link and add the app to their home screen.
Will inspectors accept records from attendance software?
Yes. UK and Irish law don't prescribe a format; inspectors look at the data. An export with daily start and end times, breaks and totals per employee meets the common core. There is no officially approved software list.
Can I use it across several shops or sites?
Yes. Each location has its own QR code, GPS zone and, if you like, its own manager who only sees their people. All sites sit in one account, with no extra devices.
Does the software use employees' fingerprints?
No. Face ID or fingerprint checks run on the employee's own phone through passkeys, and our server only receives the confirmation. We store no biometric data. Selfies are optional and deleted after 30 days.