What works best for hourly employees across multiple locations?

Deputy is our multi-location pick, and the GPS/geofence tools — QuickBooks Time, When I Work — handle field crews well. The common thread is that the punch gets verified where it happens, not corrected back at the office later. Multi-site fraud lives in that correction step.

Do I need biometric clocks, or is GPS enough?

Depends how motivated your problem is. GPS plus photo capture stops casual buddy punching, which is most buddy punching — it's a favor between coworkers, and favors don't survive a camera. Biometrics close the loophole entirely, and the twist since we first wrote this is that you no longer need hardware for it: Jibble offers real facial recognition with spoof detection free for unlimited users. The remaining cost of going biometric is compliance, not hardware — in states like Illinois, face data carries real biometric-privacy exposure. Start with photo or GPS; escalate to face verification if the exception reports say you need to.

Can I get this without an annual contract?

Mostly, yes — this category is month-to-month SaaS, unusually for fraud tooling. Homebase's free tier and When I Work's small-crew pricing are the lowest-commitment entry points. The exception is hardware: biometric clocks mean upfront cost regardless of the software terms.

Best-of guide

Best Time Theft & Buddy Punching Prevention Software

There's a real tradeoff in this category between GPS-based verification (cheap, bundled with scheduling, but beatable by a coworker with your unlocked phone) and biometric verification (harder to fake, less scheduling depth). Both are legitimate depending on how serious your actual buddy-punching problem is.

01
Jibble
The one buddy-punching tool that gives you real facial recognition free, for unlimited users
Real facial recognition with spoof detection, free for unlimited users, the strongest software-only proof at no cost
Free forever for unlimited users, and the free plan is the point: it includes facial recognition, GPS, geofencing, kiosk mode, and NFC, the anti-buddy-punching features other tools charge for. Paid Premium and Ultimate tiers (per user, monthly) add automation like advanced timesheets, approvals, and scheduling; confirm current per-seat rates on their site.8.2/10
02
Buddy Punch
Named after the exact problem it solves, and it puts a photo on every punch to back it up
A photo on every punch (plus an optional iOS Face ID gate) is a direct, low-drama deterrent at clock-in
Per-user monthly pricing plus a flat $19 base fee. Starter runs about $4.49/user/mo billed annually but is GPS-only; the anti-buddy-punching features, photo-on-punch and the Apple Face ID gate, start on the Pro plan at about $5.99/user/mo annually ($6.99 month-to-month). 14-day free trial, no credit card. Confirm current rates on their site, they adjust periodically.8.0/10
03
Paychex Flex
The only SMB payroll platform you can buy an iris-scanning time clock from
The hardware answer, iris-scanning clocks wired into payroll, when time theft is a real line item
Flex Essentials is published at $39/mo + $5 per employee; Select and Pro tiers are quote-only. Real-world totals land higher once setup fees, year-end processing, time tracking, and hardware are added. Biometric time clocks are purchased or leased separately on top of the time & attendance module.7.4/10
04
Editor's Pick
Homebase
The cheapest real fix for buddy punching, especially if you're already using it for scheduling
Best value if you need scheduling too and GPS-level verification is enough
Free plan available for a single location with basic scheduling and time tracking. Paid plans (Essentials and up) that add GPS clock-in verification and geo-fencing run in the range typical for SMB scheduling tools, roughly $20-$100+/month per location depending on tier and team size.8.2/10
05
Connecteam
Free GPS time clock for up to 10 field workers, built for deskless and construction crews
Free under 10 users and built for field and construction crews spread across job sites
Free for life for up to 10 users on the Small Business plan, including the time clock with GPS and geofencing. Above 10 users it's paid and priced per hub: the Operations hub (time clock + scheduling) starts at $29/month for the first 30 users (Basic), $49 (Advanced), and $99 (Expert), plus a per-user fee beyond 30. Communications and HR features live in separate hubs.7.8/10
06
When I Work
Per-user pricing makes it the buddy-punching fix for very small teams
Same GPS and geofence checks as Homebase, better priced for small or mobile crews
Per user per month: Essentials $2.50, Pro $5, Premium $8. Time Tracking & Attendance is an add-on toggle on any plan that raises the per-user price, and When I Work doesn't publish the add-on cost cleanly on the pricing page. No contracts, no user minimums.7.8/10
07
Deputy
Multi-location scheduling and time tracking with compliance guardrails built in
Best for multi-location or franchise operations
Tiered per-user monthly pricing, typically in the range of $4.50-$6+ per user/month depending on tier (scheduling only vs. scheduling + time tracking + tasking), with a free trial available. Exact current tiers are best confirmed on Deputy's pricing page since they shift periodically.7.9/10
08
QuickBooks Time
The obvious time clock if payroll already runs through QuickBooks
The pick if payroll runs through QuickBooks, all-shift GPS trails and no manual timesheet re-entry
Premium: $20/mo base + $8 per user. Elite: $40/mo base + $10 per user. Geofencing is Elite-only; GPS trails, kiosk photo capture, and QuickBooks Payroll sync are on both tiers. Frequently discounted 50% for the first few months.7.4/10

Questions buyers actually ask

What works best for hourly employees across multiple locations?: Deputy is our multi-location pick, and the GPS/geofence tools — QuickBooks Time, When I Work — handle field crews well. The common thread is that the punch gets verified where it happens, not corrected back at the office later. Multi-site fraud lives in that correction step.
Do I need biometric clocks, or is GPS enough?: Depends how motivated your problem is. GPS plus photo capture stops casual buddy punching, which is most buddy punching — it's a favor between coworkers, and favors don't survive a camera. Biometrics close the loophole entirely, and the twist since we first wrote this is that you no longer need hardware for it: Jibble offers real facial recognition with spoof detection free for unlimited users. The remaining cost of going biometric is compliance, not hardware — in states like Illinois, face data carries real biometric-privacy exposure. Start with photo or GPS; escalate to face verification if the exception reports say you need to.
Can I get this without an annual contract?: Mostly, yes — this category is month-to-month SaaS, unusually for fraud tooling. Homebase's free tier and When I Work's small-crew pricing are the lowest-commitment entry points. The exception is hardware: biometric clocks mean upfront cost regardless of the software terms.