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Edited by: Kimberlee Leonard
 and Reviewed: Kimberlee Leonard

Buddy Punch Review: Is It the Right Time Tracking Software for You? 

Author: | Sep 26, 2023

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Go Sifter Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.

Have you heard of buddy punching? It means one employee asks another employee to clock in on their behalf. This is not a review about that type of punch buddy scam, which costs employers millions of dollars per year. Buddy Punch, a time-tracking software tool, allows you to digest time tracking in your business by making attendance, time off, and overtime easy to handle. You can manage paid and unpaid time off by skipping the calculations and spreadsheets. Business owners can also monitor remote workers, run customizable reports, integrate payroll software, and keep everyone accountable who works for them. 

You can also monitor overtime, control punching in, track employee time off, and know your employees’ locations. Available on iOS and Android and desktop app, Buddy Punch is easy to access and operate. 

For an in-depth examination that beats all other Buddy Punch reviews, look at our Buddy Punch software review for more details.

When to Use/When Not to Use

  • When you want an easy-to-use time tracker and accountability tool
  • When you’re looking for other features, like geofencing and integrations
  • If you’re having trouble keeping up with employee PTO
  • If you want to sync with a payroll software like QuickBooks or Paychex
  • When you want a comprehensive mobile app; Buddy Punch reviews suggest that it has a limited mobile app compared to competitors and it doesn’t always work smoothly
  • When you want to verify time cards quickly and easily — the process is often time-consuming with Buddy Punch

Deciding Factors

PriceThe Buddy Punch price includes Standard, Pro, and Enterprise levels: Standard: Time Tracking for any size business costs $2.99 per user per month billed annually (or $3.49 if billed monthly) plus a $19 base fee per month. Pro: Pro offers time with scheduling and costs $3.99 per user/month billed annually (or $4.49 if billed monthly), plus a $19 base fee per month. Enterprise: Enterprise includes everything the company offers, and you must contact it for pricing.
Maximum number of usersBuddy Punch has set prices based on the number of users and doesn’t charge a base price. The rate you pay depends on the number of users you have. 
Integrations with accounting programsYou can connect to accounting programs like QuickBooks, Excel, Paychex, Paylocity, Gusto, ADP Workforce Now, and others easily.
ScalabilitySmall business owners to large businesses can use Buddy Punch, No matter the number of employees you have, Buddy Punch offers scalability opportunities.
Ease of useBuddy Punch’s clock-based punch-in/punch-out time management application is easy to use.

Buddy Punch Pricing and Features 

You can get a 14-day free trial of Buddy Punch. 

The Standard plan offers time tracking for any size business for $2.99 per user, per month billed annually, or $3.49 if billed monthly, plus $19 base fee per month and offers the following: 

  • Unlimited free administrators
  • Mobile apps
  • Basic GPS
  • Time off and time tracking
  • Reporting
  • Alerts and reminders
  • Payroll integrations
  • Job tracking
  • Break planning
  • Multi-channel support

The Pro plan offers time with scheduling for $3.99 per user per month, billed annually (or $4.49 if billed monthly), plus a $19 base fee per month. It offers all Standard features plus: 

  • Employee scheduling
  • Shift trades and covers
  • Schedule templates and notifications
  • Availability management
  • Early/late/absent reporting

Enterprise offers everything the company offers, such as all Pro features plus single sign on (SSO) API access.

Buddy Punch Advantages & Disadvantages 

pros

  • Calculates more than just hours: The Buddy Punch time clock calculates accrued vacation, sick, and owed time. 
  • Monitors where employees are located: The attendance tracking system monitors where employees work, overtime, hours, and pay.
  • Remote tools: Learn what your employees are doing with remote tools such as geofencing or IP address locking.
  • Integrations: Payroll integrations allow for seamless syncing, such as with QuickBooks, Paychex, and more.
  • Push notifications: Employees get push notifications about when they should be at their computers or when they forget to input their hours.

cons

  • Restrictions: The mobile app has some restrictions compared to the desktop version, such as allowing users to schedule time off.
  • Record time accurately: The app sometimes fails to record time accurately, resulting in lost productivity and time tracking problems.
  • Difficult punch-out: It often has a glitchy punch-out system, according to a Buddy Punch review.
  • Time cards reported difficult: The time card process involves reviewing and verifying a large number of factors, such as time data and checking for discrepancies.

Buddy Punch Customer Service 

The company’s customers report attentive customer service across the board. Customers report “quick” and “excellent” customer service. You can email [email protected], live chat, or view Buddy Punch’s help articles to learn more about what you need to know.

However, you cannot get prompt phone support. You can only get an appointment beforehand to speak to a Buddy Punch agent. Besides that feature, the level of support you’ll find at Buddy Punch is similar to other types of time tracking software. 

Buddy Punch Integrations 

Buddy Punch integrates with many tools you may use, from billing to invoicing to payroll to help you handle complete project management.

You can choose from accounting programs, including the following:

  • QuickBooks
  • Excel
  • Paychex
  • Paylocity
  • Gusto
  • ADP Workforce Now

Other Buddy Punch features and integrations include: 

  • Zapier, which you can configure to work with hundreds of websites and apps 
  • ADP
  • PayPlus Software Inc.
  • SurePayroll
  • Workday

Is Buddy Punch Worth It? The Final Verdict 

You already know that taking care of your employees can help with employee retention. You get what you order with Buddy Punch, and that’s a good thing. Buddy Punch offers a very straightforward employee time tracking system, including monitoring overtime, accountability, time off, simplified payroll, and workflows. Furthermore, Buddy Punch pricing is extremely reasonable per month, a great match for businesses on a budget.

Time clock software features include job codes for employees to punch into, location tracking, overtime types, PTO/sick/vacation time, reports, and more. Learn more about all the features available for employers who use Buddy Punch.

Ready to learn about other options? Learn more about TimeCamp.

FAQs

How much is Buddy Punch monthly?

The Standard package cost is $3.49 if billed monthly, plus a $19 base fee per month. The Pro package costs $4.49 per month, plus a $19 base fee per month. You’ll need to contact Buddy Punch for the cost of the Enterprise package.

How does Buddy Punch work?
What is Buddy Punch app?
Does Buddy Punch track location?
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