Does this sound familiar? You provide a customer with a time estimate for a construction project. But when it's time to invoice the customer for the work, you realize that the project used up significantly more hours than you estimated..
You now have two options:
1. Stick with the original estimate, or…
2. Surprise the customer with an increased bill.
Both options are dissatisfactory as they might ruin the project's profitability or the client’s trust (which will negatively impact customer lifetime value, any potential recurring business, and/or referrals).
To prevent this scenario, project owners often turn to time tracking apps for construction. This allows construction companies to:
Given that there are a lot of construction time tracking apps available - and there’s no one-size-fits-all for every company - one naturally might ask:
The good news is that there are many different construction time tracking apps available to choose from. The bad news is that sorting through them all can be a tedious process.
To help you with the process, we have published an in-depth comparison of the 15 best construction time tracking apps (as of 2024):
In this post, we’ll compare and contrast the following in detail:
Disclaimer: Buildbite is our solution. We’ve done our best to present the information evenly because we want you to make an educated decision. That said, we are proud of our software and built it with the construction time tracking features and ease that we’d want. Learn more about the software – or try it free for 30 days.
Buildbite offers all the time-tracking features a small to medium-sized business desires. Additionally, the app is:
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These are some of the comprehensive time tracking features Buildbite has to offer:
Buildbite is the best solution for the time-tracking needs of small to medium-sized construction companies.
Here’s why:
We offer a Free plan and a Premium plan that allows the time tracking of up to 5 projects (with unlimited users). The Premium plan costs $70/mo if paid annually, and $81/mo if paid monthly.
Click here to see our pricing in detail
Additionally, we offer a free 30-day trial where you can download the software today and see its benefits instantly. The deal is simple: If you are not amazed by the time-tracking capabilities of Buildbite, you don’t pay.
This is a completely risk-free offer, allowing you to implement the software quickly and see its benefits first-hand.
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Buddy Punch is a comprehensive time-tracking solution.
The integrated ‘time card app’ allows employees to clock in and out - and guarantees that the feature is not manipulated by including:
In short: Where the app shines - as the name implies - is avoiding ‘buddy punching’. This means the app helps prevent workers clocking in for their peers and therefore gives the project manager certainty that tasks and projects are completed on time (with the right headcount).
Plans range from $4.99/mo per user for basic time tracking. To $7.99/mo per user for more advanced features, such as GPS tracking. The above pricing does not include the base fee of $19/mo.
ExakTime is a well-established construction time tracking app originally founded in 1999.
The time tracking app offers a host of features, including:
The Photo ID feature is called ‘FaceFront Biometrics™’ - and was created to ensure every employee is tracking their time accordingly (and not clocking in with each other's timecards). As such, it’s a valuable alternative to Buddy Punch.
Plans are billed annually and start at $59/mo. Additional users can be added for $9/mo. For all features, one needs to contact their sales team.
ClockShark is specifically designed for field service and construction businesses, offering time tracking features such as:
ClockShark boasts about a 30% increase in payroll completion if construction companies use their software. On top of that, ClockShark offers a wide variety of other features that may allow construction companies to manage most of their day-to-day work in one app.
Plans range from $40/mo to $60/mo. Additional users can be added for $8/mo and $10/mo in the latter plan. The more expensive plan includes all features, including ‘clock-off questions’ and ‘paid-time-off’.
Timeero is known for its comprehensive feature set for time tracking, including GPS time and mileage tracking features.
The mileage tracking feature is rather unique to the application and makes it an ideal fit for construction companies that reimburse their contractors based on miles driven to the job site.
The feature also allows the project manager to see a detailed route, to make sure that contractors get to the job site as quickly as possible. This might be an interesting feature for seasoned workers who might be required to visit multiple job sites in a day.
Plans range from $4/mo per user for basic time tracking. To $11/mo per user more advanced features, such as HIPAA Compliance (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
QuickBooks Time is known for its user-friendly mobile app and robust time tracking features, stating payroll savings of up to 4%.
It provides detailed time card reports, staff scheduling, and communication tools, enhancing project efficiency.
Quickbooks Time’s unique strength is its closeness to Quickbooks, a popular accounting platform. Therefore the Quickbooks integration is seamless - and payroll is even easier than with other time tracking applications.
Plans range from $20/mo per user (+$8/mo per additional user) to $40/mo per user (+$10/mo per additional user). The more expensive plan includes all-time tracking features, such as GPS, project, and mileage tracking.
Clockify is a general time-tracking app, used by various companies including Amazon, Disney, and Sony.
They offer a comprehensive free plan that includes a time tracker, a calendar, and basic integrations (Outlook and Google Calendar).
Subscribers of the paid version have additional capabilities, including:
As such, it’s a good general solution for companies in a wide variety of niches, including construction.
Plans range from $79/mo for one user to $249/mo for 6-8 users. Additional users can be added for $20/mo or $200/year.
Hubstaff offers time tracking, productivity monitoring, and workforce management tools. It supports:
Hubstaff also offers over 30+ integrations, including Slack, Quickbooks, and PayPal. Due to its comprehensive feature set, along with a good amount of integrations - Hubstaff can be used for a variety of industries (including construction).
Plans range from $4.99/mo per user to $25/mo per user for all features. The cheapest plan requires 2 users (adjusted price: $9.98/mo), and the more expensive plan is billed annually.
The more expensive plan includes all features, including GPS tracking and a custom corporate application.
Formerly known as Workpuls, Insightful is designed for time tracking, productivity, and efficiency across industries.
The time tracking app provides:
Where Insightful excels, as the name implies, is offering detailed insights and reports into the hours logged by workers.
The downside is that the software is not created for mobile, and the advanced productivity reports can only be properly used for workers constantly on their laptop or computer (as the application takes screenshots, and analyzes ‘unproductive work’).
This makes Insightful an ideal solution for larger construction companies that want to keep closer track of their office staff rather than field teams.
Plans range from $8/mo per user to $15/mo per user for all features. The more expensive plan includes features such as automatic time tracking and workflow analysis.
ClickUp is a comprehensive solution for construction businesses, amassing 9,237 reviews on G2, as of January 2024.
It's customizable and integrates with over 1,000+ tools, including Slack, Google Drive, and Outlook.
This makes Clickup suitable for managing multiple projects, tracking resources, and ensuring efficient time management.
The platform also shines in managing multiple projects simultaneously, allowing for the creation of separate workspaces for each project. ClickUp provides real-time progress tracking through its dashboard and reporting features.
Corporate plans range from $10/mo per user to $19/mo per user for all features. The more expensive plan offers all features, including timesheets and custom reports.
Procore is built for larger and more complex projects. Procore’s time tracking feature set includes:
Procore’s time tracking features allow you to monitor tasks on large-scale projects with 100s of workers in real-time. This helps you avoid unwanted surprises with better project visibility.
Procore is known for its reliability, wide range of top features, and reasonably understandable interface for newcomers to the technology.
Procore’s pricing is not visible on the page. Based on this review it starts at $375 per month:
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Fieldwire is best suited for medium to large-sized businesses, which makes it a good alternative to Procore.The time tracking features include:
Fieldwire is known for its solid basis of time-tracking tools that allow project managers in large organizations to keep projects on schedule and budget.
The comprehensive feature set may bring along a steep learning curve: Some users have complained about the difficulty of using ‘advanced task management’.
While there are free plans to try Fieldwire out, the functional plans range from $39 - $79/mo per user. If you have a team of 10 people it would cost you $390 - $790 monthly.
Connecteam is a much more general time tracking software and not specific to the construction industry. It’s used by companies such as Volvo, Hertz and Subway.
Nonetheless, it offers a wide range of time tracking features that can benefit construction companies - including:
Overall, Connecteam offers a holistic solution for businesses of various niches.
From $29 to $99/mo for the first 30 users. Requires an annual commitment.
Raken App is a construction management software offering good time tracking features. They include:
The app is comprehensive and allows construction companies to manage their projects in one application.
Where Raken App really shines however is its detailed field management features, which allow close monitoring of workers. This close supervision can be important for jobs with higher safety risks.
Raken App is therefore a solid choice for construction companies that need strong field supervision and safety management.
The pricing is not publicly visible, and we have not found any public data on the pricing of the software.
Contractor Foreman is an all-in-one construction management suite that includes many time-tracking features.
The features include a Gantt chart project scheduler: A tool that allows you to show the duration of tasks visually on a timeline.
The software is known to add additional features regularly, but this comes at a cost: Some of these features are reported to be buggy by users.
Plans are paid annually and quarterly - and range from $49/mo to $312/mo for all features.
Construction Time Tracking Software is a digital tool engineered for monitoring and recording the hours worked by employees on construction sites.
The software automates the process of tracking labor hours, simplifying payroll and project management.
Say ‘good bye’ to filling out tedious timesheets, and say ‘hello’ to automatic time tracking with easier monitoring, scheduling, and smooth payroll.
Construction time clock software typically involves workers clocking in and out using a digital system, usually a mobile app.
The software records these timestamps (which are typically location sensitive, so workers can only clock in on the job site) and automatically calculates total hours worked. Construction time clock software also typically offers task-specific hour logging, so the project owner instantly sees which tasks are on track - and which are running behind.
This significantly reduces the effort and time project managers have to invest in making sure the project stays on budget and time.
The benefits of construction time tracking software are numerous. They include:
Fewer missed project deadlines: Ensure projects stay on track by taking advantage of real-time visibility of all tasks performed. Quickly identify which tasks are running behind, and change employee schedules almost effortlessly.
Increased project profitability: Never be surprised again by last-minute timesheets by workers that may severely impact a project’s profitability. Both you, the client, and the worker have an instant overview of hours logged with the right software.
Smooth payroll: Logging hours and doing payroll is a tedious task that needs to be done regularly, over and over again. Why not automate it? Nothing says ‘21st century’ like quick logging of working hours and automatic payroll.
Team accountability: Have you ever had a worker that you suspect may be underperforming - yet you don’t have clear data to prove it? Or - ever had a worker that you wanted to promote - yet you didn’t have clear data to prove it? Time tracking software gives you instant access to productivity analytics that turn these normally difficult decisions into a walk in the park.
There are two ways to track a contractor’s time:
1. With paper timesheets, or:
2. construction time tracking software
While paper timesheets are more affordable, they:
On the other hand time tracking software:
So… out of these two options - what’s the best solution for you?
Originally, it might be a good idea to start with paper timesheets. This is a great choice if the company only recently has been founded and employee management is not yet tedious.
But as the company grows and admin tasks such as time logging become more cumbersome…
… time tracking software becomes critical.
Especially since time-tracking software can be very affordable.
For example, Buildbite, a best-in-class software specialized for small to medium-sized construction companies, offers a host of time tracking features that start at €15 per active project per month for an unlimited amount of users.
Start your free 30-day trial here.
The best software for project hours tracking depends on specific project needs and company requirements. Popular options include:
Clockify - good for general companies
Procore - good for larger construction companies
Buildbite - best for small- to medium-sized construction businesses
These software offer features like real-time location-based time tracking and mobile accessibility. Making it ideally suited for the tracking actual time spent on each task and project.
The right project hours tracking software, such as Buildbite, can immediately relieve project owners of time-tracking tasks, freeing up significant time and effort that can be applied in more productive areas - such as acquiring more deals.
→See for yourself by signing up for your free trial of Buildbite today.
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