Best Time Tracking Apps for Small Cleaning Crews (2026)

For a cleaning crew of two to five, the best time tracking app is usually the clock already inside your scheduling software, if your plan has one. A dedicated team app wins when you also want shift schedules, crew messaging, and timesheets that feed payroll. As of October 23, 2026, the free pick is Homebase Basic and the paid pick is Connecteam Operations Basic at $29 a month billed annually ($35 month to month).

This comparison is for an owner with two to five cleaners who wants to know hours worked and who was where, without a full HR system. It covers the four dedicated apps, what the scheduling tools include, and how to set expectations with the crew. Why the time record matters and how to get cleaners to use it are covered in the time tracking and clock-in guide; this article is the app comparison.

Do you need a separate time tracking app?

You do not need one if your scheduling software records clock-in and clock-out per job on the plan you are on, and you are happy exporting those hours to payroll once a pay period. BookingKoala Growing, Jobber Connect, and Housecall Pro (whose app clock is not tied to a plan; confirm the export in the trial) all do that. ZenMaid’s app has clock in and out, with a GPS stamp on Pro and above, and Pro’s payroll uses the clocked hours, though a CSV export of those hours needs Pro Max. For a crew that already opens the scheduling app at every job, a second app to clock into is one more thing to forget.

You do need one in three situations. First, your scheduling plan does not include a clock (BookingKoala Starter or Jobber Core; ZenMaid does not say whether Starter includes its clock), and moving up a plan costs more than a team app. Second, you want the crew’s shifts, messaging, and hours in one place, with a kiosk in the van or a shared tablet for cleaners without a suitable phone. Third, you want hours to land in payroll without retyping, and your scheduling tool does not connect to your payroll app; the first helper payroll guide covers which payroll apps import from which clocks.

Time tracking apps for cleaning crews compared

The dedicated apps first, then what the scheduling tools include. Prices are month to month unless noted, as published on October 23, 2026. When I Work’s own pricing page shows two different prices for time tracking (see the note below the table); the scheduling-tool rows use plan prices verified on October 23, 2026.

Prices verified October 23, 2026 against the vendor pages listed under Sources checked. When I Work’s figures are what its pricing page displayed that day; the page itself conflicts, as explained below.

“Not listed” means the vendor’s pricing or feature page does not mention it, not that the feature is missing. When I Work’s pricing page conflicts on time tracking, as checked on October 23, 2026: its default plan cards show Essentials at $2.50, Pro at $5, and Premium at $8 per user a month, with Time Tracking & Attendance as an option that raises them to $4, $7, and $10 when switched on, while the same page’s FAQ says every plan includes time and attendance. Neither price can be treated as confirmed, so ask When I Work or check during the trial what you would pay with time tracking.

Homebase

Homebase is the free pick because Basic costs nothing for up to 10 employees in one location and includes the time clock, basic scheduling, and messaging, which is the whole requirement for a crew of two to five. The time clock runs on any phone, tablet, or point-of-sale device with a PIN per employee, records GPS, supports geofencing, and rolls hours into timesheets that sync to Homebase Payroll or, from Essentials, to QuickBooks, ADP, and Gusto. Location-based clock-in, the rule that a cleaner can only clock in at the job, is an Essentials feature at $30 a month ($24 billed annually). Homebase is built for shift teams in one place, so the “location” in its plans is your business, not each client’s home; for a cleaning crew that is a tablet in the van or a phone app, with the GPS stamp showing where the clock-in happened.

Connecteam

Connecteam is the paid pick, and also free for up to 10 users on its Small Business Plan with nearly all features included (payroll integration is the exception). The Operations hub’s Basic plan is $29 a month billed annually ($35 month to month) for up to 30 users and includes the GPS time clock, scheduling, chat, and payroll integration, but not geofencing. Advanced, at $49 a month billed annually ($59 month to month), adds geofencing for up to 10 sites, and Expert, at $99 billed annually ($119 month to month), removes the site limit. The time clock records a GPS stamp at clock-in, shows live GPS while the person is on the clock on Expert and the free plan, offers a kiosk on a shared tablet, and syncs or exports timesheets. For a cleaning crew the geofence limit on Advanced matters: ten sites covers a few regular homes or the owner’s base, not a whole client list, so most crews use the GPS stamp rather than a fence per home.

When I Work

When I Work is a scheduling-first app priced per user. On October 23, 2026, its pricing page showed Essentials at $2.50, Pro at $5, and Premium at $8 a month on the default plan cards, and $4, $7, and $10 with the Time Tracking & Attendance option switched on, while its FAQ said every plan includes time and attendance. For a crew of four on Essentials that is $10 a month on one reading and $16 on the other, so confirm the time-tracking price before you buy. The clock captures GPS on each punch, uses geofencing to limit clock-in to the site, supports photo clock-ins, and integrates with Gusto, ADP, and Rippling or exports timesheets. There is a 14-day trial but no free plan. It is the right fit for a crew that runs on shifts rather than jobs and wants the schedule and clock in one app; the per-user pricing stays cheap at this size.

Clockify

Clockify is a timer, not a job clock, and that is the reason to choose it or not. The free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited time tracking, timesheets, mobile apps, and reports limited to a one-month range. The kiosk starts on Basic ($4.99 per user, $3.99 annually), attendance and overtime reports and a QuickBooks integration on Standard ($6.99, $5.49 annually), and GPS and scheduling on Pro ($9.99, $7.99 annually); geofencing is not listed. For a solo cleaner who wants to time their own visits to feed the Cleaning Price Calculator, the free plan is enough. For a crew that needs to know who was at which home, the GPS plan costs more for four users ($31.96 to $39.96 a month) than Connecteam’s free plan or its flat-priced Basic plan.

What about the time clock inside your scheduling software?

If your scheduling app already has a clock on your plan, start there, because the crew is already opening it at every job. BookingKoala Growing ($57) includes GPS and clock in and out per job. ZenMaid’s app has clock in and out, and Pro ($39 plus $14 per member) adds a GPS stamp at those moments and payroll reports built on the clocked hours (CSV export needs Pro Max). Jobber Connect ($139 for one user) includes time tracking and GPS, with automatic geofenced timers that start and stop at the client’s property on Grow, and timesheets that sync to Gusto. Housecall Pro lists clock in and out in its mobile app, not tied to a plan, and employee GPS on Essentials ($189 monthly, $149 billed annually), with the payroll export something to confirm in the trial.

The plan-by-plan detail, and how to set the clock up so cleaners actually use it, is in the time tracking and clock-in guide. The short version: a dedicated app is worth adding when your plan lacks a clock or when you want shifts and messaging too; it is not worth adding to duplicate a clock you already have.

Setting expectations with the crew

A time clock only produces a record the crew trusts if the rules are written down before the first shift. Four things to state in the onboarding conversation and in the new cleaner setup: when to clock in (at the door, not in the car), what happens on a forgotten punch (they tell you the same day and you correct it, no argument), what the app records (a GPS stamp at clock-in and clock-out, and for some apps location while on the clock, never off the clock), and what the hours are used for (pay, and the job times that feed your pricing). Some states have employee-monitoring notice laws and rules on tracking, and they vary, so check your state’s rules and put the policy in writing; this site does not give legal advice.

Pair the clock with the crew scheduling rules, especially the buffer between jobs, so the record is not full of overlaps that you then have to explain. And feed the resulting hours back into the Growth Calculator: the helper’s real hours per visit are the number that decides whether the second person is paying for themselves.

Which app for which crew?

Two to five cleaners, scheduling app has a clock on your plan: use it, export hours each pay period, and skip the second app.

Two to five cleaners, no clock in the scheduling plan: Homebase Basic at $0, or Connecteam’s free plan if you want geofencing and chat included.

Crew that runs on shifts and wants location rules: Homebase Essentials at $30 a month ($24 billed annually) for location-based clock-in, or Connecteam Operations Advanced at $49 a month billed annually ($59 month to month) for geofencing.

Payroll already on Gusto: When I Work or Homebase (from Essentials), both of which send hours to Gusto; Jobber Connect does the same from inside the scheduling tool.

Solo, timing your own visits: Clockify Free.

The scheduling tools themselves are compared in the best scheduling software guide.

Key takeaways

• Use the clock inside your scheduling software if your plan has one; add a dedicated app when it does not, or when you want shifts, messaging, and payroll export in one place.
• As of October 23, 2026, Homebase Basic is free for up to 10 employees with a time clock, and Connecteam is free for up to 10 users with GPS, geofencing, scheduling, and chat; Connecteam Operations Basic is $29 a month billed annually ($35 month to month) for up to 30 users, without geofencing.
• When I Work’s pricing page shows $2.50 to $8 per user on its default plan cards and $4 to $10 with its Time Tracking & Attendance option, and its FAQ says time and attendance is included, as checked on October 23, 2026, so confirm the price for time tracking; Clockify is a timer with GPS only on its $9.99 Pro plan.
• Hours reach payroll by sync or export on all four apps’ paid plans; Jobber syncs timesheets to Gusto from inside the scheduling tool.
• Write the clock-in rules and what the app records before the first shift, and check your state’s rules on location tracking.