Buddy Punch
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you run an SMB with hourly or field workers who need punch verification, scheduling, and payroll together.
Comparison
Buddy Punch vs OnTheClock
Buddy Punch lands on Depends, and OnTheClock lands on Worth it.
OnTheClock
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Small and medium hourly teams should buy: it is cheap ($4/employee/month), highly rated (4.7/5 Capterra), and built for payroll.
| Compare | Buddy Punch | OnTheClock |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | SMBs with hourly, deskless workers | Small hourly teams |
| Who it's not for | Healthcare orgs needing HIPAA compliance | Enterprises with complex process and admin budgets |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; encryption and MFA reported, but Buddy Punch is not HIPAA compliant.⁸ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No evidence in sources | Claims award-winning human support, unverified |
| Public sentiment | Users praise Buddy Punch as clean, focused, and dependable for hourly teams, while critics flag the base fee, add-on pricing, and a middling 6.0/10 expert score.⁶ | Users praise ease of use, mobile access, and payroll reporting, though the Android app's 3.3/5 rating hints at mobile friction.13 |
| Biggest gotcha | $19 base fee sits on top of monthly user fees . painful for very small teams.¹ | Android ratings trail web praise; test mobile before company-wide rollout15 |
Pick Buddy Punch when
- SMBs with hourly, deskless workers
- Construction and security firms
- Distributed teams needing GPS/geofence punches
- Teams consolidating time tracking and payroll
When Buddy Punch is not a fit
- Healthcare orgs needing HIPAA compliance
- Sub-5-person teams where the $19 base fee dominates costs
- Anyone wanting a free tool
- Solo consultants tracking only their own hours
Pick OnTheClock when
- Small hourly teams
- SMBs wanting scheduling, PTO, and payroll together
- Owners replacing paper timesheets
- Teams needing mobile clock-in/out
When OnTheClock is not a fit
- Enterprises with complex process and admin budgets
- Salaried-only teams with no hourly tracking
- Solo users tracking just their own hours
Sources
- Honest Buddy Punch Review 2026: Pros, Cons, Featuresconnecteam.comreview
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- Buddy Punch Time Clock Software Review for 2026peoplemanagingpeople.comreview
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- Connecteam vs Buddy Punch: Which Time Tracking Appconnecteam.comreview
- Buddy Punch Plans & Pricingbuddypunch.comofficial
- Buddy Punch Security | Data Protection & Compliancebuddypunch.comsecurity
news
- Case Study: How Farmers Insurance Uses Buddy Punchbuddypunch.comofficial
review
- OnTheClock Employee Time Clock . Google Playplay.google.comreview
- OnTheClock employee time clock . App Storeapps.apple.comreview