The 7 Best Employee GPS Tracking Apps for 2024

Achieving success in field service management requires tools to optimize operations, improve employee visibility and productivity, and boost profitability.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of software tools for field service businesses, with a wide range of features and use cases. It can quickly become overwhelming when you’re just looking for a good app to do what you need right now.

Well, don’t worry — we took the time and did the work of finding the best employee GPS tracking apps so you won’t have to. We highlighted their features, pricing, pros, and cons to help you decide if they can improve your day-to-day operations. 

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EDITOR’S NOTE: We created Workyard – the first app reviewed here – to address issues we encountered while struggling to track and manage construction payrolls for over 700 workers in over 50 construction businesses. We built the Workyard app from the ground up to support construction companies like yours, with industry-essential features like the industry’s most accurate time clock app with GPS and geofencing, intuitive contractor scheduling, construction cost tracking tools, and more.

Learn more about how Workyard works on our main website, or sign up for a 14-day free trial today to see what Workyard can do for your business.

Scoring

Key Features

• Most accurate GPS time clock enhanced with geofencing settings

• Real-time job tracking and progress monitoring 

• Easy timecard checking, invoicing, payroll preparation 

• Automatic job costing for any type of job 

• Simplified job scheduling for any project 

• Built-in labor compliance 

• Seamless integrations with essential apps, systems, and workflows

• In-depth reporting from time and project data  

Highlights

As workforce management software for construction, property maintenance, and home services companies (among other field-based businesses), Workyard’s standout feature is its precise GPS time clock app. It also offers automatic clock-ins and clock-outs based on an employee’s real-time location. 

How else can Workyard help companies become more efficient and profitable? Here’s a walk-through of its key features. 

Job Tracking

To run an efficient business, you must stay on top of your team’s attendance and job progress. Workyard’s job-tracking software makes it easy to get real-time updates on everyone’s whereabouts, work progress, and daily project activities. 

Tracking work progress on Workyard

Workyard gives you in-depth insights on project updates, labor time and costs, site visits, worksite vehicle trips, and receipts, helping you improve billing and job estimates. You can oversee everything across all job sites in Workyard’s admin dashboard. 

GPS Time Clock

Workyard’s best-in-class time clock uses live GPS tracking on your phone, with personalized geofencing you can set per project for more accurate location tracking for mobile or remote workers. 

You can quickly check on your employees using the real-time map-based team view. You can even ping them on the Workyard app if they miss an important update or go to the wrong location. 

Workyard allows you to set up geofences that automatically clock your employees in when they enter a job site and out when they leave. If they forget to clock out, Workyard will detect the last site they visited. 

Workyard accounts for every hour worked without overages, and the app also calculates mileage for vehicle trips to help you handle your reimbursements accurately. 

Scheduling

You can schedule several tasks for multiple workers, and they can receive their assignments and schedules immediately on the Workyard mobile app. 

Workyard’s calendar dashboard also makes scheduling quick and easy, allowing you to: 

• Schedule workers to various tasks or multiple jobs
• Set the job duration from start to completion
• Create to-do checklists for every job 
• Track jobs by status
• Manage schedules by date, job type, deadline, etc.
• View schedules by task or by week and month
• Repeat scheduled tasks and projects 

Job Costing

With its live cost tracking feature, Workyard analyzes time card submissions and calculates job costs for you automatically. It groups and filters job costs by employee, project type, duration, cost code, and date.  

It also synchronizes timesheets and job cost data with your accounting software for processing in just a few clicks. 

Labor Compliance

Workyard is FLSA-compliant – Its built-in labor guidelines help set mandatory breaks and overtime rules.

It also keeps accurate GPS-verified online time records of employees in a searchable repository.

Reporting

Workyard’s reporting feature provides valuable insights into your construction operations and employee management. It allows you to customize reports by team members, projects, custom date ranges, and task labels. 

As a result, you can identify and immediately address any attendance issues and streamline your billing processes. You also avoid going over budget and improve future estimates by knowing where you are under- or over-estimating. 

Integrations

Workyard offers native integrations with various accounting, payroll, and CRM systems, including: 

• QuickBooks Desktop and Online
• ADP Run and Workforce Now
• Sage 100 Contractor / 300 CRE / 50
• ComputerEase
• Foundation Software
• Gusto
• Oracle NetSuite
• Paychex
• Paycor
• Paylocity
• Rippling

It’s also easy to export data from Workyard to spreadsheet-based apps like Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. If you need to connect to a system currently not on Workyard’s list, its REST API is designed for easy implementation by many developers so you can enjoy more control and flexibility over your data flows. 

What Real People Say About Workyard

Check out the latest verified reviews and ratings for Workyard on the following platforms to understand how users perceive its pros and cons. The app received its highest rating on Capterra, where reviews mostly come from business owners, supervisors, and managers. 

iOS user kenmi30 shared in his App Store review that he has finally found a time clock for his company and that Workyard is pretty rock-solid and reliable.  

iOS Review:

“Better than most. This is not going to be a review bragging about features I discovered. I just wanted to write this to share that I finally found a time clock app for my company that does something you would expect from all of them. IT WORKS. We were using another app to clock employee hours until, out of the blue, it started deleting hours. Ended up losing all my information, and the company told me there was nothing to do about getting them back. I almost went back to paper but decided to give Workyard a try. We’ve been using it for a few months, and it’s been rock solid. It’s been so reliable we’re thinking about upgrading to the plan that gives us reporting on all our labor costs across projects. That’s another problem I’ve never solved.”

Android user Justin Sauter rated it five stars because it works well and is convenient. 

Google Play Review:

“Works great and very convenient! Love that it reminds me to clock in when on site. Definitely recommend.”

Joseph H. is one happy customer after giving Workyard a try because of its accuracy in tracking employees and billable time. 

Capterra Review:

“Happy customer. Overall, I’m pleased with the product and customer service and support. I like the ease of being able to track our employees’ time and accuracy of presence on a job. We are able to utilize the time clock feature so we can give an accurate accounting of billable time to our clients. A lot of our services are billed out by the hour rather than by the job.”

Workyard Pricing

Stop payroll waste with Workyard’s automatic clock-in/clock-out app

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Scoring

Key Features

• Live location tracking for field staff

• Simple job dispatching with one-click route optimization

• Built-in signature capture for proof of delivery on the mobile app

• Timesheet, mileage, check-in, and individual trip reports

• In-app communication for individuals and teams

Highlights

Hellotracks is another example of field service management software for small business. This app caters to mobility and transportation, logistics and distribution, repair and maintenance companies, and public sector organizations.  

Its live location tracking, job dispatching, and route optimization features provide office and field employees with greater visibility and transparency, enabling them to stay on top of everything on the field.  

Dispatchers and field workers get real time map views and notifications about locations and activities. Managers and admins can also easily create and dispatch jobs and track them in real time.

On the other hand, field employees can access job information, enter required customer data, and optimize their routes on the field. 

What Real People Say About Hellotracks

To better understand how users think of Hellotracks’ functionalities, look at its overall scores and some handpicked user reviews on these platforms.

Robert R E uses Hellotracks daily for work and has only nice things to say about the app. 

iOS Review:

“This is it! We use this every day at work. It makes routes easy to follow. Logistics can make real time changes. It’s exactly what we need. Great customer support.”

Hellotracks garnered more reviews on the Play Store and earned a higher score of 4.2 stars. However, users like SamMorrzn still found several issues with the app.  

Google Play Review:

“Stopped working on Samsung Note 20 Ultra after the more recent update. Not responding. Clicking on anything does not work. Nothing responds. It’s as if the app is frozen. Tested and v7.4.5 and above does not work on a lot of phones. V7.4.2 works fine on my Note 20 Ultra.”

One user named Gertruda S. acknowledges the app for helping their business grow. But now that they need more functionalities and customizations, they switched to a different app. 

Capterra Review:

“Small price for the main feature. We started our jobs with confidence that all routes are under control. And this software helped us to grow. So now we need more functions and switched to another product.”

Hellotracks Pricing

Scoring

Key Features

• Real-time GPS location monitoring throughout a worker’s shift

• Man/Worker down detection when a worker becomes non-responsive

• Automated monitor alerts for missed check-ins and start/end shifts

• Safety monitoring dashboard with customizable features

• After hours or call center safety monitoring options

Highlights

Ok Alone is a lone worker app designed for companies with unique challenges and risks that want to safeguard workers in high-risk, public-facing roles. Key features like GPS location monitoring, an emergency panic button, and timed check-ins help ensure your workers are safe and connected wherever they are. 

With its round-the-clock safety monitoring, employers can view workers’ statuses, promptly respond to alerts from the field, and follow escalation procedures when necessary.  

The Ok Alone Dashboard allows you to manage worker details, schedule shifts, and set safety zones. It also provides detailed information on workers’ check-ins and app usage, shifts completed, and alert triggers. 

What Real People Say About Ok Alone

Although only a few reviews are available on the App Store and Capterra, and no published reviews or ratings could be found on the Play Store, we did uncover some notable things that Ok Alone users have to say about their experience. 

User bebop7c2 thinks the app’s safety feature is great for unsupervised workers. However, the app consumes battery life and doesn’t work well in certain areas. 

iOS Review:

“Not great for old phones because it uses the battery up more. In areas with bad wi-fi or no cell service, it doesn’t work well. It’s also no good for loud environments or when you have your phone charging and always miss hitting the button. It’s good for safety if unsupervised.”

There are no published Ok Alone reviews and star ratings on the Play Store. However, in the Android app reviews section on the Ok Alone website, user Robert Marrin highly recommends it. 

Google Play Review:

“Been using this for a while now. Only had one problem (was my end). But customer service was brilliant at trying to figure out the issue. Highly recommend this service for peace of mind if you are a lone worker.”

Over at Capterra, Claudette T., an administration manager, finds it an excellent app for their company in the government administration sector. 

Capterra Review:

“We needed a system in place that allowed us to efficiently monitor staff presence in our sites. This software provided what we needed. Reports are well-built. The dashboard is clear and easy to read and provides us with all the information we need to monitor and ensure employee safety. We no longer require the app since employee on-site presence has resumed to greater capacity and staff are no longer working alone.”

Ok Alone Pricing

Scoring

Key Features

• Employee location tracking via mobile app, whether online or offline

• One-click detailed reports of team members’ activities

• Mileage tracking and reporting

• Employee time off tracker and manager

Highlights

Timeero gives a real-time overview of your employees’ locations on the Who’s Working dashboard. You can monitor and capture employee locations while on the clock, so you have a complete picture of what happens during a shift.  

Employees can easily time in and out on their Android or iOS devices, and the app will track their locations with timestamps. Its GPS time clock works even if the mobile device is not connected to the internet and will simply sync data once it’s online. You will also receive notifications when employees reach out-of-bounds locations.

Every time punch creates a timesheet entry automatically, which you can export to your payroll software.

What Real People Say About Timeero

Users of Timeero shared their thoughts and experiences and whether the app is worth checking out. It garnered the following scores on the App Store, Play Store, and Capterra. 

A company review left by Mafa & Associates says that it’s a great time punch app for maintenance techs in their property management company. 

iOS Review:

“We run a property management company and use this app for our maintenance techs. Extremely easy to use. Allows us to track location in real time while giving us accurate mileage readings for reimbursements. Running reports is straightforward and enables us to bill our buildings easily and accurately due to the ability to filter by job site, employees, dates, and even individual tasks.”

Android user Christy C. gave the app two stars because of photo uploading issues. 

Google Play Review:

“I’ve updated the app, uninstalled it, reinstalled, logged out, and logged back in. But I can’t seem to be able to upload photos. I can add photos from the camera and from the phone, and it says upload successful. However, I can’t see the photos. I’m required to upload photos for beginning and ending mileage for work. This app doesn’t work correctly. I need to be able to see the photos on the app, but I still can’t.”

A verified reviewer on Capterra thinks the app needs improvement, but all the necessary features are there. 

Capterra Review:

“All the features I need are there. With people working alone in the field, monitoring my employees’ hours is impossible. It’s a delivery service, they are working alone, so I need the GPS to track their miles and hours by location. Easy clock in and out to view where they are and input into QB. All that is there and available. I have been using Google Calendar for years for scheduling, so I was excited to use Timeero Calendar. But it wasn’t as easy.”

Timeero Pricing

Scoring

Key Features

• Employee GPS tracking for field or remote workforce management

• Advanced facial recognition to track employee hours and attendance

• Streamlined payroll processes with its automated timesheet generation feature

Highlights

Jibble is another field service management software for small business that comes equipped with GPS tracking. If your business typically sends employees to work in multiple locations (whether it’s one worker going to multiple places or multiple workers assigned to different jobs), you can save time and energy with its GPS time clock. 

Jibble lets you know where everyone is whenever they punch in or out. The app’s dashboard reports on your team’s hours, locations, and projects, and unlike some other GPS-tracking apps, these features work on both mobile phones and computers. You can also enable live location tracking and view your employees’ routes. 

Its automated timesheets are updated instantly when employees submit entries, and you can access them on mobile, tablet, or computer when doing payroll. 

What Real People Say About Jibble

We’ve picked out some user reviews on these three major platforms to determine if Jibble is the right field service management software for your small business. 

iOS user karimgwm has been using the free version and gave it five stars because of its helpful geolocation and facial recognition features.  

iOS Review:

“So far, I’ve only used the forever free version, and it works perfectly for what I need. I use this tool as an alternative to the current clock station we have in the company for those employees who have not been entered into the system or new locations. The geolocation and face recognition feature makes it easy to guarantee employees are clocking in when they’re at the location.

Android user Mark Brouwer likes Jibble’s great features but still thinks there’s room for improvement. 

Google Play Review:

“The app has great features but is a little buggy, and the reports interface is not super intuitive. I think as they make more updates in the future, the app will get better.

Cydney I. on Capterra likes Jibble as an attendance and time tracker but thinks it can be hard to use without a tech background.  

Capterra Review:

“Need an attendance and time tracker for a small team? Look no further. I love that Jibble can easily be integrated with our team’s communication platform, Slack, so we can clock in remotely and on mobile. Talk about working from anywhere and everywhere, productively!  I don’t think it’s user-friendly for those who don’t come from a tech background or are used to positions where you have multiple systems to keep track of daily.

Jibble Pricing

Scoring

Key Features

• Online time clock from mobile devices or the web

• GPS control and fingerprint sign-in

• Location and punch controls

• Automatic PTO tracking

• Drag-and-drop shift scheduling

• Automatic payroll integration

Highlights

As a time tracking and employee scheduling app, OnTheClock’s GPS and geofencing features make monitoring employees in real time effortless. Its online time clock, mobile app, and web dashboard add to its accessibility and usability. 

It has additional features like PTO tracking, shift scheduling, reporting, and payroll integrations, as well as automatic breaks, punch rounding, and salaried hours tracking.

You can also opt to create multiple company accounts or employee and group settings, or upgrade to comprehensive payroll tracking. 

What Real People Say About OnTheClock

How does this GPS tracking app fare with its users? OnTheClock has accumulated some good scores on three major platforms. Let’s take a look at some now…

iOS user Roughmatter left a four-star rating for the app’s rich features and shared his experience setting up an account.   

iOS Review:

“I think it will work for me. There are plenty of features available. Some I don’t need, and I would like to have a more customizable dashboard to remove those features (punch map, paid time off). It took a few minutes to set up (setup via web browser was annoying, with live chat popping up every 5 seconds). Some areas of setup were easy, and some were less intuitive, but I got there in the end.”

Android user Sookie Ortega finds OnTheClock helpful when checking her hours worked, but says the app isn’t consistent.  

Google Play Review:

“I have been using OnTheClock for about a year. And yes, this is very helpful to see your hours. I really enjoy the dash option. It provides every paycheck every day you worked, and all the hours accumulated. However, for some reason, I can’t figure out why mine is not working. 

Jamie R. on Capterra said that OnTheClock is great for admins. However, the GPS controls for employees could be better. 

Capterra Review:

“GPS does not always track. The interface is great on the admin side. Our employees like the ease of use. The cost is really reasonable as well. The biggest drawback and why I might switch back to TSheets is that the GPS is dependent on the employee. If they close the app, it stops tracking them. It defeats the purpose of having it to prevent time theft.”

OnTheClock Pricing

Scoring

Key Features

• Automatic employee clock-in and clock-out via QR codes

• Text-to-punch feature for employees with no internet connection

• Automatic photo capture for clock-in and clock-out

• Duration entry for salaried employees

Highlights

Buddy Punch’s GPS feature allows you to monitor employee locations in real time with GPS and photo captures whenever they log in or out. You can also provide several different clock-in modes: QR code, pins, facial recognition, or username and password. 

The dashboard is user-friendly and easy to learn. Its scheduling software allows you to plot your employees’ schedules in minutes. Scheduling time off is also not complicated because of Buddy Punch’s built-in calendar. You can add and save schedule templates to more easily make changes next time. 

Buddy Punch’s simplified and automated payroll system also eliminates manual payroll, helping you pay your employees on time. 

What Real People Say About Buddy Punch

When deciding on a field service management software for a small business, you must check user reviews online to know its pros and cons. Buddy Punch scored well on these major platforms and has hundreds of user reviews. 

iOS usermacaleb11 kept it short and sweet with this review:    

iOS Review:

“Very convenient and easy to submit. Notifications and updates are always fluent.”

Android user Elio Hidalgo has no complaints about the app. However, he shared his suggestions regarding the iOS and Android interfaces.   

Google Play Review:

“Overall, this is a pretty good app. It’s easy to use, and the last update really put everything right at your fingertips. The only complaint I have is that the Android and iOS interfaces are different. It would be nice if they were the same, especially when helping a new guy learn to use the app. I would recommend this app.

Amanda T., director for finance and HR at an education management firm, has this to say about Buddy Punch. 

Capterra Review:

“Easy to use for staff. We needed a new solution for timekeeping, and Buddy Punch came through! Onboarding and integration were so easy. Once I figured out all the setting options, it’s really easy to customize to exactly what you need. Employees love using it because it’s so straightforward to use.”

Buddy Punch Pricing

Final Thoughts

When looking for an employee GPS tracking app for your construction business, consider one with comprehensive features to effectively monitor your field employees, improve their safety, increase their productivity, and boost your company’s efficiency. 

In short, it should provide valuable insights to help fine-tune your employee management and business operations. 

Workyard is an excellent app for tracking the activities of field workers and mobile employees and gaining real-time insights into their day-to-day tasks.

It’s designed to be simple and easy for workers and supervisors. With its GPS time clock that automates clock-ins and clock-outs, you can be sure your employees get paid for the exact time they’ve spent working. This data flows automatically into timesheet creation for payroll and job costs, allowing Workyard to do all the heavy lifting for you, so you can focus on what matters — building a more profitable and successful construction business.

Click here to see more about how Workyard’s GPS tracking system works, or sign up for a free trial today! 

Our Scoring System Explained

Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.

We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:

The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.

How We Score Software

All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.

In general, the 0-10 range translates as:

• 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
• 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
• 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
• 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
• 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
• 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.

How We Calculate Overall Scores

The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:

• Ease of Use: 20%
• Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
• Scheduling Features: 15%
• Job Tracking: 15%
• Integrations: 10%
• Customer Support: 15%
• Company: 5%

Methodology for Each Factor

Ease of Use

We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:

• How easy is it to set up this app?
• How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
• How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?

These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.

Time Tracking Accuracy

Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…

• How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
• How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
• How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
• Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
• Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
• Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
• How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?

Scheduling Features

Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.

When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:

• Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
• Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
• Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
• Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
• Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.

Job Tracking

This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.

We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:

• Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
• Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
• Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
• Any built-in job costing views.
• Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)

Integrations

No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.

To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:

• How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
• How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
• Does it have robust data import and export features?

Customer Support

Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.

Customer support scores are calculated based on:

• Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
• Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
• The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
• What other users say about support in online reviews.

Company

A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.

When assessing this score, we’ll examine:

• Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
• Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
• Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
• Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
• Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
• Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).

Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!

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