Detailed Clockify Review: Strengths, Weaknesses and What Makes Timeero the Preferred Choice

Research process explained

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I spent several days researching Clockify’s features and product offerings so that I could provide a detailed review of the app. 

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There were several things I wanted to look at in particular during my review: 

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• Ease of use
• Mileage tracking capabilities
• Multi-stop route tracking
• Break tracking
• Timesheet entries
• GPS location tracking
• Pricing

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While this list may seem pretty long, businesses tend to choose time and mileage-tracking apps that include a majority of these features.

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I was surprised to find that while Clockify does have several of these features, the quality of the features pales in comparison to the features of tracking apps like Timeero.

Clockify: Focus on time tracking for small teams

What is Clockify? 

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Clockify is a free time-tracking app that helps you manage projects and employee timesheets. 

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At first glance, it appears that Clockify only tracks time, which is a huge turnoff for businesses that need to track mileage. As I explored the app more, I found out that Clockify does track mileage, but that feature is only available when you upgrade to a paid plan.

Is Clockify really free?

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Clockify’s headline reads, “The most popular free time tracker for teams”.

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So, is Clockify really free?

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If you’re looking to track time and bill clients, then yes, Clockify is free. 

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But, if your business needs comprehensive mileage tracking features, scheduling capabilities, expense management, and additional workforce productivity tools, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.

Clockify Pricing

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Clockify offers users a free forever plan, strictly limited to time tracking as well as 5 additional paid plans that help you achieve specific business goals. 

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• Basic $4.99/mo (Administration)
• Standard $6.99/mo (Timesheet & Billing)
• Pro $9.99/mo (Profit & Productivity)
• Enterprise $14.99/mo (Control & Security)
• Cake.com Bundle $15.99/mo (Productivity Suite)

What Clockify does well – Notable strengths

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Ease of use

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Creating a Clockify account was easy. I didn’t experience any hiccups during the sign-up process. I received a few emails after signing up giving me pointers on how to make the most of Clockify – which is helpful for first-time users navigating the app. 

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When accessing Clockify through the desktop platform, I had no issues starting or stopping the time clock. The menu was easy to navigate and the landing page was intuitive.

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Timesheet entries

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Clockify’s timesheet feature is pretty straightforward. Before I could manually enter hours into the timesheet, I had to create or select a project that the hours pertained to. Once a project is added to a timesheet, it remains on the record for the rest of the workweek. 

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Since I am working on multiple projects, I like that I can manually enter the hours I work on a specific project without having to input the project name multiple times whenever I want to add hours to my timesheet. 

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“I love that even though I use Clockify as a free product, it can do so many things. I can use it to track not only my total hours but also the hours I spend on specific projects. Then I can log in and see graphs and reports.”  Linda H., Clockify customer 

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Project management

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When I researched the main reasons why people use Clockify, the most common answer I saw was to track how much time they spend on certain projects. 

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Clockify’s project management features are fairly decent, considering they are available for free.

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Once you create a project or task, all you need to do is start and stop the timer each time you switch tasks and Clockify automatically adds the time you spent on that project to your timesheet.

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Reports

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Clockify’s reporting features make it easy to view how much time employees are allocating to certain tasks and projects.

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In the screenshot below, I tracked the time I spent working on two different projects. Clockify displays my total time worked as well as my billable hours and total billable amount.

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However, you can only access the time report with Clockify’s free plan. If you’d like to view expense and team reports, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. 

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With Clockify’s Pro plan, you gain access to Team Reports where you can view attendance logs and the time employees spent on specific assignments.

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Custom Reminders

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In the image below, you’ll notice there are yellow caution triangles in every row in my work column. That symbol means that I didn’t work my full 7 hours that day. 

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Clockify has a pretty neat Reminders feature. You can customize the reminder rule to notify employees or managers if an employee works over or under a specified number of hours daily, weekly, or monthly.

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What’s not so great about Clockify – There’s room for improvement

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As I mentioned previously, if you’re only looking to track time and projects, Clockify’s free product offerings are great.

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But for industries like construction, healthcare, and sales, where mileage tracking is a must, Clockify’s free plan just won’t cut it. 

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With that being said, Clockify has room to grow and make improvements. 

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Sensory overload

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This is the best way I can describe it. I had to visit the app’s help center multiple times so I could find out how to navigate to the section where I could set up reminders and employees’ billable rates. There was just a lot to click on, and I can see how it would be easy for some users to get lost.

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Not to mention, when I went to enable GPS location tracking in workspace settings, I was completely overwhelmed by all of the options and settings that could be selected. I feel that improvements could definitely be made as far as navigation and organization are concerned.

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Lack of tools to prevent time theft

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I was surprised to see that Clockify does not have tools in place to prevent time theft. 

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There is no geofencing feature to restrict an employee’s ability to clock in and out from outside of the work zone, and there is no facial recognition technology to eliminate buddy punching.

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Mileage tracking limitations

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I really wanted to get as much experience as I could with Clockify’s mileage-tracking technology. 

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I signed up for the 7-day free trial so I could access the app’s mileage-tracking features. 

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There are several things concerning mileage tracking that I was not impressed with. Along with the listed limitations, I’ve written case studies to illustrate how industries are impacted by Clockify’s mileage-tracking weaknesses.

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1. Location is only tracked when you start or stop the timer.

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My friend Kristine works as a home health aide. She makes multiple stops throughout her work day visiting patients. This limitation is a significant drawback for her. When she uses Clockify, she has to start and stop the timer when she arrives at and departs from each patient’s home. This method is extremely time-consuming for her, and there have been several times when Kristine has forgotten to start or stop the timer. She expressed that having to clock in and out multiple times is a headache. 

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2. Location history is permanently deleted after 7 days!

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My friend Tomas is a manager at a large retail store. A few weeks ago he was accused of spending most of his work hours off the premises which would have been grounds for immediate termination. If his supervisor and the general manager needed to investigate the situation and pull up Tomas’s location history, they wouldn’t have been able to do so unless they accessed the data within 7 days of the initial report. 

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This limitation can prove costly to employees and your company when you face legal action and false accusations.

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Timeero: A strong contender for time and mileage tracking

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While there are several things that I really do like about Clockify, it wouldn't be my first choice for a time and mileage tracking app. 

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Timeero is a much stronger alternative for time and mileage tracking, accommodating nearly every industry. In particular, Timeero is a great fit for mobile teams, healthcare workers, and labor industries such as construction and general contracting. 

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What Timeero does well – Key strengths

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Smooth navigation 

From start to finish, Timeero is easy to navigate. As soon as you open the mobile app you are met with a simple time clock to begin tracking your work hours. , whereas Clockify displays project data on its mobile landing page. 

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I have no problem finding out how to attach photos and notes to my timecards and start my 30-minute lunch break with Timeero. All of the buttons I need to push are located conveniently on the time clock. 

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Timeero’s client David P. said his behavioral health clinicians have “... found the app’s time-entry layout ‘fantastic’, keeping vital information neat and organized.”

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However, it’s a bit harder to complete those same functions when using Clockify. I had to click around on the app and explore each menu and button to find out how to begin my break. I knew that Clockify allowed me to upload photos of receipts, but I had no idea how to do that by just opening the app. 

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One-touch Segmented Tracking 

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Since Clockify doesn’t continuously track mileage and time during multi-stop drives, employees will need to clock in and out each time they make a stop so the app can record their location. This is time-consuming for workers who have to follow a client-driven schedule. 

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Timeero provides mobile teams with an amazing solution – Segmented Tracking. 

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As soon as your employees clock in, Timeero records their location and begins tracking mileage once their driving speed reaches the predefined threshold.

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Use Case: Segmented Tracking

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Jonathan owns a successful HVAC company. His technicians are given their schedules each morning when they clock in. He had some problems in the past with technicians falsifying their mileage records, claiming to visit customers when in fact they never did. He purchased Timeero’s Segmented Tracking add-on and is now able to see every stop his techs have made. What’s even better is that Jonathan’s technicians don’t need to clock in and out each time they arrive at or leave an appointment. Timeero’s GPS technology can identify when a vehicle is stationary and when driving has resumed to create an entry on the Segmented Tracking trip timeline.

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Combat time theft with geofencing and facial recognition technology

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Unlike Clockify, Timeero does offer users the ability to draw circular geofences around job zones as well as create custom polygonal geofences around worksites to prevent time fraud.

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Timeero also uses biometric facial recognition technology via the app’s Timeero Terminal (Kiosk app) to prevent buddy punching when employees clock in or out.

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Comparison & Wrap-up

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Clockify and Timeero are a nice match for time tracking. But, Timeero brings home the gold for its location and mileage tracking capabilities. 

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If you’re more visually inclined, I’ve created a detailed table to show you how Clockify and Timeero compare.

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Timeero’s Segmented Tracking technology along with real-time GPS tracking and automated mileage calculation make it the preferred choice among most businesses. Sign up for your free trial today and let us know what you think.

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