ClockShark vs TimeClock Plus
time & attendance head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | Tiered per-user subscription (Standard, Pro) | Quote-based |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | SMB, Mid-market | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | QuickBooks, Xero | Oracle Fusion Cloud, Workday, QuickBooks |
| Vendor | ClockShark | TCP Software |
Our take
Where ClockShark leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 11 of the 30 capabilities where they differ (led by live crew location map and drag-and-drop schedule builder).
- Stated Xero integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where TimeClock Plus leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 19 of the 30 capabilities where they differ (led by dedicated time clock hardware and biometric verification (face/fingerprint)).
- Stated Oracle Fusion Cloud, Workday integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where they differ
The 30 capabilities (of 54 in the time & attendance taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated time clock hardwareTime Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Core strength TCP Direct badge readers: barcode, magnetic swipe, touchless RFID proximity |
| Biometric verification (face/fingerprint)Time Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Core strength Biometric fingerprint scanning |
| PIN / badge / QR code punchingTime Capture & Punch Methods | Not evidenced | Core strength Badge readers: barcode, magnetic swipe, RFID proximity |
| Live crew location mapLocation & Fraud Prevention | Core strength "Who's Working Now" live crew map | Not evidenced |
| Buddy-punching prevention controlsLocation & Fraud Prevention | Not evidenced | Core strength Biometric fingerprint scanning explicitly positioned to prevent buddy punching |
| Overtime & premium pay calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Not evidenced | Core strength Overtime and comp time calculation |
| Multi-jurisdiction / union pay-rule engineTimesheets & Pay Rules | Not evidenced | Core strength Matches payroll rules to internal policies, unions, CBAs and local/state/federal law |
| Drag-and-drop schedule builderScheduling | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| Leave request & approval workflowLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Core strength Employee self-service leave and time-off requests |
| Real-time leave balance visibilityLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Core strength Real-time leave balance updates for managers before approval |
| Statutory / FMLA-type leave complianceLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Core strength Support for FMLA, state-specific and internal leave types |
| Absence & attendance analyticsLeave & Absence Management | Not evidenced | Core strength Leave trend, absenteeism and schedule-impact reporting |
| Audit trail & policy-violation logsCompliance & Labor Law | Not evidenced | Core strength Audit logs for assignment and policy-violation tracking |
| Union / collective bargaining agreement supportCompliance & Labor Law | Not evidenced | Core strength Payroll rules matched to unions and CBAs |
| Offline clock-in with later syncTime Capture & Punch Methods | Core strength Offline time tracking with a Sync Queue for low-signal areas | Partial Power-over-Ethernet/Wi-Fi setup with battery backup; no documented offline-sync workflow |
| Shift swap & open-shift self-serviceScheduling | Supported Employee shift-swap and availability visibility | Not evidenced |
| Labor cost & budget forecastingScheduling | Not evidenced | Supported Time and labor allocation to specific budgets or grants; overtime trends and forecasts |
| Meal & rest break enforcementCompliance & Labor Law | Partial Shift wrap-up and compliance forms at clock-out; not specific meal/rest rule enforcement | Core strength Alerts for missed breaks, California meal rules and rest periods |
| Multilingual employee appEmployee Experience | Supported Spanish-language app support | Not evidenced |
| Photo capture at punchTime Capture & Punch Methods | Partial Photo and note attachments on jobs; not documented as an identity check at punch | Not evidenced |
| GPS location capture on punchLocation & Fraud Prevention | Core strength | Supported Mobile time clock app with geolocation |
| Automatic timesheet calculationTimesheets & Pay Rules | Supported | Core strength Automated payroll calculations for multiple positions and pay rates |
| Exception detection & alertsTimesheets & Pay Rules | Supported Out-of-bounds clock-in detection with manager alerts | Core strength Exception detection for missed punches, long shifts, tardies and absences; 30+ exception reports |
| PTO accrual trackingLeave & Absence Management | Supported Custom accrual policies | Core strength Automated leave accrual rule application |
| Budgeted vs. actual hours trackingLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Core strength Budgeted vs. worked hours tracking per job | Supported Time and labor allocation to specific budgets or grants |
| Multi-department / cost-center allocationLabor Costing & Job Tracking | Supported Multi-department / multi-office controls (Pro plan) | Core strength Multi-level job costing across projects and departments |
| Standard reports & exportsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Supported Job detail reports exportable as PDF | Core strength Complete payroll reporting; 30+ exception reports; automated report distribution |
| Labor cost dashboardsWorkforce Analytics & Reporting | Supported Real-time labor-cost and financial reporting | Partial Reporting is extensive; no dedicated real-time dashboard documented |
| iPaaS / prebuilt third-party connectivityPlatform & Integrations | Core strength Zapier plus a wide native accounting/payroll integration roster | Supported Wide roster of prebuilt payroll and HR integrations |
| ERP general ledger postingPlatform & Integrations | Partial Sage 100 Contractor export covers job costing, billing and payroll but is a file export, not live GL posting | Not evidenced |
Both grade identically on the other 24 capabilities — see each product's full profile: ClockShark, TimeClock Plus.
ClockShark vs TimeClock Plus — FAQs
Is ClockShark or TimeClock Plus better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with QuickBooks. ClockShark additionally lists Xero. TimeClock Plus additionally lists Oracle Fusion Cloud, Workday. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, ClockShark or TimeClock Plus?
Neither publishes a list price — both quote. Ask each for the all-in first-year cost at your seat count, as one number, and compare those.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what ClockShark and TimeClock Plus should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.