PunchPunch vs ClockShark
Two GPS time clocks for field crews. Compared honestly.
ClockShark and Punch both verify punch-ins at the job site. They’re built for the same kind of customer. Here’s where each one fits, and what each does that the other doesn’t.
Punch — 5-employee crew
$9.99/mo
ClockShark — 5-employee crew
$85/mo
The short version.
ClockSharkis a mature, full-featured time clock for construction and field-services crews. It has scheduling, kiosk mode with facial recognition, location pings every 15–20 minutes during the shift, and direct payroll integrations to QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, and Paychex. If you’re running 25–100 employees and you need every one of those features, ClockShark is a credible pick.
Punchis leaner, newer, and dramatically cheaper at the small end. The product focus is GPS-verified punch-in done well, with a polished iOS + iPad app, web parity, and per-org pricing instead of per-user. For a 5–15 employee crew — especially one with multiple owners or where the owner runs the books on a Friday afternoon — the math works out 5× to 8× cheaper, and the workflow is simpler.
Feature by feature.
ClockShark data verified May 2026from their public pricing + features pages and third-party reviews. Pricing and feature inclusion can change — double-check at clockshark.com before any high-stakes decision.
| Feature | Punch | ClockShark |
|---|---|---|
| GPS-verified punch-in | Yes | Yes |
| Per-site geofence radius | Configurable in meters | Yes |
| Server-side location validation | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time GPS pings during shift | No | Every 15–20 min |
| Kiosk mode (shared device) | Roadmap | Yes |
| Facial verification at punch | No | Yes |
| Native scheduling | No | Yes |
| PTO / sick / vacation | V2 roadmap | Pro tier |
| Payroll integrations (QB / Gusto / ADP) | CSV export only | Yes |
| Job costing / project codes | V2 roadmap | Yes |
| Approvals queue with reject-with-reason | Yes | Yes |
| iOS + iPad universal app | Yes | Yes |
| Native macOS app | V1.3 roadmap | No |
| Excel + PowerPoint exports | Yes | Excel + PDF |
| Per-org pricing (vs per-user) | Yes | No |
| Owners excluded from seat cap | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
What you actually pay.
Punch is per-org and excludes owners from seat caps; ClockShark is per-user including owners and managers. The math at common team sizes:
5-employee crew + 1 owner
8.5× cheaper
Punch
$9.99/mo
Crew tier (owner doesn't count)
ClockShark
$85/mo
Standard ($40 base + $9 × 5)
10-employee crew + 2 co-owners
7.4× cheaper
Punch
$19.99/mo
Team tier (owners don't count)
ClockShark
$148/mo
Standard ($40 base + $9 × 12)
25-employee crew + 3 co-owners
8.3× cheaper
Punch
$34.99/mo
Company tier (owners don't count)
ClockShark
$292/mo
Standard ($40 base + $9 × 28)
ClockShark Standard pricing as posted at clockshark.com/pricing (May 2026). Their Pro tier is more expensive ($60 base + $11/user/mo) and adds PTO + advanced job costing. Both vendors offer ~2 months free on annual billing.
How to choose.
Pick Punch if
- You're a 5–15 employee crew and price matters. Punch is 5–8× cheaper at this size.
- You have multiple co-owners. Owners don't count toward your seat cap.
- You want a polished iOS + iPad app. Punch is iOS-native; ClockShark's mobile is hybrid.
- You don't need real-time GPS tracking — punch-in verification is enough.
- You're OK exporting timesheets to your bookkeeper as CSV (vs native QuickBooks sync).
Pick ClockShark if
- You're 25–100+ employees and the price-per-user math levels out vs Punch.
- You need location pings throughout the shift, not just at punch-in.
- You need a kiosk mode today (Punch's is on the roadmap).
- You need facial verification at punch (anti-buddy-punching).
- You need direct payroll sync to QuickBooks / Gusto / ADP / Paychex (Punch is CSV export today).
- You need built-in scheduling + job costing in one tool.
What ClockShark has that Punch doesn’t.
We’d rather you find out from us than from the trial.
Real-time GPS tracking during shift
ClockShark pings the device's location every 15–20 minutes throughout the shift. Punch only verifies location at the moment of punch-in. If you need to see where a crew is mid-shift, that's a real gap.
Kiosk mode with facial verification
ClockShark supports a shared-tablet kiosk where multiple employees punch on one device, with facial verification to prevent buddy-punching. Punch's kiosk mode is on the V1.3 roadmap.
Native payroll integrations
ClockShark syncs directly to QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Sage, Xero, and MYOB. Punch exports timesheets to CSV today, and native QuickBooks + Gusto integration is the highest-priority item on the V2 roadmap.
Built-in scheduling
ClockShark has full drag-and-drop shift scheduling. Punch focuses purely on punch tracking — scheduling is a deliberate scope decision, not on the V2 roadmap.
Deeper job costing
ClockShark tracks cost per job + budget vs actual at the project level. Punch tracks shifts per job site, but separating projects from sites + project profitability is on the V2 roadmap.
Common questions.
- Why is Punch so much cheaper at small team sizes?
- Per-org pricing instead of per-user, and owners don't count toward the seat cap. ClockShark charges $40/mo base + $9 per active user; Punch charges a flat $9.99/mo for up to 5 employees on the Crew tier. The math levels out around 25–30 active employees where ClockShark's per-user cost catches up.
- Does Punch have everything ClockShark does?
- No. ClockShark has real-time GPS tracking during the shift, kiosk mode with facial verification, native payroll integrations, scheduling, and deeper job costing. Punch is leaner — it does GPS-verified punch-in really well, plus approvals, timesheets, and reports. See the 'What ClockShark has that Punch doesn't' section above for specifics.
- Can I import my existing ClockShark timesheet history into Punch?
- Yes — that's a planned import feature for V1.x. ClockShark exports its time card data to CSV from Reports → Time Card Detail; Punch will accept that CSV directly with a built-in importer (alongside Connecteam, QuickBooks Time, Buddy Punch, UKG Ready, and a generic CSV wizard for everything else). Until that ships, ask support and we'll help you migrate manually.
- What about ClockShark's QuickBooks integration?
- ClockShark's direct QuickBooks sync is a real differentiator — it eliminates the manual CSV-import step in the payroll workflow. Punch's V2 roadmap adds native QuickBooks + Gusto + ADP integrations. If you absolutely need direct QB sync today, that's a legitimate reason to pick ClockShark over Punch.
- Which app has better mobile UX?
- Subjective, but Punch is a native iOS app with a universal binary for iPhone + iPad including a manager-grade iPad split-view + iPadOS 26 Liquid Glass design language. ClockShark's mobile app is solid and well-rated, but it's a hybrid app (built once, deployed to iOS + Android). If iOS polish is a deciding factor for your owner persona, Punch.
Sources for ClockShark data: clockshark.com/pricing, Capterra ClockShark profile. All ClockShark feature + pricing data verified May 2026; vendor pricing and feature lists can change without notice. Re-verify before any high-stakes decision. Punch pricing →
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