Key Takeaways
- ✔OnTheClock is the best pick for small plumbing teams. One plan at $5 a month plus $4 per user covers GPS job-site proof, scheduling, PTO, and job costing.
- ✔Your techs work at homes you never see. GPS and geofencing tie a punch to the customer's address, so a billing question never stumps you.
- ✔Rounded arrival times leak real money. When a tech logs a clean 7 a.m. but pulls up at 7:18 a.m., those 18 minutes hit payroll every single day.
- ✔Hours tied to jobs show which work pays. Job costing tells you whether a service call earned money or quietly lost it.
- ✔Run two real quotes before you buy. The per-user rate and any base fee decide your true monthly cost, not the headline price.
The old way: a plumber jots a start time on a work order, the office guesses the rest on Friday, and two service calls land on the wrong customer's bill. The better way: a phone punch that stamps the job, the address, and the hours, then exports clean. The best time tracking software for plumbing wins on one thing first: it ties every billable hour to the right job and the right tech, then turns those hours into one clean paycheck. Get that right and payroll night stops being a rebuild.
Most clocks assume one shop, one shift, one manager watching the door. Plumbing doesn't work that way. Techs run from a water heater swap to a slab leak to an after-hours emergency, and the hours have to follow the truck. Reviewers on G2 and Capterra keep raising the same three pains: hours they can't prove at scattered job sites, rounded or padded arrival times that inflate payroll, and hours that never tie back to a job, so nobody knows which calls made money.
No single tool wins for every shop. Below are seven picks, each matched to a real situation, starting with the one for small plumbing teams.
What Plumbing Teams Actually Want From Time Tracking
Plumbing teams want proof first. Work happens at a customer's house, not a shop floor, so the punch has to carry a location, not just a timestamp. That single need shapes almost every other choice on this list.
They also want hours tied to jobs. A tech might hit four calls in a day, and each one needs its own hours to tell you whether the price held up. Clean payroll and job costing from the same punch keep the office from sorting it out by hand.
And they want one honest view of a moving crew. Apprentices, journeymen, and a dispatcher all clock differently, so the right pick shifts with whichever gap you feel most.
Quick Picks: The Best Time Tracking Software for Plumbing at a Glance
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OnTheClock: Best for small plumbing teams
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ClockShark: Best for job costing
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Workyard: Best for GPS accuracy
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Connecteam: Best for field crew communication
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Timeero: Best for drive time and mileage
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Buddy Punch: Best for stopping buddy punching
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Hubstaff: Best for GPS job tracking
How We Evaluated the Best Time Tracking Software for Plumbing
We judged each tool on what actually matters in the field, not on feature-sheet length. We compared every option against the eight needs plumbing teams keep raising, what we call the OnTheClock Plumbing Time Tracking Checklist:
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Location proof: GPS and geofencing that confirm which job site a punch came from.
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Job costing: hours tied to a specific job, so you see which calls earn money.
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Punch verification: a photo, PIN, or facial check that stops buddy punching and padded times.
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Flexible punch methods: a mobile app for the truck and a kiosk for the shop.
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Scheduling: drag-and-drop shifts and on-call coverage for the crew.
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Overtime and PTO rules: alerts that catch the 40-hour line and track time off.
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Payroll and accounting fit: clean exports to the tools you already run.
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Honest pricing: a true monthly cost with no surprise base fees.
OnTheClock earns the small-team spot here because it covers all eight needs in one base plan: GPS and geofencing, scheduling, PTO, job costing, and overtime alerts, with none of the field features held back for a higher tier. That breadth at the base price is the basis for the small-team label, not a ranking against the other picks. Each of the others serves its own situation best.
The Best Time Tracking Software for Plumbing
Below, the best time tracking software for plumbing, with the right pick for each situation. For each one, we cover who it fits best, where it stands out, and where it may not be the right move.
OnTheClock: Best for Small Plumbing Teams
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why OnTheClock Is Best for Small Plumbing Teams
OnTheClock fits the small plumbing shop that runs a few trucks across town all day. It proves who worked where, schedules the week, ties hours to jobs, and exports clean hours, all from one plan. The buyer here is the owner or office manager who wears the payroll hat too.
It meets every need on the checklist in the base plan. GPS and geofencing tie a punch to the customer's address, the live dashboard shows who's clocked in across the route, and missed-punch alerts surface a problem before payday. More than 18,000 companies run on it, so the fit isn't theoretical. You can see how the same tools serve field and trade crews in more detail.
Why OnTheClock Is Different
One plan, no fine print. It's $5 base a month plus $4 per user, and the field features come included, not gated behind a pricier tier. A six-person shop pays $29 a month, and slow weeks don't sting because billing only counts active users.
Owners who got burned by a heavier platform tend to land here for the simplicity. The honest trade-off: punches need an internet or Wi-Fi connection, and the reporting is lighter than an enterprise suite built for deep project analytics.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- 30-day free trial, no credit card
- $5 base a month plus $4 per user a month (see how OnTheClock pricing works)
- Optional payroll add-on: $40 base a month plus $6 per employee a month
ClockShark: Best for Job Costing
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why ClockShark Is Best for Job Costing
ClockShark fits the growing plumbing company that needs to know what each job really cost. Techs clock in against a specific job and task, so labor lands where the work happened. The buyer is the owner who bids work and wants the numbers to prove the bid.
Its standout is the job and task tracking built into every punch, with advanced job costing controls on the Pro plan. That ties straight to a clean payroll export. The caution: a contract term of three years applies to all plans, and the base fee starts higher than a small shop may want.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- 14-day free trial
- Standard $40 base a month plus $9 per user a month; Pro $60 base a month plus $11 per user a month
Workyard: Best for GPS Accuracy
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why Workyard Is Best for GPS Accuracy
Workyard fits the plumbing company tired of rounded arrival times. It's built for precise field GPS, so you see a tech pull up at 7:18 a.m., not the clean 7 a.m. they wrote down. The buyer is the owner who knows padded times are quietly bleeding payroll.
Its standout is location accuracy and supervisor-led clock-in, where a lead can punch the whole crew in with one tap. Overtime rules calculate by state or federal law. The caution: the $50 base fee a month is steep for a tiny shop, and the fuller scheduling and management tools sit on the pricier Workforce Management tier.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- Time Tracking $6 per user a month billed annually ($8 per user a month billed monthly) plus a $50 base fee a month; Workforce Management $16 per user a month plus the $50 base fee
Connecteam: Best for Field Crew Communication
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why Connecteam Is Best for Field Crew Communication
Connecteam fits the plumbing company that needs the whole crew on the same page. Techs clock in at the job, open the work order, fill a checklist, and message the office, all from one phone app. The buyer is the operations lead juggling calls across a busy day.
Where it stands out is breadth for deskless teams: the GPS time clock sits next to chat, forms, and scheduling, so a crew doesn't bounce between apps. The caution shows up in the structure. Connecteam splits features across separate hubs, so a shop that wants time, chat, and scheduling may pay for more than one. The free plan covers up to 10 users.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- Free Small Business plan for up to 10 users
- Operations hub for the first 30 users, billed annually: Basic $29 a month, Advanced $49 a month, Expert $99 a month, then a small per-user fee beyond 30
Timeero: Best for Drive Time and Mileage
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why Timeero Is Best for Drive Time and Mileage
Timeero fits the plumbing shop whose techs live in the truck. It logs the drive automatically, so the miles between a supply house, a service call, and the next job land on their own without anyone writing them down. The buyer is the owner who reimburses mileage and wants the math airtight.
Its standout is the GPS breadcrumb trail and segmented tracking, which show a whole workday from one clock-in: each stop, each drive, each mile. That's a strong fit for IRS-rate reimbursement. The caution: scheduling and geofencing only open up on the Pro plan, so a smaller need can still push you up a tier.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- 14-day free trial
- Basic $6 per user a month (up to 10 users), Pro $9 per user a month, Premium $12 per user a month
Buddy Punch: Best for Stopping Buddy Punching
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why Buddy Punch Is Best for Stopping Buddy Punching
Buddy Punch fits the shop where a shared tablet tempts people to clock in for each other. The name says it all. Facial recognition and a photo on each punch match the face to the employee profile, so a punch belongs to the person standing there. The buyer is the manager tired of paying for hours nobody worked.
Its standout is that verification layer, paired with a GPS stamp on every punch and a clean, simple interface. The caution is the base fee. Every plan carries a $19 base a month, which stings a small team, and geofencing opens up on the Pro plan rather than Starter.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- Starter $5.49 per user a month, Pro $6.99 per user a month, Enterprise $11.99 per user a month, each plus a $19 base fee a month
Hubstaff: Best for GPS Job Tracking
Available on: Web, iOS, Android
Why Hubstaff Is Best for GPS Job Tracking
Hubstaff fits the plumbing shop whose crews drive between job sites all day. You set up a GPS job site at each address, and the app auto clocks a tech in when they pull up and out when they leave. The buyer is the owner who wants the punch to follow the truck, not a paper log.
Its standout is that geofenced job-site tracking, paired with project budgets that flag a call running long. Here's the honest caution: GPS, geofencing, and scheduling all live on the Grow plan at $7.50 per user, not the cheaper Starter tier, and the productivity screenshots can feel like heavy monitoring to a field crew.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- Starter $4.99 per user a month (billed annually); GPS on the Grow plan at $7.50 per user; Team $10 per user a month
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Tool | Best For | Pricing | Key Strengths | Top Integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnTheClock | Best for small plumbing teams | $5 base + $4 per user a month | GPS geofencing, scheduling, PTO, job costing | Gusto, QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex |
| ClockShark | Job costing | $40 base + $9 per user a month | Job and task tracking, GPS, costing controls | QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, Sage |
| Workyard | GPS accuracy | $6 to $16 per user + $50 base a month | Precise GPS, supervisor clock-in, overtime rules | QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP |
| Connecteam | Field crew communication | Free; paid from $29 a month (first 30 users) | Time clock, chat, forms, scheduling | QuickBooks, Gusto, Paychex |
| Timeero | Drive time and mileage | $6 to $12 per user a month | Auto mileage, GPS breadcrumb, segmented tracking | QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP |
| Buddy Punch | Stopping buddy punching | $5.49 per user + $19 base a month | Facial recognition, GPS punches | QuickBooks, Gusto, Paychex |
| Hubstaff | GPS job tracking | $4.99 to $10/user | GPS job sites, geofencing, project budgets | QuickBooks, Gusto, PayPal, Deel |
Comparison data verified June 2026 against each vendor's own site; subject to change by respective providers.
What's the Best Time Tracking Software for Plumbing?
The best option isn't the longest feature list; it's the one that fits how your shop actually works. Start with the single question that bugs you most, then pick.
- Need GPS proof, scheduling, and job costing in one cheap plan? OnTheClock fits a small plumbing team.
- Bidding work and need to know what each job cost? ClockShark ties hours to the job.
- Tired of padded arrival times? Workyard's precise GPS catches the real clock-in.
The right tool removes friction from the problem you hit most, not the one a sales demo wants to show you.
What Is Plumbing Time Tracking Software?
Plumbing time tracking software is a digital clock that records when your techs start and stop work, and where. It replaces paper, spreadsheets, and texted hours with punches that carry a timestamp and a location.
For this audience, it adds the parts a shop clock skips: GPS that ties a punch to a customer's address, hours tied to each job, and a clean export to payroll. The simple point is honest hours you can prove.
Who Needs Time Tracking Software in a Plumbing Business?
Any plumbing business with hourly techs who work away from the shop benefits. Service companies running multiple trucks, new-construction crews, and shops with apprentices and journeymen all gain the most. The math changes once you pass a handful of techs or more than one truck.
Think residential service shops, commercial plumbing contractors, and drain and sewer crews. If you're chasing missing hours, fixing time sheets, or guessing at job costs, you're the audience.
Why Plumbing Companies Rely on Time Tracking Software
Plumbing work spreads across town, so accuracy protects your margin. Hours happen at homes and job sites, and a wrong number means a short paycheck, a payroll fix, or a compliance risk. Federal law backs this up: the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to keep accurate daily and weekly hours for every nonexempt worker.
The old way, paper and memory, breaks the moment a customer questions a bill or a tech disputes a check. A real clock with location proof replaces the guesswork and gives you a record. See how OnTheClock handles time tracking with GPS for crews on the move.
Key Features Plumbing Time Tracking Software Should Have
Before you compare prices, make sure any tool covers the basics for a crew that works across job sites.
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GPS and geofencing: ties a punch to the customer's address and blocks clock-ins from the wrong spot.
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Job costing: hours tied to a specific job, so you see which calls earn money.
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Punch verification: a photo, PIN, or facial check that stops buddy punching and padded times.
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Mobile and kiosk punching: a phone clock for the truck and a tablet for the shop.
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Scheduling and PTO: shift and on-call coverage plus time-off tracking.
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Payroll export: clean hours that move into Gusto, QuickBooks, ADP, or your own payroll.
How to Choose the Proper Time Tracking Software for Plumbing
Step 1: Count your techs and trucks, then do the pricing math.
Start with real numbers. Count the hourly techs you run in a busy week and the trucks they drive, because per-user and base-fee pricing decide your true cost, not the headline rate.
Run two quotes side by side. A six-person shop on OnTheClock is $5 base plus six times $4, so $29 a month. The same crew on a tool with a $19 base fee and a higher per-user rate can land near $60. Favor tools that bill only for active users, since plumbing head count swings with the season.
Step 2: Name the one problem that costs you most.
Pick one. Unproven hours at job sites, padded arrival times, fuzzy job costs, and payroll rework each point to a different tool, and chasing all four at once leads to an overbuilt plan you won't use.
Write the top problem down before you demo anything. If it's location proof, weight GPS and geofencing. If it's job profit, weight job costing. The named problem keeps a slick sales call from steering you toward features you don't need.
Step 3: Match the punch method to how your crew works.
A service tech needs a one-tap phone punch with GPS. A shop with an apprentice bench needs a tablet kiosk with a PIN or a photo. A crew lead may want to clock the whole truck in at once.
Test the punch on your real devices before you roll it out. A clock that's clumsy on a phone gets skipped, and a skipped punch is the missing hour you'll hunt for on payday.
Step 4: Decide how much GPS and job-site proof you need.
Not every shop needs a GPS breadcrumb on every punch. A one-truck shop may only need a kiosk, while a service company running eight trucks needs geofences at recurring accounts and accurate clock-in times.
Ask to see the location report in the trial. Pull up a day, confirm each punch shows the right address, and check whether a wrong-location punch flags itself. That report is what answers a customer or an auditor later.
Step 5: Tie hours to jobs for accurate job costing.
Job costing is where plumbing profit hides. If a tech clocks four calls in a day but the hours land in one bucket, you can't tell which job made money and which one ran long.
Pick a tool that lets a tech tag each punch to a job or task. ClockShark and OnTheClock both do this, so labor lands on the right ticket. Then a $400 service call that ate six hours shows up as the loss it really was.
Step 6: Handle drive time and mileage between calls.
Driving is a hidden cost in plumbing. At the 2026 IRS rate of 72.5 cents a mile, a tech logging 600 miles a month is $435 in reimbursable mileage, and hand-tracked logs almost always undercount.
If your techs drive a lot, weight automatic mileage capture heavily. A tool like Timeero logs the trip and the miles on its own, so the reimbursement matches reality instead of a rounded guess scribbled on a work order.
Step 7: Check the payroll and accounting connection.
Trace one hour from punch to paycheck. Confirm the tool exports to the payroll you run, whether that's Gusto, QuickBooks, ADP, or Paychex, and run a test export during the trial.
If you keep your books in QuickBooks Online, a native sync saves a step, but it also assumes you pay for that subscription. A file that needs hand-editing every week is a hidden labor cost, so price that time in too.
Step 8: Run a full pay period on a free trial before you commit.
Put one crew on the tool for a complete pay cycle, punch to payroll. Most of these picks offer a free trial, OnTheClock for 30 days with no credit card, so the test costs nothing but your attention.
Time the approvals, count missed punches, check how fast support answers, and add up the true monthly cost with your real head count. The tool that survives one honest payroll run is the one to buy.
Tips for Implementing Time Tracking Software at a Plumbing Business
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Set geofences before you invite the crew. Map your shop and recurring accounts first, so the very first punch already carries location proof.
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Train on the phone, not just the desktop. Your techs punch from a truck or a doorstep, so walk them through the mobile app where they'll actually use it.
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Keep records for the legal minimum. The U.S. Department of Labor's recordkeeping rules say to hold payroll records for three years and time cards for two, so pick a tool that stores history that long.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time tracking software for plumbing?
OnTheClock is the best time tracking software for small plumbing teams. One plan at $5 base a month plus $4 per user covers GPS geofencing, scheduling, PTO, and job costing, with no features held back for a higher tier. Shops that bid a lot of work may prefer ClockShark for deeper job costing, while a crew that drives all day can lean on Timeero for automatic mileage.
How do plumbing companies track hours across job sites?
They use a mobile time clock with GPS and geofencing. Each punch carries a location, so the system records which job site a tech worked and when, even though no manager is standing there. OnTheClock, Workyard, and ClockShark all tie punches to a site, which gives you a record to answer a customer question or a payroll dispute.
Is there free time tracking software for a plumbing business?
Yes. Connecteam offers a free Small Business plan for up to 10 users, with the GPS time clock, scheduling, and chat included. It works well for a single small crew, though geofence sites and some tools move you to a paid hub. OnTheClock isn't free, but its 30-day trial with no credit card lets you run a full pay period at no cost.
Can time tracking software help with plumbing job costing?
Yes. A tech tags each punch to a job, so labor lands on the right ticket and you see which calls earned money. ClockShark builds advanced job costing into its Pro plan, and OnTheClock includes job and project costing in its base plan. That turns a week of punches into a clear picture of which work paid and which ran long.
How much does time tracking software for plumbing cost?
Most tools charge a per-user rate, often with a base fee. OnTheClock is $5 base a month plus $4 per user. ClockShark runs $40 base plus $9 per user, and Hubstaff starts at $4.99 per user with GPS on the Grow plan at $7.50 per user. Connecteam offers a free plan for a small crew, and Timeero starts at $6 per user a month with no base fee.
Does plumbing time tracking software connect to payroll?
Yes. OnTheClock exports to Gusto, QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and SurePayroll, and offers its own payroll add-on for a $40 base plus $6 per employee. Hubstaff connects to QuickBooks, Gusto, PayPal, and Deel, and ClockShark connects to QuickBooks, Gusto, and ADP. Clean exports keep the same hours feeding both pay and your job costs.
Stop guessing who worked which job.
Track hours, prove job sites, and run clean payroll for your plumbing crew with OnTheClock.
No credit card required, and you'll be set up in minutes.
