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PTPlain Timesheets

Ways staff clock in: app, kiosk, web and card

Reviewed on November 11, 2026

Most time software offers several ways to clock in. Which fit depends on where your people work and who carries a phone.

Phone or tablet app

  • How it works. Staff open an app, tap clock in, and tap clock out at the end.
  • Good for people who move between sites. Wikipedia describes mobile tracking as generally done through a mobile application, or an IVR-based phone call-in system.1
  • Ask first. Do staff have phones they're happy to use for work? Who pays for data?

Web browser

  • How it works. Staff log in on a computer and press a clock button.
  • Good for desk work, where everyone is at a screen all day.
  • Watch for people forgetting, since nothing at the door reminds them.

Shared kiosk

  • How it works. One device stays at the workplace. Clockify's help describes a kiosk as a shared device that staff use at the workplace.2
  • Equipment. Clockify says a kiosk can be launched via a link on any device in its browser.2
  • Identification. Clockify lists a 4-digit PIN, a 6-digit PIN or a QR code as choices.2
A shared-device clock-inOpen the kiosk on a shared deviceStaff pick their nameThey enter a PIN or scan a codeThe time is stored as an entry
One common pattern for a kiosk.

Card, tag or number

  • Magnetic stripe cards. Staff register by swiping a magnetic stripe card.1
  • RFID tags. Staff register by bringing an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag close to a reader.1
  • Typed numbers. The same Wikipedia passage lists entering a number as another way.1
  • Trade-off. A card can be lent to a friend. That's the problem called buddy punching, where one employee records time for another.1

Biometric readers

  • How they work. Instead of a key, code or chip, they rely on a unique attribute of the user, such as a fingerprint.1
  • The catch. Biometric data is personal information, and privacy law varies by country and state. Check with your privacy regulator (for example the OAIC in Australia, the ICO in the UK or the FTC in the US) or a lawyer before collecting it.

Photo capture and location checks

  • Photo at clock-in. Some products take a picture when someone clocks in. In Clockify's help, kiosk users must give explicit permission to have their photo taken before their first capture.2
  • Location. Wikipedia says mobile tracking can use the GPS functionality of a mobile phone for extra validation.1
  • Tell staff. Both collect personal information. Say what's recorded, why, and who sees it.

Comparing the options

Method Needs Main risk
App A phone per person Staff forget, or lack a phone
Web A computer Easy to forget; no reminder at the door
Kiosk A shared device on site Queues at shift start
Card or tag Cards and a reader Lending and loss
Biometric A reader and enrolment Privacy questions

This is a general guide, not a ranking. Features and plan limits change often. Clockify's kiosk page, checked November 11, 2026, says PIN and QR options depend on the plan.2 Read the maker's current help pages for any product you consider.

Questions to settle first

  • Where do people start work: one site, many sites, or their own homes?
  • Who'll fix entries when someone clocks in wrongly? See missed punches and corrections.
  • Do staff need a way to clock in if their phone dies?
  • What do you tell staff about data collected at clock-in?

Pick the method that matches how people actually arrive at work. Then look at how the hours get approved.

Where the facts come from

  1. Time clock, Wikipedia
  2. Set up and manage kiosk, Clockify Help

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