OpenTimeClock review

OpenTimeClock is employee time and attendance software for browser, desktop, and mobile use. Employees can clock in and out through the web or apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android; managers can track hours, attendance, schedules, and time off, according to the product description.

Clock-ins can use passwords, PINs, facial recognition, QR codes, or group punches. The system can also record GPS locations and restrict punches by approved locations, IP addresses, or device IDs. For businesses tracking work beyond a shift total, hours can be assigned to customers, projects, jobs, tasks, or departments.

OpenTimeClock offers a free plan for basic tracking and a paid plan for full features. The listed plans all allow unlimited users, but free users cannot download PDF or Excel reports. Eligible schools and organizations can apply for a free NPO Plan; organizations willing to add a homepage link can also qualify for the Sponsor Link Plan.

The clearest advantage is that the free plan does not impose a user cap. That makes it worth considering for teams that need basic time tracking without paying per employee. The trade-off is specific: PDF and Excel report downloads are excluded from the free plan.

The feature set goes beyond simple punch-in and punch-out records. According to the product description, managers can:

• Use passwords, PINs, facial recognition, QR codes, or group clock-ins.
• Record GPS locations and restrict punches by approved locations, IP addresses, or device IDs.
• Allocate hours to customers, projects, jobs, tasks, or departments.
• Manage shifts, absences, time-off requests, and automatic PTO accruals.
• Configure email alerts for missed punches, overtime thresholds, and other conditions.

Payroll reporting is another practical strength for companies that need exportable records: the product description lists more than 80 ready-made PDF and Excel reports, plus custom reports. The paid plan is listed at $39 per company per month, or $399 annually ($33.25 per month). Those are company-level prices, not per-user rates, and the plans list unlimited users.

The free plan has a meaningful reporting limit: it excludes PDF and Excel downloads. OpenTimeClock describes it as basic time tracking, but the published plan details do not spell out which other clock-in, scheduling, location-control, or PTO features are included free. Teams should confirm feature access before building a workflow around them.

The paid plan costs $39 monthly or $399 annually per company. OpenTimeClock also lists prepaid options for three, five, or 10 years, but the published pricing details do not give those prices. A 30-day free trial is listed, though its eligibility and scope are not specified.

The no-cost alternatives have conditions. The NPO Plan is for qualifying schools and organizations and requires an application; the Sponsor Link Plan requires a link on the organization’s homepage. The reselling plan has no published price and requires contacting sales. So the headline “free” can work for basic tracking, but downloadable reports and clearer access to full features mean many businesses will need to budget for the paid plan.

OpenTimeClock lists a free plan for unlimited users, but it excludes PDF and Excel report downloads. The paid plan is $39 per company per month, or $399 per year, which works out to $33.25 per month when billed annually. That is the main price jump: you pay to get downloadable reports and full features, not to add more users.

The pricing information also lists a 30-day free trial, but does not specify its terms. Prepaid options for three, five, or 10 years are mentioned without published prices. Eligible schools and organizations can apply for the free NPO Plan, which includes paid-plan features; approval requirements are not detailed here. The free Sponsor Link Plan also includes paid-plan features, in exchange for a link on your homepage. No add-ons are listed. Reseller pricing is not published; businesses have to contact sales.

The available information does not describe an import process, migration service, or supported file formats for bringing employee records and time history into OpenTimeClock. Before switching, ask the company what it can import and whether historical punches, schedules, and PTO balances transfer; those details are not published here.

On the way out, the paid plan includes PDF and Excel report downloads. The free plan excludes those downloads, and the sources do not confirm whether OpenTimeClock offers a bulk data export or a machine-readable export for moving records to another system. Treat report downloads as a reporting feature, not proof of complete portability. Reddit posts or comments about why customers leave were not included in the published material, so we can’t attribute common switching complaints to users. Get export and migration terms in writing before making OpenTimeClock the system of record.