Honest Review:
ClockShark

Efficient time clock kiosk with advanced facial recognition but downgraded by a clunky interface and a glitchy mobile app.

Written by Asim Qureshi
By Asim Qureshi, CEO Jibble
As a CEO of a time tracking software company I need to know what my competitors are up to. That means my team and I are often researching about and/or playing around with their products, you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of that research, giving credit to those competitors where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful. I hope it helps you make the right decision…

This review covers:

Overview

ClockShark, a time tracking software that can chomp down your time tracking, scheduling, time off management, customer management, and job costing woes into bite-sized tasks. 

One of the things I love about ClockShark is how user-friendly its time tracking feature is. No one needs to be a tech whiz to use it – everyone can easily track hours using their smartphone, web browser, or even a handy time kiosk in their office. Clocking in can even be as simple as a quick face scan, thanks to ClockShark’s advanced facial recognition technology. The “who’s working now” tab gives employers a good view of what everyone on their team is up to, what activities they’re working on, and even their locations if GPS tracking is enabled.

Another thing I liked about ClockShark was its job management and collaboration features. You can track project progress right from the calendar and see the time spent for each one under the timesheets tab. Not only that, but you can also leave comments and attach necessary files under jobs so they’re easily accessible to all project collaborators.

Unfortunately, an area where it fails to deliver is its mobile app. The app’s clunky design and frequent glitches have brought down its App Store rating to a measly three stars. And if you’re working remotely, the poor data synchronization is a bit of a headache. 

For an app that heavily endorses itself as an ideal time tracking app for field service or construction businesses, reliable mobile tracking, even with a weak network connection, should be a given

But let’s not judge ClockShark on whether it’s not a good fit for your needs with just this overview. So without further ado, let’s dive right into this ClockShark review and sink our teeth (as sharks would) into its standout features and what else users have to say. 

ClockShark's web interface showing job management and time tracking features.

What do users like about ClockShark?

  • Easy setup and launch
  • User-friendly
  • Responsive customer service

What don't users like about ClockShark?

  • Clunky mobile app
  • Syncing issues
  • Occasional inaccurate tracking

What Pricing Plans does ClockShark offer?

ClockShark has two pricing plans, Standard and Pro, with base and user fees billed monthly. These plans are designed for various business needs, from basic to advanced. 

Standard

The standard plan allows users to track time and attendance via ClockShark’s web and mobile apps. Aside from time and attendance tracking, the Standard plan also includes drag-and-drop scheduling and job and task tracking. Other features that come with the standard plan include built-in Spanish language support, GPS tracking for location-based monitoring and manager roles and approvals to streamline supervision.

Users of the Standard plan can also take advantage of ClockShark’s third-party integrations. It’s not a lot, though. Currently, there are only eight direct integrations. But its integration with Zapier does widen its integration capacity.

The base fee for the standard plan is currently set at $40 per month, and users will have to pay an additional $8 per user per month.

Pro

For a base fee of $60 per month, the Pro plan comes with everything the Standard plan offers plus Paid time off (PTO) management and Multi-department/office controls. 

Furthermore, it introduces advanced job costing controls for greater control over project expenses and clock out questions, which enable employers to gather specific feedback or data from employees as they clock out, adding an extra layer of customization and insight to your workforce management processes.

Additional users will be charged $10 monthly. It’s definitely on the pricier side when compared to other tools in the market.

What are the Standout Features of ClockShark?

1. Employee Scheduling 

With just a few clicks, you can add shifts for each employee or your entire team at the same time. For repeating shifts, you simply need to choose the repeat to put the shift on a repeat cycle. There’s even a drag-and-drop editor that allows managers to quickly create and update work schedules from their phones or computers.

The schedule calendar can be viewed daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly, which is great, so you can either zero in on the current workday or get a good view of what you have scheduled for the rest of the month. Project progress during shifts isn’t automatically updated on the calendar, which is a bummer. Instead, you’ll need to do it manually. You can mark them as either complete, in progress, canceled, or on hold.

Notifications will be automatically sent to employees whenever there are updates to their schedules. They can then view their shifts together with the corresponding job details and instructions. This takes away the need to go back and forth on what needs to be done for the day, which eats up a ton of time.

All of those things are great, but to keep this ClockShark review honest, it must be noted that there can be a bit of difficulty adding sick days for employees.

ClockShark's employee scheduling feature sending a clock in notification on the mobile app.

2. GPS Tracking

ClockShark’s GPS tracking feature is a powerful tool for tracking real-time employee location alongside their hours. It works by collecting GPS data every 10-15 minutes from employee mobile devices while they’re on the clock. This will require employees to have the correct Location Permission settings; for newer devices, this means enabling Precise Location. 

GPS data is displayed under the Timesheets tab as location pins. Clicking on any of these pins will give you access to details of the recorded location, the time it was taken, and the specific job and task the employee was working on. Another way you can check on employee location is via the Who’s Working Now dashboard.

Beyond location tracking, ClockShark’s GPS tracking feature extends its functionality to record and measure travel time and distance. This added capability is especially useful for companies that need to track and reimburse mileage expenses. By accurately logging the travel time and distance, businesses can streamline their expense management processes while ensuring that employees are fairly compensated for their travel-related costs – it’s a win-win!

Map showing employees in different locations

3. Job Management 

ClockShark’s job management feature makes it easy for managers to keep track of jobs and tasks assigned to employees, all in real time. 

Creating jobs is a breeze, requiring just a few clicks to get started. When you create a job, you can specify the associated customer and job location. You can even enable restrict employee access, and track labor budgets by setting the total hours budgeted for the job. When employees approach the set budget, managers receive email notifications to stay on top of project progress.

For each job created, employees can easily access information, including the estimated hours needed to complete the job, the actual hours worked, and the current “stage” of the job’s progress. However, they will have to update job stages manually, which can be a bother.

ClockShark takes job management and collaboration a step further by allowing you to leave comments and attach files directly under jobs. This eliminates the risk of forgetting important details from discussions, misplacing documents in separate files, or missing deadlines.

Team members, whether in the field or the office, can share insights, ask questions, or provide updates, ensuring that all relevant information is readily available for anyone involved in the project. With all this critical job information readily available, teams can achieve faster and more efficient job completion.

The time tracking feature on mobile showing employee location.

Selected Positive User Feedback: 

  • “I love that our teammates can clock in and out of jobs with ease. No more confusing paperwork! It’s all digital now & makes time-keeping way less overwhelming!” – Louisa J. (Source G2)
  • “Clockshark is a great time-tracking software. We switched from a different software due to multiple issues. With Clockshark, jobs, tasks, and employees are all easily added. There is GPS tracking to ensure that employees are clocking in at the correct time and at the correct job. PTO policies and requests and easily managed.” – Kacey M. (Source G2)
  • “The customer service is wonderful. We had a very manual system before and this makes my life so much easier. It was easy to learn. It works with my Desktop Quickbooks, which is the best. I use it daily so it is nice to have a user friendly program.” – Verified User in Construction (Source G2)
  • “ClockShark has helped us hone in on employee hours and job costing.The customer service was very prompt and actually the quickest response I have ever received. It syncs pretty easy with quickbooks..” – Verified User in Construction (Source G2)
  • “ClockShark is a tool that helps in time-keeping efficiently. It has a very user-friendly interface. It can also integrate with other tools and help track time. Its pricing is also very competitive. It also helps manage payroll and track employee progress.” – Chitrang S. (Source Capterra)

Selected Negative User Feedback:

  • “I also noticed the automatic break function is a little glitchy. When it is turned on, and the employee clocks out for their break, sometimes the system will give them a double break. Then I need to go adjust it manually.”Verified User in Construction (Source G2)
  • “We do not like that it pings you to remind you to clock in or take a break even if you have already clocked in and taken a break..”Mindy H. (Source G2)
  • “We frequently encounter synchronization issues where employees’ clock-in and clock-out times are not consistently captured accurately.” – Amali J. (Source G2)
  • “The only thing we have found is that it does not sync overnight like we thought it would” – Christine S. (Source G2)

      What are ClockShark's Review Ratings from Review Sites?

      (As of October 2024)

      • Capterra: 4.7/5
      • Software Advice: 4.7/5
      • GetApp: 4.7/5
      • G2: 4.6/5
      • TrustRadius: 7.9/10
      • App Store: 2.9/5
      • Google Play Store: 3.8/5

      What's my Final Verdict on ClockShark?

      As we draw this ClockShark review to a close, I must say that the software has much to offer, be it time tracking, scheduling, job management, or even payroll. It puts together all of these valuable functions into one convenient platform. And the fact that you can use it on your smartphone, tablet, web browser, or a shared time kiosk is a huge plus.

      Its time tracking feature is gill-ty (pun intended) of being really easy to use, requiring only a few clicks to get users started. The four-digit PIN and optional facial recognition make sneaky buddy punching a thing of the past. And with geofencing technology, you can rest easy knowing employees aren’t not clocking in from the pub across the street.

      The scheduling and job management features help simplify the time-consuming processes of scheduling employee shifts and monitoring project progress. Everything can be easily organized on calendars and timesheets by color-coding employees and projects. I also liked how project collaborators can easily communicate through the comment section of the project. 

      Now, I promised a fair and honest ClockShark review, so I must say that there are still some things that hold me back from giving ClockShark a stellar review. For one thing, the interface could use a huge improvement. The web app felt clunky and wasn’t as intuitive as I would’ve hoped. The mobile app, while easy to use, is riddled with bugs and glitches. It’s also close to unusable when you don’t have a strong internet connection.

      Having said all of that, I think ClockShark would still make a good choice for small to medium businesses looking for an all-in-one time tracking and scheduling solution. It may not be the most reliable solution for remote or field workers, though. I recommend carefully evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of ClockShark to determine how it aligns with your organization’s requirements.

      I hope this ClockShark review helps you make the right catch!