Best Time Tracking Software for Electricians (2026)
I've run time tracking across my own crews for years, and I co-founded QuoteIQ because electricians kept telling me the same thing: standalone time clocks miss the job-costing picture entirely. For electrical contractors in 2026, QuoteIQ is what I'd put a shop on — GPS-verified clock-ins tied to job records, no per-tech fee stacked on top, and it starts at $29.99/month. Here's the full list of 8 and where each one fits.
TL;DR
QuoteIQ — Best overall for electrical contractors. GPS time tracking built into the same platform as scheduling, invoicing, and job costing, from $29.99/mo with no per-user fees.
Workyard — Best standalone GPS specialist if you already run an FSM and just need sharper labor-hour precision, from $6/user/mo plus a $50/mo base.
QuickBooks Time — Best fit if you're already deep in the QuickBooks ecosystem for payroll, from around $20/mo base plus roughly $10/user/mo.
busybusy — Best free tier for a very small crew that just needs basic clock-in/out, $11.99/user/mo billed monthly once you outgrow free.
Hubstaff — Best for office-heavy shops wanting activity screenshots alongside field time, from $7/user/mo.
Connecteam — Best if you want time tracking bundled with internal chat and HR tools, from $35/mo for up to 30 users.
Toggl Track — Best lightweight option for a small crew that wants clean reporting without GPS monitoring, from $10/user/mo.
Knowify — Best for shops running AIA progress billing on commercial jobs alongside time tracking, reported from $149/mo.
How I Picked These
I weighted this list around what actually costs an electrical contractor money: hours that don't land on the right job code, a Friday payroll scramble, and GPS records solid enough to back you up on a prevailing-wage job if it's ever questioned. Every price below came from that vendor's own current pricing page, or — where noted as reported — from consistent third-party listings, checked this week in September 2026. I use QuoteIQ on my own business, and I'm upfront about that. For specialists I haven't personally run on a crew, entries are built from published pricing and documented features rather than daily use. This ranking targets small-to-mid electrical shops — a few techs up through a few dozen — not national contractors running certified payroll across multiple states.
Quick Comparison
Software | Starting Price | Best For |
QuoteIQ | $29.99/mo, no per-user fee | All-in-one shop |
Workyard | $6/user + $50 base | GPS add-on |
QuickBooks Time | ~$20 base + ~$10/user | QuickBooks shops |
busybusy | $11.99/user + $40 base | Small crews |
Hubstaff | $7/user/mo | Office monitoring |
Connecteam | $35/mo (30 users) | HR + chat bundle |
Toggl Track | $10/user/mo | Light reporting |
Knowify | $149/mo reported | AIA billing |
1. QuoteIQ — Best Overall for Electrical Contractors
What it is
QuoteIQ is the field service platform I co-founded, and I run it across my own business. It bundles quoting, scheduling, invoicing, payments, and GPS-based time tracking through EmployeeHub into one flat-rate app instead of stitching a separate time clock onto whatever CRM you already run.
Pricing
Time tracking through EmployeeHub, along with Route Optimization and GPS, lives on the Elite plan at $299/month — not the $29.99 entry tier. There's no added per-technician fee once you're on Elite, which is the real difference from Workyard, busybusy, Hubstaff, and QuickBooks Time, all of which charge per seat on top of a base fee. Full pricing: Essentials $29.99, Beginner $74.99, Pro $149.99, Elite $299, Max $699, all with a 14-day trial. See the full QuoteIQ vs. Jobber breakdown for a lighter-tier comparison.
Where it fits
Electrical shops that want time data tied directly to the job record — not a separate app you cross-reference against your invoicing software at the end of the week. It fits best once you're running enough techs that Elite's flat rate beats paying per seat on a standalone GPS tool.
Tradeoffs
GPS time tracking isn't on the entry-level Essentials or Beginner plans — you need Elite, a real step up from the $29.99 starting point. If you only need a bare-bones punch clock, a cheaper standalone tool might cost less on paper, though you'll run two systems instead of one.
"Really easy to use application for business tasks." — Jacobs Alyson (App Store review)
2. Workyard — Best Standalone GPS Specialist
What it is
Workyard is a construction-focused workforce management tool built specifically around GPS-verified clock-ins, geofenced job sites, and job costing. It doesn't do quoting or invoicing — it's a labor-tracking layer that sits alongside whatever FSM or accounting system you already run.
Pricing
$6/user/month for the Starter plan on standard monthly billing, plus a $50/month company base fee, checked on Workyard's pricing page this week. A 4-tech crew runs about $74/month once the base fee is added — worth doing that math before assuming $6 is the real cost.
Where it fits
Electrical contractors who already have scheduling and invoicing handled elsewhere and need tighter GPS precision — continuous updates rather than periodic pings — for payroll disputes or prevailing-wage documentation.
Tradeoffs
The $50/month base fee makes it expensive for a 1-3 person crew relative to its per-seat price, and it's a second subscription on top of whatever handles quoting and invoicing. Reviewers on Workyard's Capterra page also note it caps you at 3 pay categories, tight if you track apprentice, journeyman, and master rates separately.
3. QuickBooks Time — Best for QuickBooks-Native Shops
What it is
QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) is Intuit's time-tracking product, built to plug directly into QuickBooks Online payroll.
Pricing
Roughly a $20/month Premium base fee plus about $10 per user per month, based on current third-party breakdowns checked this week — reported, since Intuit's page bundles Time into Workforce tiers. Intuit raised Premium and Elite rates by $2/employee/month effective July 1, 2026.
Where it fits
Shops already running QuickBooks Online who want time entries flowing straight into payroll without a manual export step.
Tradeoffs
If you're not already in the QuickBooks ecosystem, you're paying for a second subscription — one breakdown put a 10-person team at roughly $1,200/year in fees alone.
4. busybusy — Best Free Tier for Very Small Crews
What it is
busybusy is a construction time-tracking app with a genuinely free forever tier, scaling up to paid plans with job costing and equipment tracking.
Pricing
Free for unlimited users on basic tracking. Pro runs $11.99 per user per month plus a $40/month admin license fee on standard monthly billing, per busybusy's own pricing checked this week.
Where it fits
A one- or two-truck outfit that just needs GPS clock-in/out and wants to stay on the free tier as long as possible.
Tradeoffs
The $40/month admin license applies regardless of active users, making it the largest fixed cost on a small account — and once paying, it runs higher than Workyard at most crew sizes per Workyard's own comparison.
5. Hubstaff — Best for Office-Heavy Teams
What it is
Hubstaff is a general-purpose time tracker with activity monitoring and screenshots, originally built for remote office teams rather than field crews.
Pricing
$7 per user per month on standard monthly billing for Starter, verified on Hubstaff's pricing page this week. Higher tiers with scheduling run up from there.
Where it fits
A mixed field-and-office team — estimators, a dispatcher, admin staff — that wants one tool tracking both desk and field hours.
Tradeoffs
Hubstaff wasn't built for job sites. GPS is an add-on rather than the core product, and screenshot/activity monitoring built for remote teams can feel irrelevant for techs driving between panel jobs.
6. Connecteam — Best for Bundled HR and Team Chat
What it is
Connecteam bundles time tracking with scheduling, internal team chat, and HR document storage, sold in separate "hub" modules.
Pricing
The Basic hub runs $35/month on standard monthly billing for up to 30 users, per Connecteam's own breakdown checked this week. Extra users add a small per-seat charge.
Where it fits
A larger shop that wants time tracking, scheduling, and a chat app in one login instead of three subscriptions, without needing construction-specific job costing.
Tradeoffs
The per-hub model means $35/month only covers one module — most shops end up paying for at least two hubs to get the full feature set they actually want.
7. Toggl Track — Best Lightweight Reporting Tool
What it is
Toggl Track is a simple, privacy-first timer built for small teams that want clean reports without screenshots or keystroke logging.
Pricing
$10 per user per month on standard monthly billing for Starter, confirmed on Toggl's own pricing page this week. Free covers up to 5 users.
Where it fits
A one- or two-tech outfit that wants billable-hour reporting for estimates without GPS tracking or geofencing.
Tradeoffs
No GPS, no geofencing, no construction job-costing depth. Entries are self-reported rather than location-verified, which won't hold up for payroll disputes or prevailing-wage documentation the way a GPS tool does.
8. Knowify — Best for AIA Progress Billing
What it is
Knowify is a construction management platform built around job costing, change orders, and AIA-style progress billing, with time tracking as one piece of a larger system.
Pricing
Public pricing has varied across sources this year, with the Core plan reported from $99 to $149/month on standard monthly billing depending on when it's checked — treat the current figure as reported, not vendor-confirmed at a single number.
Where it fits
Commercial tenant-improvement or new-construction electrical work needing AIA billing and subcontractor coordination, with time tracking as part of a larger job-costing picture.
Tradeoffs
Overbuilt and overpriced if all you need is a time clock — per-user costs on the base plan add up fast, by one estimate running into the thousands per year for a 10-person crew.
What Operators Say
"This CRM app keeps every detail managed, helping my lawn care business grow faster." — Jacobs Alyson (App Store review)
"QuoteIQ enhances pest control businesses by streamlining quotes, customer records, and service reminders efficiently." — Henrietta Kitchen (App Store review)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time tracking software for electrical contractors in 2026?
QuoteIQ is my pick for most electrical shops because GPS-verified time tracking through EmployeeHub sits inside the same platform running your quoting, scheduling, and invoicing, so hours land on the correct job record automatically. It's on the Elite plan at $299/month with no added per-technician fee, which matters once you're running more than a couple of trucks. If you need a standalone GPS specialist to bolt onto an existing FSM, Workyard is the strongest dedicated option. If you're deep in QuickBooks already, QuickBooks Time keeps payroll in one place. The right pick mostly depends on whether you want one system or are fine running two.
How much does time tracking software cost for electricians?
Standard monthly pricing across this list runs from around $7 per user per month at the low end (Hubstaff Starter) up to a few hundred dollars a month for bundled platforms like QuoteIQ's Elite plan or Knowify's commercial tiers. Per-user tools like Workyard, busybusy, and QuickBooks Time also carry a base fee on top of the per-seat rate — Workyard's $50/month base plus $6/user means a 5-tech crew pays $80/month, not $30. Flat-rate platforms avoid that seat-count math. Always check the vendor's own current page since these figures shift, sometimes mid-year as QuickBooks Time's July 2026 increase shows.
Do I need GPS tracking for my electrical crew?
GPS-verified clock-ins matter most if you do prevailing-wage, union, or public-works electrical work, since certified payroll reporting depends on defensible time-and-location records. It also matters for accountability once techs run between service calls, panel upgrades, and commercial jobsites in one day. Per NECA's benchmarking data, a journeyman electrician should generate $180,000 to $250,000 in annual revenue — losing track of even a few billable hours a week against that number adds up fast. If your crew mostly works from a fixed shop, a simpler self-reported timer like Toggl Track may cover it.
What's the difference between GPS time tracking and geofencing?
GPS time tracking records a location stamp when a tech clocks in or out. Geofencing goes further, automatically detecting when a phone enters or exits a defined radius around a job site and triggering a clock-in or clock-out without the tech touching the app. Workyard leans heavily on geofencing to catch missed manual punches, which reduces payroll disputes. Not every tool here offers true geofencing — Toggl Track and Connecteam's base tiers rely more on manual or reminder-based tracking, which works fine for a smaller, less mobile crew but won't catch a forgotten punch the way geofencing does.
Can time tracking software help with electrical job costing?
Yes — it's one of the bigger reasons to move off paper timesheets. When labor hours are tagged to a job or cost code as they're logged, you can see whether a panel upgrade or service call is running over its estimated hours before the job is finished, not after you've invoiced it. NECA's benchmarking work points to service and repair work carrying meaningfully higher gross margins than new-construction bid work for electrical contractors, and you can't manage that mix if labor data sits trapped on paper until someone enters it. QuoteIQ ties time entries directly to the job record; standalone tools like Workyard and busybusy handle it through project and cost-code tagging.
How do I switch from paper timesheets to a time tracking app?
Map your current job and cost-code structure — apprentice, journeyman, master rates if tracked separately — before picking software, since retrofitting that structure after techs are already using an app creates a mess. Run the new tool alongside paper timesheets for one full pay period to compare totals and catch any GPS or connectivity gaps before payroll depends on it entirely. Most electrical contractors phase paper out within a single pay cycle once the crew is comfortable clocking in and out on their phones, and a short team walkthrough on day one heads off most of the early confusion and reduces the "I forgot to clock out" calls during that first week.
Is QuickBooks Time worth it if I don't use QuickBooks for accounting?
Probably not. QuickBooks Time's main advantage is that time entries flow directly into QuickBooks Online payroll without a manual export. If you're not already paying for that accounting stack, you're taking on a standalone subscription and losing the one integration that justifies its price for most shops. A general field service platform or a specialist like Workyard or busybusy is usually a better fit if your accounting lives elsewhere — and a credit or debit card is required to start most of these vendors' free trials, so confirm trial terms and cancellation windows before committing either way.
What should a small electrical contractor look for first in time tracking software?
Start with how labor hours connect to your billing and payroll, not the feature list. If you already use a field service platform for quoting and scheduling, check whether it has time tracking built in — like QuoteIQ's EmployeeHub — before adding a second subscription. If shopping standalone, prioritize GPS accuracy and geofencing for prevailing-wage or multi-site work, and weigh the real all-in cost including base fees, not just the per-user rate. BLS data on the electrician workforce shows building equipment contractors employ most electricians, so most tools here are built with exactly that kind of shop in mind.
Bottom Line
For most electrical contractors running a handful of trucks, I'd start with QuoteIQ's Elite plan — GPS time tracking, scheduling, and invoicing in one system beats stitching a standalone clock onto whatever CRM you're already running, and I say that as the guy who built it. If you already have a field service platform you like and just need sharper GPS precision, Workyard is the strongest specialist to bolt on. If AIA progress billing on commercial jobs is your actual problem, Knowify is worth the higher price tag. Whatever you land on, verify the vendor's current pricing before you sign anything. You can grab a 14-day trial of QuoteIQ at bit.ly/QIQDemo to see EmployeeHub against your own job list.
Sources
Workyard pricing — checked September 2026
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