Time tracking software: what it is and how to choose the best one (2026)
What time tracking software is, what it is for, what features it needs and how to choose the best program for clocking your employees in at your small company. A free option included.
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Cover photo: a computer screen showing a time tracking dashboard with charts (landscape)
Time tracking software is the simplest way to comply with the working time records law and, along the way, to really know how many hours your team works. We explain what it is, what it has to include and how to choose the best program for clocking in without paying over the odds.
What time tracking software is
It is a program (web and/or app) that automatically records your employees' arrivals and departures, stores that data unalterably and lets you look it up and export it whenever you need it. It replaces paper, Excel and signature sheets.
What it is for
- Complying with the law on working time records (compulsory since 2019).
- Knowing the real hours worked and the overtime.
- Managing holidays, absences and shifts.
- Having everything ready if an inspection comes.
Features it absolutely must have
✅ The must-haves
- A daily record with a start and an end, and breaks if your collective agreement provides for them.
- It must be reliable and impossible to alter after the fact, by you or by the worker.
- Kept for 4 years and accessible from the workplace.
- Exportable (PDF/Excel) and with a totalled summary for overtime and part-time work.
- A data processing agreement (article 28 of the GDPR) with the provider.
- No biometric data. The AEPD takes the view that clocking in with a fingerprint or a face currently finds no basis in Spanish law.
Geolocation is deliberately not on that list: it is useful on site or for mobile work, but it is not a legal requirement and it carries obligations of its own around giving notice in advance.
How to choose the best software for your company
Do not choose the most complex one, choose the one your team will use without complaining. Put ease of use, a clear price and covering the must-haves first. Compare the options in our time tracking app comparison.
Note of 4 September 2026: Cairos and clocking in
As of today, 4 September 2026: when this article was written, you still could not see the team's hours in Cairos. Now you can, and it is worth spelling out exactly how, because it is not what people usually assume: Cairos does not clock anyone in. The working time record is kept by ficheo.app and Cairos reads it — read-only — to show those hours next to your invoices and split them by project. A clocking that needs correcting is corrected in ficheo, which is where the record the law requires lives. With your ficheo account connected, that module is not charged separately in Cairos.
See the plans and what they includeHow much does time tracking software cost?
Most charge per employee per month, which is the model that rises fastest as you grow: every hire pushes your bill up. Always compare the twelve-month cost against the headcount you expect to have, not today's. And remember that the zero-cost alternative is still legal: the law does not oblige you to buy a program. We go over the options in free time tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Your hours, in the same program that invoices
Cairos does not clock anyone in: the working time record is kept by ficheo.app, and Cairos reads those hours to split them by project and keep them next to your invoices. With your ficheo account connected, the module is not charged separately.