Buddy Punch vs Google Sheets: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Buddy Punch and Google Sheets to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Buddy Punch
6.5/10
Cloud time clock and employee scheduling software that lets small and mid-sized businesses track hours, jobs, PTO and locations and send timesheets to payroll.
Google Sheets
7.2/10
Google Sheets is a browser-based spreadsheet in Google Workspace that teams can edit together and often use to track simple projects and tasks.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | G Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.5/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $19/mo Advanced | €7/user/mo Business Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $159/mo Advanced | €211/mo Business Plus |
| Features | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Gantt charts | Not listed | |
| Kanban boards | Not listed | |
| Reporting | Not listed | |
| Scheduling | Not listed | |
| Spreadsheet interface | Not listed | |
| Task lists | Not listed | |
| Timeline view | Not listed | |
| Workflow automation | Not listed | |
Buddy Punch vs Google Sheets cost by team size
| Team size | Buddy Punch | Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $33/moAdvanced | €21/moBusiness Plus |
| 5 users | $89/moAdvanced | €106/moBusiness Plus |
| 10 users | $159/moAdvanced | €211/moBusiness Plus |
| 25 users | $369/moAdvanced | €528/moBusiness Plus |
| 50 users | $719/moAdvanced | €1,055/moBusiness Plus |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Buddy Punch
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for construction (7/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Includes Time tracking, which Google Sheets lacks
GWhy choose Google Sheets
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 2/10)
Pros & Cons
Buddy Punch
Pros
- Employees can clock in many ways, including mobile app, kiosk, QR code, webcam and selfie punches.
- Direct payroll syncs cover around 20 systems, including QuickBooks, ADP, Gusto, Paychex and Rippling.
- Admins are free and only active employees count toward billing.
- Reviewers describe support as fast and handled by real people.
- GPS punches and geofencing help verify that field staff are where they should be.
Cons
- It is not a project management tool: there are no task boards, Gantt charts or docs.
- Costs rise with each user and each add-on, and there is a 19 USD monthly base fee.
- Reviewers say correcting missed punches is manual and the admin settings take time to learn.
- Some users report the mobile app lags, especially on weak connections.
- An independent review rates the built-in reporting as basic, and advanced reports cost extra on lower plans.
GGoogle Sheets
Pros
- Real-time co-editing, comments and version history make it easy for a team to share one tracker.
- Prebuilt project management and event-planning templates mean teams do not have to build a tracker from scratch.
- There is no extra cost for organisations that already pay for Google Workspace seats.
- Connected Sheets can analyse BigQuery or Looker data with billions of rows directly in a spreadsheet.
- On higher Workspace tiers, Gemini can create trackers and write formulas from plain-language prompts.
Cons
- It has no native Gantt charts, task dependencies or time tracking for real project scheduling.
- Missed deadlines do not trigger automatic alerts, so team members have to be notified by hand.
- Large or complex shared sheets slow down and are easy to break when several people edit at once.
- Timeline view is limited to certain paid Workspace editions.
- Dashboards and reporting have to be built by hand or added with add-ons.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Google Sheets scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 7.2/10 against 6.5/10 for Buddy Punch. The largest gap is in Customization: 5/10 for Buddy Punch and 8/10 for Google Sheets.
No, neither Buddy Punch nor Google Sheets lists a free plan.
Google Sheets is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 2/10 for Buddy Punch.
Buddy Punch has Time tracking, which Google Sheets lacks.
