Managing non desk employees without the right tools can get very messy, very quickly.
That’s where Connecteam comes in.
In this review, we’ll break down what Connecteam actually does, how much it costs, what users like (and don’t), and how it stacks up in 2025:
What is Connecteam?
Connecteam is an employee app built for the other 80% of the workforce: the teams who don’t sit at desks. Think field crews, shift workers, kitchen staff, cleaners, drivers, and retail floor teams.
These workers are mobile. Their work is physical. And most software isn’t built for them. Connecteam is.
It’s a modular employee management app that helps small businesses and operational managers handle the day-to-day chaos of running a deskless team.
Time tracking with GPS? It’s in there. Shift planning, employee scheduling, task updates, training videos, internal surveys, mobile checklists, digital forms, document storage? All in one app.
But what makes Connecteam stand out isn’t the feature list. It’s the fact that everything is accessible from a phone, works offline, and speaks the language of real-world jobs.
The app is split into three hubs:
- Operations,
- Communications,
- and HR & Skills.
All so you can roll out only what your team needs. And if you’re still texting shift changes or collecting time cards in a shoebox, Connecteam turns that mess into clean digital workflows. For businesses managing people who move, this is one app that promises to move with them.
Connecteam features
Connecteam's feature list is quite long, so let's have a look at the very core functionalities of the tool:
Employee time clock with GPS tracking
Need to know who clocked in, and where? Connecteam's employee time clock pairs timestamping with GPS verification, so you can track employee hours without needing to be onsite. It’s like having a digital punch clock that follows your team to the job.
Shift planning and employee scheduling
Build and distribute shifts without chasing people down. The employee scheduling feature helps managers set up work hours, notify staff, and even handle last-minute changes, all through the app. Drag. Drop. Done.
Digital forms, checklists, and live field reports
Throw out the clipboards. Create custom digital forms and mobile checklists that employees complete in real time. From safety inspections to job site walkthroughs. Every form comes back clean and fast.
All-in-one employee communication
Emails get ignored. Group texts get messy. Connecteam replaces both with a centralized employee communication hub, including chat, surveys, updates, and a company directory. Everyone sees the same info, and no one gets left out.
Mobile employee training & onboarding
Got a new hire? A quick training update? Push mobile courses, quizzes, and onboarding content straight to phones. Whether someone’s at HQ or on a ladder, they can complete training during real work breaks, not at a desktop that doesn’t exist.
Connecteam pricing
You can start using Connecteam for free with no credit card and no setup fee. If you’re a small business with up to 10 users, you can stick with the free plan as long as you want.
Paid plans begin at $29 a month for 30 users, with flexible add-ons once your team grows.
Each hub (Operations, Communications, and HR) has its own pricing, so you only pay for what you actually use.
Operations Hub pricing:
- Basic ($29/mo for up to 30 users): You get GPS time tracking, job scheduling, and unlimited forms and tasks. It’s enough for small teams who need the essentials to stay organized. → Each extra user is $0.50/month (yearly) or $0.60 (monthly).
- Advanced ($49/mo for up to 30 users): Adds geofencing, auto clock-out, repeating shifts, and bulk actions. You can also set up smart form fields. → Each extra user is $1.50/month (yearly) or $1.80 (monthly).
- Expert ($99/mo for up to 30 users): Great for larger teams with complex scheduling needs. Adds features like auto-assigning shifts, sub-jobs, shift-specific tasks, auto-generated reports, and full API access. → Extra users cost $3/month (yearly) or $3.60 (monthly).
- Enterprise: Custom pricing. Adds extra security (SSO, 2FA), biometric lock, unlimited everything, and a dedicated success manager.
Communications Hub pricing:
- Basic ($29/mo for up to 30 users): You get personal/group chats, media sharing, and a company feed. It’s enough to centralize updates and messages. → Extra users: $0.50/month (yearly) or $0.60 (monthly).
- Advanced ($49/mo for up to 30 users): Adds scheduled messages, live polls, anonymous surveys, and smart group segmentation. → Extra users: $1.50/month (yearly) or $1.80 (monthly).
- Expert ($99/mo for up to 30 users): Ideal for larger or more complex teams. You can add post shortcuts, auto-translate feed updates, organize posts by topic, and access the API. → Extra users: $3/month (yearly) or $3.60 (monthly).
- Enterprise: Custom plan with all Expert features plus extra customization, unlimited storage, and tighter access control.
HR & Skills Hub pricing:
- Basic ($29/mo for up to 30 users): Includes time-off tracking, basic courses, celebrations, and quizzes. → Extra users: $0.50/month (yearly) or $0.60 (monthly).
- Advanced ($49/mo for up to 30 users): Adds more course and time-off policy options, document permissions, and quiz settings. → Extra users: $1.50/month (yearly) or $1.80 (monthly).
- Expert ($99/mo for up to 30 users): Adds deep controls like custom celebration rules, policy restrictions, advanced document rules, and full API access. → Extra users: $3/month (yearly) or $3.60 (monthly).
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for teams that need full control, extra storage, and added security.
There’s also a 14-day free trial if you want to try it all before making a call.
Connecteam pros
These are the standout wins people keep coming back to. Each one comes straight from users who rely on Connecteam daily:
Built for small businesses and field teams
Connecteam works well for mobile crews and small teams who aren’t tied to a desk. One user shared:
“We have under 20 employees and love that they can clock in and out from their own devices and it is geo-fenced.”
“Connecteam has been a great asset to our small business.”
Time tracking actually works
The time clock is a major highlight. It’s fast to use and makes payroll easier. A reviewer put it this way:
“Before Connecteam, managing timesheets was a weekly headache... it was time-consuming, prone to errors, and honestly, a source of a lot of frustration... then we started using Connecteam’s time clock feature, and it was a game-changer.”
One app, many tools
People like having everything in one place—scheduling, forms, chat, and more. As one user said:
“We primarily use it to see the whereabouts of our team members throughout the day... we also love that it allows us to communicate efficiently, share schedules, and track tasks all in one place.”
Another added:
“I was looking for an app that had scheduling and timesheet options… I got that, and so much more.”
Connecteam cons
Nothing’s perfect, and users shared where Connecteam still has room to grow. These are the most common pain points you should be aware of:
Some parts feel slow
Pages don’t always load quickly, especially for busy users. One review put it plainly:
“It’s a very robust application so I can certainly understand why sometimes certain pages take several minutes to load but it’s obnoxious at the same time. Time is money to an entrepreneur and the more of mine that is wasted just waiting for pages to load is frustrating.”
Switching between tools is clunky
Navigation can be rough. A reviewer said:
“It’s much more clunky to maneuver from one page/tool/feature to another... a big time killer.”
Timesheet approval could be easier
Reviewers want quicker access to approve hours. One wrote:
“I wish that it wasn’t as much click through to get to the timesheets to approve… It would be nice to have a way to 'favorite' certain pages.”
No built-in paystub tool
For teams that run payroll manually, there’s a gap. One office manager said:
“I wished Connecteam had a paystub generator… I still have to use another app to work out the tax details.”
Alerts and notifications need work
Users miss important messages or help desk requests. From one review:
“I would like to be able to get notifications where you can adjust the sound and length of sound… somehow we can still miss a help desk chat coming in.”
Top 3 Connecteam alternatives to try in 2025
If Connecteam doesn’t quite fit (or if you’re after something with different strengths), here are three alternatives worth a look:
Unrubble
Unrubble focuses on making time tracking, scheduling, PTO management, and business travel planning easier for small teams. It’s fast to set up, mobile-friendly, and has neat extras like face recognition clock-ins and real-time notifications.
People like how “stupid-easy” it is to use from day one, and the pricing stays simple, with no hidden costs.
If you're tracking hours across shifts or managing employee time off, it’s a solid choice.
Best for: teams who want flexible time tracking and PTO features with QuickBooks integration.
Why Unrubble is the #1 Connecteam alternative:
While Connecteam has a lot going for it, some users report issues. That’s where Unrubble comes in and stands out.
✅ Faster and smoother to use
Unrubble works fast thanks to its lightweight interface and real-time updates. Whether you’re tracking hours or adjusting a schedule, it works instantly. No waiting, no lag.
✅ Easier to move between tools
With Unrubble, everything from time tracking to PTO requests to scheduling is accessible from a single, clean dashboard. You don’t have to bounce between hubs or click through layers to get what you need.
✅ Clear, automated time management
Unrubble handles timesheet approval and tracking employee hours better with real-time timesheets, automated overtime tracking, and built-in face recognition for clock-ins. No manual follow-up needed.
✅ Built-in PTO and travel tools
Where Connecteam falls short, like lacking a paystub generator or deeper time-off visibility, Unrubble fills the gap. You can easily manage all types of leave (vacation, WFH, business trips), see balances at a glance, and avoid external tools or spreadsheets.
✅ Simple setup, no bloated features
Some Connecteam features feel overengineered. Unrubble keeps things focused: no extra clicks, no confusion, and no need for an IT person to get going. It’s made for everyday teams who want tools that work.
Bottom line? If Connecteam feels heavy or limited for your team, Unrubble gives you a faster, cleaner, and more flexible way to manage time, shifts, and PTO. Without the friction.
Clockify
Clockify is a time tracker with strong reporting tools and a generous free plan. You start a timer, stop it when you’re done, and Clockify handles the rest. Great for freelancers and growing teams.
It’s clean, works on any device, and makes time logs and billable hours easy to manage. If your main focus is tracking hours and improving productivity without added complexity, Clockify hits the mark.
Best for: freelancers or teams that want free, simple time tracking with good reporting.
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time is built for businesses already using QuickBooks for payroll or accounting. It adds accurate mobile time tracking with features like geofencing and custom reports.
You can easily sync timesheets for smooth payroll processing, which saves time and reduces errors. While it’s not as flexible as some all-in-one apps, it’s great if your primary need is tight integration with QuickBooks.
Best for: QuickBooks users who want native time tracking without switching tools.
Choose the best employee management app today
Connecteam isn’t trying to be everything for everyone. It’s made for teams on the move, and it hits the mark in that space.
If you’re still running your business with paper timesheets, text threads, or a dozen apps that barely talk to each other, this is a serious step up.
But if you need built-in payroll or faster navigation between tools, you might want to look at alternatives like Unrubble, Clockify, or QuickBooks Time.
