The Small Business Guide to Attendance Tracking
From paper sheets to face recognition: a practical comparison of every attendance method available to small businesses today.
If you run a small business, you need to know who was at work and when. It sounds simple, but the methods available range from practically free to surprisingly expensive, and each comes with its own tradeoffs. Here's a practical comparison.
1. Paper sign-in sheets
How it works
A sheet of paper by the door. Employees write their name and time when they arrive and leave.
Pros
Free. No technology required. Everyone understands it. Works anywhere with a pen.
Cons
Easily forgotten. Illegible handwriting. Easy to falsify. Manual data entry for payroll. Sheets get lost. No real-time visibility. Scale: if you have 3 employees, it's fine. If you have 15, it's chaos.
Best for: Solo operators or very small teams (<5 people) with no budget.
2. Spreadsheet / Google Form
How it works
Employees fill in a Google Form or shared spreadsheet on their phone or a shared tablet.
Pros
Free or very cheap. Data is digital. Timestamps are automatic. Easy to set up.
Cons
Requires employees to have a phone or access to a tablet. Easy to fill in later (backdate entries). No verification that the person is actually present. Still relies on human action.
Best for: Small teams with honest employees and basic record-keeping needs.
3. Time clock apps
How it works
Dedicated attendance apps (When I Work, Homebase, Deputy, etc.) with GPS tracking, mobile clock-in, and scheduling features.
Pros
Feature-rich. GPS verification. Scheduling integration. Payroll export. Real dashboards.
Cons
Monthly cost ($2-8 per employee). Requires app installation. Employees need smartphones. GPS can be spoofed. Still requires manual action (open app, tap clock-in). Buddy punching is still possible if someone shares their phone. Subscription costs add up with team size.
Best for: Businesses that need scheduling + attendance in one system and can absorb per-employee costs.
4. Badge / card systems
How it works
RFID badges or NFC cards swiped at a reader near the entrance.
Pros
Fast. Reliable hardware. Works without smartphones. Clear audit trail.
Cons
Upfront hardware cost ($200-1000+ for reader + cards). Cards get lost, forgotten, or shared (buddy punching). Replacement card logistics. Installation required. Not touchless.
Best for: Medium businesses with fixed entrances and budget for hardware.
5. Fingerprint scanners
How it works
Biometric fingerprint reader at the entrance. Employee touches the scanner, identity is verified.
Pros
Eliminates buddy punching. No cards to lose. Fast verification.
Cons
Hygiene concerns (shared touch surface). Doesn't work well with wet, dirty, or damaged hands. Hardware cost ($300-1000+). Privacy concerns with biometric data storage. Not suitable for food service or healthcare.
Best for: Office environments where hygiene isn't a concern and buddy-punching prevention is critical.
6. Face recognition attendance
How it works
A camera at the entrance recognizes enrolled employees as they walk through. Completely passive — no action required.
Pros
Fully automatic. No badges, no apps, no touching anything. Eliminates buddy punching. Touchless (hygienic). Works with existing cameras. Real-time dashboard. Privacy-preserving with self-hosted processing.
Cons
Requires an Ubuntu server. Monthly subscription. Needs camera placement planning. Less effective in extreme lighting or with heavy face coverings. Biometric data requires consent and proper handling.
Best for: Businesses that want zero-friction attendance, especially in healthcare, food service, salons, and multi-location setups.
Choosing the right method
The right choice depends on your specific situation:
Budget is the only constraint? Paper sheets or a Google Form will get the job done for very small teams.
Need scheduling + attendance? A time clock app like When I Work or Homebase integrates both, but costs scale with team size.
Buddy punching is a real problem? You need biometrics — either fingerprint or face recognition. Face recognition is touchless and more convenient.
Hygiene matters? Face recognition is the only fully touchless biometric option.
Multiple locations? Face recognition with a cloud dashboard gives you unified data across all sites. Badge systems require hardware at each location with separate management.
Where Eyetelli fits
Eyetelli is face recognition attendance designed for small businesses. Starting at $49/month, self-hosted on your server. All face data stays on your hardware. It's built for the coffee shops, salons, clinics, and retail stores that need reliable attendance without the friction of apps, badges, or scanners.