These three only look similar because they all touch scheduling, but they solve different problems: Connecteam and QuickBooks Time are built around clocking…
Freemium/Per-user subscription · From Free (up to 10 users); paid plans from $29/month
Best for: Deskless or field-based small businesses in retail, construction, or hospitality that want scheduling, GPS time tracking, HR, and internal communication bundled into one app with a genuine free tier for small teams.
Best for: Agencies, studios, and professional services firms that need to plan team capacity, track project margins, and compare estimates to actuals rather than clock hourly attendance.
Monthly subscription with a flat base fee plus a per-active-user monthly fee, offered in two tiers (Premium and Elite); a QuickBooks Online subscription is required to use it. · From From 20 US dollars per month base fee plus 10 US dollars per user per month (Premium plan, current 2026 pricing)
Best for: Businesses already running QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll that want GPS time tracking and scheduling to flow directly into their existing accounting and payroll workflow.
At a Glance
Connecteam
Float
QuickBooks Time
Primary category
Scheduling
Scheduling
Scheduling
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium/Per-user subscription
Subscription
Monthly subscription with a flat base fee plus a per-active-user monthly fee, offered in two tiers (Premium and Elite); a QuickBooks Online subscription is required to use it.
Starting price
Free (up to 10 users); paid plans from $29/month
$7/person/month
From 20 US dollars per month base fee plus 10 US dollars per user per month (Premium plan, current 2026 pricing)
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
Connecteam is the only one with a free-forever plan
Connecteam's Small Business Plan is free for life for businesses with up to 10 employees and includes all three of its hubs, while Float and QuickBooks Time only offer free trials before billing begins.
Connecteam
Float is built for capacity planning and project profitability, not attendance
Float centers on a drag-and-drop schedule grid with project margin tracking, rate cards, and, on its Pro plan, estimates-versus-actuals reporting, a financial-planning focus that Connecteam and QuickBooks Time do not document.
Float
QuickBooks Time requires an active QuickBooks Online subscription
QuickBooks Time is designed to work together with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, and a QuickBooks Online subscription is required to use it, unlike Connecteam or Float which stand alone.
QuickBooks Time
Connecteam and QuickBooks Time both offer GPS time clocks and geofencing
Both are built for verifying that hourly or field employees are clocking in from the right location, a capability that is not part of Float's documented feature set.
Connecteam, QuickBooks Time
Pricing structures differ sharply across all three
Connecteam and QuickBooks Time both use a flat base fee, or free tier, plus a per-user add-on, while Float charges a straightforward per-person monthly rate with no permanent free plan.
Connecteam, Float, QuickBooks Time
Feature-by-Feature
Time and Attendance Tracking
Feature
Connecteam
Float
QuickBooks Time
GPS-based time clock
Available
Unavailable
Available
Geofencing
Available
Unavailable
Available
Overtime alerts
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Resource and Capacity Planning
Feature
Connecteam
Float
QuickBooks Time
Project margin or rate-card tracking
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Estimates versus actuals reporting
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Pricing and Access
Feature
Connecteam
Float
QuickBooks Time
Free-forever plan, not just a trial
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Integrations and Team Tools
Feature
Connecteam
Float
QuickBooks Time
Native payroll or accounting integration
Not documented
Not documented
Available
HR document management and internal team chat
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Premium — 20 US dollars per month base plus 10 US dollars per active user per month Monthly
Elite — 40 US dollars per month base plus 12 US dollars per active user per month Monthly
Pros & Cons
Connecteam
Pros
Free for life for businesses with up to 10 employees
Purpose-built for deskless and mobile-first workforces
Modular hub pricing lets teams pay only for the features they need
14-day free trial with no credit card required
Cons
Pricing across three separate hubs can add up if a team needs all of them
Feature limits within each tier (like geofence site counts) require upgrades to remove
Less depth in payroll and benefits administration than dedicated HR platforms
API access and some advanced features are gated behind Expert or Enterprise tiers
Float
Pros
Purpose-built, fast interface focused specifically on resource scheduling rather than a bolted-on module of a broader project management suite
Strong reporting on project margins and estimates-versus-actuals helps agencies keep delivery profitable, not just on schedule
Native iOS and Android apps and broad integrations (Slack, Jira, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar) fit into existing workflows
Long track record as a top-rated resource management tool on review platforms like G2, with over a decade of continuous, independent development
Cons
No permanent free plan, only a free trial, which can be a barrier for very small teams or freelancers
Focused scope means it is not a full project or task management tool, so many teams pair it with Asana, Trello, or Jira
Provisional resource limits (1 on Starter, 5 on Pro) may require an upgrade sooner than expected as a team's planning needs grow
SSO and multi-currency project support are gated behind the Pro tier, adding cost for teams that need them early
QuickBooks Time
Pros
Native, tight integration with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll
GPS and geofencing features well suited to field service and mobile workforces
Scheduling and time tracking combined in a single product
Overtime alerts help control unplanned labor costs
Free admin license included on both pricing tiers
Backed by Intuit's scale and long-term product investment since the 2018 acquisition
Cons
Requires an active QuickBooks Online subscription to use, adding to total cost
Per-user pricing increased in July 2026, raising ongoing costs for existing customers
Elite tier's advanced project collaboration features come at a notable price premium
Less useful as a standalone product outside the QuickBooks ecosystem
Base fee plus per-user pricing can add up quickly for larger hourly workforces
Feature parity with dedicated standalone scheduling tools varies by tier
Use Cases
Choose Connecteam: Deskless or field-based small businesses in retail, construction, or hospitality that want scheduling, GPS time tracking, HR, and internal communication bundled into one app with a genuine free tier for small teams.
Choose Float: Agencies, studios, and professional services firms that need to plan team capacity, track project margins, and compare estimates to actuals rather than clock hourly attendance.
Choose QuickBooks Time: Businesses already running QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll that want GPS time tracking and scheduling to flow directly into their existing accounting and payroll workflow.
Connecteam
Shift Scheduling and Time Tracking — Managers build schedules and track GPS-verified time for hourly employees.
Internal Communication & HR for Deskless Teams — HR and operations leads manage time off, onboarding, and company-wide announcements for employees without corporate email.
Float
Agency resource and capacity planning — Creative, marketing, and digital agencies use Float to schedule staff against client projects, track utilization, and keep delivery profitable through margin tracking.
Professional services delivery tracking — Consultancies and architecture or engineering firms use Float to plan billable capacity across concurrent client engagements and compare estimates to actual hours delivered.
In-house team capacity visibility — In-house creative, product, or operations teams use Float to see who is available for new work and avoid overbooking staff across simultaneous internal projects.
QuickBooks Time
Field service and mobile workforce time tracking — Field service companies use GPS-enabled clock-in and geofencing to accurately track hours for employees working across multiple job sites.
Payroll-integrated hourly workforce management — Businesses already using QuickBooks Online and Payroll use QuickBooks Time to eliminate manual timesheet entry and streamline payroll runs.
Project-based time and labor cost tracking — Project-driven businesses use the Elite tier's project time tracking to monitor labor costs and collaboration in real time against specific jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three has a real free plan?
Connecteam, which is free for life for businesses with up to 10 employees; Float and QuickBooks Time only offer free trials.
Do I need QuickBooks to use QuickBooks Time?
Yes, an active QuickBooks Online subscription is required to use QuickBooks Time since the two products are designed to work together.
Which is best for agencies that need to plan project capacity and profitability rather than track hourly attendance?
Float, which is built specifically around resource scheduling, project margins, and rate cards rather than GPS time clocks.
Which is best for field service or construction crews clocking in from job sites?
Connecteam or QuickBooks Time, both offering GPS time tracking and geofencing; Connecteam adds task checklists and HR tools, while QuickBooks Time ties directly into QuickBooks payroll.
Which offers the deepest reporting on whether a project is staying within budget?
Float's Pro plan, with estimates-versus-actuals reporting and delivery dashboards.
Which has the lowest starting cost for a small team?
Connecteam is free for up to 10 employees; beyond that, Float starts at 7 dollars per person per month, while QuickBooks Time starts at a 20 dollar monthly base plus 10 dollars per user on top of a required QuickBooks Online subscription.