Why time & attendance software matters
For UK businesses, accurate time and attendance tracking is essential. Whether you’re managing shift workers, remote teams, or in-office staff, having the right system in place saves time, reduces errors, and ensures compliance with employment laws.
With so many options available, choosing the right T&A software can be overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll compare three leading solutions: Evalu-8 HR, HiBob, and Factorial, helping you decide which is best suited to your business.
Helpful Summary
Overview: This article compares three of the top time and attendance software solutions for UK businesses: Evalu-8 HR, HiBob, and Factorial. We analyse their features, reliability, automation capabilities, and ease of integration.
Why trust us: Evalu-8 HR provides an all-in-one workforce management solution, built with UK employment regulations in mind. Our expertise in HR and workforce automation ensures that businesses have the best tools to streamline operations.
Why it matters: Selecting the right T&A software isn’t just about tracking hours—it impacts payroll accuracy, compliance, and overall productivity.
Action points: Explore our detailed comparison to understand which software fits your business needs. If you want a fully automated, all-in-one HR and time-tracking solution, Evalu-8 HR is the clear choice.
How to choose the best time & attendance software: A decision-making framework
To help you assess which software is right for your business, consider these key factors:
- Do you need full HR integration?
- Do you require automated compliance tracking?
- Are you looking for seamless payroll syncing?
- Do you need a self-service portal for employees?
- Do you want to eliminate manual adjustments?
If you answered yes to most of these, Evalu-8 HR is your best choice.
HiBob vs Factorial vs Evalu-8 HR: A Comprehensive Breakdown
HiBob’s Time and Attendance module is integrated within its broader HR platform, Bob. While it offers basic functionalities for tracking employee work hours, it falls short in several areas crucial for UK businesses. The module lacks advanced features such as automated compliance tracking, seamless payroll integration, and robust reporting capabilities. Furthermore, its limited customisation options and occasional system stability issues may hinder its effectiveness for organisations seeking a comprehensive and reliable time and attendance solution.
Core features
Clocking in and out: Employees can log their working hours by clicking “clock in” and “clock out” buttons within the system.
Manual adjustments: The “Quick Fix” feature allows employees to edit their hours retroactively, accommodating instances where they forget to log time.
Reporting: Managers have access to data on employee attendance, including clock-in/out times and average daily working hours.
Advanced features
Mobile accessibility: The module is accessible via HiBob’s mobile app, enabling employees to log their hours remotely.
Integration with communication tools: HiBob integrates with platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams, allowing employees to clock in/out within their workflow.
Constraints and functionality gaps
Limited automation: The system relies heavily on manual input, which can lead to inaccuracies and increased administrative workload.
Basic reporting capabilities: The reporting functions are relatively rudimentary and may not provide the depth of analysis required for comprehensive workforce management.
Potential for time theft: The ease of manual adjustments without stringent oversight mechanisms may increase the risk of time theft or inaccurate reporting.
Integration limitations: While HiBob offers integrations with certain tools, its compatibility with other payroll or HR systems may be restricted, potentially complicating data synchronisation.
Scalability concerns: The module may lack the robustness needed to handle the complexities of larger organisations with diverse scheduling requirements.
Pros & cons
Pros
User-friendly interface: The system is designed to be intuitive, facilitating ease of use for employees and managers.
Mobile support: Accessibility via a mobile app supports remote and flexible working arrangements.
Integrated HR functions: Being part of a broader HR platform allows for centralised employee data management.
Cons
Manual data entry: The reliance on manual input increases the potential for errors and administrative burden.
Limited reporting depth: The system’s reporting capabilities may not meet the analytical needs of all organisations.
Security concerns: The ability for employees to edit their own time records without robust approval workflows may lead to inaccuracies.
Pricing
HiBob’s pricing is not transparently disclosed and varies based on factors such as company size and selected modules. Estimates suggest costs ranging from $16 to $25 per employee per month, with implementation fees typically around 10-20% of the annual software fees. This lack of transparent pricing can make it challenging for businesses to assess cost-effectiveness.
Why you may want to consider this vendor
While HiBob offers an integrated HR solution with a time and attendance module, the system’s limitations—such as reliance on manual data entry, basic reporting features, and potential security concerns—may outweigh its benefits for some organisations. Businesses seeking a more automated, robust, and analytically capable time and attendance system may need to explore alternative solutions that better align with their operational needs.
Factorial’s time and attendance module is integrated within its broader HR software suite, aiming to provide a unified solution for workforce management. While this integration offers the advantage of centralised data, the module presents several limitations that may impact its effectiveness for UK businesses.
Core features
Time tracking: Employees can clock in and out, log hours worked, and fill timesheets. Factorial
Mobile access: The mobile application allows employees to manage their work hours through a user-friendly interface. GetApp
Geolocation: Employers can gain visibility over where each team member is working from.
Advanced features
Custom reports: Generate monthly summaries of total hours worked by employees.
Integration with HR functions: Seamless connection with other HR processes such as leave management and payroll.
Constraints and functionality gaps
Limited customisation: The system may not offer sufficient flexibility to tailor features to specific organisational needs.
Integration challenges: While Factorial integrates with certain tools, its compatibility with other payroll or HR systems may be restricted, potentially complicating data synchronisation.
Scalability concerns: The module may lack the robustness needed to handle the complexities of larger organisations with diverse scheduling requirements.
User interface issues: Some users have reported occasional lag in the interface, which can be frustrating when tasks need to be completed quickly.
Pros & cons
Pros
User-friendly interface: The platform is intuitive, facilitating ease of use for employees and managers.
Mobile support: Accessibility via a mobile app supports remote and flexible working arrangements.
Integrated HR functions: Being part of a broader HR platform allows for centralised employee data management.
Cons
Limited customisation: The system may not offer sufficient flexibility to tailor features to specific organisational needs.
Integration challenges: Compatibility with other payroll or HR systems may be restricted, potentially complicating data synchronisation.
Scalability concerns: The module may lack the robustness needed for larger organisations with diverse scheduling requirements.
Pricing
Factorial’s pricing starts at $4.50 per user per month, with the Core HR platform beginning at $60 per year plus $4 per additional user. Additional modules, such as the applicant tracking system, are available as add-ons with separate pricing. This pricing structure may be cost-effective for small to medium-sized businesses but could become expensive as the organisation grows.
Why you may want to consider this vendor
While Factorial offers an integrated HR solution with a time and attendance module, the system’s limitations—such as limited customisation, integration challenges, and scalability concerns—may outweigh its benefits for some organisations. Businesses seeking a more flexible, robust, and scalable time and attendance system may need to explore alternative solutions that better align with their operational needs.
Evalu-8 HR offers a fully integrated time and attendance solution built directly into its broader HR platform, designed with the needs of UK employers in mind. Rather than operating as a standalone tool that requires bolt-ons for leave, absence, or rota planning, Evalu-8 gives businesses everything they need in one place—without complexity or inflated costs.
The time and attendance module is robust, real-time, and configurable to suit shift work, hybrid setups, salaried teams, and hourly staff. Because it’s built into the wider Evalu-8 ecosystem, it links directly to leave, absence, overtime approval, timesheets, payroll exports, and even performance tracking. This level of joined-up functionality is where Evalu-8 sets itself apart from tools like HiBob and Factorial, which either rely heavily on manual input or require custom integration work to connect HR and T&A workflows.
Evalu-8 HR is ideal for UK organisations that want accurate attendance data, real-time visibility, and one version of the truth—without sacrificing usability or breaking the budget.
Core features
Real-time clocking via web, mobile, QR code, tablet kiosk, or GPS-tagged mobile device
Configurable time rules for different employee types (e.g. salaried, hourly, hybrid)
Automated lateness, absence, and overtime tracking
Self-service clocking and manager approval workflows
Timesheet generation and export
Leave and sickness automatically reconciled with attendance records
Advanced features
Intelligent scheduling with linked rota and working pattern rules
Automated alerts for missed clock-ins, excessive hours, or early departures
Geofencing for location-based clock-ins (ideal for remote or multi-site teams)
Custom reports on time compliance, costs, and absence trends
Integration with performance, payroll, and compliance tracking
Biometric clock-in device integration (optional hardware)
Constraints and functionality gaps
The mobile app is responsive and functional, but offline clocking (without signal) is currently under development
Biometric integration requires third-party hardware, which is optional but not native to the core platform
While extremely flexible, very large organisations with complex workforce management rules (e.g. manufacturing shift modelling at scale) may benefit from more specialist WFM tools—although Evalu-8 continues to expand in this area
Pros & cons
Pros
Fully integrated with leave, absence, rotas, and HR records
Multiple clocking options to suit different environments
Real-time, accurate data and alerts
Highly configurable to match UK working practices
Affordable for small and mid-sized businesses
UK-based development and support team
Cons
- Offline functionality is not yet live, but on the roadmap
- Biometric clock-in requires optional hardware
- Not specifically built for complex unionised shift environments (though still used in light manufacturing, care, and logistics)
Pricing
Evalu-8 HR is priced for accessibility, particularly for UK SMEs:
The Core HR package is priced at £2.50 per licence, per month, with the option to add time and attendance for an additional £2.50 per licence. You can also choose from a range of other modules to tailor the system to your business needs.
Why you may want to consider this vendor
Evalu-8 HR offers a deeper level of time and attendance integration than either HiBob or Factorial, particularly for UK employers with hourly staff, multiple working patterns, or hybrid teams. Where HiBob focuses more on interface design and employee engagement, and Factorial targets simple HR admin for startups, Evalu-8 strikes a better balance between usability and control.
For organisations that want accurate time data, seamless leave and absence syncing, and a payroll-ready workflow built into their HR platform—without paying enterprise-level prices—Evalu-8 HR is a smart, scalable choice.
It delivers more automation and real-time functionality than Factorial, and a more complete T&A setup than HiBob, all while keeping UK compliance, contracts, and working hour regulations in mind. For small and mid-sized businesses that want to get time management right without overcomplicating things, Evalu-8 HR is a standout option.
Final decision: Which time & attendance software should you book a demo with?
Evalu-8 HR is the only solution that provides full automation, seamless payroll integration, and compliance tracking in a single system. Book a free demo today to see how it can transform your workforce management.
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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Evalu-8 HR is the best choice due to its full automation, built-in compliance tracking, and seamless HR integration.
No, HiBob lacks automation, requires manual corrections, and has integration limitations, making it unsuitable for scaling businesses.
No, Factorial is mainly a scheduling tool. You will need additional software for payroll, compliance, and workforce tracking.
It automatically tracks hours and integrates directly with payroll systems, eliminating errors and manual admin work.
Yes! Book a free demo to see how Evalu-8 HR can revolutionise your workforce management.
