Best Geofencing Apps for Mobile Teams in 2025
Edited by
Eric Czerwonka
It can be hard for managers to account for the daily whereabouts of mobile employees. To help with this issue, companies are turning to the best geofencing apps to enhance time and location tracking of mobile teams.
Geofencing technology allows businesses to create virtual perimeters around geographical areas such as job sites or warehouses, to gain greater insight into an employee’s workday, reduce the risk of payroll errors, and increase worker safety.
With so many geofencing apps on the market, sorting through available options can be extremely time consuming. To assist you in making an informed decision, we tested numerous geofencing apps and compiled a review of the five applications that we believe best streamline employee tracking.
We evaluated the geofencing features of five tracking apps and rated them on the following criteria: ease of use, geofence automation, and accuracy.
Best For: Eliminating offsite and buddy punching
Buddy Punch stands out as the top geofencing app on our list thanks to its intuitive interface and powerful geofence automation features. Circular geofences with a radius between 50 and 1,500 meters can easily be created to manage remote crews distributed across multiple job sites.
Create custom geofences with ease
Creating a geofence around a worksite can be done within minutes. When you enter an address, Buddy Punch automatically repositions the location on the map, so you don’t have to enter directional details manually.
Encourage employee accountability and prevent time theft
To encourage employee accountability and streamline attendance, geofences require employees to be within them in order to punch in and out. This prevents them from starting the time clock before they arrive on site. Geofencing technology ensures timecards are accurate and prevents time theft.
Stay informed with real-time notifications
Buddy Punch can notify the employee, manager, or administrator on the account if the employee loses a GPS signal.
In the event an employee tries to clock in while outside the geofence, Buddy Punch displays the notification: “you tried to punch in/out outside the job area”.
Other Buddy Punch features
Hubstaff’s geofencing features score high on the user-friendliness front. The app conveniently notifies managers through the mobile app when an employee enters or exits a geofenced area, making it a great solution for companies with mobile teams.
To create a geofence, you are required to name the job site, enter the address, and select the geofence radius (between 50 and 3,000 meters). To restrict employees from clocking in/out outside of your defined geofence, make sure to enable the “restrict timer to job sites” setting.
Hubstaff offers two geofence automation rules
Other Hubstaff features
To create a geofence in OnTheClock’s mobile app, enter the precise latitude and longitude coordinates of each job site to reposition the address on the map. OnTheClock’s geofence boundaries are fairly generous, which can be advantageous for businesses that cover a large area of territory.
OnTheClock offers four geofence automation options:
Other OnTheClock features
AllGeo’s geofencing features are great for companies that want to enhance the accuracy of time and attendance tracking.
Upon entering the worksite address for your geofence, AllGeo automatically repositions the location on the map to simplify field employee monitoring. In the event the app repositions the job site incorrectly, you can enter the geographical coordinates manually.
AllGeo’s geofencing features make it easy for employees to record accurate work hours.
The app’s automatic geofencing settings can be configured in two ways:
Other AllGeo features
HelloTracks is an easy-to-use geofencing software solution perfect for sales managers and businesses with field teams. The app has an exciting way to help you expedite the creation of multiple geofences, by auto-suggesting the location name of any address you type in.
HelloTracks allows users to create two forms of geofences:
Both places and zones can automatically check field employees in and out as they enter or exit the geofenced area, preventing instances of time theft. To easily monitor field activities and track project progress, managers receive real-time alerts anytime an employee enters or leaves a geofence zone.
Other Features of HelloTracks:
Geofencing uses location-based technologies such as Global Positioning (GPS), Wi-Fi, and Radio Frequency ID (RFID) to create a virtual boundary around a physical location, such as a worksite, warehouse, or customer address. The virtual fence separates the location from the area around it, allowing you to detect when a field employee moves in or out of the geofence.
Geofencing apps rely on the location services of employees’ iOS and Android devices. The mobile app tracks location data and syncs it to the cloud in near-real-time, providing managers with location updates as employees move across geofences.
To find reliable geofencing software that will meet your business needs, perform an evaluation of company specifics. The criteria below will help you best determine what your business needs are and guide you toward finding the best geofencing app for your workforce.
Your business size plays a large part in finding the right software options for your workforce. Small business owners typically prioritize ease of use and budget-friendliness, while enterprises may require scalability and advanced automation features. The best geofencing app for your business should include the features you require without offering excessive functions or eliminating the functions you need the most.
When narrowing down your choices of geofencing apps, keep in mind that some apps do cap the number of employees you can manage. The rule of thumb is to pick software that accommodates your workforce without incurring additional costs. There are some apps on the market that offer a user-based pricing model which will require more initial investment on your end if you employ a large workforce.
Your company’s ideal business goals determine which app is most ideal for your teams. For example, sales and field service businesses looking to simplify territory mapping prefer an app that can create polygonal geofences.
As you create your list of potential geofencing apps, evaluate your financial constraints and decide how much you are willing to invest in geofencing software. Compare potential apps side-by-side to determine which app offers the features you need within your budget. You should also factor in the return on investment (ROI) of the geofencing app when it comes to how effective the software is at eliminating costly instances of time theft.
Geofencing is not a standalone functionality but is one of the key features offered by many GPS tracking apps. Besides evaluating an app’s geofencing capabilities, consider additional features the app provides.
Some of the key features to look for include:
While geofencing technology alerts you of location-based events, such as when employees enter or leave geofenced zones, the technology does not help you monitor employee whereabouts. Select software that combines real-time location tracking with powerful geofencing capabilities to enhance accountability and transparency.
Geofencing is best used to prevent the occurrence of time theft through off-site punching. However, the technology alone will not improve timesheet accuracy and promote fair employee remuneration. To achieve these goals, the app you choose should include a powerful time clock alongside geofencing features.
An app with an easy-to-use time clock can accurately track all aspects of employee hours — regular work hours, overtime, and breaks. The best time tracking software should display the clock in/out times of employees in real-time to help you streamline attendance monitoring.
It’s not uncommon for some geofencing apps to be restricted to users in certain areas. If your workforce is staffed throughout multiple regions, or even located worldwide, make sure your app of choice is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store in countries where employees are based.
Another thing to confirm is the mobile app's offline capabilities. Since geofencing is used primarily by those with a mobile workforce, make sure your ideal app will continue to function without an internet connection if employees are outside cellular range.
The geofencing app you choose should be compatible with other solutions in your technology stack. Many businesses opt to use software integrations to streamline business processes and eliminate manual data entry. The ideal geofencing app should integrate smoothly with your current payroll software to automatically import payroll data for accurate and expedient employee compensation.
Privacy concerns are among the main reasons why employees push back against tracking apps. Most employees will not agree to use a GPS tracking app with geofencing capabilities if they do not understand how and when they are being tracked.
The best geofencing apps prioritize employee privacy and data security. To help alleviate concerns associated with GPS tracking, establish a clear tracking policy that outlines how and when the app tracks employee movement as well as how you intend to use GPS data. The steps you take to educate your employees on GPS tracking procedures will enable you to adhere to tracking regulations.
The following guideline will help you choose the best geofencing app for your business.
Your company’s unique business needs play a large part in choosing which geofencing app is best for your workforce. Be sure to take an inventory of your company’s financial constraints, and industry specific requirements.
The best geofencing software should offer the features you need at the most affordable price.
Finding an app that combines the two aspects is rare, but Timeero strikes a delicate balance — it offers comprehensive features and is budget-friendly.
To discover the full extent of Timeero’s geofencing capabilities, start a 14-day free trial today.