01/TempClock vs fingerprint clocks

TempClock vs fingerprint clocks: no terminal on the wall

Wall-mounted fingerprint terminals are accurate at the point of contact, but they are fixed to one spot and rarely join up to anything. TempClock runs on any tablet and connects the clock-in to rotas, pay and compliance.

Start a free trial See the comparison ↓
GDPRHosted in the EUPIN alternative
02/At a glance

The short version

A fingerprint terminal does one thing well: it confirms a finger at a fixed point. But it ties you to proprietary hardware, can struggle with worn or wet fingers, and rarely talks to your rota, payroll or billing. TempClock checks the face on a standard tablet and carries that proof all the way through.

TempClock Best for proof & margins

Choose TempClock when you want face verification on standard tablets rather than proprietary terminals, across multiple or changing sites, with rotas, margins and client approvals joined to every clock-in.

fingerprint clocks Strong at a fixed point

A fixed fingerprint clock can suit a single permanent site with one entrance, a stable workforce and a simple need to mark in and out, where capital hardware and an on-premise install are acceptable.

03/Feature comparison

TempClock and fingerprint clocks, feature by feature

14 capabilities that matter to multi-site and agency teams. An honest read of where each one lands.

TempClock compared with fingerprint clocks, feature by feature
Feature TempClock One plan, every feature fingerprint clocks Fixed hardware terminal
Verification method FullBadge, then a face match with a logged score; no finger contact YesFingerprint contact at the terminal
Works in any condition YesNo finger contact, so gloves, dust or wet hands do not matter; lighting does LimitedWorn, wet or dirty fingers can fail to read
Liveness / anti-spoof YesLiveness check at enrolment; optional anti-photo check at the kiosk LimitedVaries widely by terminal model
Hardware to buy YesYour own tablet and a lockable stand per kiosk point, or terminals rented from us NoneA terminal per entrance, plus wiring and mounting
Works across many sites FullSet up a kiosk anywhere with power and a connection LimitedA unit must be installed at each point
Live geofencing FullPer-site radius; distance recorded, flagged or refused NoneThe terminal has no location awareness
Rotas & scheduling FullRotas with shift templates, confirmations and cover offers NoneNot part of a clock terminal
Agency pay & charge margins FullPay and charge resolved; margin totalled live NoneNot available
E-signing with a document hash FullSHA-256 hash of every signed agreement NoneNot available
Staff cards at the kiosk Coming soonNFC and RFID cards: coming soon, once tested on our terminals. Today a typed badge or a printed QR badge, then the face match YesMany terminals read cards
Night shifts & 24/7 sites FullOne record across midnight; clock changes paid on real hours LimitedPunches only; hours worked out elsewhere
Per-clock fees FullNo charge per clock; flat per-site price plus a per-worker charge LimitedSome cloud terminals meter each check
Hygiene YesNo finger contact; scan a printed QR badge, then look at the camera BasicA shared surface every worker touches
Pricing model Full£150 per site / month plus a small charge per active worker; every feature included LimitedHardware up front, plus software or per-read fees

Based on each product's public documentation and standard plans at the time of writing. fingerprint clocks may have changed since, if anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

See every TempClock feature →
04/Coverage

Coverage on the rows above

The share of the 14 features above that each tool covers fully or strongly. Counted from the matrix, not a paid benchmark.

TempClock 0%
Full coverage on every row above except staff cards, which are coming soon: verification plus everything it should connect to.
fingerprint clocks 0%
Capable at the point of contact; almost nothing beyond marking in and out.
05/Why teams switch

Why teams move from fingerprint clocks to TempClock

Most teams move off fingerprint terminals for practical reasons, not just features.

No finger contact

Fingerprints fail on worn, wet, dusty or gloved hands, a daily reality on a warehouse or site floor. A face match needs no finger contact. It does need decent light, and a retry now and then.

Standard tablets, not terminals

No proprietary terminal per door. A standard tablet in a lockable stand, with power and a connection, runs the kiosk at one site or fifty.

It knows where the clock happened

A wall terminal records a time, not a place. TempClock records the kiosk location against the site geofence on every clock and keeps the distance, so you can show the hour was worked where it was meant to be.

The clock-in actually goes somewhere

A terminal exports a CSV at best. TempClock joins each clock-in to a rota, a pay and charge rate, a margin, a client approval and a Sage payroll file: one connected record instead of a number to re-key.

06/A fair word

Where fingerprint clocks is a strong choice

A fixed biometric terminal is not the wrong answer everywhere. There are settings where it remains a sensible, robust choice.

  • At a single permanent site with one controlled entrance and a stable workforce, a wall terminal is rugged and familiar.

  • It works without a worker carrying or using a device, which can suit environments where phones and tablets are restricted.

  • Some organisations prefer a one-off capital purchase of hardware over an ongoing subscription, and a standalone terminal fits that preference.

  • Where there is no need to connect attendance to rotas, billing or compliance, the extra capability of a connected system would go unused.

If you operate across more than one site, hire temps, bill clients, or need verified hours joined to pay and compliance, a single fixed terminal quickly becomes the limiting factor, which is the gap TempClock is built to close.

07/More comparisons

Weighing up another tool?

Read the other focused breakdowns, or see the full feature matrix on the comparison page.

TempClock vs Deputy Read the comparison
TempClock vs RotaCloud Read the comparison
TempClock vs When I Work Read the comparison
TempClock vs Connecteam Read the comparison
TempClock vs spreadsheets Read the comparison

See them all side by side on the full comparison page.

08/FAQ

Questions teams ask before switching

Is face recognition as accurate as a fingerprint reader?
They work differently. TempClock checks that the face matches the worker whose badge was entered and records a match score, with a liveness check at enrolment. It is not affected by worn, wet or gloved hands, but it does depend on lighting: in our production data about 18% of match attempts needed a retry.
Do we have to buy and install hardware?
Not proprietary hardware. A fingerprint clock is a unit fixed to a wall with wiring at each entrance. TempClock runs on a standard Android tablet or iPad in a lockable stand, with power and a connection, so kiosks can be moved or added as sites change. For a larger rollout we can rent you terminals and supply stands, quoted per customer. Clocking with the staff cards workers already carry (NFC and RFID cards) is coming soon: until then they type their badge number or scan a printed QR badge.
Are there per-clock or per-read fees?
Not per clock. TempClock is £150 per site per month (£112.50 at ten or more sites), plus a per-worker charge only for workers who clock on 2 or more days in a month. There is no charge per clock-in.
Is storing biometrics on a terminal a GDPR risk?
Biometric data is special category data under UK GDPR wherever it is held. With TempClock, face templates are held by a major cloud provider's face-matching service in Ireland, workers see a notice and can opt out to a PIN, and face data is deleted when they leave. We say plainly what is stored and where.
What about hygiene and shared-surface concerns?
A fingerprint reader is a surface every worker touches in turn. At a TempClock kiosk the worker enters their badge (by scanning a printed QR badge if you prefer no typing; NFC and RFID cards are coming soon) and looks at the camera.

More questions? Read the full FAQ or see transparent pricing.

Know who turned up, and pay every hour right.

Face-verified clock-ins, live geofencing and payroll-ready timesheets in one system. Tell us how your shifts run and we will show you how it fits.

Tell us about your sites See every feature

Hosted in the EU · Your largest site live first, with us alongside · No app needed to clock in