What's recorded
- Whether they're clocked in or out right now
- When they clocked in and out
- The job, stage or task they were working on
- Breaks, and travel to and from merchants
Time tracking app for builders
Track who was on site, and when.
Your team check in on their phone when they arrive. You see who's clocked in, on which job and since when, without ringing round.
Every check-in goes straight into the job's timesheet, against the stage they're working on. No ringing round at 8am, and no arguing about hours on a Friday.
1 month free, then £4.99 + VAT per seat per month. Card needed to start, but you won't be charged until your free month ends. No contract, cancel anytime.
Site induction
Scan to check in on this site
Church Hill · put it by the gate
Today
Checked in on site
08:02
Church Hill
Clocked in now
- 07:41 Church Hill
- 07:58 Princes Street
- 08:06 Sharmer
Three sites, one phone. Who's actually turned up?
You're on one job and the lads are spread across the others. You find out who's there by ringing round, or when the timesheets come in on Friday. If they come in at all.
- Ringing round every morning to see who's on which job
- Hours on a timesheet you've got nothing to check against
- Travel and the merchant run guessed at the end of the week
- Arguments about hours, with no record to settle them
TruTrade shows you who's clocked in, on which job, and when they started. So you can stop ringing round and get on with your own day.
The short answer
What is a tracking app?
A tracking app for builders records when your team start and finish work, and which job they're on, so you can see who's working without being there yourself. Some apps follow people's location all day. TruTrade doesn't track location at all. It tracks hours, not people.
With TruTrade, your team check in on site in one of two ways. Their clock-in time goes straight into the job's timesheet, which feeds wages, PAYE and CIS. It's part of TruTrade Project Management, at £4.99 + VAT per seat per month.
How it works
Check in, clock on. That's it.
Two ways to check in, one record. Your team use the phone they've already got.
-
1
Print the QR induction sheet for each site
One click prints it. Put it up in the cabin, by the gate or on the welfare unit.
-
2
Your team check in when they arrive
Two ways: scan the site's QR induction sheet, or open a check-in link you've sent. They confirm the site induction first. Either way, the time is recorded against the job.
-
3
They clock in to the task
They pick the stage or task they're on, so the hours land on the right part of the job. How timesheets work
-
4
You see it in the weekly timesheet
Check-ins, breaks and merchant runs sit with the hours. Check them, approve the week, and it goes to wages.
What it records
Track the job. Not their whole day.
TruTrade tracking records when your team clock in and out, and what they're working on. It doesn't record where they are. Nobody's followed round all day, and nothing runs on their phone in the background.
What isn't
- Where they are. TruTrade doesn't record location
- Anything before they clock in or after they clock out
- Evenings and weekends
- Nothing to install, so nothing running in the background
You get a record you can trust. Your team know exactly what's being recorded.
Estimates
Price the job right. Then clock in to it.
Still pricing jobs at 10pm? Send us your plans and our estimators price it for you, broken down by trade, with labour, materials and plant. You set your margin, and you get a Quote Pack ready to send to your client.
Won the job? Turn the estimate into a project in one click. The stages are already set up, so your team can clock in to them from day one.
- From £90 + VAT
- 3 to 5 working days
- An estimator calls you within 24 hours
- The TruTrade Estimate Guarantee
We give you the costs. You stay in control of the price.
Estimate
Itemised by trade
- BrickworkStage ready
- CarpentryStage ready
- RoofingStage ready
- ElectricsStage ready
Convert to project
Stages ready to clock in to
Built for UK builders
From check-in to wages, PAYE and CIS
Most time tracking apps stop at "export to payroll". TruTrade keeps going. The check-in starts the timesheet, you approve the week, and wages, PAYE and CIS are worked out from each person's rate. All in the same login as the job.
And because the hours sit on a stage, you can see labour against the budget for each stage while the job's still running.
- 1Checked in on site
- 2Clocked in to the stage
- 3You approve the week
Correct anything first. Changes are logged.
- 4Wages, PAYE and CIS
Your team's view
Easy for the lads. Fair to them too.
If they can scan a QR code for a menu, they can check in on site. Or they open the check-in link you've sent. There's nothing to download and no new app to learn. It works in the browser on any phone.
- Two ways to check in: the site's QR induction sheet, or a link you send
- Only their own jobs, stages and tasks
- No tracking once they clock out, and nothing running in the background
- Their own team chat for each job, so site questions don't get lost
- Your pricing, margins and financials stay hidden
Today
- SiteChecked in on site07:58
- TaskOn task · first fixNow
- BreakOn a break12:04
More than a time clock
A time tracking app vs TruTrade
Side by side, clocking in looks much the same. The difference is everything after it. A tracking app gets your team checked in. TruTrade runs the whole job, for less than most charge for clocking in alone.
| A typical time app | TruTrade | |
|---|---|---|
| CLOCKING IN | ||
| Clock in and out on a phone | ✓ | Yes. See who's clocked in at a glance |
| Timesheets | ✓ | Yes. Approve the week on your phone |
| Hours logged to the stage or task | On some, as project codes | Yes. Every hour lands on the job stage |
| Nothing to install | No. An app on every phone | Yes. Works in the browser |
| PAYING THE TEAM | ||
| Wages, PAYE and CIS worked out | Export to payroll software | Yes. Worked out from each rate |
| HMRC view: VAT and reverse charge | ✗ | Yes. Built in |
| RUNNING THE JOB | ||
| Budgets for every stage | ✗ | Yes. Track spend as you go |
| Profit dashboard for every job | ✗ | Yes. Margin, cash and spend |
| Variations and payment schedules | ✗ | Yes. Tracked on every job |
| Team chat and client chat | ✗ | Yes. Separate chats per job |
| Drawings and documents | ✗ | Yes. Stored against the job |
| WINNING AND GETTING PAID | ||
| Estimates and Quote Packs | ✗ | Yes. From £90 + VAT per estimate |
| Client portal | ✗ | Yes. Clients accept quotes online |
| Invoicing | ✗ | Yes. Raised from the payment schedule |
| What you're paying for | Clocking in | The whole job, for £4.99 + VAT per seat |
CLOCKING IN
Clock in and out on a phone
- A typical time app
- ✓
- TruTrade
- Yes. See who's clocked in at a glance
Timesheets
- A typical time app
- ✓
- TruTrade
- Yes. Approve the week on your phone
Hours logged to the stage or task
- A typical time app
- On some, as project codes
- TruTrade
- Yes. Every hour lands on the job stage
Nothing to install
- A typical time app
- No. An app on every phone
- TruTrade
- Yes. Works in the browser
PAYING THE TEAM
Wages, PAYE and CIS worked out
- A typical time app
- Export to payroll software
- TruTrade
- Yes. Worked out from each rate
HMRC view: VAT and reverse charge
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Built in
RUNNING THE JOB
Budgets for every stage
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Track spend as you go
Profit dashboard for every job
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Margin, cash and spend
Variations and payment schedules
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Tracked on every job
Team chat and client chat
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Separate chats per job
Drawings and documents
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Stored against the job
WINNING AND GETTING PAID
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. From £90 + VAT per estimate
Client portal
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Clients accept quotes online
Invoicing
- A typical time app
- ✗
- TruTrade
- Yes. Raised from the payment schedule
What you're paying for
- A typical time app
- Clocking in
- TruTrade
- The whole job, for £4.99 + VAT per seat
Based on time tracking apps that show up in UK searches, October 2026. Features differ between products. Estimates are a separate TruTrade service, priced per estimate.
Pricing
Tracking for every site. And everything else.
You're not paying for a tracking app on its own. Every seat gets tracking, timesheets, wages, PAYE and CIS, plus every other tool in Project Management. Print a QR induction sheet for every site.
- 1 month free
- No tiers. Every tool included
- No contract, cancel anytime
- Client logins free
Everyone who checks in needs a seat, subbies included. Add someone mid-month and you only pay for the days left. Card needed to start, but you won't be charged until your free month ends.
Compare TruTrade with other builder software
Per seat, per month
£4.99 + VAT after your free month
You plus 4 on the tools
£24.95 + VAT
Tracking is just the start
Start with checking your team in, then bring in the rest of Project Management when you're ready. Same login, same price per seat.
Timesheets
Where every check-in ends up. Approve the week on your phone.
Find out moreWages, PAYE and CIS
Approved hours worked out into wages, with HMRC reports for PAYE, CIS and VAT.
Budgets and job P&L
A budget for every stage, and what every job is actually making.
Find out moreClient portal
Invoices, payments, chat, photos, drawings and variations in your client's own login, without your costs.
Find out moreTruChat
Separate chats for your team and your client on every job.
Find out moreInvoicing
Raise invoices from the payment schedule and see who hasn't paid.
Find out moreQuestions builders ask about tracking
Does TruTrade track my team all day?
No. TruTrade tracks hours, not people. It records when your team clock in and out and which job they're on. It doesn't record where they are, and nothing is recorded once they clock out.
Does my team need to download an app?
No. TruTrade works in the web browser on any phone. They scan the site's QR induction sheet with their camera, or open the check-in link you've sent. There's nothing to install from the App Store or Google Play.
What if there's no signal on site?
TruTrade works online, so your team need signal or Wi-Fi to check in. There's no offline mode at the moment.
Will it drain their battery?
No. There's no app running in the background, and TruTrade doesn't use their location.
Can I correct a clock-in?
Yes. As the owner you can correct a clock-in or adjust a timesheet, and every change is logged. More about timesheets
Can I see who's clocked in right now?
Yes. You and your site manager can see who's clocked in or out, which job they're on and when they started.
Is it legal to track staff hours in the UK?
Yes. Keeping a record of the hours your team work is normal, and it's what wages, PAYE and CIS are worked out from. TruTrade records clock-in and clock-out times during working hours, not where anyone is, which keeps it simple to explain to your team.
Can someone check in when they're not on site?
TruTrade doesn't check anyone's location, so the QR induction sheet on site and your weekly approval are your checks. If a time looks wrong, you or your site manager can correct it before it goes to wages, and every change is logged.
Can I use it across several sites?
Yes. Print a QR induction sheet for each site. Your team can move between sites in a day. They check out of one and into the next, but can't be checked in to two sites at once.
Does it track vans, plant or tools?
No. TruTrade tracking records your team's hours on each job. It doesn't track people's location, vehicles or equipment.
Do subcontractors need a seat?
Yes. Everyone who checks in needs a seat, subbies included. They only see their own jobs and tasks, never your prices or margins.
Is there a free tracking app for builders?
TruTrade is free for your first month. After that it's £4.99 + VAT per seat per month, with tracking, timesheets, wages, PAYE and CIS all included.
Stop ringing round. Track who's on site.
Try TruTrade free for a month. After that it's £4.99 + VAT per seat per month. No contract, cancel anytime.
Questions first? Call us on 01926 352236.