10 Best PTO Tracking Software Solutions

Author
Claudia
Read time
11 minutes
Published
August 13, 2024

When to Switch From Spreadsheets to PTO Software?

A recent study revealed that in 2024, 62% of HR managers had noticed a significant increase in leave requests, with 75% reporting that the number of requests grew by 20% or more.

Is your team experiencing a similar surge?

Here are three signs it might be time to move on from spreadsheets to PTO software:

Loads of Manual Work: Your HR department is spending too much time manually updating spreadsheets, doing complex accrual calculations, responding to inquiries about PTO balances, and handling approvals and refusals.
Difficulty Managing Multiple Locations: Managing leave for teams spread across various time zones and languages while ensuring compliance with different PTO laws and national holidays has become increasingly challenging.
Errors and Inconsistencies in PTO Records: “Oops, I forgot to update the spreadsheet” moments are becoming way too common, causing overlapping absences, missed deadlines, frustrations, and delays.

The right PTO tracking software can tackle these pain points to enhance HR efficiency and employee satisfaction. Let’s explore some of the best vacation tracking software and discover which is the right fit for your business.

What is the best PTO Tracking Software?

Vacation Tracker: Our Top Pick

Vacation Tracker is widely recognized as one of the best PTO tracking software solutions for growing global teams. It’s a simple yet powerful tool built to solve real HR headaches around leave management.

If you’ve ever dealt with messy email threads for vacation requests or lost track of who’s out of office, Vacation Tracker has you covered. HR teams have found that Vacation Tracker saves time and cuts down on admin work. Everything from PTO requests to accrual calculations is handled automatically.

The platform works directly inside the tools your team already uses, like Slack and Microsoft Teams. For companies that want to go even further, Vacation Tracker offers optional automations to unlock advanced features without overcomplicating the setup.

“We LOVE Vacation Tracker. We went from a single person tracking PTO on a spreadsheet to a completely transparent, user-friendly portal. My employees were constantly asking how many days they had left, and we were using paper request and payroll forms. Changes were a huge hassle. Now, they can send a chat message to request days off, see how many days they have left, and can make adjustments easily." - Capterra Review

Features:

Easy leave requests and one-click approvals
Advanced approval flows (multiple approvers, substitute approvers, and watchers)
Fully customizable leave policies by location, department, or user
PTO accrual tracking with support for brought-forward, blackout date settings, and probation periods
Location-specific holiday calendars
Shared team calendar with a real-time view of who’s out
Calendar sync with Outlook, Google Calendar, and iCal
Individual profiles for employees to check balances, request time off, and view history
Exportable and scheduled reports for tracking leave usage and trends
Notifications that keep admins and managers informed and up to date
Admin tools for assigning roles, importing users, and managing team structure
Automations that let you expand features as your company grows
Mobile app (Coming soon: sign up for the waitlist)

Considerations:

Remember, Vacation Tracker is a dedicated leave management system that’s designed to work with your existing tools, not replace them. It’s ideal for teams that want something purpose-built for tracking PTO, without the overhead of a full HR suite. It scales with you, whether you’re just getting started or managing multiple offices worldwide.

Designed for: Small to medium-sized teams that want a flexible, dedicated PTO tracker.

Integrations: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Email, iCal, Outlook, and Google Calendar.

Pricing: Free plan with unlimited users available.

Buddy Punch: Best for Time and Attendance Tracking

Buddy Punch is a cloud-based time clock and attendance tool that also includes basic PTO tracking capabilities. While Buddy Punch’s primary focus is tracking hours and overtime, it also has some advanced PTO management features, such as accruals, as a plus.

2_Buddy Punch_1_TimeTracking.png — Image Source: https://buddypunch.com/

Features:

Customizable PTO accrual rules
Employee self-service portal for time-off requests
Manager approvals with notifications
Mobile app for iOS and Android

Considerations:

No Slack or Microsoft Teams integrations
Lacks support for location-specific policies
PTO functionality is limited compared to its time tracking features

Designed for: Organizations that want to handle employee work hours and time off in one system.

Integrations: Nearly 20 integrations with payroll software like QuickBooks or Paycor.

Pricing: Starting at $4.49 per user/month on an annual plan.

Leave Dates: Best for Basic Leave Management

Leave Dates is a straightforward and user-friendly PTO tracking tool. Its claim to fame is simplicity: LeaveDates provides a clean and intuitive interface heavily focused on visibility for management.

3_Leave Dates_1_Visibility.png — Image Source: https://www.leavedates.com/

Features:

Shared wallchart for visibility on who’s away
Individual leave entitlements
Location-specific holiday calendars
Customizable workweeks

Considerations:

No PTO accrual tracking or carry-over settings
Slack integration is basic; no Microsoft Teams support
Employees can’t view their own leave balances

Designed for: Small companies on a budget that want a dedicated leave planner without the complexity of a full HR system.

Integrations: Slack, Outlook, Google, and iCal

Pricing: There is a free tier for up to 5 employees, and paid plans depend on the number of users.

Want to see how LeaveDates stacks up against Vacation Tracker? Check out our comparison article: Vacation Tracker vs LeaveDates

BambooHR: Best All-in-One HR Solution

BambooHR is a comprehensive human resources software that includes a PTO tracking system alongside many other HR tools. In terms of leave management, BambooHR offers all the features you’d expect: employees can request time off through their self-service portal or mobile app, managers get notified to approve it, and the system automatically tracks each person’s available PTO balance.

Features:

Employee self-service portal and mobile app
Customizable PTO policies by departments, locations, or employees
Automated accruals and brought forward rules
Comprehensive reporting tools

Considerations:

Has a steeper learning curve for new users
Pricing is not transparent and can get expensive
May be more than small teams need if they only want PTO tracking

Designed for: Small and mid-sized businesses that are scaling up and looking for one centralized HR hub to manage everything in one place, not just PTO.

Integrations: 125+ pre-built integrations, including Slack and Outlook to payroll providers.

Pricing: Contact them for a quote.

SageHr: Best for Lightweight HR Solutions

Sage HR is another HR software solution that combines core HR functions with easy-to-use leave management. Sage HR’s leave management module lets employees request holidays or other leave in just a few clicks. The interface is modern and intuitive, which means people can figure it out with minimal training.

Features:

Customizable time-off policies and accruals
Employee self-service portal
Automatic PTO approvals
Mobile app for iOS and Android

Considerations:

Modular pricing can become expensive as you scale
Interface can be difficult to navigate
Integration options are limited compared to other platforms

Designed for: Small to mid-sized businesses that want something a bit more lightweight than BambooHR but still need more than a basic PTO tracker.

Integrations: Slack, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, iCal Calendar, and an open API to connect to other systems with the tool.

Pricing: Pricing starts at $7.50 per employee/month.

Replicon: Best for Large Enterprises

Replicon is a powerful time management and productivity tracking platform that also excels at handling PTO for large or complex organizations. Replicon can handle your employees’ timesheets, project hours, and time-off requests altogether.

Features:

Fully configurable PTO policies
AI-powered automation
Comprehensive reporting and analytics
Mobile app

Considerations:

Setup and onboarding can be complex and time-consuming
Pricing depends on module selection and usage
Too advanced for teams with basic PTO needs

Designed for: Replicon is targeted at mid-to-large enterprises that track billable hours or projects.

Integrations: Large number of integrations with popular platforms like Jira, QuickBooks, and Slack.

Pricing: Starting at $6/month

Timetastic: Best for Small Businesses

Timetastic lives up to its friendly name by offering a no-fuss, simple way to track staff vacations and absences. This tool covers the key bases of PTO tracking without overcomplicating anything.

Features:

Personal calendars and shared team views
Individual profiles with real-time balances
Burnout board to flag underused leave
Daily or weekly absence summaries

Considerations:

No support for location-based policies
Slack and Teams integrations are limited to higher-tier plans
Reporting and compliance tools are minimal

Designed for: Small businesses and teams that want a dedicated leave tracker that’s lightweight and easy to use.

Integrations: Slack, Teams, Google Calendar, and Outlook Calendar.

Pricing: Starting at $1.50 per user/month.

Want to see how TimeTastic stacks up against Vacation Tracker? Check out our comparison article: Vacation Tracker vs TimeTastic

Clockify: Best for Agencies

Clockify is best known as a time tracking tool for hours and projects, but it also offers a capable PTO tracking feature as part of its platform. Clockify’s core function allows employees to log hours on tasks or use a timer to track their work, which many companies use to manage productivity or bill clients. In addition, Clockify has a “Time Off” module that lets you set up vacation policies and approve leave requests.

Features:

Integrated time tracking and PTO management
Customizable leave policies and accruals
Team calendar for visibility on leave and projects
Mobile app for iOS and Android

Considerations:

PTO tracking features require a paid plan
Lacks Slack or Teams integration
Limited reporting capabilities for PTO

Designed for: Businesses that want to monitor how employees spend their work time and manage their time off in a unified system.

Integrations: Over 80 integrations, including QuickBooks, Jira, and Asana.

Pricing: Starts at $5.49 per month/user on an annual plan.

Calamari: Best for International Businesses

Calamari is an HR software focused on two main areas: leave management and attendance tracking. With Calamari, you can replace the old punch clock and vacation spreadsheet with one integrated system.

Considerations:

Customizable leave policies and accruals
Hourly or daily leave tracking
Mobile app for iOS and Android

Limitations:

Lacks features like PTO prorating, seniority-based entitlements, and time-off in lieu (TOIL)
Does not support probation periods or blackout dates
No wall chart for quick visibility

Designed for: Companies that need to handle not just PTO requests, but also things like employee clock-in/clock-out and timesheets.

Integrations: Slack, Google, Microsoft 365, Basecamp, Asana, Jira, and an Open API.

Pricing: Starts at $2 per user per month on an annual plan.

Want to see how Calamari stacks up against Vacation Tracker? Check out our comparison article: Vacation Tracker vs Calamari

Jibble: Best Free Time-Tracking Tool

Jibble stands out as a free time tracking and leave management software. Despite being free, Jibble offers an impressive set of capabilities that rival some paid tools. It’s primarily a time and attendance app, allowing employees to clock in and out via mobile. Alongside that, Jibble includes a leave management system that covers basic needs.

Jibble

Features:

Free for unlimited users
Basic PTO request and approval system
Customizable leave policies
Mobile apps for iOS and Android

Considerations:

Accruals and approvals are available only on paid plans
Free tier lacks advanced reporting and policy configuration
Limited control over complex PTO rules

Designed for: Budget-conscious teams and small businesses looking for a straightforward leave management system.

Integrations: Over 50 integrations, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Hubspot, and Canva.

Pricing: Free plan available, paid plans start at CA$5.49 per user/month on an annual plan.

Time to Transform Your PTO Management?

If you’re ready to make PTO tracking easier, consider starting with our top recommendation, Vacation Tracker. It’s built to solve real leave management challenges and can have your PTO process up and running in no time.

You can sign up for our free plan or try the 7-day free trial with no credit card required and see how the best PTO tracking software can make a real difference for your team.