Vacation Tracker vs ClockIt | What's Best For Leave Tracking?

Vacation Tracker vs ClockIt: Which Leave Management Tool Actually Fits Your Team?

In this article I'm comparing Vacation Tracker and ClockIt for managing employee leave. This comparison is a bit different because ClockIt isn't primarily a leave management tool, but even though it's geared towards time tracking first, there is still a leave management component to be aware of. 

The real question is: Is it good enough to outdo the focused leave tool that Vacation tracker is today?

Watch the full breakdown here:

What These Platforms Are Actually Built For

Both tools include PTO management, but they solve different problems.

Vacation Tracker is designed for distributed teams with multiple locations or complex leave policies. The core idea is simple: leave tracking should happen inside the platforms you already use every day. It integrates natively into Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace, plus there's a mobile app and web app for when you need them.

For example, if you use Slack, you can type a command into any channel and pull up a dashboard showing your future PTO, past leave, and the ability to request time off. Managers can approve requests right there too.

ClockIt is primarily a time clock and employee management tool. The central problem it solves is clocking in and out. It's been around since 2015 and has over 17,000 customers. The platform really shines for teams with physical locations (think warehouses, retail workers, multi-site operations). PTO management is available on their paid plan, but it's one module inside a much larger system.

Where Vacation Tracker Is Strong

We focus exclusively on PTO and leave management. For a long time, our main priority has been policy flexibility. Every policy we've come across, we try to integrate as seamlessly as possible. If you don't see what you need, you can create your own custom leave type.

We've already built in blackout periods, probation rules, leave entitlement based on seniority, TOIL, and multi-level approval structures for organizations with multiple management layers. Whatever makes your company unique, Vacation Tracker adapts to you. No workarounds needed.

For growing teams with different locations, we keep managers in the loop. Your dashboard gives you a real-time view of who's out and when. You can set up automatic daily or weekly notifications to stay informed.

Adoption is easier because employees can request time off directly in Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, or the app. It takes basically zero training, which is why our adoption rate is so high.

Where ClockIt Is Strong

Users consistently say how flexible ClockIt is to use. It's the type of tool that helps you run payroll in minutes, and the reviews back that up.

They offer hardware clock-in options, so not everything has to be online. Whatever type of employees you have (in-office or out-of-office), you can clock in using their different options.

ClockIt generates over 20 different types of payroll-ready reports in formats that work with different payroll software like ADP, QuickBooks, and Paychex.

If you're here for leave management and PTO, you can find that in their platform. Just note that it's a small part of the overall system.

Vacation Tracker's Main Weakness

There is no other function outside of leave management. No shift scheduling. No project management. Just leave management.

We do connect with payroll software like ADP, and we have an open API so you can connect it to anything you want. But the whole infrastructure that ClockIt manages across all its different features? Vacation Tracker isn't focused on that. We're focused on leave management and doing that as well as possible.

ClockIt's Main Weakness

Its breadth is actually its biggest challenge. It's trying to manage time tracking, PTO management, scheduling, geofencing, payroll exports, and more. The experience can feel complex at times.

Several reviewers said there's a steeper learning curve than they expected. The PTO management tool, while functional, doesn't match the depth you'd find in a dedicated platform like Vacation Tracker. According to our research, you won't find seniority-based entitlements, substitute approvers, or advanced accrual configurations.

But if you need everything ClockIt offers, that trade-off might be worth it.

Direct Pricing Comparison

Vacation Tracker starts at $2 per user per month and scales up to $4 per user per month for the maximum plan. ClockIt comes in at $2.99 per user per month with one paid tier (no advanced plan).

Both companies offer a free trial. Implementation time for both is under a day. It comes down to importing your users and setting up your leave policies (or time tracking policies if you go with ClockIt).

Feature Breakdown

You have to decide whether you want time and attendance tracking or features like shift planning in your HR system. That will guide you toward ClockIt or something like Vacation Tracker.

The native platform integrations for Vacation Tracker are Slack, Microsoft Office, and Google Workspace. We automatically sync to any calendar system you use. Our two other big integrations are ADP and Zapier.

ClockIt can send notifications to Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Chat, but it's not a native integration. You can connect it to payroll software like QuickBooks, Paychex, and ADP.

One last note: Vacation Tracker has an open API. ClockIt's API is only available on their paid program.

Support and Onboarding

Both platforms have live chat and a help desk where you can get information. Vacation Tracker offers a guided onboarding call for free.

Which One Should You Choose?

These platforms solve different problems. It depends on what your team's primary needs are.

If you need to clock in and out of work with time accountability while still having some PTO management integrated into it, ClockIt might be a good option.

If PTO and leave management are the only things you want to focus on, Vacation Tracker is the best option.

Both have free trials, so you can test them out and see which fits your team. Try Vacation Tracker here or ClockIt here.

Nicholas Lydon