Clockie vs For The Record: from timesheet to payslip — not just to a report
For The Record is an NZ mobile app for trades that replaces paper timesheets with digital job records. Clockie covers the same "stop chasing paper" job — then verifies every clock-in, signs in your visitors and contractors, and pushes approved hours straight into NZ payroll.
PIN/face
Verified clock-ins, not just GPS
Direct
Xero & Crystal Payroll APIs
2-in-1
Staff clock-in + visitor sign-in
$59 vs $140
Per month at 20 staff
Why teams pick Clockie
Both apps kill the paper timesheet. The difference is what happens around it: who verifies the hours, who signs in the visitors, and how the numbers reach payroll on Thursday night.
Verified hours, not vouched-for hours
For The Record tags clock-ins with GPS — useful for confirming someone was on site. Clockie goes further: PIN entry, photo capture and on-device face matching, so the person clocking in is the person getting paid.
- PIN, photo and face-match
- GPS on mobile clock-ins too
- Buddy punching ends
Payroll is the finish line
For The Record produces timesheet reports; getting hours into payroll is still your job. Clockie pushes approved timesheets directly into Xero Payroll and Crystal Payroll via API — breaks deducted automatically — with formatted exports for 9 NZ payroll systems.
- Direct Xero & Crystal APIs
- Automatic break deductions
- No re-keying on payday
A shared kiosk and the front door
Clockie turns any tablet into a walk-up time clock and a visitor/contractor sign-in — inductions acknowledged, hosts notified, and a one-tap evacuation muster of everyone on site. For The Record is a personal-phone app for your own crew.
- Kiosk mode on any tablet
- Visitor & contractor sign-in
- Evacuation roll-call included
Flat pricing that scales with you
For The Record charges $7 per user with a $30 minimum. Clockie is $29 flat with 5 staff included, then $2 per extra person — so a 20-person crew pays $59 with Clockie versus $140.
- $29 base, 5 staff included
- $2 per extra staff member
- Both priced in NZD
Side-by-side feature comparison
How Clockie and For The Record line up, feature by feature — so you can decide on the facts.
| Feature | ClockieNZ-built, payroll-first | For The RecordMobile job records for NZ trades |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | Flat base + per staff | Per user ($30/mo minimum) |
| Entry price | $29 NZD/mo (5 staff incl.) | $30 NZD/mo (4 users) |
| Cost at 20 staff | $59 NZD/mo | $140 NZD/mo |
| Free trial | 14-day trial | 1-month trial |
| Time clock & on-site | ||
| Kiosk mode (shared tablet) | Not stated | |
| PIN & face-match verification | ||
| Photo capture at clock-in | ||
| GPS clock-in | ||
| Personal-phone clock-in | ||
| Offline clock-in (full sync) | Kiosk + mobile | Not stated |
| Visitor & contractor sign-in | ||
| Evacuation muster roll-call | ||
| Jobs, H&S & leave | ||
| Job / cost-code tracking | ||
| Departments & teams | Not stated | |
| Job photos & site notes | ||
| Incident & near-miss register | ||
| Staff training records | ||
| Site inductions | Visitors & contractors at sign-in | Induction meeting records |
| Leave management | Not stated | |
| Equipment / machinery log | Add-on (+$2/user/mo) | |
| NZ payroll & integrations | ||
| Xero Payroll | Direct API | Not stated |
| Crystal Payroll | Direct API | Not stated |
| Other NZ payroll (MYOB, iPayroll…) | Formatted exports (9 systems) | Not stated |
| Automatic break deductions | Not stated | |
| Support | ||
| NZ-built and supported | ||
For The Record details are based on publicly available information and may change — check For The Record’s own site for their latest pricing and features.
5-year total cost
Real numbers for a 20-person team.
Clockie
- Monthly (20 staff)
- $59 NZD
- 5-year cost
- $3,540 NZD
For The Record
- Monthly (20 staff)
- $140 NZD
- 5-year cost
- $8,400 NZD
Based on a 20-person team. For The Record ≈ $7 NZD/user/month (min $30/month), sourced from fortherecord.pro July 2026; equipment module excluded. Both excl. GST.
What For The Record does better
An honest look at where For The Record is the stronger fit.
Its H&S record-keeping goes deeper
For The Record includes an incident and near-miss register, staff training records, site safety plans and induction meeting notes. Clockie covers the front door — visitor/contractor inductions and evacuation musters — but doesn’t keep incident or training registers. If deep H&S paperwork is your main problem, that module is a real strength.
Job photos and equipment logs
Crews can attach photos and notes to jobs and link machinery to timesheets (equipment module, +$2/user/month). Clockie tracks hours against jobs and departments but isn’t a photo diary of the work itself.
A longer free trial
For The Record gives you a month free versus Clockie’s 14 days, and it’s a genuine NZ product with a loyal trades following. If it’s the better fit, you’ll have longer to find out.
Choose For The Record if…
- You want incident, training and site-safety registers in the same app
- Job photo diaries and equipment logs matter to you
- Your crew is purely mobile — no shared kiosk, no visitors
- You’re happy moving hours into payroll yourself
Choose Clockie if…
- You want PIN/face-verified hours, not just GPS dots
- Payday should be one click into Xero or Crystal Payroll
- You need visitor & contractor sign-in and evacuation musters
- You have 10+ staff and the per-user maths is adding up
Switching from For The Record in 3 steps
Done in 15 minutes. No data loss.
Export your data
Download your staff list and timesheet history from For The Record.
Import to Clockie
Bulk-import staff in one upload; jobs and departments take minutes.
Mount the kiosk
Open Clockie on any tablet — staff tap in that morning, and payroll syncs from day one.
Need a hand? We’ll walk you through it.
Common questions
Is Clockie cheaper than For The Record?
From about 6 staff up, yes. For The Record is $7 NZD per user per month with a $30 minimum; Clockie is $29 flat with 5 staff included, then $2 per extra person. At 10 staff that’s $39 vs $70 a month; at 20 staff, $59 vs $140. At 4–5 staff the two are within a dollar or two of each other.
What’s the biggest difference between Clockie and For The Record?
What happens after the timesheet. For The Record produces digital job records and reports; Clockie verifies each clock-in (PIN, photo, face match) and pushes approved hours directly into Xero Payroll and Crystal Payroll — with automatic break deductions and exports for 9 NZ payroll systems.
Does Clockie do job photos or incident registers like For The Record?
No — that’s For The Record’s strength and we’d rather be straight about it. Clockie tracks hours against jobs and departments, handles visitor/contractor inductions and evacuation musters, but doesn’t keep job photo diaries, incident registers or training records.
Does For The Record have visitor sign-in or a kiosk?
Its site describes a mobile app for your own crew, and doesn’t mention kiosk mode or visitor management. Clockie runs a shared-tablet kiosk that handles both staff clock-ins and visitor/contractor sign-in — with hazards acknowledged and a live evacuation muster.
Do both work offline?
Clockie is offline-first on kiosk and mobile — taps queue on the device and sync when you’re back in coverage, which matters on rural and construction sites. For The Record’s site doesn’t state its offline behaviour.
Keep the records. Skip the re-keying.
Try Clockie free for 14 days. No credit card. Verified clock-ins, visitor sign-in, and hours straight into Xero & Crystal Payroll.
No credit card • Cancel anytime • NZ-based support