Yes, and many small teams do: a shared tablet at the main entrance and phones for anyone who starts somewhere else. Decide which one is expected where, so nobody clocks in twice.

What if someone doesn't have a smartphone?

Use a shared tablet with a PIN, or a browser on a device at work. Don't make a personal phone the only way to clock in.

Kiosk vs Mobile Time Clock: Which Fits Your Team?

Kiosk vs mobile time clock: which fits your team?

Use a shared kiosk when everyone starts at the same door and you want one place to punch. Use phones when people start at different places or there's no good spot for a tablet. Many small teams use both. The choice turns on where shifts start, who has a phone, and how much location checking you want.

By Zchedule · Updated November 10, 2026

Side by side

Shared kiosk compared with clocking in on a phone.
	Shared kiosk (tablet + PIN)	Phone (app or browser)
Best when	Everyone starts at one entrance	People start at different places or times
Needs	A tablet, a mount, power and internet at the door	Each person's phone, or a browser on any device
Location	None: the place is the proof	Read at the punch; checked against a zone if you set one
Main risk	Someone punches for a friend with their PIN	A weak signal indoors, or a phone left at home
Personal phone needed	No	Yes, or a shared device with a browser

Shared kiosk compared with clocking in on a phone.

Three workplaces

A café with one back door: a kiosk by the door. Everyone passes it, nobody needs their phone, and there's no location to argue about.
A cleaning crew that starts at client sites: phones, with a zone around each site. The kiosk can't be where they are.
A shop with a stockroom team and a weekend market stall: a kiosk at the shop, phones for the stall.

Setting up a tablet properly takes more than mounting it; the time clock kiosk guide covers placement and PINs.

When someone can't use a phone

Some people don't have a smartphone, don't want to use their own for work, or have one that won't run the app. Give them a way that doesn't depend on it: the shared tablet, or a browser on a device at work. If you ask people to use their own phones, check whether any reimbursement or device rules apply where you operate.

How it works in Zchedule

Three ways to punch: the iPhone app, any browser (including on Android), or a shared tablet where each person enters a PIN.
On a phone, location is read only at clock-in and clock-out, never between punches. With no zone set, no location is stored.
A zone can warn, ask for review or block. Block refuses an out-of-zone punch from the app, and browser punches are checked against the same zones. A refused employee can ask a manager to approve.
The tablet reads no location, so zones don't apply to kiosk punches.

Keep reading

How to set up a time clock kiosk

Choosing the tablet, where to put it, PINs, and what to do when it goes offline.

Introducing a time clock

An email to your team and answers to first-week questions when you start using a time clock.

Time clock buying checklist

Test a time clock with your own team for a week, with a weighted scorecard and the questions to ask any vendor.

iPad time clock

An iPad or any tablet on the counter that the whole team clocks in on with a PIN.

GPS clock-in

A zone around each site and a rule for punches outside it: warn, review or block.

Pricing

Free for small teams, then one flat monthly price per team, not per person.