Recording working hours is mandatory in Spain, but in hospitality clocking in isn't enough: there are split shifts, overtime, geolocation, absences and teams that change every week.
Time tracking in hospitality is particularly tricky. It isn't just about complying with Spain's mandatory daily working-time record: there are staggered start times, split shifts, overtime, last-minute changes, part-time workers, different sites and employees clocking in from the floor, the kitchen or their phone. A sign-in sheet or an Excel template falls short as soon as the team grows.
A good clock-in app helps you record start and finish times, keep a history, spot exceptions and prepare useful data for payroll or labour inspections. The best solutions also connect clocking in with rotas, holidays, leave, geolocation and manager approvals.
In this comparison we look at 7 real tools that can fit bars, restaurants, cafés, hotels and restaurant groups. Some are complete HR platforms, others are more focused on shifts, and Zindra comes in as a hospitality alternative when you want clocking in to sit alongside rotas, employees and the restaurant's day-to-day management.
Factorial is a Spanish HR platform widely used by SMEs. Its time tracking module supports clocking in from mobile, web or tablet, absence management, shifts, reports and approvals. It isn't designed only for hospitality, but it covers the legal and administrative side well.
Sesame HR is a Spanish people-management solution with time tracking, shifts, absences, holidays, documents and HR analytics. It is a popular choice for businesses that need to digitise clocking in without setting up a complex ERP.
Combo, formerly Snapshift, is strongly focused on hospitality, retail and shift-based businesses. It combines scheduling, clocking in, team communication and hours tracking. It is particularly strong when the main problem is coordinating ever-changing teams.
Kenjo is an HR platform for SMEs with time tracking, absences, documents, performance reviews and automations. Its strength is centralising people processes rather than pure hospitality operations.
Bizneo Time Manager is part of the Bizneo HR ecosystem and is geared towards time recording, shift management, holidays, absences and reports. It is a solid alternative for Spanish businesses that need compliance and administrative control.
Papershift is a European platform for shift planning, time tracking and absence management, with a good presence in sectors with rotating hours such as hospitality, retail and services. It fits when the rota and clocking in need to be tightly connected.
Zindra includes employee management, rotas, attendance history and clocking in within a broader platform for restaurants. Its advantage isn't competing as a general HR suite, but connecting time tracking with the restaurant's daily operations.
If you want the strongest tool for shifts and clocking in for hospitality, Combo is probably the most focused option. If you want a complete HR suite, Factorial and Sesame HR are broader and more mature choices. Bizneo and Kenjo fit better when the business wants to organise people processes beyond the restaurant. Papershift makes sense for groups with several sites and rotating shifts. Zindra shouldn't be chosen just for clocking in: it makes more sense when the restaurant wants time tracking to be part of all-in-one management with rotas, purchasing, inventory, recipe costing and reporting.
Dig deeper into the key concepts behind this comparison.
Answers to the most common questions about this category.
Yes. In Spain, businesses must record each worker's daily working hours and keep those records for four years. In hospitality this is especially important because of split shifts, overtime, breaks and frequent rota changes.
It can work as a very basic solution, but it is fragile: it is easy to tamper with, doesn't handle exceptions, doesn't check location, doesn't flag missed clock-ins and makes keeping a history harder. As soon as you have several employees or variable shifts, a clock-in app reduces errors and admin.
At a minimum it should allow clocking in on mobile or tablet, an exportable history, handling of exceptions, breaks, overtime and approvals. For restaurants with several sites, geolocation and assignment by location are very useful.
It depends on your main problem. If you need payroll, documents, performance reviews and HR processes, Factorial, Sesame HR, Kenjo or Bizneo are a better fit. If you want clocking in to live alongside rotas, purchasing, inventory and operations, a tool like Zindra can be more practical.
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