Compare/Head to head

Buddy Punch vs IHR

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Starting price

Buddy Punch

$4.99/user/mo 14 day free trial

Time clock software. Starter is $4.99/user/mo billed annually plus a $19/mo base. 14-day trial. MCP limits on Advanced.

Where Buddy Punch fits

  • Small US teams that want a printed time-clock rate
  • Shops starting on Starter at $4.99 annual plus $19
  • Teams that need API on Pro at $6.99 annual
  • Buyers who will run a 14-day trial with no card

IHR

Quote 30 day free trial

IHR is a small-team HR app built around the month-end hours chase: employees clock and fill in their own month, time off runs against balances that explain themselves, and HR exports a payroll report to Excel that locks once finalized. Prices are quoted per person, and the 30-day trial covers every feature for up to 5 people.

Where IHR fits

  • Small teams that chase hours at month-end
  • Hebrew or Ukrainian speaking workforces
  • Teams across several countries' holiday calendars
  • Offices that need to track laptops and logins per person

At a glance

DetailBuddy PunchIHR
Starting price$4.99/user/moQuote
Free tier–No–No
Free trial14 day free trial30 day free trial
MCP server✓Yes–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underTime & attendanceTime & attendance, HRIS, Leave management

Where they pull apart

Buddy Punch

Stands out: Published per-user prices plus a $19 base, with API on Pro and higher MCP limits on Advanced.

Watch out: Every plan adds a $19 monthly base on top of per-user fees. Monthly Starter is $5.99/user, not $4.99.

Not the right fit for

  • Solo users who hate a $19 base on one person
  • Enterprises that need a full HCM

IHR

Stands out: The payroll month is handled with unusual care for a small tool: overtime steps and night windows by your rules, forgotten timers that stop themselves, employees filling their own missing days, and a finalized report that cannot change without a recorded reason. It also tracks equipment and access per person with a leaver report, and runs fully in Hebrew and Ukrainian as well as English.

Watch out: No prices are published, so every team has to ask for a quote, and the free trial caps at 5 people. It is a new product with no public reviews yet. Payroll itself is not run, only exported to Excel, there is no public API, and Slack and Teams connections are only on plans that include them. Location is recorded at clock events only, not as GPS tracking through the day.

Not the right fit for

  • Buyers who want a published price before talking to sales
  • Teams that need payroll run inside the tool
  • Large hourly workforces that need shift scheduling

Pros and cons

Buddy Punch

  • Starter $4.99/user/mo plus $19
  • 14-day trial, no card
  • API on Pro, MCP limits on Advanced
  • $19 base on every time plan
  • Payroll SKU is a separate $49 base
  • Not a full HRIS

IHR

  • 30-day trial with every feature, no card
  • Payroll report locks when finalized
  • Equipment and access tracking built in
  • No published prices
  • Trial limited to 5 people
  • No public API or payroll processing

What each one costs

Buddy Punch

$4.99/user/mo

Starter is $4.99/user/mo billed annually plus a $19/mo base ($5.99/user monthly). Pro $6.99 annual / $7.99 monthly plus $19, includes API. Advanced $12.99 annual / $13.99 monthly plus $19, higher API and MCP limits. Payroll $8/user/mo + $49 base. 14-day trial, no card. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

IHR

Quote

IHR does not publish prices. Plans are priced per person per month for your team size, and the vendor sends a plan and an invoice after you describe your team. The 30-day free trial includes every feature for up to 5 people, 10 equipment units, 2 open vacancies, 20 candidates and 200 MB of files, with no card. When the trial ends nothing is deleted: people can still sign in and read their data, and one 14-day extension can be requested in the last week. Slack and Microsoft Teams connections come only on plans that include them. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 29 Oct 2026

Common questions

Can you try Buddy Punch or IHR for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing. Buddy Punch offers a 14 day free trial. IHR offers a 30 day free trial.
Does Buddy Punch or IHR have an MCP server?
Buddy Punch ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?