Punch In vs Local Hours
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Punch In
This efficient work timer helps you track your work time seamlessly. It runs quietly in the background, allowing you to focus on tasks while managing projects, clients, and time entries with ease. Easily archive, lock, or delete projects as needed.
- Background time tracking
- Project and client management
- Easy time entry adjustments
- Project archiving and locking
- Customizable notifications
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Use Punch In to make time tracking less time consuming. A simple and efficient worktimer made to help you keep track of your work. Punch In runs smoothly in the background, notifies you if you wish, while you focus on what you do best. Combine projects with clients, easily add or remove time, ability to change start date, archive, lock or delete your projects in a breeze. Less really is more.
Local Hours
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Local Hours is a local-first time tracking app for iPhone and iPad. Track your work with widgets and quick actions, generate clean timesheets, and email approvers—without accounts, servers, or data lock-in. - Track from anywhere Start and stop a simple timer using home screen widgets, lock screen widgets, or the app itself. Add a short description when you stop so you remember what you worked on. - Folder-based storage All of your data lives as plain JSON files in a folder you choose. Back it up, sync it with iCloud, Dropbox, or another provider, or move it to a new device—it's just files. - Automatic timesheets Generate weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly timesheets from your entries. See total hours, per-day breakdowns, and a clear summary before you send anything. - Email-ready exports Create an email draft with an embedded timesheet summary and optional CSV attachment. Quickly send your hours to managers, clients, or payroll without copying and pasting. - Smart reminders Configure when you want to be reminded (for example, Friday at 5pm) and Local Hours prompts you to send your latest timesheet so you don't forget. - Cross-device friendly format The storage format is shared with the Mac version and future platforms. Point both apps at the same cloud folder and your data stays in sync across all your devices. - Privacy by design No analytics, no tracking, and no online account. Everything stays on your device unless you choose to sync the folder via your own tools. Local Hours is open source, MIT licensed, and built for people who prefer simple tools that respect their data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Punch In at every 3 weeks against Local Hours's every 5 months. Punch In also leads on iOS requirement (10.3 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Punch In ships an update every 3 weeks, Local Hours every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Punch In | Local Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kidpilot | Nimish Gogri |
In-app purchases
Punch In
No in-app purchases
Local Hours
No in-app purchases









