FirstStarHR Essentials vs TimeWorksPlus Employee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FirstStarHR Essentials
This app gives employees easy access to their payroll and HR information. Employees can clock in/out, submit timesheets, request time off, and view pay stubs and important employment documents.
- Clock in/out
- Submit timesheets
- Submit PTO requests
- View pay stubs
- View PTO balances
- Access employment documents
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FirstStarHR Essentials provides employees with important payroll information at their fingertips. Key features include: • Ability to clock in / out • Submit time sheets • Submit PTO hours taken • Submit Messages • View pay stubs • View PTO balances • Track PTO taken • View vital employment documents
TimeWorksPlus Employee
This app allows employees to easily track their work hours, manage schedules, and request time off. It provides access to paystubs and company documents, with push notifications for important updates. Designed for users of specific workforce management systems.
- Clock In/Out with breaks
- View work schedule
- Request time off
- View paystubs and documents
- Push notifications for updates
- Pickup open shifts
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This app is for users of TimeWorksPlus, WorkforceHUB, and TimeWorksExpress employees only. TimeWorksPlus Employee is a workforce management and HRMS solution that simplifies how employees track their hours on-the-go. Whether it’s employees clocking in, staying up-to-date on their work schedule, or requesting time off, viewing your paystubs this app is all an employee needs to get to work. It also includes push notifications for time off requests, schedule changes, and if you have forgotten to clock in for a scheduled shift. This app is for companies who track time using TimeWorksPlus or WorkforceHUB. Use your existing TimeWorksPlus or WorkforceHUB credentials to login. Features included: (*if enabled) • Clock In/Out including breaks and meals.* • Intelligent clock features including schedule lockout.* • View hours worked. • Edit your time worked.* • Request time off.* • View co-workers time off* • See your upcoming schedule.* • Pickup open shifts that you are eligible to work.* • View your time-off balances.* • View company messages. • View your paystubs, W2's, and other company documents and links.* • Receive push notifications for time off requests, scheduling, and when you forget to clock in.*
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: FirstStarHR Essentials at 3.3 against TimeWorksPlus Employee's 1.9. FirstStarHR Essentials also leads on device support (3 vs 1). TimeWorksPlus Employee's advantage is ratings volume (255 vs 7) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
FirstStarHR Essentials holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TimeWorksPlus Employee has 255 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of FirstStarHR Essentials's written reviews are positive against 13% of TimeWorksPlus Employee's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
FirstStarHR Essentials ships an update every 10 months, TimeWorksPlus Employee every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FirstStarHR Essentials | TimeWorksPlus Employee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (7 ratings) — better | 1.9 (255 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 12.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 255 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FirstStarHR | Swipeclock LLC |
Customer experience
FirstStarHR Essentials
TimeWorksPlus Employee
Bugs and requests
FirstStarHR Essentials
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
TimeWorksPlus Employee
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login credentials not recognized
- Time entries disappearing or incorrect
- App crashing or freezing
- Inability to access account after update
Requested features
4 requests- Add password reset functionality
- Improve app stability and reliability
- Streamline clock-in/clock-out process
- Integrate with company calendar
In-app purchases
FirstStarHR Essentials
No in-app purchases
TimeWorksPlus Employee
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FirstStarHR Essentials free?
Is TimeWorksPlus Employee free?
Which has better reviews, FirstStarHR Essentials or TimeWorksPlus Employee?
Do FirstStarHR Essentials or TimeWorksPlus Employee have ads?
Which is updated more often, FirstStarHR Essentials or TimeWorksPlus Employee?
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