ESS Mobile vs SF ESS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ESS Mobile
This app offers flexible time tracking for employees, allowing them to punch in/out, review hours worked, check schedules, and manage benefit balances. It facilitates communication with supervisors for attendance-related matters and supports various time entry methods.
- Flexible time tracking
- Review hours worked
- Check schedules and benefit balances
- Request time off
- Enter tips and mileage
- Communicate with supervisor
Read full descriptionHide full description
ESS Mobile is a smart, adaptive app that, when used with your employer's Attendance on Demand system, provides employees with flexible time tracking options. You have access to the information needed to track your hours worked and review schedules or benefit balances. Notifications can be sent when your time card needs action, such as the addition of a missing punch. Messages can be exchanged with your supervisor to record attendance-related activities like an absence or if you will be late for your shift. Using ESS Mobile hourly employees may be able to punch in and out, request time off, or enter tips. For employees that simply report total hours worked multiple time sheet views are available. Additional operations such as entering mileage, expenses, or tips are also available. Contact your payroll administrator or Attendance on Demand service provider for additional details. Note: ESS Mobile uses location services to obtain your location during app usage. Continued use of the app or background GPS tracking can dramatically decrease battery life.
SF ESS
Manage your work schedule, request time off, and view performance metrics. Receive important communication updates directly from your employer. Features may differ based on your specific retailer.
- Schedule management
- Time off requests
- Performance viewing
- Communication updates
- Retailer-specific options
Read full descriptionHide full description
StoreForce ESS App allows employees of StoreForce Retailers to manage their schedules and time off requests, view their performance and receive communication updates. Options available will vary by Retailer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SF ESS at 4.7 against ESS Mobile's 1.7. SF ESS also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 343). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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.
SF ESS holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SF ESS has 7.3K ratings behind it against 343, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 3% and 2% positive.
ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, SF ESS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ESS Mobile | SF ESS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (343 ratings) | 4.7 (7.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 2.9% of reviews — better | 2.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 343 | 7.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Attendance on Demand, Inc. | StoreForce Solutions Inc. |
Customer experience
ESS Mobile
SF ESS
User reviews
ESS Mobile
From 343 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Simple and straightforward time tracking functionality
- 📧 Email records linked to time card
- ⚙️ Works reliably on Android devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connect button functions as text box instead of button
- ❌ App crashes frequently after updates
- ⚪ White screen loading issues
- 📍 Location detection inaccurate (4-5 miles off)
- 🔐 Login failures and credential issues
SF ESS
From 7.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient scheduling
- 💡 Ability to sync with calendar
Room to improve
- 🐛 Constant glitches and crashes
- 💤 Slow and unresponsive
- 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive UI
- 🔒 Login issues and lack of security features
Bugs and requests
ESS Mobile
Reported bugs
17 issues- Connect button treats input as editable text field
- App fails to load or shows blank white screen
- Location services report incorrect location
- Login credentials rejected despite correct information
- Clock-in button disappears or becomes non-functional
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- App freezes when entering information
- Cannot proceed past login screen
- App crashes on latest iOS versions
- Automatic logout without user action
- Cannot clock in to new job within one minute of clock out
- Punch functionality only works on second attempt
- Controls render off-screen on certain devices
- App incompatible with iOS 15
- Timesheet data fails to load
- Notifications sent to wrong phone numbers
- Pay stubs missing tip percentage and hourly information
- Redundant navigation buttons on same page
Requested features
12 requests- Face ID or biometric authentication
- Remember me/stay logged in functionality
- Current time display on home screen
- Manager approval system for early out/late in requests
- Ability to view all punch times and historical data
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Support for multiple employers without app reinstallation
- Landscape mode support
- Easy password reset functionality
- Loading indicators for better UX
- Visible phone number management (primary/secondary)
- Better accessibility and menu navigation
- Improved pay stub formatting and clarity
SF ESS
Reported bugs
4 issues- Can't log in or access schedule
- Shifts not updating or displaying correctly
- Constant crashing and freezing
- Notification issues
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back monthly calendar view
- Improve scheduling visibility and clarity
- Add ability to see coworker schedules
- Integrate with more calendar apps
In-app purchases
ESS Mobile
No in-app purchases
SF ESS
No in-app purchases
