ESS Mobile vs True Helix
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
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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.
True Helix
This workforce management solution streamlines caregiver scheduling and time tracking. It allows caregivers to view and manage their shifts, while clients can monitor assignments and approve time. The platform facilitates direct communication and shift filling among healthcare professionals and clients.
- Assign and archive caregiver shifts
- View scheduled and prior shifts
- Clock in and out functionality
- Client view of caregivers on assignment
- Manage caregiver time
- App-to-app connections for shift filling
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True Helix is a proprietary all-in-one workforce technology solution that will transcend traditional scheduling. This multifaceted software is built to assign and archive caregiver shifts. Caregivers will be able to see all scheduled shifts, prior shifts, and clock in and out. Clients will be able to see caregivers on assignment and manage caregiver time. True Helix offers app-to-app connections for healthcare professionals and clients to directly interact, offer, and fill shifts with one another. Our system is designed for per diem, travel nursing, locums, allied healthcare, and all other healthcare positions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: True Helix at 4.6 against ESS Mobile's 1.7. True Helix also leads on review sentiment (24% vs 3%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). ESS Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (343 vs 9). 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.
True Helix holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESS Mobile has 343 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 3% of ESS Mobile's written reviews are positive against 24% of True Helix's.
ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, True Helix every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ESS Mobile | True Helix |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (343 ratings) | 4.6 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 2.9% of reviews | 23.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 343 — better | 9 |
| 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 | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Attendance on Demand, Inc. | True Helix |
Customer experience
ESS Mobile
True Helix
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
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- 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
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- 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
True Helix
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ESS Mobile
No in-app purchases
True Helix
No in-app purchases
