Comparison

ESS Mobile vs CLYNK

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Flexible time tracking
  • Review hours worked
  • Check schedules and benefit balances
  • Request time off
  • Enter tips and mileage
  • Communicate with supervisor
Features
Read 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.

About

CLYNK

Easily return deposit containers for refunds in Maine and New York. Access your account card, update personal details, and track your account balance and environmental contributions.

Highlights
  • Container deposit returns
  • Refund tracking
  • Account balance check
  • Account information updates
  • Environmental impact tracking
Read full description

CLYNK is the most convenient way to return your deposit containers for refund in Maine and New York. With the app you can access your account card, update your account information, check your account balance, and view your environmental impact.

Screenshots

ESS Mobile3 screens
CLYNK3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CLYNK at 50% against ESS Mobile's 3%. CLYNK also leads on rating (3.5 vs 1.7) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.6). ESS Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 19 months) and ratings volume (355 vs 36). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CLYNK holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESS Mobile has 355 ratings behind it against 36, 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 50% of CLYNK's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, CLYNK every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ESS Mobile versus CLYNK: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterESS MobileCLYNK
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (355 ratings)3.5 (36 ratings) — better
Positive reviews2.9% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings355 — better36
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 19 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.616.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAttendance on Demand, Inc.Count and Crush, LLC

Customer experience

ESS Mobile

All ratings324 ratings
Positive14.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative82.1%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive2.9%
Neutral1.0%
Negative96.2%

CLYNK

All ratings26 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative41.7%

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 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

CLYNK

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ESS Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

CLYNK

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ESS Mobile free?
ESS Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CLYNK free?
CLYNK is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ESS Mobile or CLYNK?
CLYNK is rated higher. ESS Mobile averages 1.7 out of 5 from 355 ratings, while CLYNK averages 3.5 from 36 ratings.
Do ESS Mobile or CLYNK have ads?
Neither ESS Mobile nor CLYNK shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ESS Mobile or CLYNK?
ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, and CLYNK every 19 months. Most recently, ESS Mobile was updated on October 29, 2026 and CLYNK on October 24, 2026.

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