ESS Mobile vs Compass Time
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.
Compass Time
Access company job listings and culture details. Track your work hours by clocking in and out, review your timesheets, and submit time off requests directly from your smartphone.
- View job opportunities
- Apply for jobs
- Clock in/out of work
- View timesheets
- Request time off
- Job alerts
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Compass Time app provides access to company job opportunities and company culture info. It's also a time and attendance application that allows users to clock in and out of work, view their timesheets, and request time off. Features: Job opportunities: Users can view open job opportunities available in multiple categories like Hourly, Salaried and apply for them directly from the app. Users can setup for job alerts for interested positions. Time tracking: Users can clock in and out of work using their smartphones. Compass Time automatically tracks user hours and generates timesheets. Timesheets: Users can view their timesheets at any time. Time off requests: Users can request time off for vacation, sick leave, or other reasons.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Compass Time at 4.2 against ESS Mobile's 1.7. Compass Time also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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.
Compass Time holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 343 and 839 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 3% of ESS Mobile's written reviews are positive against 10% of Compass Time's.
ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, Compass Time monthly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | ESS Mobile | Compass Time |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (343 ratings) | 4.2 (839 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 2.9% of reviews | 10.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 343 | 839 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Attendance on Demand, Inc. | Compass Group USA, Inc. |
Customer experience
ESS Mobile
Compass Time
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
Compass Time
From 839 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Useful app when it works
- ⏱️ Convenient clock in/out feature
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔄 Constant log-out issues
- ⏰ Unreliable clock in/out functionality
- 🕰️ Slow and laggy performance
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
Compass Time
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login issues and screen freezes
- Disappearing or inaccurate timesheet data
- Compatibility problems with newer device updates
Requested features
3 requests- Improve app stability and reliability
- Enhance clock in/out accuracy and functionality
- Provide better customer support and responsiveness
In-app purchases
ESS Mobile
No in-app purchases
Compass Time
No in-app purchases









