Comparison

ESS Mobile vs Compass Time

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

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.

Highlights
  • View job opportunities
  • Apply for jobs
  • Clock in/out of work
  • View timesheets
  • Request time off
  • Job alerts
Features
Read full description

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

ESS Mobile3 screens
Compass Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, Compass Time monthly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ESS Mobile versus Compass Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterESS MobileCompass Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (343 ratings)4.2 (839 ratings) — better
Positive reviews2.9% of reviews10.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings343839 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAttendance on Demand, Inc.Compass Group USA, Inc.

Customer experience

ESS Mobile

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

Compass Time

All ratings839 ratings
Positive79.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive10.1%
Neutral13.0%
Negative76.8%

User reviews

ESS Mobile

From 343 App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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 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

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

None

ESS Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Compass Time

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ESS Mobile free?
ESS Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Compass Time free?
Compass Time is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ESS Mobile or Compass Time?
Compass Time is rated higher. ESS Mobile averages 1.7 out of 5 from 343 ratings, while Compass Time averages 4.2 from 839 ratings.
Do ESS Mobile or Compass Time have ads?
Neither ESS Mobile nor Compass Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ESS Mobile or Compass Time?
ESS Mobile ships an update every 3 months, and Compass Time monthly. Most recently, ESS Mobile was updated on September 23, 2026 and Compass Time on September 23, 2026.

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