Comparison
Biometric terminals solved a real problem: attendance you could not simply write down for a colleague. They also brought costs that are easy to forget once the device is on the wall.
The device is the visible cost. The rest is the queue at shift change, the enrolment session for every new starter, the reader that stops recognising a worn or wet fingertip, the unit that needs replacing, and a second purchase for every new site.
For a business with one location and a stable team, that can still be a reasonable trade. For a growing business with several sites, each new location is another device, another install and another thing to maintain.
Employees clock in and out from the SlidesClock mobile app. There is no fingerprint reader, badge or wall terminal in the clock-in flow.
Verification moves from the reader to the policy: workplace location, workplace network, and the employee’s registered device — chosen per site rather than fixed by the hardware you bought.
Adding a location means adding a workplace, not shipping a device.
A fingerprint reader ties attendance to a body part. A phone ties it to a device. Registered devices narrow the gap and do not close it entirely, and it is more useful to say so than to pretend otherwise.
If your compliance requirements specifically demand biometric identification, a terminal remains the honest answer. If what you actually need is a reliable, reviewable record of who started work where and when, a mobile app does that without the hardware.
One site, fixed team, biometric mandated by policy: keep the terminal. Several sites, changing team, no hardware budget, or staff who work away from a fixed door: a mobile attendance app fits better, and you can find out for free.
| Consideration | Fingerprint terminal | SlidesClock mobile app |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront hardware | A device per site, plus mounting and power near the door. | None. Employees use the phone they already carry. |
| Opening another location | Another device to buy, ship and install. | Create a workplace and choose its verification policy. |
| Adding a new starter | An enrolment session to capture the fingerprint. | An invitation they accept in the app. |
| What it verifies | A fingerprint — attendance tied to a body part. | Workplace location, workplace network and the employee’s registered device, chosen per site. A device, not a body part. |
| Buddy punching | Strongest available answer. | Registered-device checks narrow the gap without closing it entirely. |
| Typical failure | A dead unit or an unreadable fingertip. The day’s records are simply gone. | A flat battery or poor indoor reception. A manager reviews a correction, and the original event is kept beside it. |
| Time on the record | The terminal’s own clock. | Generated by the server, not read from the handset. |
| Best fit | One site, a stable team, or biometrics required by policy. | Several sites, a changing team, no hardware budget, or staff away from a fixed door. |
No. Employees clock in from the SlidesClock mobile app. There is no biometric reader in the flow.
No. There is no QR code to find or print as part of the SlidesClock clock-in flow.
SlidesClock 
