Compare · Lumber

A Lumber alternative, depending on which layer you are replacing

If you want one construction platform that runs payroll, certified payroll, union reporting, HR and time tracking, Lumber fits; it says it handles tax filing too. If you want to keep your payroll provider and fix only how crew hours are captured, consider ZeroBadge. Workers wear company cellular badges, hours are split by jobsite and approved, then sent to the payroll provider you already use.

Last updated October 29, 2026Competitor facts verified October 29, 2026By ZeroBadge

ZeroBadge makes one of the products compared on this page.

What Lumber is

Lumber describes itself as the construction workforce platform for payroll, HR and field operations. It runs payroll: its site says Lumber handles certified payroll, prevailing wages, union reporting and tax filing. That makes it a different kind of product from ZeroBadge, which does not run payroll at all.

Payroll. Certified payroll, prevailing wages, union payroll, tax filing, workers' comp and expense management.
Field operations. Time tracking, job costing at the cost code level, scheduling and dispatch, equipment and productivity tracking.
HR and benefits. Applicant tracking, onboarding, credential management, benefits administration and training.
AI agents. Lumber lists agents for union reporting, certified payroll reporting and converting paper timecards, plus a timesheet reviewer that checks timesheets against rules.

How Lumber captures time

Lumber captures time on a phone, tablet, kiosk or desktop, and also from paper timecards. Its time tracking page says workers clock in and out on mobile apps that prompt them near the jobsite, foremen can clock in entire crews from the field, and time can be captured without internet and synced later.

For verification, Lumber pairs geofences with face matching. Its geofencing page says workers can only clock in or out inside the geofence, and that live face scans are matched against stored IDs with liveness checks to block spoofing.

Which layer are you replacing?

The deciding question is whether you want a new payroll system or a better way to capture hours. Lumber covers every layer from capture to filing. ZeroBadge covers capture and review, then hands approved hours to payroll.

Where Lumber and ZeroBadge sit in the path from jobsite to paycheck
Layer	Lumber	ZeroBadge
Capturing hours in the field	Phone, tablet, kiosk, desktop, foreman crew clock-in, paper timecard conversion	A company badge per worker, from power on to power off
Verifying presence	Geofence at the punch plus face matching	Reports about every 5 minutes, each with its method and confidence
Reviewing the week	Timesheet reviewer checks against rules	Exceptions list; a manager approves the week
Calculating pay, wages and fringes	Yes	No; your payroll provider does this
Tax filing	Lumber says it handles tax filing	No
Certified payroll	Lumber says it handles certified payroll	Supplies verified hours by worker, day and jobsite
HR, hiring, benefits	Yes	No
Pricing	Not published on lumberfi.com; Lumber offers demos	Quote-based

Where ZeroBadge differs

ZeroBadge keeps the worker out of the timekeeping. There is no punch, no face scan and no app: the badge is company-issued, has its own cellular connection and records the shift while it is on. That suits crews where phones are mixed, where foremen are spread across jobsites, or where you would rather not collect biometrics.

Keeps your payroll provider. Approved hours are sent to the provider you already use, or exported as CSV, Excel or PDF.
One shift across sites. Site transfers, transit and supply house runs stay inside one shift.
An audit trail on corrections. Nothing is silently edited, and the approved weekly PDF is kept as an unchangeable version.
Raw location is not kept forever. Raw location history is deleted after 90 days; timesheets are kept.

When Lumber is the better choice

Frequently asked questions

Can ZeroBadge work alongside Lumber?

Possibly, as the capture layer feeding approved hours to payroll. Whether Lumber accepts imported hours in the format you need is a question for Lumber. ZeroBadge exports CSV, Excel or PDF.

Does ZeroBadge do certified payroll?

It aids certified payroll reporting by supplying verified hours by worker, day and jobsite. It does not produce or file certified payroll; a qualified person reviews the final reports. See certified payroll.

If we leave Lumber, what do we need to line up?

A payroll provider for pay runs, tax filing and certified payroll, and an HR tool if you used Lumber for hiring or benefits. Export your payroll and timesheet history before cancelling.

Does a badge confirm who is wearing it?

No. It records where an assigned badge spent the shift. If you need identity at every punch, a face-matching tool such as Lumber's does that, with the consent duties that come with it.

Is ZeroBadge only for construction?

It is built first for construction crews and also fits other multi-site field crews. It is not designed for office teams or fixed-shift employees at one building.

Sources

Lumber is a trademark of its owner. ZeroBadge is not affiliated with Lumber.