Compare · Raken
A Raken alternative for crew hours (or a partner to it)
If you want daily reports, photos, production tracking and time cards in one field app, Raken fits. If what you need is each worker's own hours recorded without a foreman typing them in, consider ZeroBadge. Each worker wears a company cellular badge, the shift runs from power on to power off, and time is split by jobsite for review. Many contractors could run both.
Last updated Competitor facts verified By ZeroBadge
ZeroBadge makes one of the products compared on this page.
What Raken does well
Raken is a field management platform first. Its home page groups the product into progress reporting, time tracking, production tracking, project management and integrations, for subcontractors, general contractors and heavy civil firms.
- Daily reports. Daily and collaborator reports with photo documentation, tasks and messaging, synced from mobile to the web app.
- Time cards three ways. A supervisor tracks time for crews, workers clock in on a shared device in kiosk mode, or workers use their own devices with the individual time clock.
- Cost codes. Unlimited custom cost codes, picked when a time card is completed.
- Location checks. GPS location tracking and geofencing on the time clock, and location verification in kiosk mode.
- AI photo ID. Raken describes photo ID to flag time fraud.
- Beyond time. Production insights, material and equipment tracking, RFIs, submittals, toolbox talks and checklists.
How Raken captures time
On many crews Raken time is entered by the supervisor. Its time cards page says a supervisor can select an individual worker or a whole crew and enter their hours, then approve with one tap. Kiosk mode and the individual time clock let workers punch themselves on a shared or personal device.
Supervisor entry is fast, and it is also the foreman's account of the day. It is accurate when the foreman was watching all day and remembers it at 3:30 p.m., and it gets harder when part of the crew left for another jobsite, a supply house run or the shop.
One foreman, eight workers, two jobsites
- 6:30 a.m.Crew starts rough-in at Jobsite A.
- 10:15 a.m.Three workers drive to Jobsite B for a punch list.
- 12:40 p.m.One of the three makes a supply house run and returns to B.
- 3:00 p.m.Crew at A wraps; the foreman is still at A.
- 3:30 p.m.The foreman enters eight time cards and cost codes, including the three he did not see after 10:15.
With a badge per worker, those same three workers carry their own record: the drive at 10:15, the time at B, the supply run and the return all land in each worker's one shift without anyone typing them in.
Where ZeroBadge differs
ZeroBadge is narrower than Raken. It does not do daily reports, photos, RFIs or production tracking. It records each worker's shift and allocates every minute to a jobsite, transit or other, from a device the worker simply wears.
- The worker's own record. Each badge is assigned to one worker, so the hours come from that worker's day, not a summary entered later.
- Nothing to install. Jobsites are geofences drawn from an address. No kiosk, tablet or site clock.
- Readings with their method. GPS outdoors, Wi-Fi positioning indoors, cellular continuity in between marked low confidence.
- Review, then payroll. Exceptions such as missing clock-outs and time outside approved sites are listed; a manager approves the week and hours go to your payroll provider.
Raken and ZeroBadge side by side
| Question | Raken | ZeroBadge |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Field management platform: reports, time, production, project management | A worn cellular badge and a web platform for crew hours |
| Who enters hours | Supervisor for the crew, or workers on a kiosk or their own device | Nobody; the assigned badge records the shift |
| Cost codes | Unlimited custom cost codes on time cards | Time allocated by jobsite; supplier stops can be drawn as locations |
| Daily reports and photos | Core feature | Not included |
| Location | GPS and geofencing on the time clock; location verification in kiosk mode | A report about every 5 minutes with method and confidence |
| Workers without smartphones | Supervisor entry or kiosk | Yes, each wears a badge |
| Pricing | Not listed; Raken offers a demo (see Raken's pricing page) | Quote-based |
| Payroll | Lists accounting and payroll integrations | Integrates with payroll providers; CSV, Excel or PDF export |
Using Raken and a badge together
The two tools overlap only on time, so a split is straightforward. The foreman keeps Raken for daily reports, photos and production, and the crew wears badges so hours come from each worker's own day.
- Decide which system is the source for payroll hours, and turn off time entry in the other to avoid double counting.
- Match jobsite names in both systems so reports and hours line up.
- Have foremen review the badge exceptions list weekly instead of typing time cards.
- Run one week side by side and compare totals before you cut over.
When Raken is the better choice
Frequently asked questions
Does ZeroBadge replace Raken's daily reports?
Can ZeroBadge hours be coded to cost codes?
What changes for foremen if we switch?
Will workers need to install anything?
Sources
Raken is a trademark of its owner. ZeroBadge is not affiliated with Raken.
Keep reading
- SolutionMulti-jobsite time trackingSite transfers, transit and supply runs inside one shift record.
- SolutionReplace paper timesheetsTimesheets built from the badge record, so the office stops re-keying the week.
- SolutionLabor cost trackingLoaded rates, job budgets and forecasts from badge-recorded hours.
- SolutionManpower reportsHeadcount by jobsite and day, built from the badge record.
- CompareConstruction time tracking software comparedNine tools on the same criteria, each with an honest best-for line.
