Do I really need a spare tablet for this?
No — a tablet is just the nicest fit, not a requirement. Any device with a web browser, an internet connection, and a way to lock the screen to one thing works: an old phone, a Chromebook, a laptop. The touchscreen is why tablets are pleasant — no keyboard needed by the door.
Whatever you pick, turn on the device's built-in kiosk feature — Guided Access on Apple, app pinning on Android — so the screen stays locked to Punchy and your private kiosk link stays out of sight.
See the step-by-step device guide →I don't have a spare device. What's worth buying?
A used iPad or iPad mini from any second-hand marketplace is our favorite answer: Guided Access — Apple's built-in kiosk feature — is excellent, and because the kiosk is just a web page, even a years-old model runs it happily. Any mainstream Android tablet works too, using app pinning.
One caveat: Amazon Fire tablets. They're temptingly cheap, but we haven't found evidence that Fire OS offers the built-in single-app lock a kiosk needs, so we can't recommend them — and our setup guide doesn't cover Fire OS. (If you've made one work, we'd genuinely like to hear how.)
And before buying anything, check the drawer — a retired phone makes a perfectly good punch clock.
Free, no ads… so where's the catch?
There isn't one hiding in the fine print. You're not the product: no advertising, no selling or sharing your data, and the only measurement is our own anonymous, cookie-free usage stats.
Punchy exists because its builder — a software engineer — needed it for his own household. It's deliberately small and cheap to run, which is what makes free sustainable at household scale. It's free to use today; if that ever changes, you'll hear it from us plainly and in advance — and your records are never locked in either way, because you can export everything as a CSV file whenever you like.
The details, in plain words: our Privacy Policy →How private is Punchy for the people I track?
Punchy asks them for nothing. No email address, no phone number, no account, no app on their phone, no GPS — not even a real name, if you'd rather not: the name on a record is whatever you type, so initials or a nickname work fine.
Their entire footprint is a PIN tapped on your kiosk. And the kiosk carries no analytics at all.
Won't it look like I don't trust my housekeeper?
In our experience it cuts the other way. You both see exactly the same log, so the record protects your housekeeper as much as you: hours can’t quietly go missing at payday, and nobody has to be the one keeping a notebook the other side silently wonders about.
Most households and helpers trust each other just fine. What Punchy replaces is the checking — the “what time did you get here again?” texts and the mental math — not the trust.
There's no GPS — what stops someone punching in from their couch?
The kiosk is the location. Punches happen on the device you keep at home, so a punch means someone standing at your door — Punchy records when, and your doorway is the where.
That's also why the setup guide has you lock the device to Punchy: your private kiosk link stays out of sight, and the kiosk stays the only place a punch can come from. If the link ever does get out, rotate it in one tap and the old one stops working immediately.
What does the worker see at the kiosk?
After tapping their PIN: their own name, whether they're currently punched in, their recent hours, and any note you've left them. Never anyone else's hours, and no way into your account.
What if someone forgets to punch in or out?
It happens. Add or fix the entry from your dashboard — corrections keep a reason on the record, so the log stays honest for both sides.
What if the tablet breaks — or the internet goes out?
Your records don't live on the device; they're safe in your account. If a device dies, open your kiosk link on another one and carry on.
If the connection is down at punch time, that punch can't be recorded — add it from your dashboard afterwards.
Can I use Punchy at my parents' place across town?
Yes. The kiosk lives wherever the work happens, and you see the log from wherever you are. Set it up on a device at their home and check hours from yours — and, if you like, turn on an email each time someone punches in or out.
Does Punchy do payroll or taxes?
No. Punchy records hours, and the pay figures you enter are your own record — it never holds or moves money, and it files nothing. At payday you get honest totals, and you can export everything as a CSV file for whoever does your books.
Worth knowing: the IRS expects household employers to keep records of hours worked and wages paid, and a punch log is exactly that kind of record. (Punchy is a record-keeping tool, not tax or legal advice.)
Is there an app?
No — on purpose. Punchy runs in the browser on whatever device is handy, so there's nothing for you or the people you track to install or update. Add the kiosk to a device's home screen and it opens full screen, just like an app.
How many people can I track?
Up to 10 active people per account. Punchy is deliberately household-scale — a cleaner, a gardener, a caregiver, a tutor — for adults (18 and over) in the United States. It's not workforce software for a business, and we like it that way.
What happens to my data if I stop using Punchy?
You take it with you. Export your time logs as a CSV file any time, and when you delete your account, it and everything in it are permanently erased through an email-confirmed flow. Gone means gone.