ZKTeco Review 2026: Pricing, Pros and Cons
Reviewed November 1, 2026 by Loïc Joachim
A Chinese maker of biometric and card attendance terminals.
| Best for | Security installers. |
|---|---|
| How staff clock in | Hardware |
| Free plan | No |
| Monthly price | Not published |
| Hardware cost | $1000 |
| Made in | China |
| Website | zktecowfm.com |
Prices are in US dollars for the cheapest plan that includes a time clock, as of our last review. Check the vendor's site for current pricing.
Our ZKTeco review
ZKTeco makes a huge range of biometric and card terminals, often rebadged by other brands. The hardware is cheap but the software is hard to use, and fingerprint readers are unreliable in dusty or hands-on workplaces.
Pros
- Huge range of cheap hardware
Cons
- Software is hard to use
- Fingerprint readers are unreliable
- Proprietary hardware
ZKTeco features
- Tablet kiosk app
- Clock in from a phone
- Desktop app
- Proprietary hardware clock
- Paper card punching
- PIN entry
- NFC cards or tags
- Face recognition
- Fingerprint reader
- GPS location checks
- Cloud based
- Ongoing subscription
- Locks you into their hardware
Looking for something simpler?
Timeclock.Kiwi was built by people who were fed up with time clocks that take three screens and a training session to use. Staff tap their name and a PIN on any tablet, a photo is taken in the background, and hours export straight to your payroll. You pay per kiosk, not per employee, from $5 a month.
Free for 3 months, no credit card required.
ZKTeco alternatives
- Shiftbase A Dutch workforce management platform with scheduling, time clock and absence management.
- NGTeco An inexpensive card and cloud time clock sold on Amazon.
- PunchClock AI A UK biometric time clock with face recognition, fingerprint and card options.
- SmartBarrel A rugged construction site time clock with face recognition built for outdoor job sites.