ScriptWhy people look for an alternative
Desktop tools such as eTimeTrackLite (often supplied with eSSL machines) and ZKTime.Net (with ZKTeco machines) do the basic job well. The complaints we hear are almost always about where they run, not what they do:
- They live on one Windows PC at the office, which must stay on to collect punches.
- They reach the machine over the local network — seeing other branches needs a VPN, a fixed IP or a copy at every site.
- The owner cannot check today's attendance from home or a phone.
- If that PC breaks or is reinstalled, the attendance history can go with it.
If none of that bothers you, keep using your desktop software. If it does, read on.
The way out: push mode
Most ZKTeco and eSSL machines made in recent years can also send punches to a server on the internet — ADMS / push mode. You keep the same machines and the same fingerprints. You only change where the punches go.
Check your machine: open Menu → Comm. If you see Cloud Server Setting, ADMS or (on some eSSL models) Cloud, it can push.
Desktop software vs a self-hosted cloud server
| Desktop (eTimeTrackLite, ZKTime.Net) | Self-hosted cloud (e.g. PunchSync) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | One Windows PC | Your web hosting, under your domain |
| Office PC left on | Yes | No |
| Fixed IP / VPN for branches | Usually needed | Not needed — machines call the server |
| Check attendance from a phone | No | Yes, any browser |
| Many branches in one place | Hard | Built in |
| API / webhooks for payroll | Limited or none | REST API and signed webhooks |
| Cost | Often free with the machine | One-time license + ordinary hosting |
What about BioTime and monthly cloud services?
ZKTeco also offers larger web-based platforms such as BioTime, and there are many monthly cloud attendance services. They can be a good fit for bigger organisations. Before you choose one, compare three things with your own numbers: the license cost (per device or per employee), where it must be installed, and the yearly total over three years. Our self-hosted vs SaaS cost guide shows how.
Switching without losing anything
- Keep the desktop software running for now — nothing changes on the machine until you change the server settings.
- Install the new server on your hosting and add your employees with the same PINs as on the machines.
- Point one machine at it (five settings), approve it and watch punches arrive.
- Ask the machine to re-send its stored punches so recent history arrives too. Nothing is doubled.
- When you are happy, move the other machines and branches, and export your old reports from the desktop software for your records.