Manage working hours and project times efficiently.
Grade: A — Score: 85/100
ZEP offers a comprehensive technology solution for time tracking and project management, enabling users to replace manual timesheets with a legally compliant system that tracks time down to the minute. Accessible via app, browser, or local terminal, it ensures ease of use and flexibility.
The platform streamlines workflows by allowing users to allocate time to specific customers, projects, and sub-projects, enhancing detail with activity specifications and comments. This automation of project processes transforms manual tasks into efficient workflows.
By utilizing ZEP, companies can mitigate risks associated with compliance and project management, ensuring that legal regulations regarding working hours are adhered to. The system's robust reporting capabilities provide insights that support project success and operational efficiency.
ZEP Clock: From €2/user/month
ZEP Compact: From €7/user/month
ZEP Professional: From €18/user/month
Add-on modules and integrations: Priced individually via ZEP price calculator
Consider switching to Toggl: Toggl offers a simpler interface for basic time tracking needs.
Both are DACH time tracking tools with DATEV export, German hosting, and a similar price floor. Clockodo is the lighter, faster choice for pure time tracking and absence management, with a genuinely free tier for solo freelancers and Basic at €4/user/month. Zep is the heavier, more modular choice if you need full project controlling, invoicing, travel expenses, or PSA in one system, with tiers from €2 to €18/user/month. Clockodo wins on speed of setup and native mobile apps; Zep wins on breadth and on having hardware terminals and software from one vendor.
Yes. Zep tracks working hours down to the minute via browser, mobile app, or ZEP Terminal, documents breaks and rest periods per the German Working Time Act (ArbZG), and stores the records in ISO/IEC 27001-certified German data centers. Zep explicitly markets compliance with the September 2022 Federal Labor Court ruling that made systematic time tracking mandatory for all German employers regardless of size. Third-party reviewers rate Zep at or near the top of the DACH market specifically for legal compliance coverage.
Zep's DATEV interface exports working hours, absences, and payroll-relevant data to the DATEV services Lohnimportdatenservice and Lohnresultdatenservice, which are the two data channels your tax advisor uses for payroll preparation. The export runs on demand or on a monthly schedule, eliminating manual re-entry of timesheet data into DATEV LODAS or LHR. This integration is the main reason Zep is popular with small and mid-sized German companies that outsource payroll to a Steuerberater.
Yes, with a caveat. Zep offers two iOS and Android apps in the stores: the newer Zep app for project time tracking and the Zep Clock app for working time tracking, plus a legacy ZEP2 app that some customers still run. All three are functional, but the multi-app setup causes confusion and independent reviewers flag it as a usability weakness. If you are new to Zep, install the Zep Clock app for working time tracking or the main Zep app for project time tracking depending on which tier you bought.
No. Zep certifies to ISO/IEC 27001, the international standard for information security management systems, along with its cloud hosting partners. ISO 27001 is the dominant standard in Europe and covers substantially similar ground to SOC 2, but US enterprise procurement teams sometimes require SOC 2 specifically. If your security review requires a SOC 2 report, Zep cannot provide one and you will need either a vendor variance or a US-based alternative like Harvest.
Zep supports standard working time models including fixed hours, flex schedules, overtime accounts, and shift supplements for night work and weekends. However, independent reviewers have noted that more complex flex-time setups (Gleitzeit with multiple bandwidths, rolling averages, or custom accrual rules) can require workarounds rather than native configuration. If your company runs unusual working time models, confirm the specific configuration during the 14-day free trial before committing.
Zep's terms specify that customer access to data ends at the termination of the contract, and the customer is responsible for exporting any data they need to retain before that date. Zep provides an export function throughout the contract term that covers time records, project data, customers, and reports. This is the standard German SaaS pattern under GDPR Article 28, but it means you should plan and execute a final export as part of your offboarding rather than assuming post-cancellation data access.
Zep offers bidirectional connectors with Personio, HR Works, and SAP-adjacent HRIS platforms. You can configure either Zep or the HRIS as the leading system for employee master data, which determines where edits originate and how they flow. Absences and sick leave recorded in the HRIS automatically update Zep, which in turn keeps the working time account accurate. This is especially valuable for DACH mid-market companies that already run Personio for HR and want time tracking without duplicate data maintenance.
Probably, yes. Reviewers across Capterra, Trusted, and Softwareabc24 consistently note that Zep's feature breadth feels heavy for teams that only want to record working hours and absences. At that use case, Clockodo's free Solo tier, Clockify's free plan for unlimited users, or Toggl Track are more appropriate and cheaper to run. Zep starts making sense when you add customer and project billing, travel expenses, invoicing, or resource planning to the requirement list.