Standard Time® vs JobBOSS — Manufacturing Software Comparison

The short answer: If you run a job shop and need to scan barcodes, track job costing, display WIP on big screens, and schedule with AI — Standard Time® does all of it for $8.99/user/month with zero implementation time. JobBOSS² is a full ERP with estimating, purchasing, and BOM management, but costs 11–17× more per user and takes months to deploy. Most shops that switch to Standard Time® weren't using 80% of their ERP anyway.

Standard Time® — Best for

Job shops needing scan-to-start time tracking
Shops overpaying for ERP they barely use
Teams that want to go live this week, not this quarter
Operations using QuickBooks for accounting already
Companies that need AI scheduling without a consultant
Manufacturers who want WIP on shop-floor big screens

JobBOSS² — Better when you need

Full ERP with estimating and quoting built in
Multi-level BOM and engineering change management
Purchasing, receiving, and supplier management
Integrated AR/AP and general ledger
Multi-site or multi-company operations
Budget for a 3–4 month implementation

Pricing — $8.99 vs $99+/User/Month

Standard Time® Pro is a flat $8.99/user/month — every feature included, no module fees. JobBOSS² cloud pricing starts around $99/user/month and scales up with modules and user count.

Pricing bar chart: Standard Time $8.99/user vs JobBOSS² $99–$149/user

Plan	Per User / Mo	What's included
Standard Time® Pro	$8.99	All features — barcode scanning, WIP dashboards, job costing, Gantt charts, AI scheduling, inventory scanning, QuickBooks integration
Standard Time® Enterprise	Contact us	Everything in Pro + dedicated server, multi-site coordination
JobBOSS² Standard	~$99	Core job shop ERP — estimating, production, scheduling, shop floor data collection; implementation & training extra
JobBOSS² Professional	~$149	Adds advanced production, subcontracting, deeper analytics; implementation & reseller fees separate

Real-world cost for a 10-person shop: Standard Time® Pro = $89.90/month — all features, no setup fees. JobBOSS² Standard = ~$990/month for the same 10 users, plus reseller implementation fees that typically run $5,000–$25,000. Standard Time® is live in a day and costs less in year one than JobBOSS² costs in a single month.

Feature Comparison

The shop-floor features manufacturers depend on daily — and which product has them out of the box.

Feature matrix comparing Standard Time and JobBOSS² manufacturing capabilities

Standard Time® Strengths

Deep Barcode Scanning

Camera, RFID tap, voice recognition, and dedicated scanner support — one scan starts a timer instantly, no menus required.

AI Scheduling + Gantt Charts

Drag-drop Gantt for production planning, plus AI that reschedules jobs when you describe changes in plain language. JobBOSS² has no AI scheduling.

WIP Dashboards Built for Big Screens

Mount a monitor on the shop floor and display live job status, employee activity, and KPIs. JobBOSS² SFDC requires additional configuration for comparable display output.

QuickBooks Integration — Included

Actual labor costs from barcode scans flow into QuickBooks automatically — no connector app, no extra subscription. JobBOSS² QuickBooks sync is available but requires additional configuration.

Where JobBOSS² Has More Depth

Full estimating and quoting module
Multi-level BOM and routing management
Engineering change order (ECO) tracking
Purchasing, receiving, and vendor management
Built-in AR/AP and general ledger
Subcontracting and outside processing
Multi-site operations management

The tradeoff: JobBOSS² is a complete job shop ERP — if you need estimating, purchasing, and accounting all in one system, it covers that depth. The cost is $99–$149+/user/month plus implementation fees, and 3–4 months before you're live. Most shops with fewer than 50 employees are paying for ERP capabilities they use less than once a week.

Scan a Barcode. Start a Timer. No Keyboard.

Standard Time® was built around barcode-driven time tracking. One scan starts a job timer — no menus, no typing, no delays. JobBOSS² has a shop floor data collection (SFDC) module, but it requires additional setup and lacks the scan-to-start flexibility Standard Time® provides out of the box.

Starting a job timer by scan

Standard Time scan barcodes screen — timer started for work order 10200, Weld operation

Scan the employee barcode, then the work order — the timer starts immediately. The screen confirms: Started: Work Order 10200, Weld. No typing, no menus, no delays.

Stopping the timer

Standard Time scan barcodes screen — timer stopped for employee Buzz

Scan STOP and the timer stops. The screen confirms Timer stopped for Buzz. The time log is written — ready for job costing and QuickBooks sync.

What Standard Time® Can Scan

Employee ID barcodes (username)
Work order / job number labels
Task labels (Weld, Inspect, Fabricate…)
STOP barcode to end any timer
Inventory items (INV-SUB, INV-ADD, INV-BUILD)
Custom barcodes via Barcode Rules

Camera capture — use any phone, tablet, or notebook camera to scan 1D barcodes and QR codes. No dedicated scanner hardware required.

RFID — tap an RFID tag to start or stop a timer on employee badges or work order travelers.

Voice recognition — speak the job number and the scanner hears it.

JobBOSS² SFDC vs ST Scanning

JobBOSS² includes a Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC) module for time tracking, but:

SFDC is a separate module requiring additional setup
Camera-based scanning requires third-party hardware config
Barcode rules and custom scan logic need IT involvement
No voice recognition input
No AI scheduling connected to scan data

In Standard Time®, barcode scanning is the core of how the product works — not a module added on top of an ERP.

Job Costing, Timesheets & Gantt Charts

Every barcode scan creates a time log tied to a specific work order and task. That data flows into job cost reports, timesheets, and Gantt charts — automatically.

Time logs by work order

Standard Time time logs view showing start/stop times by work order and employee

Every scan creates a time log with the work order, task, employee, start time, stop time, and actual hours. Work order 10200 shows Weld and Bending time broken out by day and worker — ready for job costing.

Gantt chart — production scheduling

Standard Time Gantt chart showing production schedule across multiple work orders

Drag-and-drop Gantt charts for production scheduling. Rearrange jobs, adjust deadlines, and see the impact across your schedule instantly. Ask the AI to reschedule jobs by deadline priority or employee availability.

Resource allocation & capacity

Resource allocation bar chart showing over and under-allocated employees

See immediately which employees are over- or under-allocated. Standard Time® color-codes capacity so you can rebalance the schedule before it becomes a bottleneck.

Weekly timesheet by project

Standard Time weekly timesheet showing hours per work order and task across the week

The timesheet view breaks down hours by work order and task across the week — exactly what job costing requires. This data syncs to QuickBooks automatically.

One Day vs Four Months

Setup time is one of the biggest real-world differences between Standard Time® and JobBOSS². Both products are full-featured — but only one is scanning barcodes by end of day.

Setup time comparison: Standard Time live in one day vs JobBOSS 8-16 week implementation

Standard Time® Setup

Sign up and create your account
Add users and assign employee barcodes
Create work orders and print job labels
Mount a scan station (tablet or PC)
First scan — timers and job costing are live

Live in under one day. No consultant required.

JobBOSS² Typical Implementation

Purchase and assign a reseller/implementer
Discovery phase: data audit and project scoping
System configuration and module setup
Data migration (parts, customers, work orders)
Staff training across all roles
Parallel run and go-live validation

Typical timeline: 3–4 months minimum. Implementation fees from a JobBOSS reseller typically run $5,000–$25,000+ depending on data complexity and customization.

Shop Floor Tracker vs Full ERP

Standard Time® was designed specifically for shop floor time tracking, barcode scanning, and job costing. JobBOSS² is a full ERP built to run an entire job shop business from estimating through shipping.

Standard Time purpose-built for shop floor tracking vs JobBOSS full ERP

JobBOSS² is a serious product with decades of history in the job shop market. If you need estimating, purchasing, BOM management, and an integrated general ledger — all in one system — JobBOSS² can do that. The cost is real: $99–$149+/user/month, a full implementation engagement, and months before you're live.

Most job shops come to Standard Time® because they already have QuickBooks for accounting, and they don't need another accounting system. What they need is accurate labor cost data by job — which means they need employees to scan a barcode when they start and stop working. Standard Time® solves that problem on day one, at $8.99/user/month.

If your shop's biggest pain is "we don't know what jobs actually cost in labor" or "we can't tell who's working on what right now" — Standard Time® solves both of those today, without a consultant, without an implementation project, and without a six-figure software budget.

Manufacturing shop floor with barcode scanning and real-time dashboards

Which One Should You Choose?

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Choose Standard Time® if you…

Need scan-to-start time tracking today
Use QuickBooks and want to keep it
Want to pay less than $10/user/month
Can't wait 3–4 months to go live
Want AI scheduling without a consultant
Need WIP dashboards on shop-floor screens

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Consider JobBOSS² if you…

Need a full ERP to replace all systems
Do complex estimating and quoting in-house
Manage multi-level BOMs and ECOs
Have budget for implementation and training
Run multiple sites or companies
Need built-in AR/AP and general ledger

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