If you spent an hour working on a client project, but no timer was around to track it, did you even do any work? (That's how that saying goes, right?)
As a freelancer, I'm responsible for every aspect of my business, from client work to marketing to record-keeping and admin. I keep detailed records of how long every business task and client project takes me, which helps me price my services accurately and avoid overbooking my schedule. But whether you're a solopreneur like me or a 9-5 office worker, knowing how you spend your time gives you crucial insight into—and control over—where you spend your energy.
Time tracking apps make it easier to record billable hours, streamline your business processes, and improve your personal productivity. The best time trackers have built-in timers but also let you edit or add time manually. Some of these apps even incorporate AI for a hands-off tracking process, so you can focus on deep work and leave the analytics for later.
After several weeks of in-depth testing, I've rounded up the best time tracking apps for individuals and teams so you can choose the app and features that match your work style best.
The best time tracking apps
Toggl Track for a free time tracking app
Memtime for simple automated time tracking
TrackingTime for visualizing time differently
Timeular for automated time tracking
Harvest for ease of use without sacrificing features
What makes the best time tracking software?
How we evaluate and test apps
Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
When you know how you spend your time, you can analyze your work trends and make smarter business decisions. Whether you're working solo or in a small team, time tracking software can give you a complete overview of your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly work.
What do you do with this information? Perhaps most importantly, project time tracking can help you get paid, allowing you to feel confident about your invoices rather than trying to estimate how much time you worked after the fact. If you're part of a team, time tracking can help you answer the question, "What have you been working on this month?"
When evaluating the best time tracking apps, I considered the following criteria:
Real-time tracking. Nearly all time tracking apps let you track in real time, meaning they give you a running clock that you launch when you start a task, and that you can pause or stop when you finish.
The ability to edit time tracked or manually add time blocks. The best apps let you correct time tracked after the fact, such as if you accidentally leave a timer running while you take off for lunch. You should be able to edit the time log to subtract however many minutes you weren't working. You also want an app that lets you enter a block of time post hoc in case you forget to launch a timer at all. For example, if your phone rings and you jump into a 20-minute consulting call, you might not start a timer, but you do want to log and bill for those hours worked.
Reporting features. The most powerful time tracking apps offer dashboards and reports that let you break out daily, weekly, or monthly time spent per project, per person, or per client.
The ability to create an invoice or export data. Once you aggregate all your time spent on your work, you have to be able to take action on it. All these apps let you either automatically create invoices from the time tracking data stored in the app or export that information into PDFs, CSVs, or Google Sheets to share with the right people.
Multiple points of access. The best time tracking tools make starting a timer easy and convenient. They have the versatility to let you start a timer from wherever is most convenient to you, whether that's your browser, a desktop app, or your mobile device.
Bonus: AI features. Artificial intelligence is automating and simplifying workflows across tools of all industries, and time tracking apps are no exception. I gave special consideration to time trackers that use AI to auto-track your time or use machine learning to automatically assign time blocks to related tasks and projects.
What's not included in this roundup
Here, I focused specifically on finding a time tracker for freelancers, individuals, and small teams. I didn't consider employee monitoring software, which often includes some type of time tracking. I did include two automated tracking tools that monitor users' activities—but the data is for each user's eyes only. With these tools, you choose how much (if any) data to share with your supervisors. If you're looking for more team-focused apps, take a look at Zapier's picks for the best free timesheet software.
Additionally, I haven't included project management, invoicing, or accounting apps that come with an add-on or built-in time tracker. While time-tracking clocks can be very helpful inside these tools, I assume if that's what you need, you're likely shopping for a more robust solution.
Looking for ways to make tracking time even easier? Add automation to your time tracking app and automatically start events, create projects, and notify your team when you start work on a task.
The best time tracking apps at a glance
Best for | Standout feature | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|
A free time tracking app | Easy accessibility from anywhere | Free for up to 5 users; from $9/user/month | |
Simplified automated time tracking | Minimalist interface | From $12/user/month (with a 24-month subscription) | |
Visualizing time differently | Robust task management features | Free for up to 3 users; from $5.75/user/month (minimum 3 users) | |
Automated time tracking | Available physical tracker for offline work | From $7.50/user/month | |
An easy-to-use but capable time tracking app | Native invoicing and project management features | Free for 1 user and 2 projects; from $11/user/month |
Best free time tracking app
Toggl Track (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, and browser extensions)
Toggl Track pros:
Generous free plan
Effortless real-time tracking
Numerous access points
Toggl Track cons:
No task management or planning features on free plan
If you need a time tracker tool but can't pay for one, you should use Toggl Track. The time tracking tool has a generous free tier of service that gives you access to all its apps (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, and browser extensions) and includes all the core functionality you'd expect in a time tracking app.
Toggl Track works so effortlessly primarily because it doesn't ask much of you when you start timing a task. With many time tracking apps, you have to have a client, project, and task entered into your account before the app will let you track time. If you don't, you have to set your task aside for the time being and enter them. With Toggl Track, you can track your time right away, view your tracked time entries in a grid or calendar format, and worry about the details later.
Additionally, when you use Toggl Track through the Chrome or Firefox browser extension, a Toggl timer button shows up in just about every web app you could imagine, from Google Docs (and other Google apps) to Help Scout. Because you always see the Toggl Track button while you're working, you have a continual reminder to track your time. I also like keeping the desktop app open on my computer, so even if I start a timer from my browser window, the running clock will appear on my Mac's menubar. The easy accessibility from wherever I am makes Toggl's timer one of the most flexible and easiest-to-use tools I've tested.
Toggl Track also has some of the most detailed options I've seen in a time tracking app. For example, in the Toggl Track Chrome extension, you can automatically start and stop tracking time based on whether the browser is open or not. It also has excellent idle detection, which helps you maintain high accuracy across your records. When the app detects your computer has been idle but a timer is still running, it offers ways to correct the recorded block of time. That way, if you're interrupted while working and get sucked into a 20-minute conversation, Toggl Track can knock out those 20 minutes from your record. Toggl Track even has a Pomodoro Technique setting, so that you can work for a set amount of time on a project that requires your focus and then take a short break, all with simple stopwatch-like reminders.
Toggl has also recently upgraded its dashboards and reporting features for even more in-depth data analysis. You can create customized dashboards to see weekly stats or team summaries, and then generate reports filtered by team, tag, or client.
For even more flexibility, use Toggl Track's Zapier integrations to connect Toggl Track with your favorite apps, so you can start new time entries in Toggl Track when calendar events start, add new entries to a spreadsheet, and more. Learn more about how to automate Toggl Track, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Create detailed Google Calendar events for new Toggl Track time entries
Create Google Sheets rows for every new time entry in Toggl Track
Create new Toggl Track entries for every new Google Calendar event start
Toggl Track pricing: Free for up to 5 users; $9/user/month when billed annually for the Starter plan, which includes time rounding, billable rates, saved reports, and more.
If you're looking for a simple time tracking app without extra bells and whistles, consider Clockify. While the free plan doesn't offer the same level of functionality as Toggl Track, it does include unlimited tracking, unlimited users, unlimited projects, and unlimited reports—all for free.
Best time tracking app for simplified auto-tracking
Memtime (macOS, Windows, Linux)
Memtime pros:
Seamless automatic tracking
Simple feature-set
Memtime cons:
Desktop-only
Privacy concerns with AI tracking
Memtime (formerly timeBro) is a relatively new automated time tracking tool that has quickly become my new favorite. Much like Timely, Memtime is a desktop app that keeps track of your computer activity, so you can categorize it later. No more remembering to start or stop a timer; just visit the app at the end of your workday to review and categorize what you've done.
What I love so much about Memtime is its simplicity. The other auto-tracking tools I tested have so much emphasis on team project management and timesheet creation that it's easy to become overwhelmed. If, like me, you're not collaborating on projects with others or planning to submit detailed timesheets to your supervisor, tools like Timely might be overkill. Memtime's interface is much more minimalist, with a running log of your activity, a space where you can create entries with a click, and an overview of your day's work. There's also a page for project management—where you can add clients and projects manually or import them from your other apps—and a reporting page with your productivity stats. You can also sync Memtime with your calendar to view events alongside captured activities.
To create new time entries in the Timeline view, it's easy to click on the timeline and drag your cursor to adjust the entry's duration. The display is broken down into five-minute intervals (or you can choose a one-minute breakdown if you prefer to be more granular and don't mind scrolling). Alternatively, you can use List view, which lets you drag and drop activities to log new entries.
One thing to keep in mind is that Memtime only works in a desktop app; no mobile app or web access. And since Memtime uses five-minute intervals by default in the Timeline view, I found the total logged work time to be less precise than Timely. But since I'm just tracking for my personal use, the simplicity of Memtime is worth the sacrifice.
If you're looking to dip your toe into automated time tracking but don't want to be overwhelmed with team or project management features, I absolutely recommend trying Memtime.
Memtime pricing: $12/user/month (with a 24-month subscription) for the Basic plan, which comes with fully automated time tracking and calendar sync. The Connect plan starts at $18/user/month for project management software integration.
Best time tracking app for visualizing time differently
TrackingTime (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web, Chrome, Firefox)
TrackingTime pros:
Great for time blocking and planning
Straightforward interface
Built-in project management feature
TrackingTime cons:
Free plan limited on features
May be too simple for some use cases
TrackingTime is a collaborative time tracking tool that looks different from many other time tracking apps. It represents time in blocks or windows, just as if that working time were an event on your calendar. It's not the only app that lays out your time in this fashion, but it does offer the most opportunities for customization. For example, you can choose between a day, week, month, or team view.
The daily view has the most helpful layout I've seen, showing the full month's calendar on the left (with each day displaying an icon to show the amount of time tracked) and the day you select on the right, color-coded and organized by blocks of tracked time.
TrackingTime also puts more emphasis on planning your time before you start working compared to other apps. For example, you can schedule blocks of time on your calendar for tasks you intend to work on later in the week or for recurring events, like meetings—it's almost like a combo time-tracking and time-blocking app.
The Work tab is the closest to a traditional project management tool that I've seen, with a sleek and user-friendly interface. It looks similar to an Asana list, where you can view tasks broken down by project, client, priority, or date. Clicking on a task expands a side panel where you can view tracked time, add attachments or subtasks, and set custom fields. If you're looking for a time tracker that doubles as a relatively robust task manager, TrackingTime is worth checking out.
If you'd rather keep your task manager separate, TrackingTime's Chrome extension integrates with several productivity tools, allowing you to start a timer directly from apps like Airtable, Asana, and Notion. Or you can connect TrackingTime to Zapier to help it talk to all the other apps you use. Here are a couple examples to get you started.
Create time activities in QuickBooks Online for new or updated time entries in TrackingTime
Add new TrackingTime time entries to Google Sheets rows
Add rows to Microsoft Excel for new or updated time entries in TrackingTime
TrackingTime pricing: Free for up to 3 users; $5.75/user/month (minimum 3 users) for the Pro plan for unlimited collaboration, advanced reporting, and team management features.
Best time tracking app for automated time tracking
Timeular (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web, Linux)
Timeular pros:
Seamless automatic tracking
Built with privacy in mind
Offline tracker available
Timeular cons:
No free plan
The best time trackers offer features that save you time, not add to your workload. They make it seamless to record your time and add details quickly, whenever it's convenient. That's the promise of most time tracking apps—Timeular is one of the few that actually lives up to it.
Timeular's automatic tracking is still in beta, but in my experience testing the app, it's the most seamless auto-tracking I've come across. My favorite way to view time is the Day view, where the app interface is set up in three columns: activities on the left, tracked time in the middle, and auto-tracked activity on the right. You can add this automatic data into your official tracked time log with as few as two clicks.
In the Activities column, every activity you've previously logged is listed. It takes one click on the play button next to any given activity to start the timer. In the left-hand menu, select Insights to view in-depth reports on how you're spending your time or Budgets to set and track detailed time budgets by client or project.
You can use Timeular via web, mobile, or desktop apps. It's one of the few apps I tested with a pretty consistent feature-set across each access point, but you'll need the desktop or mobile app to activate automatic tracking—and all that data is stored locally on your device, where it's private and secure.
Another unique feature of Timeular is the option to purchase a separate physical tracker. The tracker looks like an eight-sided die, which you can program to correlate with eight different activities, including offline work. Simply flip to the side of your choice, and the timer starts tracking and automatically syncs with the Timeular app.
You can do even more when you connect Timeular with Zapier, automating workflows like updating your Slack status, logging time across apps, and more. Here are a few workflows to get you started.
Log stopped Timeular trackings by creating new rows in Google Sheets
Create entries in Toggl Track from new Timeular time entries
Create Timeular activities for new monday.com boards
Timeular pricing: From $7.50/user/month for the Personal plan, which includes unlimited automatic time tracking and standard features.
If you're looking for a time tracker with automatic tracking and more team-focused features, Timely is worth a look. The app offers powerful team management features—fit for even the largest teams—and accurate automatic tracking that's easy to categorize whenever it's convenient.
Best simple time tracking app with lots of extras
Harvest (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web, and browser extensions)
Harvest pros:
Super simple time tracking flow
Native invoicing and project management
Extensive third-party integrations
Harvest cons:
Super limited free plan
If you're looking for a dead simple solution to track your time, Harvest is a strong contender. The user experience is simple, but the app certainly isn't lacking in features.
Your timesheet is the main screen you'll see when you log in. From there, it takes one click on the green plus sign to add time. Simply choose a project and category from the dropdown menus, and then either add time you've already worked or hit Start timer. Once tracked, time entries are displayed in a list on your timesheet.
Harvest offers its own native invoicing, expense tracking, and project management features. Creating an invoice from tracked time is super quick, and Harvest offers similarly simple, yet in-depth, reports to track time logs, uninvoiced work, and profitability by client, project, team member, and task category.
The app even includes a Client Dashboard module, which you can enable or disable from the Settings screen. When enabled, it generates a unique URL you can share with clients to allow them to view all of their invoices and payments.
Harvest offers a ton of integrations with third-party project managers, invoicing and payment software, communication tools, and more. Plus, you can automate tons of workflows when you connect Harvest with Zapier. Learn more about how to automate Harvest, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Create timesheet entries in Harvest when Google Calendar events start
Create new Harvest projects from updated deal stages in HubSpot
Harvest pricing: Free for 1 user and up to 2 projects; from $11/user/month for the Pro plan to get unlimited users and projects, team reporting, accounting and payment integrations, and more.
If you're looking for an even simpler time tracker, Everhour is worth a look. It doesn't offer the native features of Harvest, but the app does integrate with a number of popular project management apps. Once integrated, you can simply hit the play button to start a time log right from your project manager of choice.
What makes the best time tracker?
The right time tracking app takes the guesswork out of scheduling and accounting for your workday. Easily start and stop timers, add or edit time entries manually, and export or review your data for more accurate invoicing and planning. And you can save even more of your valuable time by automating the data flow between your other apps and your time tracker of choice. That way, you're spending your time where it matters most.
Related reading:
This article was originally published in September 2018 by Emily Esposito and has also had contributions from Nicole Replogle. The most recent update was in December 2024.
