21 best productivity and time tracking apps

Looking for the best time tracking app for your team? We've got you covered – check out our guide for time tracker apps, compare the features and prices, and find the right fit for your needs.

Free 14-day trial. No credit card required.
By signing up, you agree to our terms and privacy policy.

A man looking at the dashboard of DeskTime time tracking app on a computer screen

We did the research for you and collected the best time tracking apps in one place, so you can choose the right one for you - whether you're a freelancer, small business owner, or run a large company.
This ultimate guide for time tracking apps has it all - tools with the most basic features, as well as highly advanced software. Be sure you'll find the productivity tracking software that best fits your needs.

A time tracking app is an essential time management tool that can help you and your team become more organized, efficient, and get more things done.

Simply put, a time tracking app will save you and your company precious time - and money.

The thing is - there are hundreds of time tracking apps available with countless features. Productivity monitoring, GPS tracking - the list goes on and on.

However, the question is: which tool is the best for you and your team? The answer - it depends.

Let’s compare, shall we?

DeskTime is a simple-to-use time tracking app that combines three crucial features - employee monitoring, project management and productivity analysis. Additionally, this employee productivity tracking software is designed to help managers and their teams identify their unproductive habits, by sorting web pages and applications into "Productive" and "Unproductive".

DeskTime not only tracks time, but also automatically calculates your daily productivity and efficiency based on your categorization of URLs, programs, and apps. This means - the more time you spend on productive applications, the higher your daily productivity is.

Of course, the productivity or un-productivity of URLs depend on each user's position. That's why DeskTime allows you to create employee groups and manage application productivity individually for every group. That way, you can set Facebook as productive for your marketing team, while unproductive for everyone else.

For Whom?

DeskTime is the perfect time tracker for companies and teams that are more interested in the big picture rather than detailed analysis of the URLs and programs their employees use. Set the productivity target (e.g., the average monthly productivity must be 85%), then watch your employees hit the target.

Special features

  • Daily productivity timeline

  • Detailed visual and downloadable reports

  • Auto screenshots

  • Pomodoro timer

  • Integrations with project management apps

  • Absence calendar

  • Shift scheduling

What DeskTime users say:

DeskTime is one of the best time tracking apps. In addition to time tracking, it’s also a productivity tracker where employee productivity and efficiency is calculated smartly. In addition, it does not require much configuration.

When there is a lot of different activity, DeskTime productivity tracker may become a bit difficult as managing what is / isn't productive can be cumbersome.

Platforms

Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price

DeskTime Lite: Free
DeskTime Pro: $7/user/month ($6.42/user/month if paid annually)
DeskTime Premium: $10/user/month ($9.17/user/month if paid annually)
DeskTime Enterprise: $20/user/month ($18.33/user/month if paid annually)
See all pricing plans
ProofHub

2 . ProofHub

ProofHub is one of the handiest online project management and time tracking software options on the market, combining these two functions seamlessly. It offers a wide selection of features designed to improve team collaboration. You can use the platform to share announcements about the latest achievements, praise colleagues who have done an outstanding job, send birthday greetings, or provide relevant information that everyone should know. ProofHub also has a chat feature for communication with colleagues or customers. The app helps with productivity tracking, too – when you have the full picture of what everyone is doing and the projects they're working on, you can spot and prevent the bottlenecks.

But going back to basics, ProofHub offers straightforward yet effective task management and time tracking solutions. You get an automatic timer to start tracking every billable hour as soon as you start working on a task, or you can use the built-in timer to make manual time entries. ProofHub lets you sort your tasks into lists for easier management; these lists are available to all project members, or you can create private lists visible only to select project members. Each task can be labeled as Backlog, In Progress, and Complete. You can also indicate the percentage of how far it has progressed – a great feature to make task management, time planning, and progress monitoring even more transparent.

This online project management and productivity tracking software also has a calendar where you can see an overview of your tasks and add events or milestones to be reached. It lets you take notes, mark them as private, and add stickies or bookmarks. Generally, ProofHub helps you manage projects and tasks effectively, share announcements, monitor logged time, oversee your team's agenda and the completed activities, create project templates, and do much more. It will also be handy for managers who need to keep track of the team's work, overall progress, logged time, and completed tasks; ProofHub lets you download all the data it collects and stores into handy reports.

A screenshot of the ProofHub productivity tracking app

For Whom?

ProofHub is perfect for teams and managers looking to become more productive, and track their productive efforts.

Special features

  • Advanced project management features

  • Real-time collaboration tools

  • Custom reports

What ProofHub users say:

ProofHub took away the barriers that prevented our team members from accessing the information they needed. ProofHub enables collaboration and allows us to set our priorities, instead of the software making us work around its limitations. Carrier pigeons are expensive and very unreliable. Thank the stars for ProofHub!

The Gantt chart can certainly use some more features. Likewise the API can also get more functions.

Platforms

iOS, Android, Web

Price

Ultimate control plan with unlimited users and projects at $89 per month billed annually ($99 per month if billed monthly)
Essential plan with unlimited users and 40 projects at $45 per month billed annually ($50 per month if billed monthly)

Hours TimeLord is a time clock app with basic time tracking features - most suited for people who aren't looking for advanced features. Available as a mobile app, Hours TimeLord allows you to keep a running list of timers and quickly switch between your tasks.

In Hours TimeLord, you can manage your tasks and projects by color-coding them. That is, by applying a specific color for a task or project, you can easily differentiate between them.

Also, the timeline in the app lets you quickly make adjustments in your recorded timestamps at any time. For example, if you started a task at 10:00, but forgot to switch the timer until 10:15, you can adjust it by simply dragging the start time to 10:00.

Screenshot of the Hours time tracking app

For Whom?

Hours TimeLord is for you if all you need is a simple time tracker and basic report-sending functionality.

Special features

  • Task and project color-coding

  • Reminders to start time tracking timers

  • Can be used with Apple Watch

What Hours TimeLord users say:

This app has the right features to help you accurately track your time and take notes on what you were doing and for whom.

Because the time tracker app has no Windows or Mac version, you may sometimes forget to set the timer and click it to start. Hours is also purely a work time tracker app without any additional productivity tracker.

Platforms

Web, iOS

Price

Forever Free: free for 1 user
Personal: $9.99/user/year
Pro: $49/user/year
Teams: $199/5 users/year

TimeCamp is a time tracking solution that also provides a whole host of features for task and project management. With TimeCamp's user-friendly interface, tracking project and task progress is effortless – you can add and assign groups or people to the task, set up estimated hours and fees, and provide any other details you might need. The tasks can be set up as billable or non-billable, and you can also add various notes. The calendar feature lets you view tasks by day, week, or month. You can also structure tasks and their subtasks in a hierarchy, setting up dependencies.

The TimeCamp time tracking app automatically logs the time spent on different tasks and projects; manual time entry is also available to maintain control over what gets logged and how. TimeCamp's work tracker has an idle time detection feature, which sends notifications to users when they are inactive.

Another handy feature of TimeCamp is time reporting – it lets you generate custom reports (Time, People, Budgeting, and others), which provide detailed insights into how users have spent their time. These reports can be exported and shared with others. TimeCamp also functions as employee productivity tracking software – it offers productivity analysis, comparing how the time spent on productive activities stacks up against distractions. To improve your team's productivity, you can set goals that need to be reached – for example, set up a benchmark of at least 6 hours spent on productive apps every day.

The TimeCamp time tracking app also offers an invoicing feature that allows users to create and send invoices based on the tracked time data; it also provides various billing methods, helping you accurately charge your customers for the time spent on their projects.

Overall, TimeCamp is one of the best time tracking apps on the market – it helps teams optimize their time usage and improve productivity. This time tracker app helps create and manage projects easily, assign tasks, set deadlines, generate detailed reports, automatically track time, and simply manage your time better in various other ways.

A screenshot of the TimeCamp time tracking solution

For Whom?

TimeCamp is a tool for managers and organizations looking for an all-in-one time tracker and billing app, as well as employee productivity tracking software that integrates with project management tools.

Special features

  • Get your daily productivity analysis

  • Create and store invoices for clients

  • Get notifications when a client views an invoice

  • Attendance tracker

What TimeCamp users say:

TimeCamp is a fairly simple time tracking app with easy to understand customizable reports as well as an intuitive interface. It’s also an effective productivity tracker, as you can see your daily productivity analysis.

Integrations are not always working properly. There are certain errors in the application for mobile devices, which can cause a loss of data.

Platforms

Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price

Free: $0/user/mo
Basic: $7.99/user/month ($6.99/user/month if paid annually)
Pro: $10.99/user/month ($9.99/user/month if paid annually)

Time Doctor is a time tracking app that helps teams and individual users optimize work efficiency and improve productivity and performance. One of the key features Time Doctor offers is time tracking – the app automatically logs the time spent on various tasks and projects. It also provides idle time detection: it can automatically determine when users are inactive, and when that happens, it pauses time tracking. Time Doctor also has website and app monitoring, time management, and many other features. You can generate and download detailed reports on the tracked time, which break down the time spent on various projects and tasks.

Time tracking, monitoring, and team and project management features make Time Doctor a handy and versatile tool for both employees and managers. The Time Doctor employee time tracking software allows managers to monitor their team's activities, measure productivity levels, and generate reports to evaluate the team's performance. It also has features like attendance tracking, payroll management, and invoicing.

Some other features that will be particularly handy for managers include the option to create paid breaks and assign them to employees, the ability to create work schedules for employees via a CSV import, and the possibility to set up the Screencasts feature, which captures screenshots of employees' screens at specific intervals or even records their activities in a video. You can choose the time intervals at which the screenshots should be taken and whether or not the screenshots should be blurred.

To sum up, Time Doctor is one of the best time tracking apps; it covers not just basic work tracking and productivity measurement needs, but it also offers a wide range of other features that will help your team hit its productivity and performance goals, like website and app usage monitoring, reminder and notification system, detailed reports, and much more.

A screenshot of the Time Doctor time tracking app

For Whom?

Time Doctor is a powerful employee time tracking app for both smaller and larger companies (20-500 employees) looking for an all-in-one detailed employee monitoring and employee payment software. It's a solution for small business owners and startup CEOs - paying directly from the time tracking app saves time.

Special features

  • Create payrolls and pay your employees through the software

  • Auto screenshots

  • Give clients access to your Time Doctor account

  • Chat monitoring

What Time Doctor users say:

With Time Doctor, it’s easy to maintain transparency with clients at all times. The TimeDoctor time tracking program helps to track project hours and provide documented proof of work for clients.

Time Doctor is not the best time tracking app in terms of design and ease of use, as the interface looks quite outdated and sometimes it is hard to understand where to find a certain feature. Could be more intuitive.

Platforms

Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price

Basic: $7/user/month ($70/user/year if paid annually)
Standard: $10/user/month ($100/user/year if paid annually)
Premium: $20/user/month ($200/user/year if paid annually)

Toggl is a timer-based time tracking app with an intuitive interface and many functionalities, which help teams and individual users easily manage their time and boost productivity. Toggl's timer is easy to start and stop, letting you accurately track employee hours spent on various activities; the tracked time can be categorized by adding project labels and tags.

One of the most valuable features this time tracking system offers is the possibility to set up estimates and alerts. For example, you can add the number of hours a project or task should take, and as you're working on it, you can check the progress and see how it stacks up to the estimate in the project dashboard. You can also set up alerts to notify you when a project or task has reached a certain completion percentage.

The Toggl time tracking tool provides its users with insightful visual reports, including a breakdown of the day's or week's projects, an activity timeline, and much more. You can set up billable rates and labor costs and get comparative insights by selecting up to 10 projects – see the data trends, project and employee profitability, and more. The possibility to add billable rates and estimates means that Toggl is an excellent tool for invoicing and billing purposes, too. You can also create fixed-fee projects and manage budgets not tied to an hourly rate.

Overall, this time tracking software gives you a quick overview of your work progress and provides insights into team productivity data – provided you ask your employees to share their info. You can also use the data gathered by time tracking to generate detailed reports and dig deeper into your productivity trends. Toggl easily integrates with external calendars, like Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar; plus, it offers native integrations with project management tools like Asana and Jira and has a host of other plugins. Using Toggl for work tracking can improve your time management skills, increase productivity, and improve your overall efficiency and work performance.

A screenshot of the Toggl work tracking app

For Whom?

The timelines and budget planning feature make Toggl a great solution for collaborative freelancers, startups, and small businesses working on complex, limited-budget projects.

Special features

  • Set estimated project timelines and budget.

  • Convenient browser extensions (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox)

  • A separate Toggl Android app

What Toggl users say:

Attractive and easy-to-use interface with quick access to reports and adjustment of the recorded time. Toggl is a great employee time tracking app and project management tool.

The subscription to access all features is a bit pricey.

Platforms

Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price

Monthly plan Free: Free: $0 (Up to 5 users)
Monthly plan Starter: $10/user
Monthly plan Premium: $20/user
Paid annually Starter: $9 per user/per month
Paid annually Premium: $18 per user/per month
*Custom pricing suited for larger enterprises.

Hubstaff, like Time Doctor, offers similar time tracking capabilities, employee monitoring and project management features. The main difference, however, is that Hubstaff lets you track time and your employees anywhere. It's a time tracking app for Windows, Mac and Linux, as well as for mobile devices, so you can keep tracking your employees even when they're on the road or out of the office.

Not only does Hubstaff track time, it also tracks location with a GPS tracker. The GPS tracking feature is most commonly used by companies whose employees are frequent travelers - i.e. sales and delivery people. With an on-the-go productivity tracker, managers see where their employees are at that exact moment, how much time they spend on the road and how much they spend working on the job site.

Screenshot of Hubstaff time tracker app

For Whom?

Hubstaff is an employee time tracking app for companies that employ remote workers who are often on the road. It lets managers know not only what their employees are doing, but also where they are - and if that's the place they're supposed to be.

Special features

  • Employee GPS tracking

  • Auto screenshots

  • Create payrolls and pay your employees through the software

  • Timesheet templates

What Hubstaff users say:

The pros of time tracking systems are simple: you know what people are working on and when! It makes your operations incredibly efficient.

If you're looking for a platform that goes the extra mile to enable customization, atypical data entry, or a more advanced reporting structure, then Hubstaff won't be right for you.

Platforms

Web, Mac, Windows, Chromebook, Linux, iOS, Android

Price

Free: for one user
Starter: $7/user/month ($5.83/user/month if paid annually)
Pro: $10/user/month ($8.33/user/month if paid annually)
Enterprise: custom pricing

If you have an unusually large project coming up, Tick is the software to use. It's a project-based time tracking software which tracks time against your estimated project timeline and budget.

For example, with each new time entry to Tick’s timesheet, the app will automatically update how much time is left for you to complete a certain task or project. The software will also notify you if the time is running out and you're about to exceed your budget or schedule. And if you have any recurring tasks, Tick also allows you to use the same budget and timeline repeatedly.

If you're also looking for billing options, you can integrate Tick with an accounting software called QuickBooks to create invoices, run payroll, and more.

Screenshot of Tick time recording app

For Whom?

Tick is a solution for freelancers, small businesses, and startups that work on recurring projects and tasks. With Tick, users can track how much time they need for certain projects, and use their previous timelines to create offers for new customers.

Special features

  • Tick tracks time against your estimated project timeline and budget

  • Assign team members who can add time to projects

  • Set recurring projects to auto-reset every month

  • Can be used with Apple Watch

What Tick users say:

Tick is an employee time tracking app and powerful project management tool. It allows you to allocate the exact time to tasks and have a clear understanding of how many hours similar projects could take in the future.

Lack of notifications to remind you that the project needs to be tracked; you always have to follow up on this yourself.

Platforms

Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Price

Project number based pricing (monthly)
1 Project: Free
10 Projects: $19
30 Projects: $49
60 Projects: $79
Unlimited Projects: $149

RescueTime is a time tracking app that not only tracks time you spend on certain URLs, programs, and apps, but also shows you how productive you've been during the day.

RescueTime calculates your productivity automatically based on pre-grouped categories with built-in productivity scores. For example, Facebook will by default be a distractive URL, while Microsoft Word will be seen as productive. Meanwhile, those who disagree with RescueTime's categorization of URLs, programs and apps, can manually customize the categories according to their specific needs.

Additionally, with RescueTime you can set your task goals and keep track of how you're doing. For example, you can create a list of tasks and a timeline for these tasks which should keep you on track and make you more efficient.

Screenshot of RescueTime productivity tracker app

For Whom?

RescueTime is a productivity app for freelancers and employees looking for a personal time management tool and productivity tracker. With the goal setting and daily scheduling feature, RescueTime helps you manage your time. This app, however, won't be the best time tracking app for employers looking to monitor their team, since the app doesn't automatically send updates to managers.

Special features

  • Set daily task goals

  • Receive daily productivity and efficiency analysis

  • Block access to distracting webpages

  • Weekly email summary

What RescueTime users say:

RescueTime is not only a time tracking app for me, but a genuine productivity tracking software. It helps me to understand how productive I am during the day and where the unproductive time is spent most of all.

The productivity tracker data becomes incorrect if you don’t define all the applications as productive or disruptive.

Platforms

Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android

Price

Lite: free for 1 user
RescueTime: $12/user/month paid monthly

Harvest is a tracking time app and expense monitoring tool that lets you track your time spent on each project or individual tasks. It then collects the data and creates intuitive, visual reports that make it easy to see what your team has been working on and make intelligent decisions about your business.

Once the task or project is done, Harvest lets you send invoices to your clients straight from the app with Stripe or PayPal. That way, you won't have to pay for additional invoicing and payment software. Also, if your client forgets to pay on time, Harvest will politely send an automatic reminder for you.

A screenshot of Harvest time tracking app

For Whom?

Harvest not only keeps track of how you spend your time, but also keeps your invoices and revenue flow all in one place. Therefore, this app will combine work time tracker apps and expense tracking software for freelancers and startups.

Special features

  • Automatically create invoices and receive payments from clients

  • Automatic reminders are sent to clients about invoices to be paid

  • Add comments and notes to tasks for the team

  • Visual reports

What Harvest users say:

A super-simple app which manages all client payments and invoicing/reminders for our clients and integrates with Stripe for a seamless payment process.

With a growing team it is hard to scale and go into the detail of the projects. The in-built feature set is quite limited.

Platforms

Web, Mac, iOS, Android

Price

Free: 1 seat/2 projects
Pro: $12/user/month ($10.80/user/month if paid annually)
Qbserve

11 . Qbserve

Qbserve is an automatic time tracking Mac app and productivity tracking software, especially helpful to people who tend to procrastinate. The app only tracks time when it detects a certain set of keywords in a document, or in an URL or app title. You define these keywords when you start to use the app and can add new keywords at any time.

For example, if you've added the keyword "time tracking" into your list, Qbserve will automatically track time spent on web pages and apps with this keyword in the title. That way, if you use YouTube to watch videos about time tracking, it'll be counted into your billable hours. On the other hand, if you watch cat videos, this time won't be counted into your billable hours.

Screenshot of Qbserve productivity tracking software

For Whom?

Qbserve is an app for individual users and freelancers who tend to get distracted often - one moment you're researching something for your work task, then end up watching cute cat videos on YouTube. At the end of the day, you therefore have no idea how much time the certain task has taken. In such cases, Qbserve can help.

Special features

  • Time tracking based on keywords

  • One-time payment

What Qbserve users say:

The perfect and simple time tracking app and productivity monitoring software to help keep track of daily browsing habits and finding productivity killers.

Apart from the tongue-twisting name, there is no possibility to track the time spent offline on meetings or calls, the app only tracks the time spent working online.

Platforms

Mac

Price

$40 one time payment per user

If you’re a part of a team and you’re looking to track time that you and they spend on projects, Clockify is the work time tracking software that can help you do this really well with features such as timer and default project. The timer itself is a stopwatch that helps your team start and stop work, and the default project works with it by being the default timer that will automatically allocate the time to the project of your choosing. There’s even a reminder in case someone forgets to start the timer. Finally, Clockify provides visually pleasing reports for you to see as a way to gauge which projects take up most of your team’s time, giving way to being able to better manage you and your team’s effort.

In terms of feel and use, Clockify has many integrations and has a simple, sleek, and intuitive interface regardless of what supported device or browser you decide to use it on. This is especially true for its user-friendly, easy-to-navigate web app which can be accessed from anywhere for viewing of your and your current team’s progress.

A promotional image for Clockify productivity tracker app

For Whom?

Clockify is one of the more affordable options out there with its features focused fully on projects and their management along with working on a team. For this reason, it’s ideal for either freelancers who want a simple tracker and work with multiple clients on projects or for large, distributed teams that are looking to tackle their projects together as effectively as possible.

Special features

  • Time rounding in reports for sending to clients

  • Alerts for progress and time review on projects

  • Timesheet locking to prevent backdated changes

  • Add time for others on your team if they forget themselves

What Clockify users say:

Ease of use, ability to create multiple jobs and I love getting rid of paper timesheets.

Often the Clockify option appears where I don't want it, and you can't turn this off. Prime example: Google Keep. When you make a bulleted list. Each item on the list has a Clockify option next to it.

Platforms

Chrome and Firefox browsers and Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS systems

Price

Free for unlimited number of users
Basic: $4.99/user/month ($3.99/user/month if paid annually)
Standard: $6.99/user/month ($5.49/user/month if paid annually)
Pro: $9.99/user/month ($7.99/user/month if paid annually)
Enterprise: $14.99/user/month ($11.99/user/month if paid annually)

Unlike the other options on this list, Timely stands out as an automatic tracking software that is as seamless as one can imagine because it records everything all the time: GPS locations, emails, meeting, documents, and websites. That means with Timely you’ll never need to start a timer again, which allows you to maintain the peace and quiet needed to stay focused and not get sidetracked or interrupted. To add to that, Timely generally requires very little interaction until there’s a need for pulling reports for whatever work is billable.

In terms of reports, Timely visualizes everything from what you did that day to where your team’s time resources are going in a very organized, easy-to-read fashion. To make it even more appealing and effortless, Timely features an AI that learns how you work on your computer over time. The AI will then start drafting time entries for you which will save you time.

A screenshot of Timely productivity tracking app

For Whom?

Timely is ideal for individuals and small-to-large companies that are project-focused and only have a need for accurate, billable hours. It can also work well for you if you’re the type of person or group of team members that don’t remember what was done that day and want an easy way to find entries to bill your client.

Special features

  • Project and team planning for visualizing plans, effortless scheduling, and resource balancing

  • Automatic time tracking that is privacy-oriented which tracks everything you work on

What Timely users say:

I really like the memory function. Some days you are so busy you forget about tracking time (and thus missing income). But with memory I can easily see what I have done, when I have done it and how much time I spend on it. Clear overview of spend budget within projects.

The program didn't have enough functions for a gym/PT studio

Platforms

iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows

Price

Starter: $10/user/month ($8/user/month if paid annually)
Premium: $18/user/month ($14/user/month if paid annually)
Unlimited: $26/user/month ($20/user/month if paid annually)

Timesheets can be expensive to maintain, inaccurate, and illegible. QuickBooks Time solves this problem by offering a unique way of doing online time and attendance tracking that gives employees many different ways of clocking in such as texting, tweeting, using the app on a computer or phone, using a web browser, and dialing it in. They can also attach images to show their work. This gives flexibility to employees to be able to track their work time accurately and from anywhere, especially since QuickBooks Time offers geofencing and reminders features.

Although making clocking-in as simple as possible for accurate employee work time tracking is the main advantage of QuickBooks Time, it has one of the most economical ways of doing payroll in that it can synchronize with many of the popular accounting tools available such as Quickbooks, Sage, Xero, and more. This means once the hours are approved on the administration’s side, it’s smooth sailing from thereon out.

A promotional image for QuickBooks Time productivity tracker

For Whom?

QuickBooks Time benefits most small- to enterprise-sized businesses. The more employees such a business has, the more the benefit because timesheet management, worked hours, and payroll processing proportionally increase per employee. Thus, it’s best for businesses where accuracy and economy is of utmost importance.

Special features

  • GPS-based online time and attendance tracking for those who are mobile

  • Payroll and invoicing with integrations to hasten the processes and reduce their costs

  • Timesheet planning and project overviews

What QuickBooks Time users say:

The ease of use for time tracking and the auto-syncing with QuickBooks Online. The support from QuickBooks Time is outstanding and that is the NUMBER ONE reason I stay with QuickBooks Time.

The scheduling module is a bit lacking for some of my clients. This is why some of my clients have gone with a different solution. As soon as the scheduling is up to their standards I will get them back to QuickBooks Time

Platforms

Almost all platforms imaginable because it’s a cloud-based solution

Price

Free 30-day trial with discount applicable for 50+ users
Premium version: $8/user/month + $20 base fee/month
Elite version: $10/user/month + $40 base fee/month

Insightful is a suite of online time and attendance software that puts focus on employee work time tracking and on analyzing their work productivity to find out which are laggards and which are top performers. For one, the application makes it super easy to check when employees start work because it’s done automatically based on when they start work. For two, it runs in the background and tracks their work or non-work related activities without violating their privacy (for example, with optional, blurred out screenshots).

Another important part of Insightful is that it can do automatic time allocation as well as budget forecasting. For example, it’s well known that tracking productivity is difficult and, at the same time, important. Thankfully, Insightful is able to accomplish this by automatically assigning work to projects to not disturb employees while counting every second that they spend on them, giving you a good estimate of the project’s costs. This in turn ensures that you can accurately bill your clients while maintaining the peace of mind that the human errors in manual time reporting are eliminated.

A screenshot of Insightful time tracking app

For Whom?

Insightful is great for small to large businesses as well as enterprises where work productivity analysis and reports are at the top of the priority list. Additionally, any business that needs advanced employee tracking features is likely to benefit from what Insightful has to offer, especially if the business relies on remote teams to get work done.

Special features

  • Monitoring of employees to better understand their productivity patterns in real time

  • Automatic time and attendance tracking for businesses that rely on remote teams

  • Project reports and budget tracking with screenshots as proofs of work

  • Automatically generated time sheets based on employees’ computer activity

What Insightful users say:

I do not have to spend a lot of hours trying to remember what I did during the month and all calculations are done for me automatically. Insightful also supports unlimited users for every plan, which is almost the best software for time-tracking solutions.

We need to look for a better time tracking application which can better assist us in project management. We have so far realized the potential of this tool, but it is limited to performing well only in time tracking and schedule breakdowns.

Platforms

Windows and Mac computers and Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, and Opera browsers

Price

Employee monitoring: $8/user/month ($6.40/user/month if paid annually)
Time tracking: $10/user/month ($8/user/month if paid annually)
Automatic time mapping: $15/user/month ($12/user/month if paid annually)
Enterprise: custom pricing
BeeBole

16 . BeeBole

BeeBole is one of the most reliable timesheet apps on the market, offering an employee time clock, project time tracking, or both. Completely customizable, it can be set up for employees to clock in and out, or to track time for clients, projects, and sub-projects with a one-click timer. Track time daily, weekly, monthly, and in real-time. Logging attendance, vacations, and leaves of absence couldn’t be easier.

The team overview lets managers check project status, team and employee performance, and overtime at a glance. Approval flow allows for easy bulk review, approve timesheets, request changes, and lock time entries.

Finally, tap into valuable business intelligence by running reports on employee time, budget, margin, and profit. Managers can build the exact report they need or use the custom KPI dashboards to unlock this powerful insight.

A screenshot of BeeBole work time tracker app on various devices

For Whom?

BeeBole is a great option for teams that need an employee time clock OR project time tracking, both of which come with flexible reporting. It’s the perfect solution for teams who'd like to go beyond their basic timesheet data to unlock the powerful business intelligence that awaits.

Special features

  • More than 30 reports and custom KPIs

  • Employee mobile app works offline

  • Billing costs with multiple currencies

  • Time entries approval

  • Flexibility through modules

  • Google Suite and Microsoft 365 integration

  • Free API

  • Available in 10 languages

  • Highly rated customer support in English, French, and Spanish

  • DCAA and GDPR compliant

What BeeBole users say:

Easy and flexible to set up according to individual and team needs, with powerful reporting functions.

Admin interface can be complex if you don’t do a free demo.

Platforms

Android, iOS, Windows

Price

A fixed price of $6.99/user/month

timeBro is an automatic time tracking tool that records everything you do throughout the day. This time tracker software logs your daily activities and separates them into time entries that are displayed in a visual timeline, giving you a quick overview of what you were doing at any given moment. The automatic nature of timeBro is a major benefit – similarly to other time recording apps like DeskTime, timeBro launches the moment you turn on your computer. This means you don't have to worry about forgetting to start a time tracking app manually – everything happens automatically.

timeBro's daily work tracker puts particular emphasis on user privacy. All of the data this time tracking software collects is stored on the user's device – no tracking data is stored in the cloud, and no one else can access it. Additionally, the time tracking information is only visible to the particular user; admins or other employees cannot see your data unless you choose to share it with someone else, exporting the time entries.

A screenshot of the dashboard of timeBro time keeping app

For Whom?

timeBro will be a great option for companies that work on a project basis and want to gather precise data on how much time was spent on certain tasks. It's also suitable for individual users who need data to bill their clients for time spent on their projects.

Special features

  • Integrations with various project management tools

  • All tracking data is stored only on the device

  • Only the particular user has access to their data; no employee monitoring

What timeBro users say:

Switching between tasks for different projects and not having to remember to stop and start a timer is fantastic! The ease of popping onto timeBro at the end of the day and filling in the gaps, knowing that it is accurate and I can give evidence to back up my hours if/when required, is fantastic.

It does not have a mobile time tracking app, so if you need to clock an activity that is not directly operated by a computer, you need to take note and mark it as offline activity.

Platforms

macOS, Windows

Price

Basic: $17/user/month for a 3-month subscription (12-month subscription: $14/user/month and 24-month subscription: $12/user/month)
Connect: $20/user/month for a 3-month subscription (12-month subscription: $18/user/month and 24-month subscription: $14/user/month)
Premium: $36/user/month for a 3-month subscription (12-month subscription: $30/user/month and 24-month subscription: $24/user/month)

If you're looking for an all-in-one employee productivity tracker and monitoring solution, EmpMonitor might be the tool you're looking for. It offers a comprehensive list of features that will help managers keep an eye on their employees' work habits and productivity patterns, including keystrokes and screenshots of their desktop activity.

EmpMonitor's time keeping app can be installed on the users computers in stealth mode, meaning that it will not be visible to them; admins who have access to the data will be able to see it, but end users won't know they're being monitored unless you tell them. You can also set up alerts and notifications to inform you about employees who are not being as productive as they should be or are spending too much time being idle – with the app operating online, you can always see who's doing what.

A screenshot of the dashboard of EmpMonitor time tracking app

For Whom?

EmpMonitor is an employee time tracking system that will be best suited for teams where managers and administrators want to keep a closer eye on what their teams are doing throughout the day. Its monitoring features provide a complete overview of how everyone's time is spent during work hours.

Special features

  • Keystroke logs, screenshots

  • Optional stealth mode – the app won't appear in the list of installed programs

  • Block websites or apps you don't want your employees to access

What EmpMonitor users say:

Very easy to use. Employees can check their attendance, payslip and leaves in this application easily.

Sometimes, EmpMonitor doesn't count the productive hours even when the employees are working continuously.

Platforms

Windows, macOS, Linux

Price

Bronze: (1–10 users): $5/user/month ($4.59/user/month if paid annually)
Silver: (11–50 users): $4/user/month ($3.75/user/month if paid annually)
Gold: (51–200 users): $3/user/month ($2.92/user/month if paid annually)

Teramind is a powerful employee monitoring tool that will be especially useful if your company works with sensitive documents or data. It offers the strictest monitoring features out of all the time tracking apps compared in this list, including live recording of your employees' computer screens, access to their webcams, keystroke logs, and more.

With all the monitoring data provided by this time tracking software tool at your disposal, you'll get a comprehensive picture of what your employees are doing during work hours. Once you've identified potential problems, you can figure out solutions on how to increase their productivity and prevent issues before they arise in the first place. Teramind will provide you with all the necessary data and proof of work you might need.

If your company works in an industry where you have to comply with different security standards and regulations, the solutions offered by Teramind might be what you're looking for. Features like screen recording, printed document tracking, and more, in addition to app and website monitoring, will help you ensure data safety and keep an eye on employees accessing sensitive information.

A promotional image for Teramind productivity tracking app

For Whom?

Teramind will be best suited for larger companies with many employees to oversee or businesses that require close monitoring of their teams' work – especially if you're dealing with sensitive information where a potential leak might be damaging

Special features

  • Remote desktop control

  • File transfer tracking

  • Keystroke logger

What Teramind users say:

Teramind allows us to monitor new and current employees and go back and review past activity from people that are no longer with our organization; this has proven invaluable at times.

The application disconnects or stops monitoring randomly, also it might be a challenge to troubleshoot it for non-tech savvy employees that are working remotely.

Platforms

Windows, macOS

Price

Starter: $12/user/month ($10/user/month if paid annually)
UAM: $25/user/month ($21/user/month if paid annually)
DLP: $30/user/month ($25/user/month if paid annually)
ClickUp

20 . ClickUp

In contrast with the other time tracking apps included in this list, ClickUp is primarily a project management and planning tool; however, it also offers time tracking among its features, so its placement here is certainly warranted.

ClickUp lets you organize and oversee your team's work in various ways – you can use it to plan, collaborate on documents, and even chat with your colleagues. It can replace several tools you're using by consolidating them all in one place and making your team's work more efficient.

When it comes to time tracking, ClickUp lets you calculate the time invested into projects and tasks by providing a start/stop timer. You can indicate which task you were working on, add labels, mark the time as billable if necessary, edit it later, and more. ClickUp also lets you add time estimates before you start working on a project, and the tracked data is accessible in reports. While the tracking is not automatic like with many other tools on this list, in combination with the project management tools that ClickUp provides, the app covers a lot of ground in terms of how it can help you and your team work more productively. Since ClickUp is available on mobile devices too, it can be used as a mobile time tracker.

A screenshot of the ClickUp timetracker app

For Whom?

ClickUp will bring the most benefits to teams working on a project basis and those looking for ways to make the collaboration process more efficient. It'll work great for teams that need to track the time spent on their projects in addition to managing them.

Special features

  • Integrations with more than 1,000 other tools

  • Chrome extension to track time from the browser

  • Built-in chat feature to discuss projects right in the app

What ClickUp users say:

What I like best about ClickUp is its intuitive interface and vast array of features. It allows me to easily organize and prioritize tasks, collaborate with my team in real-time, and track progress with ease.

What I dislike about ClickUp is that sometimes it has slow load speeds, making it difficult to access my tasks and projects quickly. Additionally, the process of sending attachments and files can be a bit cumbersome.

Platforms

Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS

Price

Free for an unlimited number of users
Unlimited: $9/user/month ($5/user/month if paid annually)
Business: $19/user/month ($12/user/month if paid annually)
Business Plus: $29/user/month ($19/user/month if paid annually)
Enterprise: custom pricing
Buddy Punch

21 . Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch is a time tracking system that provides a straightforward solution to one of the most common issues employers have – knowing if your employees are at work on time and have completed their scheduled hours. This time tracker app provides fewer features than other tools on the list, but if you're primarily interested in an app that functions as a place where employees can log work hours, Buddy Punch will take care of that.

It gives you an overview of how many hours your team has worked and if anyone's accumulated overtime; you can also schedule shifts and time off. When employees clock in, the timer starts, and when their shift is over, all they have to do is punch out. In addition to work hours, they can log their breaks to ensure proper rest.

Buddy Punch also works on mobile devices, so it can be useful for all kinds of teams. To ensure full accountability, Buddy Punch can ask employees to clock in via webcam using the facial recognition feature.

A screenshot of the Buddy Punch time tracking program

For Whom?

Buddy Punch is most suitable for companies looking for a simple tool whose main function is logging employee clock-in and out times and work hours. Since this mobile time tracking tool functions as a simple timer, employees can use it to log hours in the app from anywhere.

Special features

  • GPS tracking and facial recognition software

  • Integrations with various payroll apps

  • Push notifications to inform employees about new shifts or to alert them if they've forgotten to punch in

What Buddy Punch users say:

I like the selfie capability as it verifies that your employee is the one who logs in and not someone else on their behalf.

I wish the reporting would be more customized, especially the breaks. You can customize breaks into bio and lunch breaks, but when you generate the reports, they are not customized, it only says break.

Platforms

Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS

Price

Standard: $3.49/user/month + $19 base fee/month ($2.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month if billed annually)
Pro: $4.49/user/month + $19 base fee/month ($3.99/user/month + $19 base fee/month if billed annually)
Enterprise: custom pricing

Employee time tracking app comparison

Time tracking app Unique selling point Monthly price Free trial Free plan Platforms
DeskTime Fully automatic productivity and efficiency tracking based on URLs, programs, and apps DeskTime Pro: $7/per month 14-day Start free trial DeskTime Lite for 1 user Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
ProofHub All-in-one project management and team collaboration software with powerful time tracking and reporting features. Ultimate control plan: $89/month billed annually 14-day Not available iOS, Android, Web
Hours Time clock app with color-coding option to manage tasks and projects with reminders Pro: $49/year 14-day Limited version Web, iOS
Timecamp Cloud-based time tracking solution with a large number of possible integrations Pro: $10.99/user per month 14-day Limited version Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Time Doctor Time tracking solution that allows paying employees with several payment methods $10 user/per month 14-day Not available Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Toggl Timer-based time tracking system with a budget planning feature Starter: $10 user/per month 30-day Free version for up to 5 team members Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Hubstaff Time tracking app that lets you track time and your employees anywhere; GPS tracking Desk Starter: $7 per user/per month 14-day Solo: Free for 1 user Web, Mac, Windows, Chromebook, Linux, iOS, Android
Tick Time tracking software tracks time against your estimated project timeline and budget 10 projects: $19/per month 30-day 1 project for free Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Rescue Time Productivity tracking based on pre-grouped categories with built-in productivity scores RescueTime: $12 per user/month 14-day RescueTime Lite: Free Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android
Harvest Time tracking and expense monitoring tool Pro: $12 per user/month 30-day Free: $0 (1 person, 2 projects) Web, Mac, iOS, Android
Qbserve The app only tracks time when it detects a certain set of user-defined keywords in a document $40 one time payment per user 15-day Not available Mac
Clockify Simple time tracking for hours spent on projects Pro: $9.99/month 7-day Free for unlimited users Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Timely Time tracking with AI created timesheets and visualized reports Starter: $10/user/month 14-day Not available iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows
QuickBooks Time GPS-based time tracking and accounting integrations Premium: $8/user/month + $20 base fee/month 30-day Not available Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Insightful Time tracking with automatic time mapping and employee productivity reporting Employee monitoring: $8/user/month 7-day Not available Web, Mac, Windows
BeeBole Completely customizable time tracking $6.99/user/month 30-day Not available Android, iOS, Windows
timeBro User privacy – time tracking data is available only to the particular user Basic: $17/user/month 14-day Not available Mac, Windows
EmpMonitor Time tracking with stealth mode and features to closely monitor employees Bronze (1–10 users): $5/user/month 15-day Not available Windows, Mac, Linux
Teramind Strict time tracking and monitoring features, including screen recording Starter: $12/user/month 7-day Not available Mac, Windows
ClickUp Comprehensive project management software with time tracking as one of the features Unlimited: $9/user/month Available on request Free for unlimited users Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS
Buddy Punch An online punch in/out time tracking tool to track employee attendance and work hours. Standard: $3.49/user/month + $19 base fee/month 14-day Not available Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS

Did we help you find the time tracking software that fits your needs? Great! And if that productivity tracker you chose is DeskTime, you can sign up for a free trial right here.

Author: Artis Rozentals,
DeskTime’s CEO and productivity expert

Frequently asked questions about time tracking

Decide whether you need an automatic time tracking app or if manual timer-like options suit you better. Then acknowledge the most important features you require the app to have – maybe you need project time tracking, billing, invoicing as you work on a project basis. Or your workflow would benefit the most from shift scheduling, absence tracking, and other team management-related add-ons. Being aware of your needs is crucial in finding a perfectly-fitting time tracking app.

Plus, it's always beneficial to use a time tracking app's free trial if there's one. Nothing beats a hands-on experience.

Many time tracking apps offer lite versions for no cost. However, if you choose a free time tracking app, you'll receive just the basic functionality without many features in most free cases.

Usually, time tracking apps provide several pricing plans – for a single user, teams, and up to enterprise versions for large companies. Prices vary from a few $/month up to several hundred $/month depending on the number of users, features package, and whether you choose an annual or monthly subscription plan.

It's advised to look for time tracker apps with such freelancer-friendly features as project tracking, invoicing, custom reports, and offline time tracking. Project tracking will let you know precisely how much time you've spent on a project, allowing you to charge clients accurately. Time tracking apps with a built-in invoice feature will reduce the number of different tools you're using. Customized reports will provide accountability in front of your clients, and offline time tracking will enable you to charge clients for those time-consuming phone discussions as well.

Small businesses will highly benefit from tools that offer a package of other features besides time tracking. Why? It's simply easier and, well, cheaper to have a single tool fitting several purposes rather than combining and paying for a bundle of many apps.

When hunting for a time tracking app for a small business, it would be useful to look for features that enable recording billable hours, calculating project costs, creating customized reports, and such. It will provide transparent feedback to your customers, which is highly beneficial for your business’s growth.

It's estimated that time tracking apps help companies save up to $50,000 a year due to increased employee productivity as a result of time tracking. Therefore large companies highly benefit from time tracking solutions that also track employees’ productivity and efficiency. Productivity reports help discover unproductive habits that limit your company's growth – look for a productivity tracking feature when choosing employee time tracking software for a large company.

Other features worth exploring include shift scheduling, absence tracking, customized reports, and project tracking. With those at hand, managing employees will be significantly more convenient, especially for a large business.

Plus, it's advised to choose automatic time tracking over manual options. Automatic tracking runs quietly in the background without interrupting employee workflow and making it easier to adapt to time tracking overall.

Only if you specifically wish to. Otherwise, many time tracking apps offer convenient solutions both for desktop and mobile use. It's especially handy for employees whose work tasks involve a mix of screen-time and on-site duties so that every worked hour counts. DeskTime, for instance, offers a convenient mobile time tracking app next to its desktop version – you can explore the comparison of the two here.