Time Tracking Software Comparison —Best Tools for 2026 Reviewed
An independent comparison of the top time tracking tools for freelancers, small businesses, agencies, and remote teams. We evaluated features, pricing, integrations, and FLSA compliance support to help you choose the right solution.
Don't have time to read the full comparison? Here are our top picks by category:
Clockify
Unlimited users and projects on the free plan. Best starting point for budget-conscious teams.
Toggl Track
Clean interface, powerful reporting, and a generous free tier. Ideal for freelancers and small teams.
Harvest
Track time and invoice clients from the same platform. Seamless QuickBooks and Xero integration.
What Is Time Tracking Software and Who Needs It?
Definition: Time tracking software is a digital tool that records how employees, freelancers, or contractors spend their working hours. It automates the process of logging time against tasks, projects, and clients, replacing manual timesheets and spreadsheet-based workflows.
At its core, time tracking software replaces the pen-and-paper timesheets and spreadsheet formulas that businesses have relied on for decades. Rather than manually calculating hours using time addition formulas or entering clock-in and clock-out times into a timesheet calculator, software automates the entire process from recording hours to generating payroll-ready reports.
But who actually benefits from investing in a dedicated tool? The answer depends on your team size, billing model, and compliance requirements.
Freelancers and consultants need accurate records of billable hours to invoice clients with confidence. A time tracker ensures no billable minute goes unrecorded, and many tools generate invoices directly from tracked time.
Small businesses face increasing pressure to comply with labor regulations like the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which requires employers to maintain accurate records of hours worked under 29 CFR § 516.2. Software provides an auditable trail that manual methods cannot.
Agencies and professional services firms rely on time data to measure project profitability, forecast capacity, and bill clients accurately. Without reliable time tracking, these businesses risk under-billing for their work or over-staffing projects.
Remote and hybrid teams need tools that work across time zones and devices. Modern time tracking software provides web, desktop, and mobile apps so distributed teams can log hours regardless of location.
How Did We Evaluate Time Tracking Tools?
We evaluated six of the most widely used time tracking tools using a consistent set of criteria. Each tool was assessed on its ability to serve different business sizes and use cases, from solo freelancers to teams of 50 or more.
All pricing information was verified directly from vendor websites in February 2026. Prices shown are for monthly billing unless otherwise noted. Annual billing typically offers a 10–20% discount.
What Are the Best Time Tracking Tools for 2026?
Toggl Track
Best for FreelancersToggl Track has earned its reputation as one of the most user-friendly time tracking tools available. Its one-click timer, clean interface, and cross-device syncing make it effortless to adopt. Freelancers and small teams can start tracking immediately with the generous free plan, which supports up to five users per workspace with unlimited time tracking and basic reporting.
The Starter plan ($10/user/month, or $9 billed annually) unlocks billable rates, project time estimates, and scheduled reporting. The Premium plan ($20/user/month, or $18 billed annually) adds team management features, time audits, and project forecasting tools. Toggl Track integrates with over 100 tools, including Asana, Jira, GitHub, and Slack.
Where Toggl Track falls short is in invoicing — you'll need a third-party integration for that. It also lacks GPS tracking and employee monitoring features, which makes it a better fit for trust-based teams than for businesses needing location verification.
Clockify
Best Free OptionClockify offers the most generous free plan in the time tracking category: unlimited users, unlimited projects, and unlimited time tracking at no cost. For teams that need core time recording without the budget for paid software, Clockify is the clear starting point. The free tier includes timers, manual entry, timesheets, a calendar view, and basic reporting across all platforms.
Paid plans unlock additional functionality. The Basic plan ($4.99/user/month, or $3.99 billed annually) adds time auditing and custom fields. The Standard plan ($6.99/user/month, or $5.49 annually) includes time off tracking, invoicing, and approval workflows. The Pro plan ($9.99/user/month, or $7.99 annually) adds GPS tracking, screenshots, and budget alerts. Enterprise ($14.99/user/month, or $11.99 annually) provides SSO, audit logs, and advanced admin controls.
The trade-off is that Clockify's free plan is deliberately narrow in administrative and governance features. Teams that outgrow basic tracking will find themselves upgrading, and advanced features like GPS are only available on Pro or higher. Offline tracking can be unreliable on mobile, and reporting customization has a learning curve.
Harvest
Best for InvoicingHarvest is built for professional services teams that need to track time and bill clients from the same platform. Its integrated invoicing workflow converts tracked hours into professional invoices in two clicks, and clients can pay directly through Stripe or PayPal. For agencies, consultancies, and freelancers who bill by the hour, this end-to-end workflow eliminates the need for separate invoicing tools.
The Pro plan ($11/user/month billed annually, or $13.75 monthly) includes unlimited users, projects, and all core features: time tracking, expense management, project budgets, reporting, and invoicing. The Premium plan adds timesheet approvals, profitability reporting, and SAML-based SSO. Harvest integrates with Asana, Slack, Trello, QuickBooks, and Xero, among others.
The free plan is quite limited — one user and two projects maximum — which means solo freelancers will likely need to upgrade quickly. Harvest also lacks GPS tracking, employee monitoring, and screenshot capabilities, positioning it firmly as a time-and-billing tool rather than a workforce management platform.
Time Doctor
Best for Remote MonitoringTime Doctor is a workforce analytics platform designed for managers who need detailed visibility into remote team productivity. Beyond basic time tracking, it offers screenshot recording, website and application monitoring, idle time detection, and AI-powered productivity benchmarks drawn from data across 245,000+ active users.
The Basic plan ($7/user/month, or $5.83 billed annually) covers time tracking, limited screenshots, and basic activity monitoring. The Standard plan ($10/user/month) adds payroll integrations, 60+ integrations, and advanced reporting. The Premium plan ($20/user/month) includes video screen recordings, VIP support, and enterprise-grade features. An Enterprise plan with custom pricing is available for large organizations.
The monitoring-heavy approach is a double-edged sword. While it provides managers with granular productivity data, it can feel invasive to employees. Teams with a trust-based culture may find the constant screenshots and activity tracking counterproductive. There's also no free plan — only a 14-day trial.
Hubstaff
Best for Field TeamsHubstaff combines time tracking with GPS location monitoring, making it the top pick for businesses with field workers, delivery teams, or on-site contractors. Its location features include real-time GPS tracking, geofencing (available as an add-on), and route mapping, which give managers visibility into where work is happening, not just when.
The Starter plan ($7/seat/month, or approximately $4.99 billed annually) includes basic time tracking, limited screenshots, and productivity tools. The Grow plan ($9/seat/month) adds one integration, project budgets, and advanced reporting. The Team plan ($12/seat/month, or $10 billed annually) unlocks payments, scheduling, overtime tracking, and unlimited integrations. Enterprise ($25/seat/month) provides custom setup and dedicated support. All paid plans require a minimum of two users.
Hubstaff's depth of workforce management features comes at the cost of simplicity. Setup and configuration take longer than lighter tools like Toggl Track, and the pricing can escalate quickly when you factor in add-ons for GPS and locations. Customer support has received mixed reviews in recent user feedback.
QuickBooks Time
Best for QuickBooks UsersQuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) is the natural choice for businesses already using QuickBooks for accounting and payroll. Its tight integration means tracked hours flow directly into QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Online without any manual data entry, reducing errors and saving significant administrative time each pay period.
The Premium plan ($20/month base fee + $8/user/month) includes time tracking, employee scheduling, shift and break management, customizable reports, and basic job costing. The Elite plan ($40/month base fee + $10/user/month) adds GPS tracking, geofencing, mileage tracking, project estimates vs. actuals, and timesheet signatures. Bundled plans with QuickBooks Payroll are also available. A QuickBooks Online subscription is required.
The base fee structure makes QuickBooks Time one of the more expensive options, especially for small teams. A 5-person team on the Premium plan would pay $60/month ($20 base + $40 for users), while the same team on Clockify's free plan pays nothing. However, if QuickBooks is already your accounting backbone, the time saved on payroll integration can justify the premium.
How Do These Tools Compare Feature by Feature?
The table below summarizes the key differences across all six tools. Scroll horizontally on mobile to see all columns. All pricing reflects monthly billing rates at time of writing — verify current pricing on each vendor's website before purchasing.
| Tool | Free Plan | Starting Price | Mobile App | GPS Tracking | Invoicing | Integrations | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl Track | Up to 5 users | $10/user/mo | ✓ iOS, Android | ✗ | ✗ (via integrations) | 100+ | Freelancers, small teams |
| Clockify | Unlimited users | $4.99/user/mo | ✓ iOS, Android | ✓ Pro plan | ✓ Standard+ | 80+ | Budget-conscious teams |
| Harvest | 1 user, 2 projects | $11/user/mo (annual) | ✓ iOS, Android | ✗ | ✓ Built-in | 50+ | Agencies, consultancies |
| Time Doctor | 14-day trial only | $7/user/mo | ✓ iOS, Android | ✗ | ✗ | 60+ | Remote team monitoring |
| Hubstaff | 1 user | $7/seat/mo | ✓ iOS, Android | ✓ Add-on | ✓ Team+ | 30+ | Field & mobile teams |
| QuickBooks Time | 30-day trial only | $20/mo + $8/user | ✓ iOS, Android | ✓ Elite plan | ✓ Via QuickBooks | 750+ (via QuickBooks) | QuickBooks ecosystem |
Prices shown are monthly billing rates as of February 2026. Most tools offer 10–20% discounts with annual billing. Always verify current pricing directly with the vendor before purchasing, as rates change frequently.
How Do Time Tracking Tools Compare to Manual Methods?
Not every team needs dedicated software. Depending on your size, budget, and requirements, simpler methods may work just as well. Here's how the four most common approaches compare:
Time tracking software is the right choice for teams that need automated reporting, payroll integrations, FLSA-compliant recordkeeping, or multi-user collaboration. The tools reviewed above handle all of these out of the box. The trade-off is cost — even affordable tools add up when multiplied across a large team.
Online calculators like our Time Addition Calculator and Work Hours Calculator are ideal for solo freelancers or small businesses that need to compute hours worked without the overhead of a subscription. They're free, require no account, and produce accurate results instantly. The limitation is that they don't store data between sessions or generate invoices.
Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets) offer maximum flexibility. You can build custom formulas, track any data point you want, and share files with your accountant. However, spreadsheets are error-prone — a mistyped formula or accidental cell deletion can throw off an entire pay period. They also lack automation, requiring manual data entry for every time entry.
Pen and paper still works for very small operations, but provides no backup, no automated calculations, and no audit trail. For any business that may face a wage-and-hour audit, paper records are a significant liability.
If you're a solo freelancer tracking billable hours for a handful of clients, start with our free Timesheet Calculator and upgrade to software when your needs grow. If you manage a team of three or more, time tracking software will pay for itself in reduced administrative time and fewer payroll errors.
What Should You Look for in Time Tracking Software?
Choosing the right tool depends on your specific workflow, team structure, and compliance needs. Use the following checklist to evaluate any time tracking solution:
Frequently Asked Questions
Clockify is the best free time tracking software in 2026. It offers unlimited users, unlimited projects, and core time tracking features at no cost. This makes it the strongest free option for teams of any size. Toggl Track also offers a solid free plan, though it is limited to 5 users per workspace. If you're a solo freelancer, you might also consider using our free Timesheet Calculator as a lightweight alternative that requires no account.
For solo freelancers billing a few clients, a free time addition calculator or work hours calculator may be all you need. These tools let you compute total hours worked without creating an account or paying a subscription. Time tracking software becomes valuable when you manage a team, need automated invoicing, require GPS tracking, or want integrations with payroll and project management tools.
Most paid time tracking tools include overtime calculation. Hubstaff, QuickBooks Time, and Time Doctor all offer overtime tracking on their mid-tier or higher plans. The FLSA requires overtime pay at 1.5× the regular rate for hours exceeding 40 in a workweek for non-exempt employees. Dedicated software helps automate this calculation and ensures accurate recordkeeping for compliance. For a quick manual calculation, try our Overtime Calculator.
The most valuable integrations depend on your workflow, but key categories to look for include: payroll software (QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP), project management tools (Asana, Trello, Jira, Monday.com), communication platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams), accounting software (Xero, FreshBooks), and calendar apps (Google Calendar, Outlook). The more integrations available, the less manual data entry your team will need to perform.
Time tracking software itself is not inherently "FLSA compliant" or "non-compliant." The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to maintain accurate records of hours worked (29 CFR § 516.2). Software helps you meet this requirement, but compliance depends on how you configure and use it. The FLSA permits rounding to the nearest 5, 6, or 15 minutes under 29 CFR § 785.48(b), and most tools support configurable rounding rules. Always consult an employment attorney for compliance guidance specific to your situation. Read our guide to calculating work hours for more detail on FLSA requirements.
Time tracking software ranges from free (Clockify, Toggl Track free plan) to $20+ per user per month for premium plans. Most small businesses can expect to pay between $5 and $15 per user per month on a standard plan. Some tools, like QuickBooks Time, also charge a monthly base fee of $20–$40 on top of per-user costs. Annual billing typically saves 10–20% compared to monthly billing. For teams on a tight budget, Clockify's unlimited free plan provides the best no-cost entry point.
Yes, all six tools reviewed in this comparison support billable hour tracking. Harvest excels here with built-in invoicing directly from tracked hours — you can go from time entry to client payment without leaving the platform. Toggl Track and Clockify also allow you to mark time entries as billable and set custom hourly rates per project or client. The key difference is whether the tool generates invoices natively (Harvest, Clockify Standard+) or requires a third-party integration for billing (Toggl Track, Time Doctor).
Time tracking software focuses on recording hours worked, generating timesheets, and facilitating payroll and billing. Project management software focuses on task assignment, workflow management, deadlines, and team collaboration. Many time tracking tools include basic project features (like Toggl Track's project tagging or Harvest's project budgets), and many project management tools include basic time tracking (like Asana's built-in timer via integrations). If you need deep functionality in both areas, look for strong integrations between dedicated tools — for example, pairing Toggl Track with Asana, or Harvest with Trello.
Other Free Time Calculators
Use these free tools alongside your time tracking software to verify calculations, compute overtime, or add time entries manually.
Time Addition Calculator
Add hours, minutes, and seconds together instantly. Handles base-60 carry-overs automatically.
Work Hours Calculator
Calculate total hours worked from clock-in and clock-out times with break deductions.
Timesheet Calculator
Enter a full week of time entries and get a payroll-ready summary with overtime flagging.
Elapsed Time Calculator
Find the exact duration between two timestamps, including across midnight boundaries.
Overtime Calculator
Calculate overtime pay at 1.5× or custom rates with FLSA-compliant methodology.
Time Subtraction Calculator
Subtract one time value from another to find the difference in hours, minutes, and seconds.
Last updated: February 7, 2026. Pricing and features verified against vendor websites. Learn how to calculate work hours manually →