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10 Best Time Tracking Software Of 2024

Contributor
editor

Reviewed

Updated: Mar 17, 2024, 11:25am

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

As a small business, you need to know how your employees spend their work hours. Time tracking software can help you do just that. With the right software, you’ll be able to increase productivity and efficiency while reducing costs. To help you choose the right time tracking software for your business and its staff, Forbes Advisor compiled a list of the best time tracking software of 2024.

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The Best Time Tracking Software of 2024


Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

We reviewed 13 software options using a complex methodology that allowed us to narrow it down to the 10 best time tracking platforms for small businesses. Our ratings consider 25 characteristics that small businesses look for, including offering a free version, a variety of pricing plans, mobile functionality, built-in reporting and more. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.


Best Overall

Clockify

Clockify
5.0
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

Free; $3.99 per user

per month

Free Trial

Yes, for seven days

Standout Features

Employee monitoring, off-line mode

Clockify
Learn More Arrow

Read Forbes' Review

Free; $3.99 per user

per month

Yes, for seven days

Employee monitoring, off-line mode

Editor's Take

Clockify is a comprehensive time tracking software with no shortage of features. Its free forever plan offers unlimited tracking for an unlimited number of projects. The summary reports feature displays a summary of tracked time for each day as well as money earned per project, costs, profits and estimates. You can filter this chart by clients, projects, tasks completed and project status.

There’s also an employee monitoring feature that takes screenshots of your employees’ screens as they complete their tasks. If your workforce is remote, you can keep tabs on their GPS locations while they’re working at home or in the field. Expense tracking and customizable invoices are available as well.

We can’t forget Clockify’s off-line mode feature. It lets your employees track time even when they lose internet connection. Once the connection returns, the time entries will be automatically logged in their timesheet.

Learn more: Read our full Clockify review.

Who should use it:

Clockify is a great option for freelancers and small businesses who are looking for a user-friendly, free time tracking software.

Pros & Cons
  • Several ways to track your time: manually, with a timer, or through the calendar input feature
  • Unlimited free time tracking for an unlimited number of projects
  • Screenshot feature to keep an eye on employees’ screens as they work
  • No way to mark projects completed
  • Glitches with the mobile app
  • Summary can be confusing to navigate

Best for Mobile Workers

QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time
4.8
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting price

$20 per month

plus $8 per user per month

Free trial

Yes, for 30 days

Standout Features

PTO management, employee scheduling, geotechnology

QuickBooks Time
Learn More Arrow

Read Forbes' Review

$20 per month

plus $8 per user per month

Yes, for 30 days

PTO management, employee scheduling, geotechnology

Editor's Take

QuickBooks Time is a cloud-based time tracking solution that lets your employees clock in and out from mobile apps and automatically transfer their information to timesheets. You can also set custom rules for PTO and time off requests so that they can manage their vacation, sick time and holidays from the app.

The drag-and-drop tools are designed to help you build schedules and inform your employees of any open shifts or changes. At the end of the pay period, you’ll have a record of your employees’ hours and can sync it to a payroll software for invoicing.

QuickBooks’ geotechnology lets you monitor where your employees are so you can improve dispatching and client billing. It will also remind workers to check in and out when they come to and leave a job site, ensuring all hours are properly tracked.

Learn more: Read our full QuickBooks Time review.

Who should use it:

QuickBooks Time is the ideal choice if you have a mobile workforce and want to improve productivity and profitability.

Pros & Cons
  • Comprehensive geotechnology so you know where your workers are located while on the job
  • Custom PTO management tool to help you manage time off
  • Employee scheduling to improve shift scheduling
  • No free version
  • Can’t track employee online activity
  • Limited customer support

Best for Construction and Field Service Industries

ClockShark

ClockShark
4.5
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$8 per month per user

plus a $40 per month base fee

Free Trial

Yes, for 14 days

Standout Features

Drag-and-drop schedule editor, JobFlow solution

ClockShark
Learn More Arrow

On ClockShark’s Website

$8 per month per user

plus a $40 per month base fee

Yes, for 14 days

Drag-and-drop schedule editor, JobFlow solution

Editor's Take

ClockShark is a time tracking software for small to midsize businesses in the construction and field service industries. It supports three clock-in methods, including mobile apps, kiosks and facial recognition.

Thanks to the built-in GPS, you can see where your employees are while they’re on the clock. Even if they lose internet connection, your workers can still track their time as the software will save the hours they worked and jobs they completed. Once there’s a connection again, the software will sync their data to their account.

There’s also a drag-and-drop schedule editor you can use to create and change work shifts. Any time there is a change in the schedule, ClockShark will automatically inform your team via email or the mobile app. The JobFlow solution offers a list of active and inactive jobs, the clients associated with them, the number of hours worked and the stage of each job.

It’s designed to show employees who are collaborating on the same job what has been completed and what’s in the pipeline. In addition, you can create custom job quotes with photos and documents and generate invoices directly from the quotes and employee timesheets.

Who should use it:

Small businesses in construction and field service that are looking for an alternative to paper timesheets and a robust solution tailored for their industry.

Pros & Cons
  • JobFlow solution to track the life cycle of your jobs
  • Drag-and-drop schedule that lets you create and change work shifts
  • Job quote and invoice creator with personalization options
  • Basic plan is designed for smaller businesses with up to five employees
  • Must upgrade to a higher-level plan for scheduling
  • Higher-level plans are expensive

Best for Invoicing and Billing

Paymo

Paymo
4.4
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

Free; $5.90 per user

per month (billed annually)

Free Trial

Yes, for 15 days

Standout Features

Kanban boards, Gantt charts

Paymo

Free; $5.90 per user

per month (billed annually)

Yes, for 15 days

Kanban boards, Gantt charts

Editor's Take

Paymo focuses on time tracking, invoicing and billing. Each task you create in the software will include a start date, end date, description, expected hours to complete, billing type and estimated price. You’ll be able to set alerts when the billable amount of a task is about 90% of the estimate. Once a task is completed, you can create and send an invoice directly from the software.

While the free plan is pretty basic, the higher-level plans let you set live task timers so you can track progress in real time and send reminders and alerts to various team members. There’s also a way to view detailed time reports that show how long tasks are taking and which employees are the most efficient with them.

Paymo’s Kanban boards are ideal if you’d like to streamline workflows and enhance visibility. There are also Gantt charts you can use to plan, schedule and monitor every big or small detail of a project. Plus you can enjoy actionable insights to improve accountability.

Who should use it:

Paymo is worth exploring for businesses that want to be able to track hours, keep tabs on tasks and generate invoices with ease.

Pros & Cons
  • Robust Kanban and Gantt features
  • Advanced billing and invoicing features
  • Unlimited invoices on all plans
  • Comment flow on tasks for easy collaboration
  • Limited users with the basic plan
  • Can be expensive
  • Comes with a steep learning curve

Best for Freelancers and Contractors

TimeCamp

TimeCamp
4.4
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

Free; $2.99 per user

per month

Free trial

Yes, for 14 days

Standout Features

Productivity tracking, attendance tracking

TimeCamp

Free; $2.99 per user

per month

Yes, for 14 days

Productivity tracking, attendance tracking

Editor's Take

TimeCamp is a cloud-based time tracking tool that helps all types of workers, including freelancers and contractors, become more productive. While you use it to log the time you spend on various tasks and projects, its tracking tool keeps tabs on the apps and websites you visit. This lets you understand how and where your time is being spent.

You have the option to track your time via desktop, Android or iOS device. Plus you can use a Google Chrome extension. In addition, TimeCamp creates attendance reports that clearly display how long you, and anyone else you work with, worked on a given day. The reports also make it easy to track time by project, client and task time.

Also, TimeCamp integrates with accounting tools, such as QuickBooks and Xero so you can track your clients accurately and budget for them accordingly.

Who should use it:

TimeCamp is a solid pick if you’re a freelancer or contractor. It can help you identify and resolve any habits that take away from your productivity and accurately measure your profitability.

Pros & Cons
  • Workers can track time from mobile, desktop and web apps
  • Allows for integrations with popular business tools, including Trello, Asana, QuickBooks and
  • Xero
    Reporting tools to help monitor attendance
  • No invoicing on Free and Basic plan
  • Timesheet approvals only available on Pro and Enterprise plans
  • No phone support
  • No integrations on Free plan

Best for Staying Compliant With Labor Laws

Deputy

Deputy
4.3
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

Free; $6 per user

per month

Free Trial

Yes, for 31 days

Standout Features

Shift scheduling compliance tool, timesheet wage calculator

Deputy

Free; $6 per user

per month

Yes, for 31 days

Shift scheduling compliance tool, timesheet wage calculator

Editor's Take

Deputy has no shortage of useful features to help you stay compliant, save costs and improve efficiency. You can create and assign ongoing or one-off tasks or checklists to individual employees. Once you do, you’ll be able to monitor them through a central dashboard with a color code that displays which tasks were completed and which ones are still pending.

The software’s time clock app gives managers insight on where employees are so they can ensure the ideal coverage and easily find replacements as needed. There’s also a shift scheduling tool to help you comply with federal, state and local labor laws.

You can schedule required breaks, paid time off and overtime. Since the app flags missed or unscheduled breaks, you’ll be able to easily reduce compliance risks. Deputy also offers a timesheet feature that can calculate employee wages based on employment contracts or local labor laws.

Who should use it:

If you’d like to ensure your small business stays compliant with labor laws, Deputy can come in handy.

Pros & Cons
  • Employees can clock in and out digitally
  • Shift scheduling tool to simplify labor law compliance
  • Automatic wage calculations according to local labor laws or employment contracts
  • Very basic free plan
  • Must invest in Enterprise plan to enjoy the forecasting feature
  • User interface could be improved

Best Free Plan

Toggl Track

Toggl Track
4.1
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

Free; $9 per user

Free Trial

Yes, for 30 days

Standout Features

Calendar integration, time tracking audits

Toggl Track

Free; $9 per user

Yes, for 30 days

Calendar integration, time tracking audits

Editor's Take

Formerly Toggl, Toggl Track is a time tracking app with a generous free plan. If you’re a freelancer, solopreneur or very small business, the free plan is sure to exceed your expectations. It’s full of basic time tracking features, including a timeline, auto-tracker, idle detection, off-line time tracking and weekly reports.

Best of all, there are no limits to how many projects you can create or how many clients you can track. Of course, you can enjoy more advanced features if you upgrade to the higher-level plans. Several of these include calendar integration, project templates, time tracking audits and priority support.

Since Toggl Track is essentially a timer, it’s a breeze to use. All you have to do is turn it on and let it count seconds and minutes. Once you end a timing session, the total amount of time will be saved to your account.

Who should use it:

For a free software that offers impressive insights and reporting, Toggl Track should be on your radar.

Pros & Cons
  • Generous free plan with features like unlimited time tracking, exportable reports, and idle time detection
  • Insights feature that uncovers earnings-per-client, ROI, team allocation, and more
  • Supports many integrations with popular tools like Asana, Google Calendar, and Salesforce
  • No invoicing or scheduling features
  • Paid plans are expensive
  • Limited project management tools

Best for Small Teams

TrackingTime

TrackingTime
3.8
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

Free; $5.75 per user

per month

Free Trial

Yes, for 14 days

Standout Features

Automatic monthly attendance reports, project management tool

TrackingTime

Free; $5.75 per user

per month

Yes, for 14 days

Automatic monthly attendance reports, project management tool

Editor's Take

TrackingTime is a web-based time tracking solution you can use to manage your projects and collaborate with your team. Its real-time tracker lets you keep tabs on working hours and organize projects, clients and tasks.

You’ll be able to see the work that’s currently being completed by your team. Plus you can categorize time as billable or non-billable to get insight on how much is spent on administrative tasks, such as sending emails and attending meetings.

Your employees can clock in and out from their mobile devices, TrackingTime time cards or apps, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. In addition, you’ll get automatic monthly attendance reports, which reveal detailed work schedules and include breaks, overtime and paid time off.

Who should use it:

If you have a small team that only requires basic time tracking capabilities, TrackingTime can meet your needs.

Pros & Cons
  • Employees can clock in and out from mobile devices, TrackingTime time cards, or an app like Slack
  • Convenient dashboard that reveals all active projects and clients as well as services being offered
  • A Pace Board with a daily overview of scheduled and tracked hours by employee
  • Invoicing is not available
  • Can’t pay timesheets you generate for billable hours
  • Limited customization

Best for Monitoring Employee Productivity

Time Doctor

Time Doctor
3.5
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$5.90 per user

per month

Free Trial

Yes, for 14 days

Standout Features

Productivity alerts and reminders, employee screen capture

Time Doctor

$5.90 per user

per month

Yes, for 14 days

Productivity alerts and reminders, employee screen capture

Editor's Take

Time Doctor is a cloud-based time tracking software with an emphasis on productivity monitoring. Its tools let you analyze how employees manage their time and alert you when they’re wasting it.

You can set alerts and reminders to increase productivity by stating a time limit when workers can be idle. Once they exceed this limit, they’ll receive a pop-up that asks them if they’re still working. In the event they don’t respond after 60 seconds, the timer will stop recording.

There’s also a tool that captures employees’ screens at random times so you can see what they’re working on. In addition, you can track their website activities to find out if they visit any sites that hinder their productivity while they’re at work. The daily and weekly productivity reports can be useful as well.

Who should use it:

Time Doctor makes sense if you have a remote or hybrid workforce or are simply looking for a way to increase your productivity.

Pros & Cons
  • Focus on employee monitoring and productivity
  • Useful time usage reports for employee
  • Location tracking for off-site employees
  • Website monitoring feature can be invasive
  • Can be expensive for larger companies
  • Idle time alerts may be distracting

Best for Setting Goals

RescueTime

RescueTime
3.2
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$6.50 per month

Free Trial

Yes, for 14 days

Standout Features

Focus sessions, end-of-day reviews, schedule management

RescueTime

$6.50 per month

Yes, for 14 days

Focus sessions, end-of-day reviews, schedule management

Editor's Take

RescueTime is a time tracking and management software with a focus on boosting productivity and staying focused while you work. Its most noteworthy feature is focus sessions, which you can use to keep track of when employees are working and taking breaks. Your employees can set goals about how long they’d like to work, what they would like to work on and which websites and apps they need to get the job done.

As soon as a Focus Session begins, the software turns off all notifications and distractions. Employees will then receive real-time alerts to help them stay on track. With RescueTime’s schedule management feature, you can view each employee’s schedule and work with them to determine what types of goals are most realistic for them.

RescueTime also generates daily summaries and in-depth reports so you can learn how productive your employees are and which distractions they need to work on. These can come in handy when it comes time to assess their progress and review their performance.

Who should use it:

RescueTime is worth considering if you’re a small to medium-sized business with a focus on setting employee goals and limiting distractions.

Pros & Cons
  • Unique focus sessions feature to help employees stay focused and productive
  • Useful daily and weekly productivity reports
  • Dashboard with a productivity pulse that measures productivity compared to previous days
  • Outdated user interface
  • Premium version can be expensive
  • No billing or invoicing features

Summary: Best Time Tracking Software

Company Forbes Advisor Rating Starting Price Free Trial Standout Features LEARN MORE
Clockify 5.0 5-removebg-preview Free; $3.99 per user per month Yes, for seven days Employee monitoring, off-line mode Learn More Read Forbes' Review
QuickBooks Time 4.8 5-removebg-preview $20 per month plus $8 per user per month Yes, for 30 days PTO management, employee scheduling, geotechnology Learn More Read Forbes' Review
ClockShark 4.5 4.5-removebg-preview-1 $8 per month per user plus a $40 per month base fee Yes, for 14 days Drag-and-drop schedule editor, JobFlow solution Learn More On ClockShark’s Website
Paymo 4.4 4.5-removebg-preview-1 Free; $5.90 per user per month (billed annually) Yes, for 15 days Kanban boards, Gantt charts View More
TimeCamp 4.4 4.5-removebg-preview-1 Free; $2.99 per user per month Yes, for 14 days Productivity tracking, attendance tracking View More
Deputy 4.3 4.5-removebg-preview Free; $6 per user per month Yes, for 31 days Shift scheduling compliance tool, timesheet wage calculator View More
Toggl Track 4.1 4.0 star Free; $9 per user per month (billed annually) Yes, for 30 days Calendar integration, time tracking audits View More
RescueTime 3.2 3-stars $6.50 per month Yes, for 14 days Focus sessions, end-of-day reviews, schedule management View More
TrackingTime 3.8 4.0 star Free; $5.75 per user per month Yes, for 14 days Automatic monthly attendance reports, project management tool View More
Time Doctor 3.5 3.5-removebg-preview $5.90 per user per month Yes, for 14 days Productivity alerts and reminders, employee screen capture View More

What Is Time Tracking Software?

Time tracking software helps employers and workers keep track of time spent on various tasks, projects and other deliverables. You can use it to stay organized, regardless of your industry or job responsibilities. With a quality time tracking solution, you’ll find it easy to pinpoint distractions and make smart business decisions that allow you to become more productive and profitable.


Benefits of Time Tracking Software

Time tracking software offers a number of noteworthy advantages, such as:

  • Increased productivity: If your team struggles to meet deadlines or you’re worried they’re slacking off, time tracking software can help you pinpoint inefficiencies and create a more productive workforce.
  • More accurate quoting: Because you’ll be able to record how long each task or job takes, time tracking software may take the time and guesswork out of accurate quoting.
  • Easier prioritization: With time tracking software, you’ll have a better idea of how to allocate your resources to tackle the highest-priority projects first.
  • Improved rewards and retention: Time tracking solutions will let you home in on your greatest employees so you can reward and retain them.

How To Choose Time Tracking Software

Not all time tracking software is created equal. To help you find the ideal option for your unique situation, consider the following.

Essential Features

  • Time tracking: This lets you keep track of how your employees spend their time while on the job.
  • Timesheets: Timesheets calculate the work your employees perform in terms of billable hours so you can simplify billing and invoicing.
  • Reporting: Most time tracking software creates reports on active employee hours, tasks employees complete and more.
  • Integrations: Integrations with project management and communication tools such as Salesforce, Asana and Slack are important if you’d like to maximize performance.
  • Mobile app: With a mobile app, you and your employees can manage your time from anywhere.

Consider Your Business Processes

The way you run your business and perform your work will determine the best time tracking solution. It’s a good idea to ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you work in an office or away from the office?
  • Are you a freelancer or solopreneur or a small to medium-sized business with employees?
  • Do you use Trello, Asana or other project management apps?
  • How do you communicate with your employees and clients?

If you’re typically away from the office and out in the field, for example, a robust mobile app should be your priority. In the event you’re a small business with several employees, investing in a paid time tracking solution may make more sense than if you’re self-employed with no employees.

Stand-alone Software vs. Suites

A stand-alone time tracker is a basic tool that lets you record the time spent on projects and tasks. In most cases, you’ll need to manually enter your time and categorize it. A time tracking suite, on the other hand, is more robust and offers bells and whistles, such as schedule management, geo-tracking, easy integrations and more.


What Does Time Tracking Software Cost?

When it comes to pricing for time tracking software, it varies greatly. Typically, however, most solutions will charge you a flat monthly rate plus a rate per user. Factors including specific features and the number of employees you have will dictate what you pay for a time tracking tool. Keep in mind that sometimes, you won’t be able to find pricing information online and will need to reach out to the company directly for a custom quote.


Methodology

Our staff researched 13 time tracking solutions to narrow down our top 10 recommendations. We homed in on 25 factors including pricing, features, third-party ratings and reviews, and our proprietary expert score. You can find details on each factor below.

Pricing

We paid attention to how much each solution costs and whether or not it had a free version. Pricing accounted for 10% of the overall score.

Features

Features such as a mobile app, clock in/clock out, invoicing, scheduling, alerts, time management and multiple billing rates were all important to us. Features made up 30% of the overall score.

Additional Features

Bonus points were given to solutions that come with extra features, including reporting, real-time project dashboards, automatic time capture and automated reminders. Additional features accounted for 20% of the overall score.

Third-Party Ratings and Reviews

We prioritized solutions with higher third-party ratings of 3.5 or higher while also taking into account the total number of reviews. Reviews were 10% of the overall score.

Expert Score

Our team of researchers focused on the overall value of the platforms, their popularity and ease of use and any personal experience or hands-on testing they were able to conduct. The expert score played a 30% role in the overall score.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is time tracking software?

Time tracking software allows employees to record the time they spend on various tasks or projects. Most solutions include extra features, such as invoicing, reporting and productivity monitoring.

What does time tracking software do?

Time tracking software keeps track of work hours. It provides insight on how much time was spent on various tasks, projects and clients. Most solutions also offer extras, such as scheduling tools and invoicing.

Do I need time tracking software?

Whether you need time tracking software depends on your unique business and goals. If you’re a small business who would like to improve employee productivity, it may make sense. On the flip side, if you’re a freelancer who is just starting out, you may be able to keep track of your time manually without a solution.

What are the cons of time tracking software?

Typically, time tracking software with robust features will cost you a flat monthly rate plus a fee per user. Also, some time tracking software comes with a steep learning curve, so it might take some time and effort to get used to it and unlock its full potential.

Are there other ways to track employee time?

While it’s convenient, you don’t need a time tracking software to track employee time. Instead, you may use a spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Another option is to install time clocks where employees can clock in and out. In addition, you can try geofencing or GPS tracking apps to keep track of employee time while they’re away from the office.


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