8 Best Time Tracking Software in 2023
The best time tracking software for you depends on whether you’re looking to ensure accurate payroll for hourly staff, assign labor costs to jobs, or use employee hours to track projects and bill customers—or all of the above.
In this guide, we considered time tracking solutions for all those use cases. Providers offering a free plan, a mobile app, and multiple clock-in options, among other features, were rated favorably.
To find the best time tracking software for small businesses, we evaluated 20 solutions and narrowed it down to our top eight recommendations.
- Clockify: Best overall time tracking software for employers and freelancers
- Deputy: Best for seasonal businesses that keep employees on standby
- Homebase: Best for free work hour tracking in one physical location
- TimeCamp: Best for employers, contractors, or freelancers looking for a lightweight project management tool
- busybusy: Best for independent contractors or construction business startups
- ClockShark: Best for midsize construction companies (fewer than 100 employees)
- QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets): Best for QuickBooks users who need to track billable hours and monitor the work hours of their hourly workforce
- Harvest: Best for small business owners and freelancers looking for free time tracking, invoicing, and expensing tools
If you’re looking for budget-friendly solutions, our guide to the best free time tracking software has several great options.
Best Time Tracking Software Quick Comparison
Provider | Minimum Paid Plan Monthly Pricing | Invoicing | Scheduling | Payroll Integration |
---|---|---|---|---|
$4.99 per user; has free plan | Optional add-on | ✓ | ✕ | |
$2.50 per user; has free plan | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | |
$19.95 per location; has free plan for one business location | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | |
$7 per user; has a free plan | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | |
$11.99 per active user; has a free plan | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | |
$15 + $3 per user | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
$20 + $8/employee | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
$12 per user; has a free plan | ✓ (extra fees) | ✕ | ✕ | |
Check our best time and attendance software guide to see other providers and what businesses they best serve.
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Clockify: Best Overall Time Tracking Software for Employers & Freelancers
Pros
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Free tier comes with web, desktop, and mobile time tracking apps; supports unlimited users and projects
- Built-in invoicing tools to bill clients
Cons
- Invoicing and labor cost vs budget comparisons cost extra
- Limited report customizability; you can’t create and add new fields
- Mobile app is glitchy; software lags from time to time
Clockify Monthly Pricing
- Free option: Access to online timers and time sheets, project and task tracking, reporting tools, and calendar; supports unlimited projects and employees
- Basic ($4.99 per user): Administration tools; project templates, time audits, and the capability to add time for one or multiple users
- Standard ($6.99 per user): All of Basic’s features plus timesheeting and billing tools, and QuickBooks integration
- Pro ($9.99 per user): Standard plus productivity and profit tools, scheduled reports, GPS tracking
- Enterprise ($14.99 per user): Account management, single sign-on (SSO), and custom subdomain
- Server (custom-priced): Lets you host Clockify on your own servers
Learn more about its features in our full Clockify review.
Deputy: Best for Seasonal Businesses That Keep Employees on Standby
Pros
- Affordable plans; offers a low-cost standalone time tracking solution
- Supports touchless clock-ins/outs through voice commands and facial recognition scans
- Flexible time tracking through iOS and Android devices, including the Apple Watch
Cons
- Lacks invoicing capabilities; standalone time tracking solution doesn’t include reports
- Time tracking, scheduling, and Premium packages require a $10 minimum monthly spend
- Occasional mobile app glitches and third-party software integration issues
Deputy Pricing*
- Free plan: Only for those in the US
- Does not include time tracking, only scheduling
- Standalone packages: $2.50 per employee for separate Time and Attendance and Scheduling options
- Time and Attendance: Online time sheets, payroll integrations, and time clock apps (for iOS and Android)
- Scheduling: Schedule builder with auto-scheduling functionalities
Paid plans with complete time tracking and scheduling solutions:
- Premium tier ($4.50 per employee): Time and Attendance + Scheduling features + reporting tools
- Enterprise option (custom priced): Premium plus custom roles and permissions, advanced demand planning, and dedicated support
- Flexible weekly option ($2 per employee): Premium features; inactive employees remain on Deputy
*Scheduling, Time and Attendance, and Premium tiers require a minimum monthly spend of $10 per invoice.
Check out our Deputy review to know if it fits your business.
Homebase: Best for Free Work Hour Tracking in One Physical Location
Pros
- Feature-rich free tier; includes time tracking, scheduling, and basic hiring tools
- User-friendly interface
- Can handle unlimited employees
Cons
- Lacks client invoicing tools
- Free plan covers only one business location
- Doesn’t integrate with third-party scheduling, accounting, and project management solutions
Homebase Pricing
- Free option: Manage schedules, track employee time, communicate with teams, and hire new staff; supports unlimited schedules and employees for businesses with one location
- Paid plans:
- Essentials ($19.95/month/location): All in Free + team communication, performance tracking, remote tools
- Plus ($49.95/month/location): All in Essentials + labor costing, time off limits, PTO tracking, permissions
- All in One ($99.95/month/location): All in Plus + onboarding, employee documents, HR, compliance
Check out our Homebase review to see whether it fits the needs of your business.
TimeCamp: Best for Employers, Contractors, or Freelancers Looking for a Lightweight Project Management Tool
Pros
- Free plan includes unlimited users and projects
- Has robust employee productivity tools
- Offers leave management
Cons
- You have to upgrade to its paid plans if you want billable/non-billable hours tagging and email/chat support
- Client invoicing and online payments available only in higher tiers
- Lacks phone support
TimeCamp Pricing*
- Free plan: Track time for unlimited projects for an unlimited number of users; also comes with project templates, bulk edits, PDF exports, and integration with one software
- Basic tier ($7/user/month): All of Free’s features plus custom reports, management roles, billable time, and XLS file exports
- Pro option ($10/user/month): Additional features include billing rates, invoicing, client payments, time sheet approvals, and custom user roles
- Enterprise package (custom-priced): Pro features plus personalized training, private cloud implementation, and a self-hosted service
*Annual pricing comes with a 10% discount.
Read more about pricing, features, and its alternatives in our TimeCamp review.
busybusy: Best for Independent Contractors & Construction Business Startups
Pros
- Has a forever-free plan with unlimited users
- GPS features available for all plans
- Equipment tracking even with free plan
- Area-based and time-based clock-ins/outs reminders
Cons
- No scheduling option in the free version
- Integration with QuickBooks can take time
BusyBusy Monthly Pricing
- Free option: Unlimited users; includes GPS time tracking, job costing, and equipment tracking
- Pro ($11.99 per active user): GPS breadcrumbing, supervisor tools, photos and notes, safety reports, scheduling
- Premium (custom): Pay for what you need; includes daily progress reports, progress tracking, payroll service
ClockShark: Best for Midsize Construction Businesses
Pros
- Reasonably priced
- Has geofencing and geolocation tracking features
- Supports online payments from clients
Cons
- Doesn’t have a free option
- Facial recognition scans require a dedicated time tracking device
- Invoicing, online client payments, and advanced job costing controls are available only in higher tiers
ClockShark Pricing
- Basic plan ($15 plus $3/user/month): Comes with time tracking, task monitoring, job and customer management, and basic GPS tools
- Standard tier ($25 plus $6/user/month): All of Basic’s features plus scheduling, geofencing, time sheet approval, and access to ClockShark’s “KioskClock”
- Pro option ($45 plus $8/user/month): Includes additional features like PTO management, advanced job costing controls, and a dedicated account manager
- Expert package ($90 plus $12/user/month): Premium tools include invoicing, online payments, and customized job quotes
Read our full ClockShark review.
QuickBooks Time: Best for QuickBooks Users Requiring Billable Hours Monitoring & Hourly Workforce Time Tracking
Pros
- Can track both billable hours and actual hours worked of hourly staff
- Offers multiple and versatile time clock options
- Seamless integration with QuickBooks’ payroll and accounting software
Cons
- More expensive than competitors
- Facial recognition clock-ins require the use of a dedicated time tracking kiosk
- Invoicing isn’t built in; available through integration with QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Time Pricing
- Premium plan ($20 plus $8/employee/month): Access to mobile apps with GPS tracking and the QuickBooks Time Kiosk, PTO management, job and shift scheduling, automated overtime alerts, and unlimited live customer support
- Elite option ($40 plus $10/employee/month): Premium’s features plus mileage tracking, geofencing, time sheet signatures, and reports that show project estimates versus actual hours/labor cost
To learn more about its capabilities and see if it fits your needs, read our full QuickBooks Time review.
Harvest: Best for Small Business Owners & Freelancers Needing Free Time Tracking, Invoicing & Expensing Tools
Pros
- Free option lets you track time for projects, send invoices, and submit expense reports
- Can handle online payments through Stripe and PayPal integrations
- Robust third-party software integrations
Cons
- Free tier has only one user seat and two projects
- Time tracking for unlimited projects is included only in its paid Pro plan; this option can be costly, especially if you have a big team
- GPS tracking and biometric scans are unavailable; task management features are limited
Harvest Pricing
- Free option: Includes online timers, client invoicing, and expense reporting for one user seat and time tracking for up to two projects.
- Pro ($12/user/month): Unlimited user seats and projects.
Read our Harvest review.
Looking for something else?
For complete HRIS systems you can use from hire to retire, including time and attendance support, check out our top recommended HRIS solutions. Or for more ideas on how to track time, check out our guide on ways to track employee work hours.
How We Evaluated the Best Time Tracking Software
We started our search with 20 time tracking software, comparing each product’s ease of use, pricing, and online user reviews. We also looked for essential features like secure clock-ins/outs, geolocation tracking, invoicing, pre-built reports, mobile apps, and the capability to allocate hours to jobs. We even considered the provider’s integration options with third-party software like payroll and project management solutions.
Based on our evaluation, Clockify is the best overall time tracking software, especially for freelancers and employers needing a way to monitor billable hours. It earned an overall score of 4.15 out of 5 with high marks for pricing, ease of use, and popularity. What’s great about Clockify is that you can track time for an unlimited number of users and projects for free.
For freelancers looking for an efficient way to track billable hours, check out our best time tracking software for freelancers and self-employed workers.
To see our full evaluation criteria for best time tracking software, click through the tabs in the box below.
20% of Overall Score
We checked to see if the provider has a free plan and transparent pricing for its paid tiers. We also considered the cost of paid subscriptions and gave those that are priced $10 or less per employee monthly extra points. For this criterion, only Clockify and TimeCamp got perfect scores. While Deputy has a free plan for its US-based clients, we didn’t give additional points since it does not include time tracking features. Harvest, Homebase, and busybusy scored 4 out of 5 because their pricing for paid plans are higher than $10 per month.
20% of Overall Score
The best time tracking system includes at least basic tools, such as exportable time data, multiple time clock types, breaks and PTO tracking, and administrator alerts. Plus, having access to mobile apps and a self-service portal are also ideal. Only QuickBooks Time got a perfect score for this criterion. Deputy, Homebase, and ClockShark almost got 5 but they lacked multiple clock-in options, bringing their scores down.
20% of Overall Score
Time tracking solutions that allow users to allocate hours by job code, compare budget versus actual hours, and generate invoices to bill clients were rated highly. Additional points were also given to those that can export time data to software that can calculate profit and loss by jobs for easy project management. Deputy and Homebase scored the lowest here (2.5 out of 5) since they lacked invoicing tools, direct integration with project management tools, and the capability to generate reports that compare budgeted time/cost versus actual data. Harvest, on the other hand, got a perfect mark.
20% of Overall Score
Having a time tracking software that is intuitive and easy to learn is a must. We also looked at whether the provider offers live phone support, training, quick system implementations, and integration options with payroll, accounting, and scheduling systems. Homebase and busybusy met all of our requirements for this criteria.
10% of Overall Score
Aside from having access to standard and pre-built reports, users should be able to customize reports. Homebase, TimeCamp, and Deputy got perfect scores here; the others didn’t because of limited report customizability.
10% of Overall Score
We considered online user reviews, including those of our competitors, wherein any option with an average of 4+ stars is ideal. Also, software with 1,000 or more reviews on third-party sites is preferred. TimeCamp scored the lowest in this criterion (3 out of 5), mainly because it has less than 1,000 reviews online as of this writing.
Bottom Line
Tracking time by hand is time-consuming and difficult to monitor. Time tracking apps can help alleviate the stress of having to manually compute work hours and prepare timesheets since its system will do that for you. Some even allow you to assign time to jobs and service codes, build staff schedules, track billable hours, and invoice clients.
Based on our evaluation, we found Clockify to be the best time tracking software for small businesses and freelancers. It can efficiently capture when hourly employees start and stop working, plus it has a project management feature that allows you to export hours information to software to calculate profit or loss by job. Best of all, it has a no-frills free tier that lets you monitor hours worked for unlimited projects and unlimited users. If you need more advanced options, it has affordable paid plans starting at $4.99 per user, monthly. Sign up for a free plan today.