Learning how to properly bill time can be a tricky concept to master. In this guide, we uncover the 10 best free time tracking software options that can ensure accurate billing to your customers, or accurate payment to employees/contractors who have performed the work. These provide a great alternative to manual time sheets.
If you’re looking for an easier way to track time, invoice customers and manage your accounts we recommend trying FreshBooks. FreshBooks pairs a robust time/expense tracker with great invoicing capabilities. You can get started for free with 30-day trial and plans start at $15 per month.
Here is our list of the 10 best free time tracking software:
1. Homebase
Homebase is a free multi-platform (desktop, mobile app, web app) time tracking and scheduling software. Your employees can clock in with their mobile phones, and you will have a record of their time and location. Through the mobile app, employees can also check their schedules, trade shifts, request time off and communicate with their coworkers.
Homebase helps you stay compliant as well by tracking paid and unpaid breaks, and by keeping a running list of missed shifts, breaks and and clock-outs. It will even notify you if an employee is about to hit overtime. With Homebase, you can then export your timesheets directly to popular payroll providers, like Gusto, to include all this information without any data entry. Click here to get started.
2. Toggl
Toggl is a multi-platform (desktop, mobile app, web app) time tracker that is very flexible and very popular. Simply type in your task and click start; click again to finish. Toggl syncs across platforms, so you are able to begin the task on your smartphone and can finish on your computer. If you forget to click, you can enter times manually.
Toggl allows you to track time for free, but costs $9 per month per user to access more reporting, project management and team features which are limited in the free version. Toggl’s tagging method allows you to tag with a three-stage hierarchy – client, project, and task – for ultimate organization. Toggl even works when you are offline!
Toggl was built with teamwork in mind, so if you are developing a team and are looking for possible solutions, head over and check it out. You do not need to create a new login if you have a Gmail account.
3. AccountSight
AccountSight is a time tracking program that can be accessed from any device on any platform (PC or Mac); just download the mobile app to your Android or IOS device. Easily track time by project and task, add additional comments and attach files to timesheets. You can easily upload multiple timesheets from Excel to AccountSight for review, approval, and payment.
Accountsight allows you to set up multiple levels of approvals. Set up automatic reminders to users so that they submit their timesheets on time. AccountSight integrates with QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online products. The free version is limited to 1 user, 3 projects, and 3 clients. However, you have unlimited invoicing and unlimited travel & expense tracking.
4. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a great time tracking tool to keep track of employees that are remote as well as in the office. Time can be added manually or automatically using integrated apps. Managers can control whether or not an employee is able to enter time manually.
You can view time in 3 ways: Daily, Weekly or Calendar view. The Daily view allows you to see the exact times work was started and stopped throughout the day; the weekly view makes it easy to see the amount of time worked each day of the week and the calendar view allows you to see the amount of time worked across multiple projects. Not only does Hubstaff allow you to track time but it has a built-in payroll and invoicing features, so you don’t need to worry about exporting the time to another program to pay your employees or bill customers.
5. Google Calendar
If you have a Gmail or Google+ account, you have full access to Google Calendar. With Google Calendar, you can keep track of appointments, time dedicated to projects, vacation/PTO, and schedules of your colleagues (if you share calendars with each other). The data syncs across the Google platform of apps, so you can view all your contacts, email, create Google Hangouts, and do all other things Google from the Google Calendar.
With the integration of Google into most programs, you can often sync Google Calendar with resources you are already using. For example, you can import info from your Google Calendar into a QuickBooks Online invoice. To see how this works, check out this video.
6. Timesheet
Timesheet allows you to keep track of your time with the single press of a button. You are able to easily add breaks, expenses, and notes. Timesheet allows you to keep track of projects and the data is exportable to Excel. One unique feature Timesheet provides is the ability to link WiFi connections to projects. This means that when you arrive at your client’s and connect to their WiFi, Timesheet will automatically start tracking your time. Timesheet backs up your information to Dropbox, so you do not have to worry about losing data if you lose your computer/phone.
7. Timetrack
Timetrack was made for one purpose: time tracking. To get started, visit the website, create your projects, assign yourself to the projects, and download the app (PC, Mac, Linux, and mobile are supported). After this initial login, you don’t need to visit the site again unless you are adding new projects. Time is tracked online and offline. Timetrack set up their system for easy team collaboration and client reporting. If the number of projects and users reaches ten, Timetrack does ask that you pay a small fee. Timetrack has multilingual support and will work with you if their templates for reporting aren’t enough.
8. aTimeLogger
If you’re looking for a time-tracking app that does more than just work, aTimeLogger is an excellent solution. It provides twelve categories including work, sleep, self-care, reading, and shopping. You can review your daily log and figure out where your time is going. aTimeLogger allows you to set goals and notifies you when you reach them. Statistics can be displayed in pie or bar chart format and reports can be adjusted by date range/activities, which can then be exported in CSV or HTML format. aTimeLogger is customizable by allowing you to select different themes to better suit your purpose. aTimeLogger integrates with apps such as Tasker and Locale. You can even program aTimeLogger to tweet when you finish an activity!
9. Todo.vu
todo.vu is a comprehensive system that not only includes time tracking but also has CRM, project management and billing capabilities. It is ideal for freelancers, consultants and teams. You can enter time directly to the tasks that you are working on; multiple people can enter time for the same tasks. todo.vu has nice detailed reports so that you can stay on top of the progress being made on a project or task as well as find any unbilled time. You can use todo.vu to bill your customers or attach it to your existing billing system. todo.vu integrates with a number of systems, including Xero, FreshBooks and Zoho Books.
10. Timely
Timely is a robust solution for scheduling and time tracking. Timely integrates with all major calendars, so any change made will be reflected across all synced calendars. Navigation is simple and intuitive with features like a drag-and-drop calendar and built in estimates. The free version is for one user and three projects but is $14 a month for unlimited with one user. Project management is very simple as it helps you with planning, discovering who has done what, and seeing who has too much on their plate. Reviews from multi-person teams rave about how it has streamlined a lot of work in a very easy to use way.
Bonus Tip: Paymo
Paymo is a free time tracking software that also allows for project management and online invoicing. Paymo is a cloud-based solution so you can access from any device connected to the internet. The mobile app which can also offline and sync once you reconnect. Efficiency and time spent are the two major concepts Paymo focuses on. Google Apps integrates with Paymo and you are able to accept payments online (Paypal, Auth.net, Google Checkouts). A free account allows for one user with unlimited clients and projects, but only one invoice. You also receive 50MB of online storage. The paid accounts increase users and storage space.
Freerk
A relatively unknown program for time tracking is the Dutch software: TimeWriter http://www.timewriter.com . I use this already several years. This software has been renewed shortly and can now be used on Windows, Apple and mobile apps. For freelancers it has a free single user version. The software is very clear thanks to the weekgrid. It has many preformatted reports. There is just one small disadvantage, the free version cannot export the data to another digital format. But besides this, I will recommend it!
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Thanks for the recommendation Freerk will check it out!
Best Regards,
Dave
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Kevin
Hi David,
I would like to suggest the app Saus (https://saus.us). It is a new app, with some cool features, like a week dashboard that helps to spot gaps in your logs. Another nice feature are the extensive analysis options (charts). Currently it is only available as website, but it works pretty good on mobile phones as well.
The app is now in beta and free to use. Unfortunately, it will not be free afterwards, but I believe the price is fair.
– Kevin
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Thanks for the heads up Kevin will have a look!
Best Regards,
Dave
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Andreas Kowalski
Hi Dave,
I use the App ‘Timetracking’ from Taptile Apps for iOS. It has a clean UI and is very powerful in organizing tasks and jobs.
Once created all needed tasks, it’s a thing of seconds to start a new entry.
There are more useful functionalities like filters, charts and exports, but I haven’t tested all of them yet. They have to be paid inapp.
Best regards,
Andi
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Hi Andreas,
Thanks for letting us know will check it out!
Best Regards,
Dave
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Nicolae
Hi David,
I’d like to suggest Fanurio (http://www.fanuriotimetracking.com) which is a time tracking and billing software application, highly appreciated by freelancers for its intuitive interface, flexible timer and ability to produce detailed invoices.
Fanurio is not free but it has a free trial. It costs 59 USD (which means about $5/month for the first year) and you can use it for life.
I know that there are many freelancers who prefer to use a desktop application in order to keep their data on their own computers. Since Fanurio is a desktop application, it integrates very well with the platforms it runs on. On OS X, you can easily access timers from the the menu bar and from the dock icon menu. On Windows, you can start a new timer or control the active timer from the thumbnail toolbar or from the tray icon. You can also use global hotkeys to control the timers from within any running application.
Fanurio is used by many freelancers not just to track time but to bill their clients as well. Fanurio can export invoices to HTML, PDF, Microsoft Word 2007, OpenOffice OpenDocument and other formats so they can be printed or e-mailed. Invoice templates can be created manually, with a visual editor (Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft Word or OpenOffice) or with the built-in template editor.
I hope this helps.
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Thanks for the recommendation Nicolae will have a look!
Best Regards,
Dave
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Jan Godlewski
I suggest to add TimeCamp (www.timecamp.com) to the list. Very effective (and inexpensive!) tool 🙂
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Thanks for the recommendation Jan will check it out!
Best Regards,
Dave
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