Are you a freelancer? Are you struggling to stay on top of your time? Do you often find yourself spending too much time on nonbillable tasks? Then it would help if you considered using a time tracking app for freelancers.
Many people often lose track of time when they work from home or remotely, especially when they work on multiple projects simultaneously. They find it hard to track their time on each task. This results in missed deadlines, overcharging clients, and burnout.
A time tracker app can help you stay organized and productive, improve efficiency, and bill your clients accurately.
In this blog post, you’ll get a list of the best time tracking apps for freelancers, the benefits of using an app, and how to choose a time-tracker app for freelancing.
Best time tracking apps for freelancers
Although hundreds of time tracking apps are available in the market, not all have the same functions. Some are suitable for small businesses, while others are designed for large enterprises.Thus, it is essential to consider apps that are suitable for freelancers.
How were these apps selected?
Usually, freelancers need to track time and send invoices to clients. Thus, I short-listed 10 apps that include the following features –
- Online and offline time tracking,
- Billable and non-billable hours,
- Time Tracking by project and client,
- Billing and invoicing,
- Reporting/Analytics
My recommendation
After exploring the features of different time tracking apps, using them, and considering freelancers’ requirements, I found these two apps suitable to get started.
However, everyone’s circumstances are not the same. Thus, do research and select one that fits your needs.
Here is a list of the best time tracking apps for freelancers. Now, let’s take a look at the list.
1. Clockify
A popular free time tracking app that is suitable for any sized business. For freelancers, Clockify offers automatic time tracking, manual time entry, billable rate setting, reporting, and timesheets.
In its free plan, you can add unlimited projects and users, get a calendar view of tracked time, and work with the Pomodoro timer. If you are new to the time tracking app, you can start with its free plan. Later you can switch to paid versions when you need more advanced features.
Key Features:
- Activity Dashboard
- Reporting/Project Tracking
- Summary Reports
- Billable Items Tracking
- Billable and Non-Billable Hours
- Online and Offline Time Tracking
- Billing & Invoicing
- Calendar Management
- Timesheet Management
Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Includes Pomodoro timer
- Ideal time detection and reminders
- Amplify its function by adding add-ons
- Set billable rates in its free plan
- Paid plan starts from $3.99, which is affordable
Cons:
- For invoicing and timesheet approvals, you need to go with a paid plan
2. Toggl track
Although the Toggl track suits all-sized businesses, it is a great tool for freelancers. This simple but functional app gives flexibility in time tracking. It is easy to use. Create a project, write about a task, and then press the start button to begin the task. Press the stop button when the task ends or take a break.
Once a project is completed, generate a report and send it to your clients from the app. It includes more useful features for freelancers, such as the Pomodoro timer. Toggl creates visually stunning reports – summary, detailed, and weekly.
Key Features:
- Activity Dashboard
- Productivity Analysis
- Time Tracking by Project and Client
- Billable & Non-Billable Hours
- Billable Items Tracking
- Online and Offline Time Tracking
- Project Tracking
- Reporting/Analytics
Pros:
- Easy to get started and sleek interface
- Syncs across multiple platforms
- Idle time detection
- Pomodoro timer built-in
- Customizable time reports
- Integrates with more than 100 apps
Cons:
- Do not have invoicing feature.
- You can’t set hourly rates in the free plan.
3. Bonsai
With Bonsai, you can track time on projects, set hourly rates for each project, and bill the time to your clients. You can even add time manually. Aside from tracking time, it allows you to create invoices, send proposals, and do more things related to a client, project, and finance management. It includes thousands of business templates for various industries. Hence it is an all-in-one solution for freelancers, agencies, and small businesses.
Key Features:
- Online and Offline Time Tracking
- Automated Scheduling
- Appointment Scheduling
- Billing & Invoicing
- Hourly Billing
- Project Billing
- Timesheet Management
- Workflow Management
- Time & Expense Tracking
Pros:
- Includes invoicing and contract tools
- All-in-one solutions for freelancers
- Rich in features to help businesses grow
- Streamlines workflow and business management
Cons:
- The free trial period is only for seven days
- Limited integrations with other apps
4. TimeCamp
For freelancers, this app offers automatic time tracking, productivity tracking, project budgeting, invoicing, and reporting. Aside from time tracking, TimeCamp includes project management, attendance reporting, and timesheet approval features. You need to turn on and off the tracking button with just one click to track the time. When switching between tasks, you can use a keyword-based tracking feature.
Key Features:
- Activity Tracking
- Billing & Invoicing
- Activity Dashboard
- Invoice Management
- Timesheet Management
- Hourly Billing
- Monitoring
- Idle time tracking
- Private time
Pros:
- Automatic time tracking
- Project management features
- The free plan allows unlimited users, projects, and tasks
- Includes billable and non-billable hours
Cons:
- The free version does not support invoicing
5. TopTracker
If you are looking for a free time tracker for freelancers with a screenshots facility, TopTracker is the right app for you. This freelancer-centric time tracking app is entirely free to use. It is a lightweight application from Toptal. This app tracks time and activity levels, records screenshots, generates productivity reports, and invoices clients. However, you’ll have complete control over what to trace and when.
Key Features:
- Billing and invoicing
- Online time tracking
- Projects Dashboard
- Productivity report
Pros:
- It is completely free
- Automatic time tracking
- Time tracking with screenshots
- Invoicing for free
Cons:
- Limited features
- No integration with other apps
6. Harvest
Time tracking, reporting, analysis, invoicing, and payments are the key features of this time tracker software. With Harvest, you can easily turn billable time into invoices, send mail to clients, and get paid online. You can track expenses and get visual reports on team capacity if you manage a team. In addition, it turns timesheet data into intuitive and visual graphs that give insights into team performance.
Key Features:
- Activity Tracking
- Alerts/Notifications
- Billing & Invoicing
- Collaboration Tools
- Budgeting/Forecasting
- Billable & Non-Billable Hours
- Reporting/Project Tracking
- Projections
- Task Progress Tracking
- Time & Expense Tracking
Pros:
- Automatically creates invoices and receives payments
- Send reminders to clients about due invoices
- Generates visual reports
- Gives alerts on Project budget
Cons:
- Lacks detailed reporting
- Limited features for a growing team
7. TMetric
If you are looking for an affordable alternative to the Clockify app, This app can be a great option. But you can’t set billable rates in its free version as you can do in Clockify. If it is not a big issue for you, you can select the TMetric time tracking app for freelancing. The Key features TMetric is time tracking, time off, billing, and invoicing. Also, you can manage teams, tasks, and projects from this app. In its free plan, you can include unlimited projects and clients. However, you can unlock more features by spending $5 per month, such as invoicing and billable rates.
Key Features:
- Online and offline time tracking
- Manual time entry
- Offline mode and idle detection
- Websites and apps usage tracking
- Summary and Detailed reports
- Budgeting for projects
- Invoicing
- API
Pros:
- Ideal for freelancers with a team
- Streamlines workflow easily
- Automatically spots zero activity
- Integrates with 50+ apps and software
Cons:
- Limited features in the free plan
8. Apploye
In most time tracking apps, free plans do not have invoicing facilities. You need to go for a paid plan to send invoices to your client based on your work time. If you are looking for an affordable app to track time and send invoices, the Apploye app is a great option. It is only $2, which is low compared to other apps. Its solo plan is designed for freelancers and individual contractors.
Key Features:
- Online/Offline Time Tracking
- Clock In/Out
- Manual Time Entry
- Weekly Time Limit
- Task Management
- Project Management
- Project Budget & Billing
- Client and Invoice
- Reporting and Dashboard
Pros:
- 100+ features and a user-friendly interface
- Have built-in Pomodoro timer
- Easy to set up and start
- Includes rich onboarding documentation
- You can upgrade to other plans as your team grows.
Cons:
- No free plan
- Limited trial period
9. actiTime
Although the actiTime app is suitable for small and large businesses, you can use it for time tracking and invoicing. Its Time Management Assistant tracks time and activity through Chrome plugin and helps improve productivity. As a freelancer, you can analyze your activity, track time for projects, and send invoices to clients from the actiTime app. The app offers a free version for one to three users with limited features. You can upgrade to a paid plan if the advanced features go with your freelancing service.
Features:
- Time tracking
- Report and data analysis
- Billing and invoicing
- Project tracking
- Team management
- Workflow management
Pros:
- Track time from the browser or mobile app
- You can send invoices from the free plan.
- Have a time management assistant feature for productivity.
Cons:
- The interface is a bit dated
10. Everhour
It is another worth-mentioning time tracking app for freelancers. You can start with its free plan. To set billable rates and invoicing, you need to go with a paid plan. With the Everhour app, you can track time spent on projects and hours of work. Besides usual time tracking features, you can set time estimates for tasks and configure auto-stop timers. This app allows you to manage tasks and clients, track expenses and budgets, and create invoices for your work hours. The best part is that you can prevent members from editing time from its Lock Time Editing feature.
Key Features:
- Timer or manual entry
- Lock time editing
- Max hours limits
- Clock-in, clock-out
- Auto-stop timer
- Non-billable time
- Budget visibility
- Manage tasks
- Workflow Management
- Hourly Billing
- Invoice Creation
Pros:
- Helps smooth workflow
- Integrates with popular apps and Zapier
- User-friendly interface and easy to use
- Gives Task and activity overview
Cons:
- Do not have an Android app
Why freelancers use time tracking apps
A time tracking app is a useful tool for a freelancer. Although a freelancing career allows you to be your own boss and work on your time and terms, you must be disciplined to work on your full potency. That’s why you need a time tracking app to stay organized and productive in your work and get paid for your work accurately. Here are some of the reasons why experienced freelancers use time tracking apps:
- Track billable hours: Freelancers need to track billable hours accurately and send invoices to their clients. By using an app, you can automatically record the time you spend on each task by its project and client.
- Bill clients accurately: Since time tracking apps calculate time accurately, you can send an exact bill to your clients. It will help you build trust with your clients and avoid conflicts about payment.
- Stay organized: Time tracking apps allow freelancers to stay organized by giving them a central place to track time, projects, tasks, bills, and invoices. It helps them to stay on top of their work and avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
- Improve time management: A time tracker can help freelancers to identify wasting time activities such as social media and less essential tasks. Thus, they can distribute time properly and improve their workflow for better productivity.
- Improve work-life balance: Most time tracking apps include reporting features. This report will give you an insight into your working pattern. By analyzing a report, you can take steps to avoid less essential tasks and allocate time for high-value tasks. It will help you to reduce your workload and establish a work-life balance.
How to choose a time tracker app for freelancers
As hundreds of time tracking apps are available, selecting the right one that fits one’s requirements is confusing. Especially if you just started your journey with a time tracker or are on a low budget.
Most time tracking software includes advanced features such as project management, payroll, attendance tracking, and timesheet approval. They are suitable for teams of any size, but freelancers only need some of those features.
A tracker with accurate hours logging and billing features are the basic requirements for independent professionals. Thus, instead of looking for fancy features, a freelancer must look for features that will help them continue business without hassle.
Here are the things a freelancer should look for in time tracking software.
1. Time tracking features
When choosing a time tracking app, it is vital to look for features that give you flexibility about tracking time. For instance, the ability to track time manually, automatically, or both. Here are a few options to consider:
- Automatic and manual time tracking: While Automatic tracking helps you track time effortlessly, manual time entry options give you more control and flexibility.
- Billable and non-billable hours: By tracking billable and non-billable hours, you can understand your time pattern and where to focus more.
- Online and offline time tracking: The ability to track time online and offline is essential for freelancers who work remotely or on the go. Make sure you can track time even when internet connection is not available.
- Tracking by project and client: With this feature, you can organize your work and create reports based on project and client. Also, get an overview of time spent on projects or clients.
- Idle detection: This feature ensures accurate tracking. It helps eliminate time logged when you’re not working.
2. Billing and invoicing
Consider an app with these facilities if you mostly get paid through invoices and send bills to clients. When an app simplifies the billing and invoicing process, you can save time and streamline your workflow. It will help you to create invoices directly from tracked hours for specific projects and clients.
3. Reporting features
Select an app that allows you to generate time reports for specific clients or projects. It is essential for tracking progress and providing evidence of work completed. Reports can also help you get an overview of billable hours and your productivity. Make sure the app offers customizable reports so that you have flexibility about reporting.
4. User Experience
Opt for an app that is easy to use so that you can track time quickly and effortlessly. If you are new to time tracking software, ensure the app is less complicated. It should be easy to learn and get started. A user-friendly interface and quick adoption facility will help you use the software efficiently.
5. Device compatibility
Since freelancers often work remotely and on the go, having a time tracking app with a mobile version is essential. Select the app that offers an optimized version for iOS or Android. Also, ensure the app works properly on your device. Compatibility with your preferred device will enhance convenience and accessibility.
6. Integration capability
Evaluate your existing workflow and look for a time tracking app that integrates seamlessly with other tools you use, such as project management, task management, accounting, and client management software. Integration facility will help you avoid duplication of effort, save time and improve productivity.
7. Pricing Plan
It’s an essential factor for a freelancer. It would help to opt for an app that meets your needs without breaking the bank. Thus, consider your budget and select an affordable app with your required features.
8. Free Version and Free Trial
Look for a time tracking app with a free plan or trial. When you sign up for a free plan, you can learn about the app’s features closely and check compatibility with your workflow before committing to a paid plan. Although you’ll get limited features in free versions, you can closely examine the app.
Final Thoughts
Selecting the right time tracking app for freelancers is a critical decision. It has an impact on your productivity and efficiency in managing time. Also, it shows the accuracy of time to your clients and helps you with invoicing.
Thus, select an app that aligns with your unique needs by carefully evaluating features and other factors. The right app will help you improve your workflow and smooth your freelancing journey. Also, it will help you become a successful independent professional.