Time Tracking App: An Epic List and Informative Guide

Time is a finite resource. Thus, we should utilize it properly. And it is crucial for success both for individuals and businesses. 

Fortunately, countless time management tools, such as time-tracking apps, are available in this digital age to help us make the most of our time. With a time tracking tool, you can track the time you spend on tasks and monitor your employees’ activities.

In recent years, time tracker apps are becoming popular, and hundreds of apps are available on the market with so many options. Hence, choosing the right one for your needs is pretty confusing. 

Don’t worry. In this blog post, you’ll get a comprehensive list of 20+ time tracking apps and a guideline to choose the best one. Whether you’re an employer, freelancer, or just someone looking for a personal time tracking app, this guide will help you find the right app to suit your needs.

Let’s delve into the list.   

Time Tracking Apps List

Time Tracker Apps for Personal Productivity

Personal time tracking can benefit you if you want to boost your productivity and manage time more efficiently. It will help you keep track of everything you do in a day and stay on top of your schedule. For personal use, you should look for real-time and manual tracking, applications and website monitoring, insightful reports, and Pomodoro timer features in a time tracking tool.

Here is a list of time tracking apps to boost your efficiency. 

1. RescueTime

A popular time-tracking app that helps you know how you spend your time. The RescueTime app runs in the background on your computer or mobile device. It tracks website and app usage and your productivity level. With this app’s help, you can identify time-wasting activities and make changes to your habits.

2. Paymo 

Although this time-tracking app is designed for project management, many people prefer it for personal productivity because of its Pomodoro feature. The Paymo app allows you to track time, prioritize tasks, and set alerts. You can get insights into your performance from its reporting and timesheet features.

3. HoursTimeLord

If you are looking for a simple time tracking app, you can choose HoursTimeLord. It is designed for individuals and teams. With this app, you can track time for multiple projects and switch between tasks quickly. Since it doesn’t have advanced features, its paid version cost is inexpensive. However, for personal use, you can go with its free version.

4. Qbserve

With Qbserve, you can be more productive and distraction-free. It shows your productivity score and sends notifications when you spend more time on distractions. The app runs in the background of your device and tracks websites and app usage. Because of its constant feedback facility on productivity, you can use it to stay focused and develop better habits. However, the app is built for Mac users only.

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5. Timing App

It is also a Mac-only time tracking app. This easy-to-use app tracks time spent on projects, tasks, and apps. Timing automatically records apps, websites, and documents used. You do not even need to switch on and off timers manually. However, you will have control over your time log approval and editing. Also, you can add offline time.

Read more: 6 Simple Personal Time Tracking App to Improve Productivity

Time Tracking Apps for Freelancers

As a freelancer, tracking time is necessary to ensure you are paid fairly for your work and spending time correctly. A time-tracking app can help you stay organized and productive while measuring billable working hours. Thus, you must look for logging time, billing, and invoicing features in your desired tracking app. Also, choose an app based on your preferences and requirements from hundreds of apps on the market. Here are five best time tracking apps for freelancers listed below.  

1. Toggl Track

A popular time tracking app that is easy to use and offers a variety of features. Just by pressing the start and stop buttons, you can track the time you spend on tasks by projects and clients. And generate visually stunning reports on your time tracking data. Toggl track will help you bill clients accurately, improve your workflow and get more done.

2. Bonsai 

An all-in-one solution for freelancers and small businesses. The Bonsai app allows you to manage finances, clients, and projects. You can track time on projects, set hourly rates for each project, and send bills to clients. Besides tracking time, it helps you to create proposals, contracts, and invoices from its templates. The app offers a variety of features to help you manage time and stay organized related to client, project, and finance management.

3. Clockify 

A free time tracking app that allows users to record billable time for unlimited projects. Clockify offers automatic time tracking and the Pomodoro timer. For time tracking, you can enter time manually, set billable rates, and get a calendar view of tracked time. It has over 60 features regarding time tracking, reporting, and management. However, you must use the paid version for invoicing and more advanced features.

4. TimeCamp

A time tracking and productivity app that helps teams and individuals track time, manage projects and improve workflow. This lightweight project management app is suitable for all-sized teams, small businesses, large enterprises, freelancers, and remote teams. TimeCamp offers free time tracking facility for unlimited users, but its paid version includes invoicing and more features.

5. TopTracker

If you are looking for a free time tracker for freelancers with screenshots, TopTracker is one for you. This lightweight app is developed by Toptal and designed for freelancers. It includes the basic features of a time tracking app, but the best part is its free invoicing and payment facility. Besides time tracking, you can track activity levels and generate productivity reports. This free tool is excellent for you if you do not need enough features. And you’re happy with the time tracker, screenshot, and invoicing features.

6. Harvest 

It is a popular time tracking tool for freelancers. With Harvest, you can generate invoices for clients from tracked time. The app allows you to track time for multiple projects simultaneously. You can integrate with different online payment systems and get paid by clients. Aside from time tracking and invoicing, it includes reporting, analysis, and expense tracking features.

Read more: 10 Helpful Time Tracking App for Freelancers

Employee Time Tracking App

Employee time tracking apps are handy for monitoring employees’ activities and managing a team, especially in a remote work environment. These apps usually include clock-in and clock-out tools, real-time and automated time tracking, reminders, idle detection time, timesheets, scheduling, time-off management, payroll integrations etc. Thus, it would help to look for these features to select the right app for your business. Here are some employee time tracking apps listed below. 

1. Hubstaff

If you’re looking for a time tracking app that tracks remote, on-field, and desk employees’ activities, Hubstaff is a good option. Aside from time tracking, this software includes screenshots, activity monitoring, location tracking, real-time tracking, and reporting features. Thus, you can track time, manage projects and boost team productivity effectively.

2. DeskTime

An automatic time tracking software that tracks work hours, websites and apps visited, and online and offline activities. This app helps businesses improve the productivity of employees and minimize wasted time. With the Desktime app, you can monitor employee activity, analyze productivity and manage projects effortlessly. It includes more features such as a Pomodoro timer, absence calendar, shift scheduling, and cost calculation.

3. Time Doctor

With the Time Doctor app, you can easily build a workforce in remote and hybrid work environments. It monitors not only team activity but also productivity levels. The app alerts for distraction and burnout and encourages employees to balance work-life. This employee time tracking app includes more additional features, and a few of them are screenshots, activity levels, online timesheets, payroll, and reporting.

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4. TMetric

Besides time tracking, TMetric tracks the cost of projects. Thus, it helps businesses manage projects while tracking project budgets. However, it includes all the features required to monitor employee activities and streamline teamwork. The other features include screenshot capture, work scheduling, billing, invoicing, task management, and reporting.

5. Timeneye

It offers a visually appealing and user-friendly interface for users. This intuitive and simple time tracking app helps businesses monitor employees’ activities and improve their performance. In the Timeneye app, you can track billable and non-billable hours, generate reports, analyze employee performance, and create client bills. Aside from time tracking, you can manage projects, teams, and clients from a single platform.

6. ActivTrak

If you’re looking for an app that supports employee privacy while getting insights into their productivity, ActivTrak is an ideal app for you. With this app, you can balance between flexibility and accountability. This app is suitable for both remote and hybrid work environments. Using ActivTrak, you can spot the signs of burnout and increase workplace engagement and efficiency. The app allows users to measure daily work activities, manage workload for the team, and get location insights and productivity reports. However, the Productivity Coaching feature of this app has made it different from other apps in the market.

Time Tracking App for Small Business

Besides time tracking of employees’ activities, small businesses need GPS tracking, billing and invoicing features. In addition, they need an app that smoothly integrates with a project management, accounting and payroll management tool. Here is a list of time tracker apps that are useful for small businesses.   

1. Apploye

This time tracking and employee monitoring app helps businesses track employee productivity and billable hours. Apploye app offers more than 100 features. It is suitable for any size business. Using this app, you can monitor the activities of remote teams, on-field and in-desk employees. For small businesses, it offers automatic and manual timers, screenshots, GPS tracking, collaboration tools, billing, invoicing, and payroll management tools. Thus, it’s a perfect solution for small businesses.

2. Allhours

A time tracking app for small businesses that helps you track different types of work (regular, weekend, overtime, etc.) and absences (annual, maternity, sick, business trips, etc.). It also includes features for managing time off, creating reports, and processing payroll data effortlessly. If you are looking for a simple solution to track attendance, manage leave, and process payroll, AllHours is a great option.

3. Everhour

With this simple time tracker app, you can track time, control budgets, manage projects, create bills and invoices, generate reports, and do many things. The best advantage is that it integrates seamlessly with popular project management software such as Asana, Trello, ClickUp · Monday · Basecamp · and Notion. Everhour offers more than 100 features for businesses of all sizes. Thus, small businesses get more flexibility to use features according to their needs.

4. QuickBooks Time 

QuickBooks Time is a cloud-based time tracking and scheduling app that helps small businesses track employee attendance, location, paid time off, and vacation leave. It also allows you to create job roles and shift schedules and send notifications to employees. QuickBooks Time syncs data to accounting or payroll software and streamlines payroll and invoicing. It is a part of the QuickBooks family and works perfectly with other QuickBooks software. However, you can also integrate with 50+ accounting and payroll apps.

5. BuddyPunch

Aside from time tracking, BuddyPunch works excellently for scheduling and payroll processing. It allows small businesses to manage their workforce more effectively. You can manage paid and unpaid time off, run customizable reports, monitor remote workers, and keep everyone notified and accountable. However, Attendance tracking, geofencing, and schedule creation features make it ideal for businesses with remote or field employees.

How to choose the right time tracking app?

Selecting the right time tracking app can be a challenging task. There are hundreds of apps available on the market and so many options to consider. In addition, each app has its unique combination of features and benefits. Hence, it is essential to evaluate them carefully and find one that best suits your personal or business needs. Here are some tips and factors to consider choosing the right time tracking app.  

1. Type of work and business size: Each job has its requirements. Also, business size matters. For example, a simple time tracker is good enough for personal use. A freelancer would prefer invoicing features with billable and non-billable hours tracking. On the other hand, if you are managing a remote team, you’ll need a time tracker that includes screenshot capture and payroll management features. Budgeting, reporting, permission and other characteristics can be decisive factors depending on the size of your business. 
2. Identify your needs specifically: Time-tracking apps offer various features. Here is a list of standard time tracking software features to help you precisely identify your needs. However, not every software consists of all of the features. Each of them comes with a unique set of features. Make a list of features you need for your purpose. 

• Common Features:
  • Activity Dashboard
  • Activity Tracking
  • Automatic Time Capture
  • Clock In and Out
  • Online Time Clock
  • Online Time Tracking
  • Offline Time Tracking
  • Mobile Time Tracking
  • Time and Expense Tracking
  • Attendance Tracking
  • Vacation/Leave Tracking
  • Time off Requests
  • Overtime Calculation
  • Billable and non-billable Hours
  • Billing and invoicing
  • Multiple Billing Rates
  • Payroll Management
  • Accounting Integration
  • Employee Database
  • Employee Management
  • Employee Scheduling
  • Employee Time Tracking
  • Customizable Reports
  • Real Time Reporting
  • Real-time Updates
  • Reporting/Analytics
  • Project Management
  • Project Time Tracking
  • Project Tracking
  • Task Management
  • Task Progress Tracking
  • Timesheet Management
  • Workflow Management
  • Calendar Management
  • Access Controls/Permissions
  • Monitoring
  • Reminders
  • Alerts/Notifications
  • Approval Process Control
  • Third Party Integrations
  • API

3. Consider the ease to use: Time tracking should be easy, not another time-consuming task. Hence, look for a time tracker app which is easy to use and intuitive. A complicated software may consume a lot of time in your busy schedule and result in counterproductive for your team. Therefore, trying free plans or trials before finalizing an app for your business is better. 
4. Software integration: Select an app that integrates with your existing tools, such as project management, accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software. It will help you streamline your workflow. For instance, if you are already using Trello or Asana, opt for a time-tracking app that integrates with these tools smoothly. In addition, consider the apps that give integration facilities with more software or tools.  
5. Devices and compatibility: Time tracking tools are usually made with specific devices in mind, such as Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and so on. Some apps are available only on Mac. Thus, it would be best to consider devices and compatibility with your device and browser. For instance, mobile tracking is necessary when you manage a remote team. Thus, choose an app that works on mobile devices. 
6. Price and value for money: Budget is crucial in selecting a time tracking tool. You’ll find different pricing plans based on user numbers, key features, and workspaces. Ensure you opt for an app and pricing plan that fits your budget. If an app needs extra cost for an add-on or plugin, that should fit within your budget. In addition, ensure that you get the features you need and you get the value you pay for. 
7. Security and data privacy: As a usual precaution for buying software, you should not overlook this safety measure when buying a time-tracking app. Ensure the app provides adequate security measures to protect your data and privacy. In addition, check for encryption, secure login, and privacy mode features in the app.  
8. Additional functionalities:  Aside from regular features, some apps offer functionalities like Pomodoro Timer and Manual time entry. Therefore, compare the extra features of different apps and choose an app that provides additional facilities with regular functions. 

Last but not least, check other users’ reviews and ratings of your desired app. By reading their reviews, you can learn about their opinion and experience and decide on the right product and plan.   

Benefits of using a time tracking app

As time is a finite resource for us, we should use it wisely. Time tracking apps allow us to manage time effectively by giving a clear picture of our time spending habits and activity patterns. Here are some advantages of time tracking app use for individuals and businesses.

1. Improved productivity: By tracking the time you spend on different activities, you can get insights on how you are spending time throughout a day. Consequently, you can make adjustments if you are spending more time on less impactful tasks. This analysis will help you prioritize tasks, do high-value tasks and meet deadlines, which leads to increased productivity.
2. Better time management: A time tracking app gives a clear understanding of where your time is being spent and an overview of your activities. You can plan and schedule tasks to meet deadlines and ensure that your projects are completed on time. You’ll end up managing time better.
3. Work-life balance: When you know how much time you spend on work-related and unnecessary activities, you’ll avoid wasting time. Instead, you’ll prioritize and schedule time for impactful tasks and set aside time for personal wellbeing and hobbies.
4. Increase profitability: By tracking time, businesses can identify wasteful activities and optimize processes to reduce cost and increase profitability. Also, they can identify opportunities for growth.
5. Billing and invoicing: A time tracking app allows freelancers and businesses to charge by hours, and ensure the billing and invoices are accurate. This helps them ensure better cash flow and reduce disputes over billings.  

Conclusion

We all know the benefits of time management. With a time tracker app, we can make better use of time. They are helpful both for individuals and businesses. It helps us to keep track of tasks, projects, and actions. Using an app, you can improve your personal and team productivity, save time, and accomplish success in your personal and professional life. Countless time-tracking applications are available for every need, so you can pick the one that best fits your requirements and price range.