The best time-tracking apps for contractors have features like
- Simple and easy-to-use time-tracker
- Billable and non-billable hours tracking
- Detailed reports for clients
- Billable hours setting
In addition, some time billing apps also offer invoice generation or at least offer integrations with billing software.
We’ve analyzed ten powerful tools designed for contractors to help you find the best time-tracking app for your needs.
Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of December 29th, 2023.
What is the best time-tracking app for contractors?
Here’s our list of some of the best time-tracking apps for contractors:
- Toggl Track
- Clockify
- Harvest
- Hubstaff
- Timecamp
- Quickbooks Time
- Timeular
- Timely
- Time Analytics
- Time Doctor
1. Toggl Track
Price: Starts at $10/month.
Toggl Track is an easy-to-use time tracking app that helps contractors keep track of their billable hours and accurately bill clients.
These features include accurate time tracking, billable rates, and ready-to-share reports.
What we like
- Toggl Track helps you build transparent and trusting relationships with your clients.
You bill clients accurately, keep projects transparent, and grow better client relationships by tracking every minute accurately.
What’s missing
- Toggl Track doesn’t include screenshots, GPS tracking, geofencing, or keyboard activity monitoring. Toggl follows an anti-surveillance policy that encourages ownership and accountability over micromanagement.
Best for
Toggl Track is best for contractor teams and solo freelancers who need a simple way to keep track of work hours and bill clients transparently.
Top features
- Simple time tracking: Track time effortlessly with Toggl Track’s one-click timer. You can also track time from other tools using Toggl Tracks integrations, desktop and mobile apps, or Toggl Track’s browser extension. Desktop and mobile apps offer automated time tracking features.
- Manually edit time entries: Time entries are flexible. Sometimes, team members forget to start or stop a time. You can create or edit time entries manually to correct these time entries.
- Billable and non-billable hours tracking: Clearly track billable and non-billable hours and create accurate client invoices. You earn the right amount for the work done, and your clients are happy with transparent time records.
- Flexible billable rates: Match the specific needs of a client or a project with flexible billable rate settings. Set billable rates for your entire organization, project, or individual team members.
- In-depth reports for clients: Share summarized or detailed time reports with clients. Also, use profitability insights, earning-per-client data, and ROI reports to optimize workflows and grow your business.
- Estimated vs actual time for better estimates: By comparing estimated time against actual hours spent, you can adjust your project estimates, set realistic timelines, and quote future projects more accurately.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Toggl Plan, Asana, Google Calendar, and other 100+ popular apps.
Pricing
Toggl Track offers four pricing plans:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Personal use |
| Starter | $10 per user per month | Contractors with basic time billing needs |
| Premium | $20 per user per month | Online and offline functionality for tracking time and profitability |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Enterprise teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Top tip: The Starter plan includes billable rates, time rounding for reports, and project time estimates.
2. Clockify
Price: Starts at $4.99/month.
Clockify is a popular and affordable time-tracking app that contractors use to track their time and billable hours.
What we like
- Clockify’s free plan has many features for contractors, like unlimited tracking, billable rates, time reports, and third-party integrations.
- Some contractors may prefer employee monitoring and micromanagement. Clockify offers a range of surveillance features
What’s missing
- Clockify reports are rigid and have limited customization options.
Best for
Clockify is best for contractors who don’t want to invest in a time-tracking app but need to track time and billable hours.
Top features
- Track time everywhere: Track your time with Clockify on your desktop, browser, or mobile app (Android and iOS). Never miss a billable moment.
- Set your rates: Easily set your billable rates in Clockify. Invoice accurately and get paid for your every working minute.
- GPS tracking and screenshots: Track your team members’ location or take screenshots of their work every five minutes to monitor their work hours.
- Share time reports with clients: Generate detailed, ready-to-share time reports to keep projects transparent.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Asana, Trello, Google Calendar, and more.
Pricing
Clockify offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $4.99 per user per month | Solo users with basic time-tracking needs |
| Standard | $6.99 per user per month | Small teams with more complex time-tracking needs |
| Pro | $9.99 per user per month | Robust project and time-tracking tool |
| Enterprise | $14.99 per user per month | Complex client projects that require advanced time-tracking features |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Read a full comparison of Clockify vs. Toggl Track.
3. Harvest
Price: Starts at $12/month
Harvest is a time-tracking platform that streamlines invoicing, expense tracking, and client payments for contractors.
What we like
- Harvest automatically creates invoices based on your tracked time. It also sends email reminders and accepts online payments for your invoices so you can get paid faster.
What’s missing
- With Harvest’s free plan, you can track and manage a maximum of two projects. This is very limiting when you work with multiple projects and clients.
Best for
Harvest is best for contractors who need an easy-to-use time tracker they can use for tracking and reporting.
Top features
- Lightweight time tracking: Focus more on your work and less on the clock. Tracking time with Harvest takes just a few clicks.
- Visual time reports: Turn your time data into visual reports that quickly show your work hours and communicate your progress to clients.
- Automatic invoicing: Reduce admin work with Harvest, which automatically converts tracked time into invoices.
- Cost and expense tracking: Sync timesheets and expenses to see which projects are profitable and which are losing you money.
- Online payments: Clients can pay right from the web invoice using Stripe or PayPal. For recurring invoices, they can set recurring payments and pay you automatically.
Want a more in-depth breakdown of Harvest’s features? We wrote a feature-by-feature comparison of Toggl Track vs Harvest.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Slack, ClickUp, Harvey, and more.
Pricing
Harvest offers two pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Solo users |
| Pro | $12 per user per month | Small teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
4. Hubstaff
Price: Starts at $7/month.
Hubstaff is another time-tracking app that helps contractors manage their time, track their work hours, and organize client work.
Automated time tracking, activity monitoring, and customizable time report templates are just a few.
What we like
- Hubstaff’s automated time tracking means you don’t have to worry about forgetting to start or stop the timer. Hubstaff does it for you, so you don’t lose billable minutes.
What’s missing
- Hubstaff’s activity monitoring features like screenshots, keyboard activity monitoring, and GPS location tracking may raise privacy concerns.
We’ve put Hubstaff shoulder-to-shoulder with Toggl Track and found where each thrives. Get a full picture of Hubstaff vs Toggl here!
Best for
Hubstaff is best for contractors who want an automated time tracker for recording work hours.
Top features
- User-friendly interface: Hubstaff’s user-friendly design minimizes the learning curve and helps you start tracking work immediately.
- Reporting templates: Provide clients professional updates and time-tracking details with minimal effort.
- Custom invoices: Create and send custom invoices directly from Hubstaff, tailored to the specific needs of each project or client.
- Surveillance: Hubstaff monitors activity levels, tracks apps & URLs, and takes random screenshots.
- Expense tracking: Get time and activity reports and analyze project profitability.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Asana, GitLab, Slack, and more.
Pricing
Hubstaff offers five pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | For individual use |
| Starter | $7 per user/month | Basic time-tracking solution |
| Grow | $9 per user/month | More complex time-tracking and time-management features |
| Team | $12 per user/month | Teams with advanced time-tracking needs |
| Enterprise | Contact Hubstaff for prices | Enterprise companies |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
5. TimeCamp
Price: Starts at $3.99/month.
TimeCamp is an affordable time-tracking solution for contractors. This app has an automatic time tracker, many integrations, and good invoicing features.
What we like
- TimeCamp tracks time automatically so you can focus on work and get accurate time reports.
What’s missing
- TimeCamp’s free plan doesn’t include integrations, invoicing, or reporting features.
Best for
TimeCamp is best for contractors who want an automatic time tracker and don’t mind paying for it. (The free version lacks essential features for contractors.)
Top features
- Track time easily: TimeCamp automatically tracks your time so you can focus more on work and less on time management.
- Copy timesheets: Easily copy your time entries from previous days if you have repetitive tasks to save time.
- Real-time reports: TimeCamp’s built-in, real-time reporting helps you analyze your productivity on the go and make informed decisions about your work.
- Overtime tracking: Set default workday lengths and track every minute worked overtime.
- App and website tracking: Time Camp tracks the apps and websites you visit during work hours. It also monitors activity levels and takes random screenshots.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Google Docs, Monday.com, Wrike, and more.
Pricing
TimeCamp offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Individual users with minimal time tracking needs |
| Starter | $3.99 per user per month | Unlimited users and complex time-tracking needs |
| Basic | $7.99 per user per month | Large teams that need advanced time-tracking features |
| Pro | $10.99 per user per month | Multiple teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
6. QuickBooks Time
Price: Starts at $15/month
QuickBooks Time helps contractors manage their projects, track their time, and organize their client work.
What we like
- QuickBooks Time has tax deductions and sales tax features that help contractors maximize their tax savings and keep track of their expenses.
What’s missing
- QuickBooks Time is quite expensive for contractors. (Starts at $15 per month.). In addition, some users found it hard to set the tool up for their needs.
Best for
QuickBooks Time is best for contractors who want a straightforward time tracker and can afford to pay at least $15 monthly.
Top features
- Stress-free time tracking: Clock in time in just a few clicks and focus on essential tasks.
- Integrate your finances: Easily integrate QuickBooks Time with other QuickBooks tools to simplify billing and invoicing in one seamless process.
- Mileage tracking: Track every trip you take for work with your smartphone for potential deductions.
- Tax deductions: Put your income and expenses in the right tax category and easily share them with your accountant.
- Receipt capture: Take photos of your receipts and upload them to Quickbooks, which automatically sorts them into tax categories.
- Monitor projects in real time: Track project progress with real-time tracking to manage your resources and client expectations more effectively.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Aero, Breezeworks, PaymentEvolution, and more.
Pricing
QuickBooks Time offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Simple start | $15 per month | Solo users with basic time-tracking needs |
| Essentials | $30 per month (includes three users) | Small teams that need taxation features along with invoicing |
| Plus | $45 per month (includes five users) | Small businesses and robust project, time, and billable hours along with inventory tracking |
| Advanced | $100 per month (includes 25 users) | Complex client projects that require automation, advanced timesheets , and invoicing features |
Visit the pricing page for more details.
7. Timeular
Price: Starts at $9/month
Timeular is another top time-tracking app for contractors that automatically clocks in your work hours, time off, and overtime.
What we like
- Timeular lets you create real-time reports that you can export as PDF, CSV, or XLSX with just a few clicks.
Also, Timeular has an absence tracker that easily tracks paid time off, sick leave, unpaid leave, public holidays, and more.
What’s missing
- Timeular has many features that might take some time to get used to.
Best for
Timeular is best for contractors who want a time tracking app that also tracks leaves and overtime.
Top features
- Automated tracking: Simplify time tracking and focus more on your work.
- Billable tracking: Easily track billable hours and bill clients accurately and transparently.
- Leave tracking: Add any type of absence from work with just a few clicks directly in your calendar view.
- Overtime: Timeular automatically keeps track of any extra work hours based on your schedule.
- Reporting: Filter, customize, and export your time reports effortlessly.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Google Sheets, Xero, Quickbooks, and more.
Pricing
Timeular offers three pricing plans:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $9 per month | Personal use |
| Personal Pro | $14 per month | Contractors who need time and project tracking, billing, and leave tracking |
| Team | $19 per user per month | For tracking team members’ workday and hourly rates, simplify payroll processing and improve project budgeting |
View the pricing page for more information.
8. Timely
Price: Starts at $11/month
Timely is a smart time tracking app for contractors that uses AI technology to simplify time tracking.
Timely’s Memory tracker records everything you’re working on, so you don’t have to. It remembers how much each task takes you and keeps track of every unexpected meeting.
What we like
- Timely’s automated time tracker means less manual admin work and more time to focus on client work.
What’s missing
- Timely doesn’t have a free version. Its cheapest pricing plan starts at $11 per month, which can be expensive for contractors. Task management is an extra addon and costs $5 per person per month.
Best for
Timely is best for contractors who want an automated time tracking tool and can afford to pay for it.
Top features
- Automated time tracking: Focus more on your work, worry less about logging hours, and never miss a billable minute.
- Comprehensive reporting: Generate detailed reports, analyze your work, and share progress with clients.
- Billable rates: Automatically track billable hours and reduce time-consuming admin work.
- Workspace capacity: Prevent burnout by monitoring your total weekly hours.
- Effective task management: Manage deadlines and set priorities efficiently within Timely.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Asana, ClickUp, and Google Chrome.
Pricing
Timely offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $11 per user/month | Basic automated time tracking |
| Premium | $20 per user/month | More complex time tracking and project management features |
| Unlimited | $28 per user/month | Teams with advanced time-tracking and employee scheduling needs |
| Unlimited + | Contact Timely for prices | Enterprise companies that also need Team capacity management features |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Top tip: Tasks are an add-on feature in Timely, costing an additional $5 per user per month.
9. Time Analytics
Price: Starts at $5.99/month
Time Analytics is an all-in-one time-tracking app for contractors with many features that simplify time tracking and billing.
You can track billable hours, create accurate reports for clients, and customize invoices to match your needs.
What we like
- Time Analytics lets you track time with one click, making time tracking effortless. It’s also easy to customize timesheets with Time Analytics. You can edit timesheets, share, and export them for clients.
What’s missing
- Time Analytics doesn’t have a free plan for solo users, which means you’ll have to pay for the tool. (Starts at $5.99/month)
Best for
Time Analytics is best for contractors who want an all-in-one time tracker and don’t mind paying for it.
Top features
- Track with one click: Start or stop tracking your hours instantly with Time Analytics.
- Powerful reports: Use Time Analytics for in-depth reports on productivity and client billing.
- Categorize your hours: Easily mark hours as billable or non-billable in Time Analytics to manage and invoice your time effectively.
- Time off and holiday tracking: Put all your time off and holidays in one place for accurate time records.
- Customizable timesheets: Get daily, weekly, or monthly timesheet reports with hours recorded, billing rates, time off, and many other details that you need.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Microsoft 365 and Stripe.
Pricing
Time Analytics offers three pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5.99 per user per month | Independent contractors with simple workflows and minimal time tracking needs |
| Optimum | $8.45 per user per month | Teams with more complex employee time tracking and team management needs |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Top Tip: Time Analytics includes a 14-day free trial for all its plans (no credit card required).
10. Time Doctor
Price: Starts at $7/month.
Time Doctor is a time-tracking app for contractors with many surveillance features.
Time Doctor has a silent app that tracks time whenever your computer is on and can take screenshots and video screen recordings.
What we like
- Time Doctor’s automated tracker lets you track time per client, task, or project.
What’s missing
- Time Doctor doesn’t come with a free plan, which means you need to pay for the app. (Starts at $7/month.)
Best for
Time Doctor is best for contractors who need a comprehensive time-tracking app and can afford to invest in it.
Top features
- Track time easily: Log your hours effortlessly with Timely’s simple time tracking.
- Employee monitoring: Time Doctor can silently track your work when your computer is on. It also takes random screenshots and monitors activity during work hours.
- Track offline: Track your work hours even when you’re offline. Never miss logging an hour wherever you are.
- Get detailed reports: Use Timely to create detailed reports, understand your work patterns better, and communicate clearly with clients.
Tool integrations
Integrations include G Suite, GitLab, and Notion.
Pricing
Time Doctor offers three pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $7 per user per month | Independent contractors with minimal time tracking needs |
| Standard | $10 per user per month | Teams with more complex employee time tracking and team management needs |
| Premium | $20 per user per month | Large teams who need advanced time-tracking and task management features |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Best time tracking apps for contractors: A quick comparison
Here’s a quick comparison of our top time trackers for contractors:
| Tool | G2 Rating | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl Track | 4.6 | Knowledge-based service businesses | From $10/user/month |
| Clockify | 4.5 | Teams of all sizes | From $4.99/user/month |
| Harvest | 4.3 | Teams of all sizes | From $10.80 per user |
| Hubstaff | 4.3 | Managing remote employees | From $7/user/month |
| TimeCamp | 4.7 | Teams of all sizes | From $3.99/user/month |
| QuickBooks Time | 4.5 | Small teams | From $15 per month |
| Timeular | 4.5 | Teams of all sizes | From $9/month |
| Timely | 4.8 | Businesses of all sizes | From $11/user/month |
| Time Analytics | 4.9 | Teams of all sizes | From $5.99/month |
| Time Doctor | 4.4 | Remote teams, freelancers, and businesses | From $7 per user/month |
How do I choose the best contractor time tracker?
Choosing the best time-tracking software depends on your specific needs.
But here are some general things to look for:
- Ease of use: You want a tool that makes it easy to track time and log time entries.
- Detailed reporting: Your time-tracking app should offer customizable reports. Detailed reports can help you analyze your productivity and easily communicate your work to clients.
Visual reports and the ability to export data are particularly useful features.
- Integrations and invoicing: Your tool needs to integrate with other tools you use. Also, look for easy and flexible invoicing to streamline payments.
- Cost: Your time-tracking tool should be affordable and match your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
People often ask these questions about time-tracking apps.
What is the best contractor time tracker?
The best contractor time tracker is the one that meets your needs. Apps like Toggl Track, Clockify, or Harvest offer powerful features like easy time tracking, insightful reporting, and efficient invoicing.
What key features should I look for in a time-tracking app for contractors?
Look for an app with a simple interface for easy time tracking. You also need detailed reporting to share with clients for transparency and the ability to set billable rates and create invoices.
How do I track time as an independent contractor?
You should track both billable and non-billable hours so you can create accurate invoices and manage your workload.
You track time using simple spreadsheets like Excel or Google Sheets. Or you can use the faster and easier way and go with a time-tracking app.
The bottom line
Have you chosen your time-tracking app yet?
If you’re still unsure, here’s something to help you.
Sign up for a free Toggl Track account and see if it fits you.
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Work tools to elevate your productivity – apps for incredibly simple time tracking and effective project planning.
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