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Best Time Tracking Software for Billing Hourly Work

If you bill by the hour, the tracker you pick is the difference between a clean invoice and an awkward conversation about hours. We tested 6 of the most-used time tracking tools against the use cases hourly billers actually run into: starting and stopping timers without friction, recovering forgotten hours, mapping tracked time to specific clients and projects, and exporting clean line items for invoicing.

The shortlist covers solo freelancers, agencies, and remote teams. Toggl wins on speed to start a timer; Harvest wins on invoicing integration; Clockify is the only one with a free unlimited-users plan; Hubstaff is the right answer when proof-of-work matters; Everhour is the right answer when your team already lives inside Asana or ClickUp. Skim the cards below or skip to the decision section if you want a faster answer.

How we evaluated these tools

Five dimensions: timer accuracy and friction (the hidden cost of any tracker is the taps and clicks needed to start and stop), billing integration (does tracked time become an invoice line item without retyping), idle detection (does it nudge you when the timer ran while you were on a long lunch), project organization (clients, projects, and tasks as nested entities), and reporting (filterable by client, project, date range, and billable status).

We have no commercial relationship with these vendors as of writing. Pricing is given as ranges because vendors update plans frequently. Confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before signing up.

The 6 time trackers, ranked by general fit

#1

Toggl Track

Best for: the free option, simple
Pricing.
Free for up to 5 users with the core timer. Starter around $9 per user per month, Premium around $18, Enterprise on quote.
Key features.
One-click web, desktop, and mobile timer; automatic idle detection; calendar integration; basic reports; Pomodoro mode; offline support.
Strengths.
The friction to start a timer is genuinely under one second. The free tier is large enough that solo freelancers and 2-3 person teams use it indefinitely. Reports export to CSV cleanly for invoice line items.
Limitations.
Built-in invoicing requires an upgrade to Premium and is shallower than dedicated invoicing tools. Project budgeting and rate management lives behind the paid tier.
#2

Harvest

Best for: invoicing integration
Pricing.
Free for one user and 2 active projects. Pro is around $11 per user per month with unlimited projects.
Key features.
Timer with project, task, and notes fields; expense tracking; one-click invoice generation from tracked hours; recurring invoices; QuickBooks and Xero sync; PayPal and Stripe payment links.
Strengths.
The handoff from tracked time to sent invoice is the cleanest in this list. Configure billable rates per project or per person, and the line items appear correctly grouped on the invoice without manual editing.
Limitations.
The interface looks dated next to Toggl, though function is solid. The free tier is restrictive (one user, two projects), so most real users land on Pro almost immediately.
#3

Clockify

Best for: teams (free unlimited users)
Pricing.
Free for unlimited users with core tracking. Basic around $4 per user per month, Standard around $6, Pro around $8, Enterprise around $12.
Key features.
Web, desktop, mobile, and browser-extension timers; project budgeting; team scheduling; timesheet approvals on paid tiers; kiosk mode for shift work.
Strengths.
The free unlimited-users tier is unmatched. Agencies and small consultancies run their entire team on the free plan and only upgrade for approval workflows or invoicing. Strong fit for distributed teams.
Limitations.
Reporting on the free tier is solid but lacks advanced filters. The UI density is higher than Toggl, which slows down infrequent users. Customer support is paid-only on the free plan.
#4

TimeCamp

Best for: productivity tracking plus billing
Pricing.
Free for unlimited users with basic time tracking. Starter around $3 per user per month, Premium around $6, Ultimate around $9.
Key features.
Manual and automatic time tracking, optional keyword-based activity detection, project budgets, billable hours, integrations with over 100 tools (Asana, Trello, Jira, ClickUp), and built-in invoicing on paid tiers.
Strengths.
Automatic time tracking based on keywords in window titles fills in the gaps when staff forget to start the timer. The integration list is broad enough that most existing project tools sync without custom work.
Limitations.
Automatic tracking carries a privacy footprint that needs explicit team buy-in. Some users find the desktop app heavier than Toggl or Clockify. The mobile app is functional but not as polished as the web version.
#5

Hubstaff

Best for: remote teams with screenshots / proof of work
Pricing.
Starter around $7 per user per month, Grow around $9, Team around $12, Enterprise on quote. No free tier as of early 2026.
Key features.
Time tracking with optional screenshots (configurable interval), activity-level monitoring, GPS tracking for mobile workers, payroll generation, automated client invoicing, and proof-of-work reports.
Strengths.
The strongest fit when a client or employer needs verifiable proof that hours billed were actually worked. Common in BPO, software outsourcing, and remote-staffing arrangements. Payroll generation handles per-hour, per-project, or fixed-fee setups cleanly.
Limitations.
The monitoring features are intrusive enough that they should be disclosed to and accepted by tracked workers in writing. Cultural fit varies. There is no free tier. Pricing scales by enabled features, not just users.
#6

Everhour

Best for: project management integration
Pricing.
Lite around $5 per user per month for small teams, Team around $8.50 with project budgeting and full integrations.
Key features.
Time tracking embedded inside Asana, ClickUp, Trello, Jira, Basecamp, and Notion; project and task budgets; billable rates by user, project, or task; client invoicing on the higher tier.
Strengths.
Tracks time directly within the project tool you already use, so users do not switch context to start a timer. Best fit when project management is already entrenched and you want to layer billing on without changing tools.
Limitations.
Without one of the supported project tools, Everhour offers less than Toggl or Clockify. The standalone web app is workable but not the primary experience the product was designed for.

How to choose between them

Solo freelancer, want fastest possible timer, do invoicing elsewhere: Toggl Track free.

Solo freelancer or small agency, want one tool for tracking and invoicing: Harvest Pro.

Distributed team of 5 or more, tight budget: Clockify free, upgrade only if you need timesheet approvals or built-in invoicing.

Remote team where the client wants proof-of-work or you bill staff augmentation: Hubstaff. Get the monitoring policy in writing first.

Team already in Asana, ClickUp, Jira, or Notion: Everhour. The embedded timer wins on adoption.

Team that forgets to start the timer often: TimeCamp with automatic tracking enabled, with a clear privacy disclosure to staff.

Calculator tools that pair with hourly billing

Tracked hours answer the question of what you did. The calculators below answer the arithmetic questions that come next:

For informational purposes only

This calculator provides general estimates based on business day counting rules. It does not constitute legal advice. Deadlines in legal, regulatory, or contractual matters may be subject to jurisdiction-specific rules, court orders, or statutory exceptions. Always verify critical deadlines with a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which time tracker is best for a freelancer who only needs to track personal billable hours?
Toggl Track free or Harvest free, depending on whether you need invoicing. Toggl is fastest to start a timer and has the cleanest CSV export for hand-pasting into your invoicing tool. Harvest is the better pick if you want to skip the export and have time roll directly into a Harvest-generated invoice. Both have desktop and mobile apps that handle offline tracking and sync when you reconnect.
Do these tools handle billable hours correctly when they cross weekends or holidays?
Time trackers record the wall-clock interval the timer ran, regardless of weekday or holiday status. The interesting question is the working hours total over a date range, which the working hours calculator on this site computes with custom workdays, lunch breaks, and country holidays excluded. Use the calculator to confirm your monthly billable cap, then compare against what your tracker shows for the same window.
How do I prove tracked hours to a skeptical client?
Three options. Hubstaff bundles screenshots and activity levels into client-shareable reports, which is overkill for trusted clients but invaluable for new ones. Toggl, Harvest, Clockify, and Everhour all generate detailed reports with timestamps, project names, and notes per entry, which is enough proof for most engagements. The cleanest practice is to log a one-line note per timer entry describing what you worked on, then attach the report to the invoice.
Should I track time in the project tool itself or use a separate tracker?
If your team already uses Asana, ClickUp, Jira, Trello, Notion, or Basecamp, Everhour or TimeCamp embed timers directly inside those tools, which removes a context switch. If you do not have a project tool or you use a custom one, a standalone tracker (Toggl, Harvest, Clockify) is simpler and avoids the integration risk. Mixing two trackers across the team produces duplicate or missing entries; pick one and stick with it.