15 Best Time Tracking Apps for Freelancers in 2024

time tracking apps for freelancers - featured

Do you want to find the best time tracking app for freelancers? Look no further! We will explore 15 top-notch time tracking apps specifically designed for freelancers in 2024. 

This software is essential for managing your time effectively, tracking tasks and projects, and ensuring accurate billing for your clients. With the global gig economy projected to reach a staggering $455.2 billion by 2024, time tracking for freelancers is crucial to stay ahead of the game! 

Let’s dive in and discover top time tracking apps for freelancers!

To optimize your workflow, you’ll need a freelance time tracking app. However, you must choose one that does more than just log your billable hours.

Therefore, we’ve put together a list of some of the best time tracking apps for freelancers:

Quick Comparison: Time Tracking Apps for Freelancers

Time TrackerPrimary FeaturesFree UsersCost to Upgrade
Traqq

• Online and offline time tracking

• App and website monitoring

• Online timesheets

• Activity level monitoring

• Exportable timesheets and productivity reports

3 (with access to all Premium features)$6 per user, per month
Harvest

• Time tracking

• Expense monitoring

• Automatic invoicing

1 (with access to 2 projects only)$12 per user, per month
Toggl

• Pomodoro timer

• Team management and scheduling

• Project and revenue tracking

5$9 per user, per month
Tmetric

• Customizable tracking for holidays and weekends

• Project budgeting

5$5 per user, per month
Hubstaff

• Employee scheduling

• Payroll management

• Time tracking

• Employee monitoring

• Online invoicing

• GPS tracking

1$7 per user, per month
TimeCamp

• Billable time tracking

• Team performance monitoring

• Project tree system for tasks and subtasks

• Attendance management system

Unlimited$7 per user, per month
RescueTime

• Workday summary

• Focus Session to block distractions

• Historical and trend reports

1$6 per user, per month
FreshBooks

• Built-in invoicing and accounting features

• Expense and payment tracking

• Profitability reports

None$6 per month
Clockify

• Project management

• Online timesheets and productivity reports

• Attendance management system

Unlimited$4.99 per user, per month
Time Doctor

• App and URL monitoring

• Automated and random screenshots

• Payment processor integration

None$7 per user, per month
Everhour

• Automated invoices

• Budget and payroll management

• Task management

None$10 per user, per month
HourStack

• Time blocks for task management

• Time budgeting for specific activities or projects

• Alerts and notifications for staying within project expectations

None$9 per user, per month
Bonsai

• Built-in contract templates

• Task and time tracking

• Client CRM

None$19 per month
Buddy Punch

• Automatic breaks and overtime calculations

• Vacation, project, and job tracking

• Integration with various invoicing, scheduling, and payroll processing tools

None$2.99 per user, per month
Timely

• AI-based activity tagging

• Team and project management reports

None$8 per user, per month

1. Traqq

It can be difficult to find a free time tracking app for freelancers that offers comprehensive features.

Well, ease your worries because Traqq is exactly what you need.

With this tool, you can conveniently record your billable time and create productivity reports.

Traqq is also beneficial for those who want to optimize their efficiency. The tool shows you the top apps and websites that you access throughout the day:

Apps and Websites Used

This way, you will identify what’s wasting your time and boost your productivity. It even takes random slightly blurred screenshots to prove to your clients that you’re responsibly spending billable hours.

Traqq time tracker is an invaluable freelancer software for keeping track of work hours effortlessly. A lot of the app’s features are specifically tailored to freelancers and those working remotely: you can pick a time zone to work in, create detailed reports for clients, connect Traqq with other collaboration tools, and more. Overall, It is one of the best time tracking sofware on the market.

Notable Features:

  • Online and offline time tracking
  • Smart alerts and notifications for ensuring every minute worked will be paid
  • Comprehensive timesheets and productivity reports
  • Ethical employee monitoring

Platforms:

  • macOS
  • Windows

Pricing:

  • Premium Starter – $0 for up to three seats (comes with all Premium features)
  • Premium Teams – $6 per seat, per month
  • Enterprise – Contact the sales team to get a customized plan for teams of over 100 people

Pros:

  • Blurred screenshots and video recordings for privacy protection
  • All Premium features on the free version
  • Few clicks to generate productivity stats and timesheet reports

Cons:

  • No integration with third-party apps

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“Easy to use, if there is any kind of bug, customer support answers the same or next day (they are located in Australia so that is reasonable). One or two clicks to do everything.”
Negative
“Traqq is still in development and could use a lot more integrations”

2. Harvest

Harvest provides more than just time tracking for freelancers. It also allows users to create invoices and bills and process payments.

The tool even lets freelancers split their billable time across various projects or clients.

Meanwhile, managers can use it to monitor their remote teams. They can receive alerts that will prevent their contractors from going over the budget.

Notable Features:

  • Comprehensive task, time, and expense tracking and reporting
  • Several third-party software integrations
  • Customizable billable rates
  • Online invoice payment processing

Platforms:

  • macOS
  • Windows
  • Android
  • iOS
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Free – 1 user (with access to 2 projects)
  • Pro – $12 per user, per month

Pros:

  • Bank-grade security
  • Alerts for project budgets
  • Support for most devices and operating systems

Cons:

  • Only two projects and one user for the free tier
  • Upgrade necessary for tracking unlimited projects
  • Glitchy mobile app

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“I really like the ease of being able to record my time and generate an invoice for it. It has several settings you can pre-setup to make invoicing really fast at the end of each week.”
Negative
“The cost tracking is basically useless because there is no history to changed rates, so if something changes it also changes for the past.”

3. Toggl

Time tracking for independent contractors is easier with Toggl. It allows agencies, remote teams, and freelancers to get an overview of where their billable time goes.

Toggl’s basic features include reporting and freelance time tracking. You can also access advanced options like email reports and time tracking spreadsheet management.

Notable Features:

  • Support for most operating systems and devices
  • Automated timesheet creation
  • Scheduled email reports

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Free plan – Comes with unlimited time tracking, unlimited projects, and a Pomodoro timer
  • Starter – $9 per user, per month with additional features, such as billable rates and prepopulated project templates
  • Premium – $18 per user, per month with access to Jira and Salesforce integrations, among other advanced features
  • Enterprise – Contact sales for custom pricing

Pros:

  • Unlimited time tracking on multiple projects for the free plan
  • Idle time detection
  • Integration with over 100 third-party apps
  • User-friendly interface
  • Pomodoro timer

Cons:

  • Only five users for the free plan
  • No invoicing features
  • Paid plans can be costly for freelancers

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“I love the ease of tracking my tasks which helps me see where my time goes and also helps keep me focused.”
Negative
“As I go, I learn my mistakes and it seems I lost over 40 hrs. of work because I didn’t click start and well without step-by-step directions it’s hard to learn how to use it.”

4. TMetric

TMetric simplifies time tracking for freelancers who work in teams. Its free version has enough features to support a team of five people.

It can help remote workers track time, collaborate, and monitor productivity. Now, bigger organizations can get one of the paid plans to access advanced features like different billable rates and complex invoicing options.

Notable Features:

  • Customizable groups for different access permissions
  • Tracking settings for holidays and weekdays
  • Time estimates and budgeting for projects

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Free – Up to five users
  • Professional – $5 per user, per month
  • Business – $7 per user, per month

Pros:

  • Comprehensive and customizable reporting capabilities
  • Support for popular web browsers and mobile devices

Cons:

  • Limited number of users on the free version
  • Not ideal for individual freelancers

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“TMetric was an easy choice. The free plan gave me exactly what I needed, it was super easy to hook into Asana and my chrome browser and now I am tracking everything.”
Negative
“Adding time in a missing time period. Which is confusing sometimes.”

5. Hubstaff

Hubstaff time tracker

If you’re a freelancer who’s also managing a team, Hubstaff can be a great option for you. Apart from functioning as a client time tracker, this software also integrates with various payment processors.

As such, it’s easy to record billable hours and accept payments from clients.

Notable Features:

  • Detailed online timesheet
  • Team management, attendance monitoring, and shift planning
  • GPS tracking for freelancers on the road

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Desk Free – 1 user (limited features)
  • Desk Starter – $7 per user, per month (one integration)
  • Desk Pro – $10 per user, per month (unlimited integrations)
  • Enterprise – Contact the sales team for custom pricing

Pros:

  • Highly intuitive user interface
  • Basic time and activity monitoring available on the free version
  • Payment processor integration

Cons:

  • Only one user for the free version
  • Upgrade needed to access invoicing, expense tracking, and productivity monitoring
  • App glitches from time to time

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“What I liked the most about this software is the fact that despite the ever-growing competition in the freelancing industry Hubstaff is still giving every freelancer a chance to prove their worth.”
Negative
“There’s no payroll integration with Payoneer. It’s tough to do payroll with limited options.”

6. TimeCamp

TimeCamp time tracker

Aside from being a free time tracker for freelancers, TimeCamp also functions as a lightweight project management tool. It lets users organize their tasks and gather all the invoicing details they need in one place.

Notable Features:

  • Billable time tracking
  • Team performance monitoring
  • Data collection for accurate invoices

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Free – Unlimited users and unlimited projects
  • Basic – $7 per user, per month
  • Pro – $10 per user, per month
  • Enterprise – Contact the sales team for custom pricing

Pros:

  • Unlimited projects and users on the free plan
  • Comprehensive productivity monitoring features
  • Attendance management system

Cons:

  • Email and chat support only available on paid plans
  • No phone support
  • Online payments and client invoicing accessible only in higher tiers

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“I love TimeCamp because it allows me to track time worked and the profitability of specific projects. This helps with our efficiency and lets us see where to add and reduce resources.”
Negative
“On Trello, I sometimes click stop and think it stopped but then it did not. Like all software there’s a part of it that doesn’t always function because of a weird blip.”

7. RescueTime

RescueTime time tracker

Are you looking for a freelance time tracker without sending automatic reports? If so, then RescueTime is what you might need.

The tool will track your time and show you detailed reports on how you spend it. Even so, it does not automatically send productivity reports to clients or managers.

Notable Features:

  • Ranked productivity reports according to activity
  • Automated time capture and reports
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Historical and trend reports

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Lite – Free for one user
  • Team plan – $6 per user, per month
  • Premium plan – $9 per month (billed annually)

Pros:

  • Synchronization via mobile, web, and desktop apps
  • Self-gamification for optimized productivity
  • Focus time which blocks distractions

Cons:

  • Complicated user interface
  • Limited features on the free version
  • Costly paid version

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“It helped me in managing my time and properly allocating the hours in my day. Rescue time is just so amazing that it showed me where I was spending much of my time on.”
Negative
“The information architecture and content at the dashboard page is the biggest problem, a simple redesign could do miracles.”

8. FreshBooks

FreshBooks time tracker

FreshBooks is perfect to make freelance time tracking and accounting simple. This cloud-based program logs billable time, monitors expenses, and sends invoices.

Now, while it doesn’t have monitoring features, it comes with all the options you need to run a freelancing business.

Notable Features:

  • Expense and payment tracking
  • Double-entry accounting
  • Project management tools
  • Profitability reports

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows
  • Android, iOS
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Lite – $6 per month (5 billable clients)
  • Plus – $12.50 per month (50 billable clients)
  • Premium – $25 per month (unlimited billable clients)
  • Select – Contact the sales team for custom pricing

Pros:

  • Real-time insights into profitability
  • User-friendly time tracking feature
  • Project and client tracker
  • Time tracking, accounting, project management, and invoicing in one tool

Cons:

  • No app and website monitoring
  • Constant downtime requires users to manually track time

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“The time tracking is very simple and easy to use. Keeps you organized and helps to determine what time is being spent on what activities.”
Negative
“The worst part about the software is the electronic payment option. It only works with some banks, while other banks block it.”

9. Clockify

Clockify time tracker

Clockify is a free time tracking software for freelancers that allows users to record billable time for unlimited projects. An unlimited number of users can also monitor their non-billable time with this tool.

What makes it popular among many is its various support channels. Users can reach customer service via chat, email, and live phone support.

Notable Features:

  • Support for all types of browsers
  • Visual breakdown of the activities and projects for a given period
  • Weekly summary reports

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux, Chromebook
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Free plan – Unlimited users
  • Basic plan – $4.99 per user, per month
  • Standard plan – $6.99 per user, per month
  • Pro plan – $9.99 per user, per month
  • Enterprise plan – $14.99 per user, per month

Pros:

  • Highly intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • Unlimited users and projects on the free version
  • Invoicing features for billing clients

Cons:

  • Upgrade necessary to access timesheet approvals and other advanced features
  • Limited customization options for reports
  • No support for online payments from customers

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“It was free and really easy to sign up. Love that you can use it on the go with the app as well, which has been great during this past year with the pandemic going on.”
Negative
“For me, the only downsides have occurred after user error. If you forget to start or stop the timer, it’s rather difficult to edit your time within the app.”

10. Time Doctor

TimeDoctor time tracker

There are several reasons why many contractors choose Time Doctor for tracking freelance time. This app can be customized according to your preferred monitoring requirements.

If you’re a freelancer who manages a team, you can also use it to generate comprehensive productivity reports. Now, if you’re a contractor, you can use it to get insights into what’s wasting your time.

Notable Features:

  • URL and app monitoring
  • Automated and random screenshots
  • Integration with popular payment processors, including PayPal, Wise, and Payoneer

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Basic – $7 per user, per month
  • Standard – $10 per user, per month
  • Premium – $20 per user, per month

Pros:

  • Simple and user-friendly interface
  • Comprehensive productivity reports
  • Automated timesheets and invoices

Cons:

  • Distracting idle time alerts
  • Glitchy macOS and Linux versions
  • Outdated user interface

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“Ability to review screen captures. This was even more useful during the pandemic when all users were remote.”
Negative
“Sometimes, it automatically logs out for few of the networks, or it may cause an error if permissions are not set properly.”

11. Everhour

EverHour time tracker

Everhour is a time tracking app for contractors who need to visualize project budgets and collaborate with colleagues. Its reports are customizable according to the user’s needs.

It also lets freelancers create professional invoices containing project breakdowns. With its user-friendly interface, contractors can easily onboard new clients.

Notable Features:

  • Automated invoice creation
  • Individual user and team management
  • Comprehensive dashboard that allows detailed reporting

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows
  • iOS
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Cloud – $10 per user, per month
  • Server – Contact the sales team for custom pricing

Pros:

  • Integration with various third-party apps, including QuickBooks, Basecamp, and Asana
  • User-friendly interface
  • Task and activity overview
  • Comprehensive reports according to projects or clients

Cons:

  • No dashboard customization options for non-admin users
  • Limited mobile app features

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“Everhour has really helped me keep track of my time and plan more effectively for future projects. I also love how it feels like a competition with myself.”
Negative
“There are some missing features when trying to look for specific information, which could make things challenging.”

12. HourStack

HourStack time tracker

If you’re looking for a time tracking software for freelancers that offers a unique approach to capturing billable time, try HourStack. It helps you manage your time by letting you organize tasks into time blocks.

Now, if your client prefers a different approach, you can integrate third-party apps like Google Calendar or Trello.

Notable Features:

  • Time blocks for task management
  • Time budgeting for specific activities or projects
  • Alerts and notifications for staying within project expectations

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux, Chromebook
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Personal – $9 per month
  • Team – $12 per member, per month

Pros:

  • User-friendly reporting features
  • Scheduling options that support flexible working hours
  • Automated entries for recurring activities

Cons:

  • Buggy and clunky mobile app
  • Limited customization options for reports
  • Limited admin functionalities

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“It is really important to me to be able to not only track time for tasks, but also estimate the time in advance so I can allocate important tasks to my plan for each day.”
Negative
“The only thing I can remotely complain about is the week-based interface, where you need to “rollover” open items to the next week, then disperse from there. No big deal, just adds an extra step.”

13. Bonsai

Bonsai time tracker

Aside from freelance time tracking, Bonsai also allows contractors to manage their projects. It has a built-in tool for drafting contracts and other business-related documents.

Now, if you’re working with different clients, you can also set different project rates.

Notable Features:

  • Automated invoicing system
  • Cloud-based app that allows users to work from desktop and mobile devices
  • Built-in contracts and proposals

Platforms:

  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Workflow – $19 per month
  • Workflow Plus – $29 per month

Pros:

  • Document tracking for different projects
  • Convenient time recording features
  • Comprehensive overview of ongoing projects on the dashboard

Cons:

  • Limited features on the contract creation tool
  • Only available in English
  • No screenshots or screen video recordings

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“I love everything about Bonsai! It is undoubtedly the tool I’ve relied on the most to help launch myself as an independent consultant. I love how easy the software is to create proposals, contracts, invoices, time tracking, and generally how beautiful the design is. I love the pricing as well, which I feel is a great value for everything I get in return.”
Negative
“I hate that I cannot export my time tracking. I have to take a screenshot to show my clients my tracked time. I would love to be able to export them in a PDF or spreadsheet file for any other purpose that I may need it.”

14. Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch is another app that simplifies time tracking for independent contractors and freelancers. What’s great about it is that it allows accounting software integration.

What’s more, it lets users track time from various devices, including a smartphone, tablet, desktop, or laptop. Freelancers can also log in via a unique QR code or facial recognition.

Notable Features:

  • Integration with various invoicing, scheduling, and payroll processing tools
  • Convenient tracking of billable hours
  • Automatic breaks and overtime calculations
  • Vacation, project, and job tracking

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux, Chromebook
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Standard – $2.99 per user, per month
  • Pro – $3.99 per user, per month
  • Enterprise – Contact the sales team for custom pricing

Pros:

  • User-friendly and highly intuitive interface
  • Efficient time tracking
  • Excellent customer support

Cons:

  • Limited customization options
  • No offline time tracking
  • Glitchy mobile app version

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“My staff loves that the software works seamlessly and I love the easy payroll reporting process.”
Negative
“We tried using the QR codes for timing in and out but the staff would forget their card, the computer would not recognize the card or if there was a poor light, it would be difficult to get it to read.”

15. Timely

Timely time tracker

Timely is a time tracking app for freelancers that contains a calendar-based user interface. With its extension, Memory, you can record the time you spend across apps.

At the end of the day, you will have a timeline of all your activities. What’s unique about this software is that it uses AI to organize your tasks and activities into appropriate categories.

Notable Features:

  • Automated activity tagging and categorization via AI technology
  • Team and project management reports
  • Comprehensive dashboard functionalities

Platforms:

  • macOS, Windows, Linux
  • iOS, Android
  • Web browsers

Pricing:

  • Starter – $8 per user, per month
  • Premium – $14 per user, per month
  • Unlimited – $20 per user, per month
  • Unlimited +: Contact the sales team for custom pricing

Pros:

  • Task and activity monitoring for managers
  • Project budgeting
  • Comprehensive productivity reports on the dashboard

Cons:

  • No available free version

What Users Have to Say:

Positive
“The thing I loved the most is that Timely will provide an invoice for tax purposes and to send to customers if need be. Setting up, in general, was fun and easy, definitely cut my time down in half.”
Negative
“Some of my customers get frustrated that they get both an email and a text reminder and it’s too much. I do this because some people put in their home phone and email but no cellphone number.”

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Florence Carter

This list of 15 time-tracking apps for freelancers in 2023 is a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their productivity and effectively manage their time. As a freelancer myself, I know how crucial it is to track billable hours and stay organized, and these apps seem to offer a variety of features to meet those needs. With the rapidly advancing technology, it’s fascinating to see how these apps have evolved to cater specifically to freelancers. From simple interfaces to advanced reporting capabilities, there seems to be something for everyone on this list. I’m eager to explore these apps further and find the one that aligns best with my workflow and requirements.

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