Best Time Tracking Software 2026: Compared
We rank time tracking and timesheet software using only facts from the vendors' own sites: the monthly price per user of the cheapest paid plan with monthly billing, whether there is a permanent free plan and how many users it allows, a browser extension, desktop apps for Windows or macOS, a Linux app, mobile apps, tracking while offline, billable rates, invoices, project budgets, timesheet approvals, a public API, two-factor authentication, single sign-on, an independent security audit (SOC 2 or ISO 27001) and the year the product or company started. We also show, without scoring it, whether a tool can take screenshots or track location. Every fact links to an official page with a check date. We do not use reviews or user scores, and paid placements never change the Score.
| # | Company | Who it serves | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TimeCamp | 89 | $5.49 | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free plan Desktop Linux Invoices Approvals |
| 2 | Clockify | 89 | $4.99 | Yes | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free plan Desktop Linux Offline Invoices Approvals |
| 3 | My Hours | 71 | $5.00 | Yes | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free plan Invoices Approvals |
| 4 | Toggl | 64 | $12.00 | Yes | 3 | Not verified | Yes | Yes | Free plan Desktop Approvals |
| 5 | Paymo | 62 | $9.90 | Yes | 1 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Free plan Desktop Linux Invoices Approvals |
| 6 | Harvest | 60 | $11.00 | Yes | 1 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Free plan Desktop Invoices Approvals |
| 7 | Everhour | 59 | Not verified | Yes | 5 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Free plan Desktop Invoices Approvals |
| 8 | Timely | 53 | $11.00 | No | 0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Desktop Invoices Approvals |
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $5.49
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- Unlimited
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Yes
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Free plan for a team
- Track time from a browser extension
- Native desktop app
Details Visit site ↗ 94% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $4.99
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- 5
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Yes
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Track time from a browser extension
- Native desktop app
- Runs on Linux
Details Visit site ↗ 96% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $5.00
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- 5
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Yes
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Track time from a browser extension
- Mobile apps
- Billable or hourly rates
Details Visit site ↗ 78% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $12.00
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- 3
- Invoices from tracked time
- Not verified
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Yes
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Track time from a browser extension
- Native desktop app
- Mobile apps
Details Visit site ↗ 79% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $9.90
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- 1
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Not verified
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Native desktop app
- Runs on Linux
- Mobile apps
Cons
- Free plan for one person or none
Details Visit site ↗ 77% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $11.00
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- 1
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Not verified
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Track time from a browser extension
- Native desktop app
- Mobile apps
Cons
- Free plan for one person or none
Details Visit site ↗ 76% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- Not verified
- Free plan
- Yes
- Users on the free plan
- 5
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Not verified
Pros
- Has a permanent free plan
- Track time from a browser extension
- Native desktop app
- Mobile apps
Cons
- No Linux app confirmed
- No confirmed offline tracking
Details Visit site ↗ 75% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per user, monthly billing
- $11.00
- Free plan
- No
- Users on the free plan
- 0
- Invoices from tracked time
- Yes
- Timesheet approvals
- Yes
- SOC 2 or ISO 27001 of the vendor
- Yes
Pros
- Native desktop app
- Mobile apps
- Billable or hourly rates
- Creates invoices from tracked time
Cons
- No permanent free plan
- Free plan for one person or none
Details Visit site ↗ 75% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Hubstaff (43% backed by facts)
- Jibble (55% backed by facts)
- Kimai (35% backed by facts)
- TrackingTime (67% backed by facts)
How we calculate the Score
30%
Price
Monthly list price per user in USD of the cheapest paid plan with monthly billing: $0 scores 100, $20 or more scores 0 (weight 3). Annual-billing prices and introductory offers are ignored. If the official pricing page shows the monthly price only after a script runs, only in a hidden field or in a currency chosen by our visitor location, the fact stays empty. A single euro price list of a European vendor is converted at the ECB rate. Also a permanent free plan (weight 1) and how many users it allows, where 10 or more users or no limit scores 100 (weight 1); a free trial does not count.
30%
Apps and tracking
A browser extension (weight 1), a native desktop app for Windows or macOS (weight 1), a Linux app (weight 1), iOS or Android apps (weight 1) and tracking that keeps working without an internet connection (weight 1). A browser-based app installed as a desktop shortcut (PWA) does not count as a desktop app.
25%
Billing and team control
Billable or hourly rates (weight 1), invoices created from tracked time inside the product (weight 1), project budgets (weight 1), timesheet or time entry approvals (weight 1) and a documented public API (weight 1). A fact shows that the feature exists on some plan, not that the cheapest plan has it.
15%
Security and track record
Two-factor authentication for user accounts (weight 1), single sign-on (weight 1), an independent security audit or certification of the vendor itself, SOC 2 or ISO 27001 (weight 1); relying on a hosting provider's audit does not count. How long the product or company has been running: 15 years or more scores 100 (weight 1).
How to choose time tracking software
Start from what you do with the hours
Billing clients needs billable rates and invoices; payroll needs approvals and locked timesheets; personal focus needs only a quick timer. Pick the tool that covers your main use, not the one with the longest feature list.
Check where your team will track time
People track more reliably from the place they already work: a browser extension inside the project tool, a desktop app, or a phone on site. Check every platform you need, including Linux and offline work if your team travels.
Count the real price for your team
Prices are per user, and the cheapest plan often lacks rates, approvals or invoices. Multiply the price of the plan you actually need by your team size, and compare monthly and annual billing.
Agree on what is recorded
Screenshots, activity levels and GPS are optional in some tools. Decide with your team what is tracked, check local privacy law, and look for two-factor authentication or single sign-on to protect the data.
Frequently asked questions
Which time tracking software is best?
The tool in first place has the highest Score under our open method, but the Score does not measure how pleasant a tool is to use every day. Decide whether you bill clients, need approvals for payroll or only want to see where time goes, then try the free plan or trial with your own team.
How do you compare prices?
We take the cheapest paid plan with monthly billing, per user, in US dollars, as shown in the text of the vendor's official pricing page. Annual billing is usually cheaper, and the note on each tool's page shows the annual price when we saw it. Introductory discounts are ignored, and a single euro price list of a European vendor is converted at the ECB rate of the day before the check.
Why is the price empty for some well-known tools?
Some pricing pages show prices only after a script runs, keep the monthly price in a hidden field or have no pricing page we could reach from the site's links. We record only what is readable on the official page and do not guess, so the fact stays empty and lowers data completeness. That is why some popular tools rank lower or are listed outside the ranking.
Do these tools take screenshots of employees?
Some do as an optional feature, and some say on their own pages that they never do. We show this as a fact without scoring it either way. If you plan to monitor employees, check the labour and privacy law of your country and tell your team what is recorded.
Do you test the tools ourselves?
No. Ease of use and accuracy depend on how your team works, and a fair test is hard to repeat. We use only facts that anyone can check on the vendor's own pages, each with a link and a check date.