9 Best Contractor Time Tracking Apps for 2026 [Free & Paid]

Managing time as a contractor or managing a team of independent subcontractors is a unique challenge. Unlike standard 9-to-5 employees, your income is often directly tied to the accurate tracking of billable hours. A forgotten entry doesn’t just mean messy records; it means lost revenue.

Whether you’re a freelance architect, a construction manager supervising a field crew, or an agency hiring subcontractors, relying on memory or spreadsheets is a recipe for billing disputes and profit leaks.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best contractor time tracking software to help you automate your workflow, verify subcontractor hours, and ensure every minute of work gets billed correctly.

Why Contractors Need Specialized Time Tracking Software

General-purpose time trackers often fall short for contractors. Here is why specialized software is non-negotiable for modern contracting businesses:

1. Accurate Client Billing
For contractors, time is literally money. Specialized apps allow you to track time against specific projects, tasks, and clients. This granular data ensures your invoices are precise, transparent, and indisputable, building trust with your clients.

2. Subcontractor Management & Verification
If you hire subcontractors, how do you know you’re paying them for actual work?

• Avoid Overpayment: Digital logs provide proof of work.
• Compliance: Detailed records help distinguish between independent contractors and employees for tax and labor law compliance (like IRS auditing).
• Approval Workflows: Many apps let subcontractors submit timesheets for your approval before they can invoice you.

3. Project Profitability Analysis
Are you actually making money on that fixed-fee project? Time tracking software reveals the “effective hourly rate” of your projects by comparing the hours spent against the fee charged. This insight is crucial for quoting future jobs more profitably.

Key Features to Look for in Contractor Apps

Before choosing a tool, consider these essential features:

• Mobile App & GPS: Essential for field contractors (construction, landscaping, IT field services). Look for geofencing to ensure crews are on-site when they clock in.
• Invoicing Integration: The best apps sync directly with QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks to turn hours into invoices in one click.
• Offline Mode: For job sites with poor cell service, the app must store data locally and sync when back online.
• Flexible User Roles: You need a system that allows you to add temporary users (subcontractors) with limited access to just their assigned projects.

Contractor time tracking software comparison

To help you shortlist faster, here’s a quick comparison of the contractor time tracking apps and tools in this guide. Use it to match your workflow (field GPS vs. office-style job costing) and check whether a free plan is available before you read the full reviews.

1. actiTIME

Best For: Professional Services, Architects, Engineers, and Agencies.

Key Features for Contractors:

• Granular Work Scope: Break down projects into tasks and sub-tasks to track exactly where time goes.
• Billable vs. Non-Billable Hours: Clearly separate work to ensure accurate invoicing.
• Customizable Reports: Generate detailed reports on project profitability, user performance, and cost of work.
• Workflow Statuses: Track the progress of tasks (e.g., “In Progress,” “Client Review,” “Done”) alongside time.

Pros:

• Powerful reporting and data analysis.
• Flexible structure suitable for complex projects.
• Seamless integration with billing and accounting tools.

Cons:

• May be “too much” for a solo freelancer who just needs a simple timer.
• Lack of GPS tracking (more focused on desktop/professional workflows).

Pricing: offering a free version for small teams (1-3 users). Paid plans scale with feature needs.

actiTIME is a robust time tracking and project management tool designed for businesses that need deep insight into their data. It excels in environments where billable hours, project costing, and complex work structures are the norm.

When it comes to tracking work hours, managing sick leave, and keeping everything in one user-friendly place, actiTIME is top of the line. The reporting functions allow you to create detailed documents for management and accountants, and you can even personalize charts to allow for easy analysis.

The software allows for flexible task management, user setting options, and work scheduling capabilities to make this option ideal for any business size. Users can record all worked time, leave comments with status updates, and even submit for a day off! Time management is easy and flawless with the right tools in place.

Additionally, if overtime is a concern, actiTIME automatically monitors hours and allows employees to enter data manually. Your summary reports will enable you to keep track of employees eligible for overtime and cloud functionality to allow you to quickly and securely transfer data across different platforms.

Try actiTIME free for 30 days to see if it’s the right fit!

I’ll recommend actiTIME for an architectural business like ours

I’ll recommend the software, especially for architectural businesses like ours – the solution seems to be intuitive and streamlined, the learning curve is modest and the product works as you expected. The web-based interface is a big plus as well – very easy and very simple!

Try actiTIME

2. Connecteam

Best For: Deskless Teams & Field Construction Crews.

Key Features:

• GPS Geofencing: See exactly where employees are when they clock in/out.
• Job Dispatching: Send schedule and task details directly to workers’ phones.
• Digital Forms: Have workers fill out daily reports or safety checklists in the app.

Pros:

• Excellent mobile app experience.
• Includes communication tools (chat, updates).
• Great for managing large field crews.

Cons:

• Pricing can get expensive for larger teams.
• Reporting is less focused on “project profitability” compared to professional service tools.

Pricing: Free plan for small businesses (up to 10 users). Paid plans start at roughly $29/month for the first 30 users.

Connecteam allows you to schedule contractors’ shifts, manage their tasks, and communicate with them – all in one place. Its time clock feature lets you see when contractors start to work every day and how long they remain on the shift. Using Connecteam’s task management functionality, you can also allocate tasks across your team members, track their progress and analyze performance results, which helps to identify any weak areas in contractor productivity and get informed to improve the situation for better.

3. ClockShark

Best For: Construction & Field Service Companies.

ClockShark is built specifically for construction. It abandons the “office” feel for a rugged, map-based interface designed for crews moving between job sites.

Key Features:

• CrewClock: A supervisor can clock in the entire team at once.
• Job Casting: GPS/Geofencing to track time by job site.
• File Attachments: Upload photos and documents to jobs from the field.

Pros:

• Tailor-made for construction workflows.
• Integrates well with construction accounting software (Sage, etc.).
• “Who’s Working Now” map view.

Cons:

• One of the deeper price points for small businesses.
• Interface is purely mobile-first; desktop view is secondary.

Pricing: Starts around $8/user/month + base fee.

For contractor time tracker and scheduling software, Clockshark is built for construction and field service personnel to allow for easy time and payroll maintenance. To get a quick and accurate look at job costs and be rid of traditional timesheets to keep business owners and accountants happy, this is an excellent option.

4. Elorus

Best For: Freelancers & Small Agencies needing Invoicing.

Elorus is a time tracking and invoicing software that focuses on the financial side of contracting. It’s ideal for digital nomads, developers, and designers.

Key Features:

• Time-to-Invoice: Convert tracked hours into professional invoices in seconds.
• Client Portal: Give clients access to view their project progress and invoices.
• Expense Tracking: Track billable expenses alongside time.

Pros:

• Beautiful, easy-to-use interface.
• Strong invoicing and currency support.
• Free for up to 5 clients.

Cons:

• Not suitable for field crews (no GPS/Geofencing).
• Limited project management features.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start around $7/month.

If you’re looking for an online contractor time tracking app with billing capabilities, Elorus is designed to help businesses with a variety of employees to keep things organized. The interactive dashboard keeps you informed as you track hours, payments, and bills, so you always know where you stand financially.

5. Deputy

Best For: Shift-Based Work & Scheduling.

Deputy is primarily a scheduling tool with robust time and attendance features. It suits businesses with shifting rosters, like event staffing or retail contractors.

Key Features:

• Auto-Scheduling: AI-driven scheduling based on demand.
• Compliance Tools: Alerts for break violations or overtime.
• Task Lists: Assign checklists to specific shifts.

Pros:

• Best-in-class scheduling interface.
• Great for managing part-time or shift-based subcontractors.
• Easy swap/cover shift functionality.

Cons:

• Overkill if you just need project time tracking without complex scheduling.
• Pricing is per-user and can add up.

Pricing: Structure varies by feature set (Scheduling vs Time Tracking or Premium).

Time tracking software for architects and contractors is unique since the work schedule is based on specific client needs. Deputy is an easy way to look at all schedules and shifts in one place to focus on finding solutions to everyday business concerns. This software’s core functions are creating an employee database, a list of active locations, and reporting capabilities.

6. BigTime

Best For: Consulting Firms & Professional Services.

BigTime is a heavyweight contender for professional services firms (accounting, engineering, IT). It focuses heavily on the financial health of projects.

Key Features:

• DCAA Compliance: Suitable for government contractors.
• Resource Allocation: Significant features for managing staff availability.
• WIP (Work In Progress) Reporting: Detailed financial insights.

Pros:

• Extremely deep reporting and financial controls.
• Strong integrations with Sage Intacct and QuickBooks.
• Great for firms with 20+ billable staff.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve.
• Expensive compared to simpler tools.

Pricing: Quote-based, starts from $20 user/month.

Finding the right contractor timesheet app helps when you look for options that offer billing solutions specifically designed to help professionals in the contracting and architecture fields. BigTime integrates time tracking, expense management, workflow maintenance, invoices, billing, and more.

7. Homebase

Best For: Local Businesses & Hourly Workers.

Homebase is designed for brick-and-mortar businesses or local service contractors. It combines time clocks, scheduling, and hiring.

Key Features:

• Hiring Integration: Post jobs and manage applicants within the app.
• Team Communication: Built-in messenger.
• Labor Cost Controls: Alerts when users approach overtime.

Pros:

• Very intuitive for non-tech-savvy users.
• Robust free plan for one location.
• Handles payroll processing (add-on).

Cons:

• Less focused on “project” tracking; more on “shift” tracking.
• Not ideal for client-based billing workflows.

Pricing: Free basic plan. Paid plans start from $24 location/month.

Homebase may be the right fit for those looking for employee scheduling software with various useful features and an interface that’s easy to navigate. This contractor time tracking software seamlessly integrates with other software and comes with error tracking and labor law compliance features that help you monitor everything in one place.

8. CakeHR

Best For: HR Management & Leave Tracking.

Now part of Sage HR, this tool is broader than just time tracking. It’s a full HR suite, making it good for contractors who are growing into small businesses and need to manage “people” data.

Key Features:

• Leave Management: Great visualization of time-off and holidays.
• Performance Management: Track goals and 1-on-1s.
• Shift Scheduling: Drag-and-drop shift planning.

Pros:

• Beautiful, modern user interface.
• Solves HR headaches (onboarding/offboarding) alongside time.
• Modular pricing (pay for what you use).

Cons:

• Time tracking is just one module; might lack depth for complex project managers.
• More focused on employees than independent subcontractors.

Pricing: Per module/per employee pricing.

If you’re looking for multi-dimensional contractor time tracking software, CakeHR is what you need. It collects data from multiple channels, so all employee content is provided in one place. You can use CakeHR to create a personalized dashboard to automate tasks and promote workflow.

9. Time Analytics

Best For: Cost Tracking & Efficiency Analysis.

Time Analytics focuses purely on the productivity and cost side of time tracking. It helps you answer: “Are we charging enough for this client?”

Key Features:

• Cost vs. Revenue Analysis: See profit margins per client instantly.
• Invoicing Assistant: Prepares billable data for export.
• Productivity Management: Track utilization rates of your team.

Pros:

• Simple, no-nonsense interface.
• Excellent financial insights for small service businesses.
• Very affordable.

Cons:

• Lacks GPS/Field features.
• Mobile app is basic compared to field-focused tools.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start from $4.99 user/month.

Time Analytics is a comprehensive timesheet software that lets you build highly efficient workflows and get a wealth of data on contractor productivity. It has robust features for workforce management and billable time tracking. So, with the help of Time Analytics, you can both plan out your contractors’ work and see how their performance affects your business.

FAQ: Contractor Time Tracking

What is the best free time tracking app for contractors?

For small businesses with deskless teams, Connecteam’s free plan (up to 10 users) is an excellent choice. For professional services needing deep project management features, actiTIME’s free plan (1-3 users) is superior.

How do I track time for subcontractors?

The best way is to invite them as “users” to your time tracking software but limit their permissions. They should only see the projects they are assigned to. This allows them to log hours directly into your system, which you can then approve before payment.

Can I track contractor time with GPS?

Yes, but you need a “field-focused” app like Connecteam or ClockShark. These apps use specialized GPS features to record location stamps and breadcrumbs when a user is on the clock.

Is it legal to track independent contractors?

Yes, asking contractors to log hours for billing verification is standard practice. However, be careful with how you track. Dictating exactly when and how they work (e.g., rigid 9-5 schedules monitored by software) can sometimes blur the line between “contractor” and “employee” in the eyes of the law. Always focus on tracking results (billable hours/outputs) rather than micromanaging behavior.

 

How to Find the Best Contractor Time Tracking Software

When it comes to finding the right contractor time tracking software, it can help first figure out what items you need help with specifically. Do you need to manage multiple contracting teams at different locations? Do you need help keeping track of architecture invoices and scheduling your upcoming jobs?

Whatever it is that you need help keeping track of and whatever tasks are taking up most of your time, there is a software solution out there!

For more informative articles about tracking worked time and how to make the most of your time management software, check out our blog! To request a demo or get a free trial of actiTIME, learn more about us!