Freelancing often turns out to be challenging. Self-employed individuals usually don’t enjoy the same degree of support from interprofessional specialists as regular employees working in teams do. Therefore, they have to figure out how to manage various matters in such fields as accounting and cost management on their own. Not to mention that staying organized and focused in a home-based environment is quite tricky as well.
Specialized digital tools may aid freelancers in handling all these difficulties. The majority of these instruments combine time tracking as a source of essential work management and accounting data with some other features for better productivity and performance efficacy.
In this article, we’ve reviewed the most popular time tracking software for freelancers, and we hope you’ll find this information useful!
20 Best Picks of Time Tracking Software for Freelancers
Work hour tracking produces multiple benefits, starting from enhanced productivity and ending with improved work-life balance. Also, timesheet instruments are excellent for keeping a record of billing time, which is crucial if you charge clients per hour worked. Luckily for freelancers and those working in a team of one, a large number of time tracking software tools for freelancers available in the market today combine features for keeping a detailed record of both your daily working hours and billing amounts for greater performance efficiency and trouble-free invoicing.
1. actiTIME
Key features:
- Time tracking
- Task management
- Insightful reports
- Billing and invoicing
actiTIME is a time tracking and work management tool allowing for a clear overview of work progress. The desktop version of the app is based on the manual time entry method and allows tracking costs and billing time. Besides, actiTIME offers a mobile version with an automatic one-click timer – it lets you track time on the go and review time track data summaries for any period.
It’s also possible to integrate your actiTIME account with Time Management Assistant, a clever browser extension for fully automated activity tracking. With its help, you will get a detailed log of all the websites you visit every day and equip yourself with a deeper knowledge of your online behaviors, which is key if you want to boost your personal productivity and change your time-wasting behaviors for the better.
2. MinuteDock
Key features:
- Time tracking
- Integrations with accounting apps
- Streamlined invoicing and payroll
MinuteDock is a flexible and simple-to-use time tracking software for freelancers that helps you manage tasks, monitor their budgets and get insightful performance data. The app’s most prominent feature is time billing – it allows users to keep a record of every billable minute and generate error-free invoices. MinuteDock also supports integrations with accounting software and multiple other tools to streamline your work on projects.
3. Lancelog
Key features:
- Cost tracking
- Reports
- Billing and invoicing
Lancelog is a simple cloud-based app for keeping a record of labor costs, as well as other types of expenses, and identifying how much you should charge your customers for rendered services and works performed.
The tool supports simple billing procedures and helps generate invoices in an effortless way, which makes it great for freelancers and consultants. Besides, Lancelog includes a powerful reporting functionality that allows one to always stay aware of their projects’ financial performance.
4. Due
Key features:
- Time tracking
- Productivity reports
- Billing and invoicing
Due is an accounting and time tracking software for freelancers designed to increase the accuracy in billable time calculation and accounting data processing. The tool helps collect work time data, prepare reports on billing amounts, and create invoices for customers directly in the app.
Due’s financial module includes many other features, including payments, a digital wallet, and eCash. All the data submitted to Due are stored on a cloud, which simplifies their management and prevents unauthorized access.
Simple, no-frills and killer snooze-till-done feature : Due https://t.co/Kc5A9UBYuY#dueapp @dueapp
— ᕮᔕOᗯᕮᔕ (@Esowes) August 15, 2017
5. TimeSolv
Key features:
- Expense tracking
- Project management
- Budgeting
TimeSolv is time tracking software for freelancers and small teams and is intended to assist them in organizing an effortless and accurate time tracking process. It runs on various platforms – PC, Mac, Android, iOS – and can work both online and offline.
Besides time tracking, the tool has functionality for expense reporting, invoicing, and simple project and budget management. Therefore, it is popular among highly versatile groups of professionals, including lawyers, accountants, designers, and engineers.
6. Bonsai
Key features:
- Project CRM
- App integrations
- Billing and invoicing
Bonsai is a time tracking software for designers for macOS and iOS, also available on the web. It incorporates a timesheet where you can enter time either manually or using a timer and has a straightforward, minimalistic interface.
After you log your time in Bonsai, you can review and analyze results in a chart. In addition, this tool can be utilized for automatic billing and invoicing. As a freelancer, you will also appreciate Bonsai’s simple Project & Client CRM, task management and tax estimation features.
7. AccountSight
Key features:
- Expense tracking
- Project estimates
- Invoicing
- Reports
AccountSight is a time and expense tracker for businesses, independent consultants and freelancers. It provides valuable insight on how time is spent and speeds up the billing data processing. Timesheets can be filled out directly in AccountSight or uploaded from Excel files. Along with that, the tool offers a rich time reporting functionality for data review and analysis.
Its expense tracking module allows users to set up their own expense categories and specify how their work should be billed: at an hourly rate or per unit of the finished work. For submitting expenses in bulk, the Excel upload function is also provided.
8. TimeCamp
Key features:
- Budget tracking
- Billing
- Team and project reports
- Software integrations
TimeCamp is among the leaders in the category of time tracking software for designers. It includes a timesheet with options for both the automatic and manual time entry, a cost tracking functionality and features for the calculation of income based on the number of hours tracked. TimeCamp is also of significant value when it comes to invoice generation – with its assistance, your invoices will always be accurate and professionally looking.
Had to reinstate #Timecamp into the flow. It has been helping me stay on track all day. #timemanagement #protip
— Kali Wilder (@iamkwild) November 5, 2015
9. Ronin
Key features:
- Accounting
- Collaboration
- Billing and invoicing
Ronin is a simple time tracking software for designers and small agencies to aid them handle accounting tasks efficiently and level up their professionalism. The tool is perfect for keeping track of work hours, collaborating on projects and tasks, setting up estimates and sending them to customers for review. Additionally, it has a feature for automated client billing.
When applying Ronin’s billing functionality, one can track expenses in multiple currencies, customize invoices and automate their generation. The app can be integrated with a plethora of external tools and supports CSV data export.
10. VeriClock
Key features:
- Automated time tracking
- Reports
- Accounting integration
VeriClock is a cloud-based time tracking service designed for freelancers and businesses. Its key features are clock-in and clock-out, as well as an automated time logging. Data submitted to VeriClock can be utilized for reporting, cost calculation and client billing. In addition, the tool allows generating payroll and job costing reports that can be consequently exported to QuickBooks or any other accounting tool of your choice.
14 Days into July and I haven’t done one drop of manual data entry. That’s winning #growth #happybookkeeper #bookkeeperlife #nomorereceipts #nomoretimesheets #vericlock #autoentry pic.twitter.com/20wNZglgUX
— Sara Gibb (@SaraGibb1) July 14, 2019
11. Trigger
Key features:
- Collaboration
- Project management
- Reports
Trigger supports independent professionals and teams in keeping track of work hours – in real time or after project completion – and performing different project management activities. With this app, you may assign tasks and oversee project progress either on a daily or longer-term basis. Moreover, you can invite clients to monitor your work on a task dashboard in Trigger as well, which contributes to deeper trust and promotes more positive relationships with them.
12. Harvest
Key features:
- Visual reports
- Online payments
- Accounting integrations
- Automatic reminders
Initially, Harvest was created as a simple tool for time tracking and invoicing. However, it has evolved into an advanced app with extra features for effective management of projects and teams, as well as accurate expense tracking.
When it comes to process management, Harvest’s scheduling feature is particularly valuable for freelancers. With its help, you may design a visual plan for your future activities and develop time estimates for them. As a result, you can gain a clearer picture of your deadlines and become able to see whether you have enough resources to complete tasks on time, which is essential for improving time allocation decisions.
13. BQE Core
Key features:
- Project planning
- Reports
- Billing and invoicing
BQE Core is a business management tool that uses time tracking as a source of data for client billing, decision making on process optimization and work management. BQE Core’s time tracking procedure is intuitive and straightforward and is available both on the desktop and as a mobile app.
BQE Core is targeted at speeding up the billing process and increasing cash flows, yet it also assists users in planning projects and tasks, monitoring work progress and running various reports for greater performance efficacy and superior financial outcomes.
14. Zoho Projects
Key features:
- Task management
- Time management
- Charts and reports
- Zoho integrations
Zoho Projects is one of the most popular and comprehensive solutions for time tracking and project management. With its assistance, you can overview performance progress, convert time track results into billing data, manage documents directly in the app and analyze work efficiency trends by using Gantt charts. The tool supports the export of timesheet data in multiple formats for further processing in other programs.
Custom fields in #zohoprojects are awesome! Thanks @zoho
— Florian Erbes (@medihype) February 15, 2016
15. Todo.vu
Key features:
- Time tracking
- Task management
- Reports
- Mobile apps
Todo.vu is a simple tool for work process management. Its functionality includes time tracking, billing, CRM and task management. It allows for keeping a record of both billable and non-billable time, running comprehensive reports and staying in touch with customers and contacts.
For greater accuracy and convenience, the tool has an option to break down large tasks into checklists and oversee progress in an easy-to-read format. Todo.vu also lets users import tasks from emails, automate the creation of recurring tasks and synchronize work schedules with external calendars.
16. Toggl
Key features:
- Billing and invoicing
- Project budgeting
- Reports
- Payroll
Toggl is one of the most popular and affordable time tracking software for freelancers. It offers functionality to keep daily time logs, calculate billable amounts and run performance reports. Along with that, the advanced version of Toggl comprises a plethora of features for project management, including task planning, time estimation and project review on a dashboard.
Freelance friends, if your job pays by the hour, #toggl is a super convenient way of logging your progress! Plus it’s free.
— Irene Koh 🐯🍠 (@kohquette) February 12, 2014
17. Timenotes
Key features:
- Work logs
- One-click timers
- Billable time tracking
- Integrations
Timenotes positions itself as the best alternative to Toggl, and it has a lot to offer indeed. Besides such essential features as time tracking and time reporting, the tool comprises everything a freelancer (or a small team) may wish for to arrange a straightforward management procedure, from task planning to project summary overview. Moreover, Timenotes supports integration with different project management apps for a more optimized work process.
18. TimeTrex Community Edition
Key features:
- Attendance management
- Scheduling
- HRM
- Payroll
TimeTrex is an open-source solution for time tracking, scheduling, attendance monitoring, HR, and payroll management. Its community edition with basic features is available at no cost and is supported by volunteers from over 50 countries. However, the tool also has more advanced paid versions with closed-source features, such as punch-in and -out and job costing.
19. Kimai
Key features:
- Invoicing
- Data export
- Expense tracking
- Clock-in and -out
Kimai is simple time tracking software for freelancers that keeps a record of work hours and prints out summarized data. Its interface is web-based, so it can work on any platform. The tool is unobtrusive: it doesn’t need to be run in an open browser tab to record time expenses – you can even close the browser, and it will still keep recording until you stop the program itself.
Kimai is localized in more than 15 languages and can be customized with different skins.
20. Anuko
Key features:
- Calendar view
- User roles
- Time reports
- Comments
Anuko is open-source time tracking software for freelancers. It can be installed as a web application and accessed via browsers. The tool supports two time tracking modes: for projects or for projects and tasks. It also allows calculating billable amounts and offers simple invoicing functionality. Thus, many independent consultants and freelancers find Anuko helpful for tracking their work hours and billable time.
