Time Tracking · Researched comparison

Best Billable Time Tracking Software for Teams

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Key takeaways

  • Billable time tracking only helps when rates, clients, and projects are linked to every entry.
  • Toggl Track, Harvest, and Clockify give the lowest entry cost for small teams, while QuickBooks Time costs more because it adds a monthly base fee on top of per-user pricing.
  • Harvest and Everhour are strong choices when invoicing and budget tracking matter, because both were built around client work and project budgets.
  • Hubstaff and Timely suit teams that need activity records or automatic time capture, but check whether those features fit your client reporting style before you commit.
  • Test a free plan or trial with real rates first.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
Toggl TrackSimple timers and team reporting$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
HarvestInvoicing and client budgets$9 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes
ClockifyLow-cost tracking for large teams$5.49 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes
EverhourBillable rates inside project tools$8.50 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
TimeCampAutomatic tracking and budgets$6.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
HubstaffActivity tracking and payroll$4.99 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (14 days)
TimelyAutomatic time capture$9 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (14 days)
QuickBooks TimeScheduling and payroll with QuickBooks$20 per month plus $10 per user/month (Premium)Free trial (30 days)

How we choose

We reviewed the vendor pricing pages and product pages for each tool in this list, and we compared the starting price, the free plan or free trial, billable rate support, project budgets, invoicing, and reporting. We looked for tools that link time entries to a client and a project, because that link is what makes an hour billable and easy to invoice. We did not claim hands-on testing, and we did not use numeric scores or star ratings. Prices in this article come from the vendor pricing pages listed in Sources, and they reflect the starting tier when billed annually, except for QuickBooks Time, where the Premium price includes a base fee.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

The best billable time tracking software

2

Toggl Track

Best for Simple timers and team reporting

Website: https://toggl.com

Best for: Simple timers and team reporting

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Clean one-click timer and a free plan for up to five users; Clear reports by client, project, and team member

Cons: Billable rates and some reporting depth sit in higher tiers; No built-in invoicing in the core product

Toggl Track is a good fit for agencies and freelancers who want time tracking that stays out of the way. The timer is simple to start and stop, and entries can be linked to a client and a project in a few clicks. That structure matters for billing, because a clean entry with a client, a project, and a task is much easier to turn into an invoice than a vague note added at the end of the week. Teams can also set billable rates for projects and see the value of tracked time in reports, which helps managers check whether a project is still on budget before the month ends. Toggl Track also offers a free plan for up to five users, which makes it easy for a small studio to try the workflow with real client work. It does not include full invoicing, so teams that want invoices inside the same tool will need a separate billing step or a different product. The lower subscription tier also limits some advanced reporting, so larger teams should check which reports they need before they choose a tier.

3

Harvest

Best for Invoicing and client budgets

Website: https://www.getharvest.com

Best for: Invoicing and client budgets

Starting price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Built-in invoicing linked directly to tracked time; Budget alerts that show when a project is near its limit

Cons: The free plan allows only one seat and two active projects; Advanced reporting is limited on lower tiers

Harvest was built for client work, and that focus shows in how it connects time, budgets, and invoices. A team member tracks time against a client and a project, and Harvest can turn those billable hours into an invoice without retyping the entries. That link cuts down on billing errors and saves time at month end, which matters for agencies that invoice many clients on different cycles. Harvest also tracks project budgets in hours or money, and it can warn a manager when a project is close to its budget. That early warning gives a team time to talk with a client, adjust scope, or pause work before the budget runs out. The free plan is useful for a solo freelancer, but it allows only one seat and two active projects, so a growing team will need a subscription tier soon. For consultancies that bill by the hour and need clear invoices, Harvest covers the core workflow in one place. Teams that need deep reporting or complex approval chains may find the lower tiers limited, so check the plan pages before you commit to a tier.

4

Clockify

Best for Low-cost tracking for large teams

Website: https://clockify.me

Best for: Low-cost tracking for large teams

Starting price: $5.49 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Generous free plan with unlimited users and projects; Low starting price for larger teams

Cons: Billable rates and invoicing features need higher tiers; Interface can feel busy for new users

Clockify is a strong choice for teams that want low-cost billable time tracking at scale. The free plan allows unlimited users and projects, which is rare in this group, and it covers timers, manual entries, and basic reports. That makes it easy for a large agency to bring a whole team onto the same system without a large first bill. On subscription tiers, Clockify adds billable rates, project budgets, and more detailed reports, so managers can see the value of tracked time by client and project. The starting price of $5.49 per seat per month when billed annually is the second lowest in this list, and it stays low as a team grows. The trade-off is that some billing features sit in higher tiers, so a team that wants invoicing and advanced rate controls should look at the full plan list before choosing. The interface has many options, and new users may need a short setup session to learn where rates, projects, and reports live. For agencies that track a lot of hours across many people, Clockify gives a low-cost base and a clear path to add billing features as needs grow.

5

Everhour

Best for Billable rates inside project tools

Website: https://everhour.com

Best for: Billable rates inside project tools

Starting price: $8.50 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Works inside Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and other project tools; Clear budget and cost tracking by task

Cons: No free plan beyond a short trial for larger teams in practice on some plans; Best value depends on using a linked project tool

Everhour is built for teams that already manage work in a project tool and want time and money visible in the same place. It adds timers and time records inside tools such as Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and Monday, so a team member can track time without leaving the task they are working on. That link keeps time entries tied to real tasks, which makes client billing more accurate and easier to explain. Everhour also supports billable rates, project budgets, and cost tracking, so managers can see whether a task or a project is earning its planned value. Everhour offers a free plan, but teams that need full billing features should check the current plan limits, because the best value comes from the subscription tier that matches the project tool in use. The product is less useful for teams that do not use a linked project tool, since much of its strength comes from that connection. Setup takes some care, because projects, rates, and budgets need to match between Everhour and the project tool. For consultancies that live inside Asana or Trello and bill clients by the hour, Everhour is a direct fit that keeps time, cost, and budget in one view.

6

TimeCamp

Best for Automatic tracking and budgets

Website: https://www.timecamp.com

Best for: Automatic tracking and budgets

Starting price: $6.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Automatic time tracking that fills gaps in manual entries; Project budgets and invoicing on higher tiers

Cons: Invoicing and some billing features need higher tiers; Automatic tracking needs setup and review to stay accurate

TimeCamp combines manual timers with automatic tracking, which helps teams that forget to start a timer or switch between many small tasks. The automatic tracker records app and website use, and it can suggest time entries based on that activity. That record helps a freelancer or an agency recover billable hours that would otherwise go missing at the end of a busy day. On higher tiers, it adds invoicing and more detailed reporting, which makes month-end billing simpler for teams that invoice from tracked time. The free plan is useful for a small team that wants to test the basic workflow, but billing features are stronger on subscription tiers. The starting price of $6.99 per user per month when billed annually sits in the middle of this list, and it is fair for the mix of automatic tracking and budget tools. Teams should review automatic entries each day, because the tracker can only suggest entries, and a person still needs to link them to the right client and project. For agencies with many short tasks and frequent context switches, TimeCamp can catch hours that manual timers miss.

7

Hubstaff

Best for Activity tracking and payroll

Website: https://hubstaff.com

Best for: Activity tracking and payroll

Starting price: $4.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Pros: Activity levels and screenshots for remote team oversight; Payroll and payment tools for hourly teams

Cons: No free plan, only a 14-day free trial; Activity tracking may not suit every client or team culture

Hubstaff is aimed at remote teams that need a clear record of work time, activity, and pay. It tracks time with a timer or automatic tracking, and it can record activity levels and screenshots on plans that include those features. That record helps managers see how time was spent across a distributed team, and it supports payroll for hourly workers. Hubstaff also offers scheduling, GPS tracking for field teams, and payment tools, which makes it useful for agencies with remote staff or contractors in different locations. The starting price of $4.99 per user per month when billed annually is the lowest in this list, but there is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial. That means a team needs to test the full workflow during the trial and decide quickly whether the activity features fit. The main limit is cultural as much as technical, because some clients and team members do not want screenshots or activity scores. Teams should agree on what will be tracked and why before they turn those features on. For agencies that manage remote hourly staff and need payroll in the same place, Hubstaff covers tracking, oversight, and pay in one system.

8

Timely

Best for Automatic time capture

Website: https://timely.com

Best for: Automatic time capture

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Pros: Automatic capture of work across apps and meetings; Clean timeline that shows the full workday

Cons: No free plan, only a 14-day free trial; Manual control over entries still needs daily review

Timely takes a different approach to billable time tracking by capturing work automatically and showing it on a timeline. It records time spent in apps, documents, and meetings, then lets a person drag those blocks onto the right project and client. That timeline helps freelancers and consultants see the full day, including short tasks that a manual timer would miss. For billing, the timeline is useful because it gives a clear record to check before an invoice goes out, and it reduces the risk of forgetting a client call or a short review task. The starting price is $9 per user per month when billed annually, and there is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial. That trial is the right time to test whether automatic capture fits the way the team works, because the value depends on clean projects and consistent daily review. Timely does not include full invoicing, so teams will need a separate billing step or an integration to turn tracked time into invoices. For agencies and consultancies that want less manual timer work and a clear daily record, Timely is a strong option.

9

QuickBooks Time

Best for Scheduling and payroll with QuickBooks

Website: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/

Best for: Scheduling and payroll with QuickBooks

Starting price: $20 per month plus $10 per user/month (Premium)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: Deep link to QuickBooks payroll and accounting; Scheduling, time off, and GPS tools for field teams

Cons: Highest cost in this list because of the monthly base fee; Billable tracking is weaker without QuickBooks in the workflow

QuickBooks Time, formerly TSheets, is best for teams that already use QuickBooks for payroll and accounting. It tracks time by client, project, and job, and it sends those hours into QuickBooks for payroll and invoicing. That link removes a lot of manual data entry for agencies and service firms that already run payroll in QuickBooks, and it keeps time, pay, and billing in the same accounting flow. QuickBooks Time also includes scheduling, time off requests, and GPS tracking for mobile teams, which helps managers plan shifts and see where field staff are working. The Premium plan starts at $20 per month plus $10 per user per month, which makes it the highest cost option in this list, especially for small teams. The free trial lasts 30 days, which gives a team time to test scheduling, tracking, and the QuickBooks link with real staff. Teams that do not use QuickBooks will get less value, because much of the strength comes from that accounting link. For firms that run on QuickBooks and need scheduling, time tracking, and payroll together, QuickBooks Time is a direct fit.

What to check before you buy

Start with your billing workflow, not with the timer. Check how a tracked hour becomes an invoice, how a rate is set for each client, and how a project budget is tracked. Ask whether rates can differ by client, by project, and by team member, because agencies often charge different rates for senior and junior staff. Check whether the free plan or free trial includes the billing features you need, because a trial that hides invoicing will not show you the real month-end workflow. Look at reporting next, and check whether you can see time and value by client, project, and person in one report.

These monthly costs use the starting prices in this article, billed annually, and QuickBooks Time adds its $20 base fee to $10 per user.

FAQ

What is billable time tracking software?

Billable time tracking software records hours worked for a client and links each entry to a project, a task, and a rate, so those hours can be turned into an invoice. It differs from simple time tracking because the rate and the client matter as much as the minutes. Good tools show the value of time by project and help managers spot budgets that are close to their limit.

How do I choose a tool for a small agency?

Start with your client count, your rate structure, and your invoicing cycle, then test two tools with a real project for two weeks. Check whether rates can differ by client and by person, and whether invoices can be built from tracked time. A tool that fits a five-person team may not fit a fifty-person team, so check user limits and reporting before you commit.

Do I need invoicing inside the time tracker?

You do not always need invoicing inside the tracker, but it saves time when the tool can build an invoice from tracked hours. Harvest and TimeCamp include invoicing on higher tiers, while Toggl Track and Timely focus on tracking and reporting. If you already use accounting software, check the integration first, because a clean export may matter more than built-in invoices.

Can freelancers use these tools for client billing?

Yes, freelancers can use most of these tools, and the free plans from Toggl Track, Harvest, Clockify, Everhour, and TimeCamp are a good place to start. A freelancer should set a rate for each client, link every entry to a project, and review the week before invoicing. That habit keeps invoices accurate and makes it easy to explain each charge to a client.

What should I check in a free trial?

Use the trial with a real client, real rates, and a real invoice, so you test the full billing workflow. Check whether billable rates, budgets, and invoicing are included in the trial tier, and check how reports show time by client and project. Ask the team to track every hour during the trial, because a partial test will not show whether the tool fits daily work.

Sources we checked

  • https://toggl.com/pricing
  • https://www.getharvest.com/pricing
  • https://clockify.me/pricing
  • https://everhour.com/pricing
  • https://www.timecamp.com/pricing
  • https://hubstaff.com/pricing
  • https://timely.com/pricing
  • https://quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/pricing/
How we score

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The best billable time tracking software#1 PICK