Best Time Tracking App for Freelancers

Website: https://toggl.com

Best for: Simple timers for one person

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Very easy timer and manual entry; Free plan for up to 5 users

Cons: Approvals and deeper reporting need the Premium plan; No built-in invoicing

Toggl Track is the easiest app in this list to use, and that is why it suits freelancers. A timer starts with one click, a project is picked from a list, and the entry is saved when the timer stops. Manual entry is just as quick, so a freelancer can fill in a missed hour at the end of the day without fuss. The free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited projects and clients, so a solo freelancer pays nothing. The Starter plan costs $9 per user per month billed annually, and Premium is $16, with a 30-day trial of Premium included.

The limits are on billing and reporting. There is no built-in invoicing, so hours have to be exported to another tool, and the deeper reports sit on Premium. For a freelancer who invoices by the hour and wants the invoice to come from the same tool, Harvest or Paymo will be better. For a freelancer who wants the fastest timer available and is happy to invoice elsewhere, Toggl Track is hard to beat.

Website: https://www.clockify.me

Best for: Lowest cost with a free plan

Starting price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free plan for up to 5 users; Kiosk mode and mobile apps for any device

Cons: Invoicing needs the higher tiers; Reporting depth is thinner than Harvest

Clockify gives a freelancer a full time tracking system for very little money. The free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited projects, and the Basic plan starts at $3.99 per user per month billed annually. Staff can use a timer, enter hours manually, or clock in from a phone, and hours can be grouped by project, task or tag, which maps well to clients and jobs. Standard at $5.49 and Pro at $7.99 per user per month billed annually add approvals, scheduling and more detailed reporting.

Invoicing sits on the higher tiers, so a freelancer who wants to bill straight from tracked hours will need Standard or above, or a separate invoicing tool. The mobile app is solid, and entries sync across devices, so a freelancer can start a timer on a laptop and stop it on a phone. For a freelancer who wants accurate hours at the lowest cost, Clockify is the best value in this list.

Website: https://www.getharvest.com

Best for: Time tracking with invoicing

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Invoicing built in from tracked hours; Clear project budget and cost reports

Cons: Free plan covers only 1 seat and 2 projects; No screenshot or GPS monitoring

Harvest is built for people who bill clients for their time, which is exactly what most freelancers do. Hours tracked against a project turn into an invoice with a few clicks, including expenses and retainers, and budget reports show how much of a project budget has been used. The Teams plan costs $9 per seat per month billed annually, and Enterprise is $14. The free plan covers 1 seat and 2 projects, with a 30-day trial of the full product.

The free plan is thin: with only 1 seat and 2 projects, a freelancer with several clients will need to move to Teams quickly. Harvest has no screenshots or GPS tracking, which suits freelancers who value trust, and the mobile app works offline and syncs when the connection returns. For a freelancer who wants time tracking and invoicing in one tool, Harvest removes a whole step from the billing cycle and is worth the $9 per month.

Website: https://www.paymoapp.com

Best for: Projects, time and invoicing in one

Starting price: $5.90 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Projects, time tracking and invoicing in one tool; Low entry price for solo users

Cons: Solo plan covers only 1 user; Gantt charts and approvals need the Pro plan

Paymo combines project management, time tracking and invoicing in a single tool, which suits freelancers who want one place for client work. The Solo plan costs $5.90 per user per month billed annually and covers 1 user, while Plus is $10.90 billed annually for teams. The free plan covers 1 user, 1 client, 2 projects and 1 GB of storage, with a 15-day trial of the full product. Time entries can be turned into invoices, and clients can be given a portal to view progress.

The limits are on scale. Solo is for 1 user only, so a freelancer who hires help will need Plus, and Gantt charts, scheduling, workload views and timesheet approvals sit on Pro at $16.90 per user per month billed annually. For a solo freelancer who wants projects, time and invoices in one tool at a low price, Paymo is a strong fit. For a freelancer who only needs a timer, Toggl Track is simpler and cheaper.

Website: https://www.freshbooks.com

Best for: Time tracking inside accounting

Starting price: $23 per month (Lite plan)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: Full accounting with invoicing and expenses; Time tracking tied to client billing

Cons: Lite is $23 per month, the highest entry price here; Lite covers only 5 billable clients and 1 user

FreshBooks is an accounting tool first and a time tracker second, which suits freelancers who want invoices, expenses and time in one system. The Lite plan costs $23 per month and covers 5 billable clients and 1 user, with $11 per month for each extra team member, and the annual price works out to $20.70 per month. Plus is $43 per month and Premium is $70. Time entries tie to clients and projects, so hours flow into invoices without retyping, and expenses can be attached to the same client.

The price is the highest entry point in this list, and Lite caps at 5 billable clients, so a freelancer with more clients will need Plus. There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial, and the time tracking itself is basic next to a dedicated tracker such as Toggl Track. For a freelancer who wants accounting and time tracking in one tool and is willing to pay for it, FreshBooks is a solid choice. For a freelancer who only needs a timer, Clockify or Toggl Track will cost far less.

Website: https://www.timecamp.com

Best for: Unlimited free users and projects

Starting price: $3.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free plan with unlimited users and projects; Automatic time capture from apps and sites

Cons: Approvals and invoicing need the higher tiers; Interface feels dated next to Toggl Track

TimeCamp stands out because its free plan has no user limit: unlimited users and unlimited projects, which lets a freelancer start with no cost at all and add clients without hitting a cap. The Starter plan costs $3.99 per user per month billed annually, and it adds invoicing, budgeting and more detailed reports. Automatic time capture records which apps and sites are used, and that activity can be turned into billable entries. The 14-day trial covers the full product.

The free plan is generous but thin on approvals and invoicing, so a freelancer who needs sign-off or client billing will need Starter or above. The interface feels dated next to Toggl Track, and setup takes a little longer, though the help docs are clear. For a freelancer who wants to start free and grow without switching tools, TimeCamp is a rare find: the free tier genuinely scales with the business.

Website: https://everhour.com

Best for: Time tracking inside project tools

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Native tracking inside Asana, Trello, Jira and ClickUp; Clear budget and cost reports

Cons: 5-seat minimum on the Team plan; Free plan has no integrations or budgets

Everhour is the best fit for a freelancer who already works inside Asana, Trello, Jira or ClickUp, because it adds a timer and time reports inside those tools instead of asking for another app. The Team plan costs $8.50 per user per month billed annually, with a 14-day trial and no credit card required. Managers can set project budgets, see cost against budget in real time, and export hours for invoicing. The free plan covers up to 5 users, but it has no project management integrations, budgets, invoicing or approvals, so it is really a trial of the timer only.

The 5-seat minimum on Team means the smallest account costs $42.50 per month billed annually, which is a lot for a solo freelancer. If the freelancer works inside one of the supported project tools, that cost buys a much smoother workflow than a standalone tracker. If not, Toggl Track or Clockify will be simpler and cheaper for a single user.

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 with no manual timers; Clean reports by client and project

Cons: No free plan; Starter is capped at 5 users and 20 projects

Timely captures time automatically by recording which apps, documents and sites are used, then lets the freelancer drag that activity onto a client or project. That suits freelancers who forget to start a timer, because the record is built without effort. The Starter plan costs $9 per user per month billed annually, with a 14-day trial, and it is capped at 5 users and 20 projects. Reports break time down by client and project, and hours can be exported for invoicing.

There is no free plan, only the trial, and the Starter cap of 20 projects may limit a freelancer with many small clients. Timely has no manual timer in the usual sense, so a freelancer who prefers to control each entry may find it strange at first. For a freelancer who wants accurate hours with almost no admin, Timely is a strong option. For a freelancer who wants a free plan, Toggl Track or Clockify will be better.