Best Timesheet Software for Agencies That Bill Retainers

Website: https://getharvest.com

Best for: Agencies that want simple invoicing from tracked time

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Clean time entry and invoicing from logged hours; fixed-fee projects suit retainer scopes

Cons: Timesheet approval is Enterprise-only; profitability reporting is Enterprise-only

Harvest is a time tracker built around billable work, and that focus shows in how it handles retainers. A team can set up a fixed-fee project for a monthly retainer, log time against it, and turn the tracked hours into an invoice without leaving the tool. The interface stays simple, so new team members can start logging time on day one with almost no training, and managers can see at a glance how much of a retainer has been used.

The catch is the tier split. The Teams plan at $9 per user per month billed annually covers time tracking, estimates and invoicing, but timesheet approval and profitability reporting sit on the Enterprise plan at $14 per user per month billed annually. An agency that needs a manager to approve hours before they reach a client invoice will have to move to Enterprise. Harvest also adds usage-based Flex billing on top of the seat rate for active projects, clients, tasks and invoicing, so the monthly bill can grow past the headline seat price as the client list grows.

Website: https://toggl.com

Best for: Small teams that want fast, simple time entry

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Very fast one-click time entry; clear billable rates and project budgets

Cons: Timesheet approvals and profitability reports are Premium-only

Toggl Track is one of the fastest time trackers to use, and that speed matters when a whole agency logs hours every day. A team member starts a timer in one click, switches between client projects without friction, and the tool keeps a clean record of billable and non-billable time. Billable rates can be set per project, so a retainer client can be billed at a fixed monthly fee while the team still sees how many hours the work actually took.

The limit for retainer agencies is the plan ladder. Billable rates need the Starter plan at $9 per user per month billed annually, and the features that make retainer work manageable, timesheet approvals, labor costs, profitability reports and fixed-fee projects, are Premium-only at $16 per user per month billed annually. That means the headline $9 price covers basic tracking, while the retainer workflow costs nearly twice as much per seat. The free plan covers up to 3 users, which suits a very small team testing the tool before buying.

Website: https://clockify.me

Best for: Budget teams that want a free tier to start

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Free plan for up to 5 users; low entry price with unlimited tracking

Cons: Invoicing and timesheet approval need the Standard plan; free plan reports cover 31 days at a time

Clockify gives a retainer agency the lowest entry price in this list, and its free plan covers up to 5 users with unlimited tracking, projects and clients. That makes it a practical starting point for a small agency that wants to log time against retainer clients without paying anything at first. The Basic plan at $3.99 per user per month billed annually adds features such as time off and hiding pages, while keeping the same simple timer and reporting that the free plan offers.

Retainer billing, however, needs the Standard plan at $5.49 per user per month billed annually, because invoicing, recurring invoices and timesheet approval only start there. The free plan also limits reports to 31 days at a time, which makes it harder to review a retainer over a full quarter. An agency should therefore treat Clockify as a $5.49 tool for retainer work, not a $3.99 tool, and weigh that against the free tier, which is still useful for tracking time before the first invoice goes out.

Website: https://www.paymoapp.com

Best for: Small agencies that want retainer projects built in

Starting price: $10.9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Named retainer projects feature; time tracking, tasks and invoicing in one tool

Cons: Solo plan is limited to 1 user; Gantt charts and approvals need Pro

Paymo is the only tool in this list with a named retainer projects feature on its lower plans, and that makes it a natural fit for an agency that bills clients a fixed monthly fee. A retainer project can be set up with its own budget and billing rules, the team logs time against it, and the tool tracks how much of the retainer has been used before the month ends. Time tracking, task management and invoicing sit in the same workspace, so a small agency can run a client engagement without stitching three tools together.

The pricing needs a close read. The Solo plan at $5.9 per user per month billed annually is limited to 1 user, so a team must buy Plus at $10.9 per user per month billed annually, and Gantt charts, task dependencies, employee scheduling and timesheet approvals only arrive on Pro at $16.9 per user per month billed annually. The $5.9, $10.9 and $16.9 annual rates are also introductory prices for the first 3 months, rising to $9.9, $15.9 and $23.9 after that. An agency should budget on the post-introductory rates, not the headline figures.

Website: https://www.teamwork.com

Best for: Agencies that manage projects, time and billing in one place

Starting price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Projects, time tracking and client billing in one workspace; clear time budgets

Cons: Retainer management needs Accelerate at $24.99; Basics has no timesheets

Teamwork is a full project platform with time tracking built in, which suits an agency that wants one place for client work, hours and billing. Projects can carry time budgets, so a manager can see when a retainer client is close to using up the hours in the monthly agreement. The free plan covers up to 5 users and 5 projects, which lets a small team test the workspace before choosing a plan.

The problem for retainer agencies is that the entry tier cannot do the job. The Basics plan at $9.99 per user per month billed annually has a 3-user minimum and no timesheets, and retainer management, time budgets and invoicing from logged time only start on Accelerate at $24.99 per user per month billed annually. That is a large jump from the headline price, and an agency that buys Basics expecting retainer tracking will be disappointed. Teamwork fits best when the agency is ready to pay for Accelerate and use the whole platform, not just the timer.

Website: https://www.accelo.com

Best for: Agencies that run retainers, projects and billing together

Starting price: quote only

Free plan: No

Pros: Retainer management on the higher tier; deep client and project automation

Cons: No published prices and no free plan; budgeting needs a sales conversation

Accelo is built for service businesses that sell retainers, and its retainer management sits at the center of the platform rather than as an add-on. A retainer can be tracked against projects, tickets and scheduled work, and the system connects the hours worked to the billing cycle, so the agency can see whether a retainer is profitable before the month ends. For an agency that already runs on retainers and wants one system for sales, delivery and billing, that depth is the main attraction.

The trade-off is transparency. Accelo publishes no prices at all, so an agency cannot budget without a sales conversation, and there is no free plan to try the retainer workflow first. The pricing page offers only a custom quote and a demo, and retainer management sits on the higher Business tier in the last publicly listed tier structure. An agency with a fixed software budget should ask for a written quote early, and confirm what the retainer tier includes, before spending time on a trial or demo.

Website: https://www.scoro.com

Best for: Agencies that want quoting, time and billing in one system

Starting price: from EUR 15 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (14 days)

Pros: Combines quoting, time tracking and billing; clear view of retainer profitability

Cons: 5-user minimum on every plan; price rises as apps are added

Scoro brings quoting, project work, time tracking and billing into one system, which fits an agency that bills retainers and wants to see the whole client relationship in one place. A quote can turn into a project, the team logs time against it, and the billing follows from the tracked hours, so the gap between selling a retainer and delivering it stays small. The pricing page quotes from EUR 15 per user per month, with an annual billing discount of 13 to 17 percent, and a 14-day free trial lets a team test the workflow before buying.

Two limits deserve attention. Every plan carries a 5-user minimum, so the smallest possible bill is 5 seats, even for a team of 3, and the price rises as apps are added to the combination, with add-ons and integrations priced separately. An agency should therefore ask for the full price of the combination it needs, including the apps it plans to use, rather than budgeting on the EUR 15 starting figure alone. Scoro fits best for a team of 5 or more that wants one system for the whole client lifecycle.