Best Timekeeping Apps for Small Businesses (2025)

Let’s face it—keeping track of hours is a pain for most small business owners. Whether you’re billing clients, paying employees, or just trying to figure out where your day went, good time tracking is essential. I’ve tested dozens of apps over the years, and these are the ones that actually work without driving you and your team crazy.

Why Bother with Time Tracking?

If you’re on the fence about investing in a proper timekeeping app, here’s why it’s worth it:

• Get paid for all your work: No more “I think that took about 3 hours” guesswork when billing clients
• Pay your people correctly: Avoid payroll headaches and disputes about hours
• Stop underestimating projects: See how long things really take so you can quote better next time
• Figure out what’s eating your time: Identify time-wasting activities or clients
• Keep remote workers on track: Helpful when you can’t physically see what people are doing

The Best Timekeeping Apps That Won’t Give You a Headache

1. Harvest

Perfect for: Service businesses that need to track hours for multiple clients and projects

Harvest has been around forever (in software terms), and there’s a reason for that—it just works. The interface is clean, tracking time takes seconds, and the reports actually tell you useful things.

What’s good about it:

• Super easy to start/stop timers from your phone, computer, or browser
• Plugs into tools you probably already use like Asana, Trello, and QuickBooks
• Creates professional-looking invoices based on your tracked time
• Useful reports that even non-data-people can understand
• Lets you track expenses alongside your time

What it costs:

• Free option: 1 person, 2 projects
• $12 per person per month for everything else

Real talk: Most people actually stick with Harvest because starting and stopping timers isn’t a pain. The browser extension is particularly nice—you can track time right from Asana, Trello, or other project tools.

2. Toggl Track

Perfect for: Small teams on a budget who need something dead simple

Toggl does one thing—time tracking—and does it extremely well. If your team hates tracking time, Toggl might be your best bet because it’s nearly impossible to mess up.

What’s good about it:

• Ridiculously simple one-click tracking
• Works offline when your internet doesn’t
• Sends gentle nudges when you forget to track
• Notices when you’ve been idle and asks if you want to keep that time
• Has a built-in Pomodoro timer if you’re into that productivity technique

What it costs:

• Free plan: Up to 5 people with basic features
• Starter: $9 per person monthly
• Premium: $18 per person monthly
• Enterprise: Call for pricing

Real talk: People who hate tracking time hate Toggl the least. The browser extension works with over 100 websites, so you don’t have to switch apps constantly.

3. Clockify

Perfect for: Growing businesses that need a free option that doesn’t limit users

If budget is tight, Clockify is your friend. It’s the most generous free plan out there, and you can add your whole team without paying a dime.

What’s good about it:

• Free forever with unlimited people, projects, and clients
• Tracks time with notes so you remember what you were doing
• Simple project and task setup
• Lets managers see team productivity
• Good reports for figuring out where time goes

What it costs:

• Free: Unlimited users and projects
• Basic: $3.99 per user monthly
• Standard: $5.49 per user monthly
• Pro: $7.99 per user monthly
• Enterprise: $11.99 per user monthly

Real talk: Clockify’s interface isn’t fancy, but it gets the job done without fuss. Perfect for when you need time tracking but can’t justify another monthly subscription.

4. QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets)

Perfect for: QuickBooks users who want their time tracking and accounting to play nice

If you’re already using QuickBooks, their time tracking tool makes a lot of sense. The integration is seamless, and it handles payroll particularly well.

What’s good about it:

• Super mobile app with GPS features
• Simple clock in/out function that employees actually use
• Job scheduling that works for shifts
• Alerts when someone forgets to clock in/out
• Time-off tracking built in
• GPS boundaries that remind workers to clock in when they reach job sites

What it costs:

• Premium: $8 per person monthly + $20 base fee
• Elite: $10 per person monthly + $40 base fee

Real talk: The mobile app is what makes this one shine. For businesses with people in the field, the GPS features and reminders are genuinely useful without feeling too Big Brother-ish.

5. Timeular

Perfect for: Visual people who struggle to remember to track time

Timeular has a physical time tracking cube you can flip to change tasks. It sounds gimmicky but it actually works for people who forget to start/stop digital timers.

What’s good about it:

• Physical tracker that sits on your desk (optional but cool)
• Simple digital tracking too
• Easy to set up categories for different kinds of work
• Shows patterns in how you spend your time
• Creates timesheets automatically
• Works with your calendar

What it costs:

• Professional: $9 per user monthly
• Business: $18 per user monthly
• Enterprise: Custom pricing
• Physical tracker: $99 one-time purchase

Real talk: The physical tracker is surprisingly effective. Having something tangible on your desk that you can flip makes time tracking feel less like software and more like a natural part of switching tasks.

6. Hubstaff

Perfect for: Remote teams where you need a bit more insight into what people are doing

Hubstaff goes beyond simple time tracking to help you understand what your remote team is actually doing during work hours.

What’s good about it:

• Tracks time with optional screenshots and activity levels
• GPS tracking for field workers
• Online timesheets that are actually easy to review
• Reports that help spot productivity issues
• Project budget tracking to avoid overruns
• Handles payroll processing
• Works with most popular business tools

What it costs:

• Free: Limited to 1 user
• Starter: $5.83 per user monthly
• Growth: $8.33 per user monthly
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Real talk: The screenshots feature is controversial—some teams hate it, others find it reassuring. Use it thoughtfully. The desktop app is unobtrusive, and the insights into work patterns can be genuinely useful for improving processes.

7. ClickTime

Perfect for: Professional service firms with complex billing setups

ClickTime is built for businesses that live and die by the billable hour, with features that help maximize profitability.

What’s good about it:

• Flexible timesheets you can customize
• Real-time budget tracking so you know when projects are running over
• Resource planning to see who’s available
• Approval workflows for timesheets
• Expense tracking alongside time
• Connects with most accounting software
• Detailed permission controls

What it costs:

• Starter: $9 per user monthly
• Team: $12 per user monthly
• Premier: $24 per user monthly

Real talk: ClickTime doesn’t look flashy, but it’s rock-solid for businesses that need to track time against budgets. The alerts for when projects approach budget limits have saved many a project from going underwater.

8. Everhour

Perfect for: Teams already using Asana, Trello, or similar project tools

Everhour’s standout feature is how deeply it integrates with project management tools, making time tracking feel like a natural extension rather than a separate chore.

What’s good about it:

• Embeds directly into Asana, Trello, and other tools
• Compares estimated vs. actual time
• Visual reports that actually make sense
• Budget tracking and planning
• Client and project organization
• Creates invoices based on time tracked
• Handles time-off requests

What it costs:

• Free: Up to 5 users
• Lite: $5 per user monthly
• Team: $8.50 per user monthly

Real talk: If your team lives in Asana or Trello, this is probably your best bet. The seamless integration means people don’t have to switch contexts to track time, which dramatically increases the chances they’ll actually do it.

9. Time Doctor

Perfect for: Businesses focused on boosting productivity

Time Doctor provides detailed insights into how work time is spent, which can be eye-opening if you’re trying to optimize productivity.

What’s good about it:

• Detailed tracking that breaks down tasks
• Shows which websites and apps are being used
• Optional screenshots (configurable)
• Alerts for potential distractions
• Handles payroll and invoicing
• Tracks absences and late arrivals
• Lots of reporting options

What it costs:

• Basic: $7 per user monthly
• Standard: $10 per user monthly
• Premium: $20 per user monthly

Real talk: Time Doctor doesn’t try to hide that it’s monitoring work activity, which some team members might find intrusive. It’s best used in environments where there’s strong trust and clear communication about how the data will be used.

10. When I Work

Perfect for: Retail, restaurants, and other businesses with shifts

When I Work combines scheduling and time tracking, which makes perfect sense for businesses where people work in shifts.

What’s good about it:

• Easy employee scheduling
• Simple clock-in and attendance tracking
• Built-in team messaging
• Lets workers trade shifts without manager headaches
• Tracks labor costs
• Works great on phones
• Handles availability and time-off requests

What it costs:

• Basic: $2.50 per user monthly
• Pro: $6 per user monthly
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Real talk: The mobile-first approach is perfect for frontline workers who don’t sit at computers. The scheduling tools are surprisingly easy to use—dragging and dropping shifts is actually satisfying.

How to Pick the Right One

When you’re trying to decide which app to go with, think about:

1. What kind of business you run: Service businesses need different features than shift-based ones
2. How big your team is: Make sure the pricing won’t kill you as you grow
3. What other software you use: Pick something that plays nice with your existing tools
4. Ease of use: If it’s complicated, nobody will use it
5. What information you need: Different apps provide different insights
6. Mobile needs: If your team is on the go, mobile features matter a lot
7. Your budget: Balance cost against the time you’ll save

Tips for Getting Your Team to Actually Use It

1. Try before you buy: Most of these offer free trials—test with a small group first
2. Be clear about what to track: Tell people exactly what activities should be tracked and how
3. Show everyone how to use it: Even “easy” systems need some training
4. Use it yourself: If the boss doesn’t track time, why should anyone else?
5. Ask for feedback: Find out what’s annoying people about the system
6. Be willing to change: If something isn’t working, fix it or try a different app

What’s Coming Next in Time Tracking

A few trends I’m seeing in newer time tracking tools:

• Smarter suggestions: Apps are starting to notice patterns and make suggestions
• Automatic tracking: Some tools are tracking computer activity to fill in timesheet gaps
• Better security: Some higher-end systems are adding fingerprint or facial recognition for clocking in
• Burnout prevention: Time trackers are starting to flag when people are working too much
• Voice commands: “Hey Siri, start tracking time for Project X” is becoming a thing

Bottom Line

Good time tracking doesn’t have to be a pain. The right app for your business is the one that people will actually use consistently. Focus on finding something that fits your workflow rather than forcing your team to adapt to complicated software.

Remember that even the fanciest time tracking app is useless if nobody logs their hours. Pick something simple enough that it becomes a habit, not a hurdle.

Read also:

Best Mobile Payment Apps for Small Businesses

Best Small Business Apps for USA Entrepreneurs