Time tracking is more than seeing the time spent at work or when your team clocks in and out. It can help small businesses better manage their internal resources, keep operational costs lean, and more accurately predict the time and expenses for projects.
Let’s be honest, though.
Time tracking can also be a huge hassle, especially if you’re stuck with just the basic time-tracking features. Most small businesses don’t have time to manage time tracking for every employee, and managers could work on more important tasks than fiddle with sub-par time trackers.
That’s where time-tracking software for small businesses seriously helps. With the right time-tracking software, small business owners easily track their employees’ time and allocate resources in just a few clicks.
But which automatic time-tracking software should you choose? Here are our top 10 picks, including tips and features you’ll want from the best automatic time-tracking software. Whether you need to track employee time, track project management, track expenses, or create custom use cases, these tools are your best options.
What Should You Look for in Free Time-Tracking Software for Small Businesses?
When you start looking for the best time-tracking software for your small business, the best time-tracking software for small businesses should adequately answer the following questions:
- How easy is the time-tracking software to use? The best time-tracking software for your small business needs to be intuitive for those managing the time tracking, as well as the stakeholders analyzing the data during time-tracking audits.
- Does the time-tracking software have the time-tracking tools you need for your small business’s work hours? Consider the features you’ll need, such as tracking time by project, employee, or task. You might also need time-tracking software that offers mobile apps for time entry on different mobile devices.
- Does it integrate into your other tools? You may even need it to integrate with payroll software, invoicing tools to bill clients, Google Calendar, and task management feature. You can track your time from any device, and the platform even provides a handy plug-in for Chrome users. Users can add notes to their time tracking, allocate billable time, or add labels to track a project’s length. ClickUp’s Time Management Schedule template , allows you to optimize schedules and maximize your team’s day through more intuitive time tracking.
Users will love how simple the time trackers are to use. Small business owners will love the robust reporting options and Workload view, which gives them a high-level look at internal resources allocation throughout the week. The included timesheet templates make it super easy to get started with the platform.
If you want an easy-to-use, versatile time-tracking software for small businesses that integrates with the rest of your tech stack, this is it.
ClickUp best features
- Track time from any device, including mobile phones and tablets, through helpful mobile app installation
- Use Workload view to see the team capacity . Along with tracking time, the software tracks work progress through websites and document titles. That data tells you what your team’s working on and when so that you can monitor the progress of every task.
It also has excellent project management features that give you a high-level view of what’s happening, making it easier to assign billable hours and control expenses.
For small businesses struggling with productivity, this could be a great time-tracking software solution to help kick-start your team into high gear.
DeskTime best features
- Create automated reminders for breaks and schedule private time so team members avoid burnout
- Easily stay informed about remote and hybrid worker activities
- Track time alongside proof of work so you know what everyone is working on and what progress they’re making
DeskTime limitations
- While there are great reporting options, some of the custom reports and charts can be a bit confusing
DeskTime pricing plans
- Free Plan: Available for one user
- Pro: $7/month per user
- Premium: $10/month per user
- Enterprise: $20/month per user
DeskTime ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (500+ reviews)
3. TrackingTime
Via TrackingTime If you want to eliminate time-tracking paperwork, check out TrackingTime. This versatile time-tracking software option is perfect for small businesses with a simple user interface. The platform allows you to track time for a team regardless of schedule, location, or work style. You can also track attendance and easily create time reporting to share with clients .
This time-tracking software is excellent for automating your manual time-tracking, including tracking compliance issues and uploading data to other platforms. You can generate reports (or even create custom reports), manage work hours, and stay on top of task management.
TrackingTime best features
- Track time from home, track time spent in the field, or keep track at the office with the flexible time-tracking mobile app
- Easily create recurring events for tracking time to eliminate repetitive data entry RescueTime is a great employee time-tracking software that can help small business owners create accountability no matter where employees spend their time working.
RescueTime uses ongoing daily coaching to help team members stay on task and develop healthy proffesional goals . The employee productivity monitoring assistant sits in the taskbar of your Mac or PC. The assistant sets a focus goal for you and alerts you when it’s time to refocus or praises you when you’ve hit a productivity target.
So instead of simply tracking time, it’s also monitoring focus. It helps block distractions and helps keep teams on task for better project management.
RescueTime best features
- Syncs with your schedule to determine exactly how much time you can allocate to work each day
- Provides end-of-day summaries about the workload . QuickBooks Time allows you to track time and use productivity monitoring tools quickly with their paid plans.
It can even help save you money on your payroll or as you bill clients.
QuickBooks Time best features
- Employee-monitoring features allow you to check on paid time off is easier than ever so that your team stays in sync. Get started