Time is money for consultants, so you need accurate time-tracking software to record billable hours, manage projects, produce estimates, and invoice clients. ⏰
There are dozens of time-tracking tools on the market, from simple, free time-tracking software to platforms that come with an extensive suite of features and functionality.
We’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to with this list of the 10 best time-tracking software for consultants.
10 Best Time Tracking Software for Consultants in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should Consultants Look for in Time-Tracking Software?
Time management tools are valuable assets for consultants. When you need to demonstrate a record of billable hours for clients, you don’t want to be digging through your browser history and calendar to piece together an estimate of your work for the week.
Instead, you want a combination of project management software, a time tracker, and templates for consultants to keep client projects running smoothly. (You can even get all those things in one platform!)
Whether you’re a one-person consulting firm or have a team, project profitability is more accurate when you use the best time-tracking app. Here’s what you should look for:
- Time logs for one or more team members across multiple devices, including a mobile app when you’re on the go
- Automated time tracking so you can more accurately record billable hours vs. non-billable hours or free time
- Detailed reports so you can provide a record for clients of the work done, tasks completed, and work delivered
- Data for your own records that you can download in Excel or CSV format
- Integrations or other features that let you send invoices from the platform to clients with accurate time logs and records attached
When consultants are managing teams, a combination of a time-tracking app and project management tools ensures that projects run more smoothly and generate higher profits.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Time-Tracking Software for Consultants to Use in 2024
Your time (tracking) starts now! Here is a rundown of the features, reviews, and pricing for the 10 best time-tracking tools for consultants in all industries. ⌛
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is a powerful all-in-one productivity platform that includes a smart project time-tracking solution. The built-in time-tracking app makes time tracking quick and easy so you can focus on your work. 🤩
Track time wherever you are on any device, including your desktop, mobile, or web browser, using ClickUp’s free Chrome extension. Busy consultants can stop and start tracking in real-time, add retroactive hours, and jump in between tasks from anywhere using ClickUp’s global timer.
While you’re working out the hours required for a new client, you can set estimates for your upcoming ClickUp Tasks. As you crush those goals in ClickUp, you can see the time remaining for you and your team’s tasks to make sure you’re on schedule.
Consultants love that you can also add notes to everything recorded so that you can sort, label, edit, and clarify billable time for clients. We love the sorting feature to see which projects take up the most time and need to be reevaluated or priced differently in the future.
If your client requires other time tracker use, you can sync ClickUp’s time tracking with Harvest, Toggl, Everhour, and more. All of your consulting work can finally be done in an all-in-one collaborative workplace.
ClickUp best features
- ClickUp’s project time tracking tool records your billable work hours plus the time any team members or freelancers spend on those projects
- Consulting firms and consultants can run entire client projects from ClickUp, with features such as collaborative ClickUp Whiteboards and Mind Maps for turning ideas into action plans
- With 1,000+ integrations, you can make ClickUp your firm’s single source of truth for every project, syncing other tools and apps such as Slack, Google Drive, QuickBooks, and other time trackers, like Clockify and Toggl
- ClickUp Automations make quick work of manual tasks that detract from billable time and keep consultants busy
- ClickUp also comes with an extensive Template Library, including this useful Consultant Time Tracking template that you can integrate with the time-tracking tool across unlimited projects
ClickUp limitations
- There are lots of features, so some consultants might find it to have more than they need (however, you can benefit from ClickUp’s Help Center, webinars, templates, and support to familiarize yourself with the platform)
- Some work is still being done to improve Slack integrations
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $5 per user per month
- Business: $12 per user per month
- Business Plus: $19 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp customer reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,000+ reviews)
2. Harvest
Harvest is a feature-packed time-tracking tool that helps you track expenses and manage project budgets too. It makes billing and project management easy for consultants so you can spend more time on the work than the paperwork.
Harvest’s time reports are categorized under four separate tabs for better organization: clients, tasks, teams, and projects. You can further parse out the “projects” tab into three categories: time and materials, fixed fee, and non-billable hours.
We love that it lets you stop and start time from multiple devices and streamline payment collection through its Stripe and PayPal integrations.
Harvest best features
- TRacking app allows you to record time from a browser, desktop, or phone
- Generates visual reports of how you spent your time each week
- Automatic invoicing and payments through integrations with QuickBooks, Stripe, and PayPal
- Reminders to track time regularly and turn your timer off if you leave it running
Harvest limitations
- Some users found entering time after the fact to be bulky and time-consuming
- Customization, reporting, and integrations are limited compared to users’ requirements to track time
Harvest pricing
- Free Forever: 1 seat, 2 projects
- Pro: $12 per seat per month, unlimited projects
Harvest customer reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (780+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (550+ reviews)
3. Hours TimeLord
Hours TimeLord is a simple tracking app t specifically built for individuals who need to log tasks and billable work hours for clients. Assign custom bill rates for tasks to make invoicing easier, and generate invoices using that data in seconds.
The Visualize mode helps you look at your day in a timeline format rather than looking at a static list of items, which can help visually-minded people see how much they’ve done and what else they need to accomplish. Track time with ease and bill clients more efficiently.
Hours TimeLord best features
- A visualized timeline so you can track how much time is being spent on each project or task
- Customizable reports so that clients know what consulting firms have been working on (especially important for bill clients)
- A color picker for the app so you can match the UI to your mood or personality
Hours TimeLord limitations
- It’s a simple time tracker, and although reports are included, its features aren’t as extensive as other tools on the market
Hours TimeLord pricing
- Free Forever: Basic features
- Personal: $9.99/year
- Pro: $49/year with a 14-day free trial
- Team: $199/year (up to 5 users) with a 14-day free trial
Hours TimeLord customer reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
Bonus: CRM tools for consultants!
4. Clockify
Clockify is a popular time-tracking, productivity, and timesheet app used by millions of people who log billable work hours, with invoicing features as standard.
Consultants can either automatically track time spent on client projects or manually enter the data in Clockify. The time audits it offers (with plenty of pretty graphs!) help you analyze your work habits and shift your project prioritization as needed. 📈
Clockify best features
- You can track time on a variety of apps and devices: desktop (Mac and Windows), web browser, mobile (iOS & Android), and even shared kiosk devices to clock in and out with a PIN
- Define time estimates, track the progress of projects and tasks, and predict project overage based on estimates and logged time
- Set custom hourly rates for different users, mark entries as billable, and then issue, send, and manage invoices based on tracked time and hourly rates
Clockify limitations
- Some users found it difficult to set up new projects or clients within the software
- When stopping and starting the timer, it creates sub-entries rather than recording time cumulatively for each client/project
Clockify pricing
- Free Forever: Limited features
- Basic: $4.99/monthly
- Standard: $6.99/monthly
- Pro: $9.99/monthly
- Enterprise: $14.99/monthly
Clockify customer reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (150 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (4,500+ reviews)
5. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is one of the world’s leading time-tracking platforms, complete with distraction management, website and app monitoring, reporting, and payroll. It’s mainly designed for small businesses, although individual consultants can definitely use Time Doctor too.
Time Doctor’s productivity pop-ups will keep you accountable when working solo—when you do a random deep dive on Reddit, Time Doctor will ask if you’re still working. (Hey, we’ve all been there.) 👀
It can also give you a breakdown of where you spent time online. This is meant to keep employees in check, but it can also be sobering to see just how many hours you spent not working. Solopreneurs know that some days, we need all the help we can get!
Time Doctor best features
- Useful for timesheets, payroll, and time management techniques, especially when you have others working for you
- Extensive reporting, including on your browsing habits
- Takes screenshots as you work if clients require them
- Integrations with 60+ apps and software tools
Time Doctor limitations
- The user interface is described as being difficult to navigate
- Scheduling features for ongoing projects aren’t automatic. Manual inputs are required
Time Doctor pricing
- Basic: $7/monthly per user
- Standard: $10/monthly per user
- Premium: $20/monthly per user
Time Doctor customer reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (350+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (500+ reviews)
6. RescueTime
We all know what it’s like to have the best of intentions when you start your day, only to be drowning in distraction and procrastination by mid-afternoon. RescueTime aims to help. This tool is as much about time tracking as it is about keeping consultants and teams productive.
Over 2 million people use this robust time-tracking app to restore focus in their working days. It includes smart features to improve deep working and increase productivity. You can even use it to block websites that drain time from projects so you can focus better when concentration is needed.
RescueTime best features
- A browser taskbar so you can set a data-backed focus work goal for blocks of deeper concentration
- Smart coaching to help keep busy consultants on track that monitors when you’ve got meetings scheduled and sends reminders
- Automatic “Focus Sessions” that you can trigger to block time-wasting websites, making it easier to do deep work
RescueTime limitations
- Some users report errors such as the app logging out and failing to record time spent working
- Slow loading times
- Reporting abilities are limited
RescueTime pricing
- Free: Basic version
- Premium: From $12/monthly per user
RescueTime customer reviews
- G2: 4.1/5 (80+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)
7. TimeCamp
TimeCamp is a time tracker for consultants and project managers with a suite of features such as billing, invoicing, and budgeting to improve project profitability.
The project data that TimeCamp collects can be used to analyze where and how you and your team are spending more time than has been budgeted on client deliverables. You can use that data to produce more accurate estimates so that future projects are more profitable.
This increases your billable hours and reduces non-billable time—always a consulting win! 💰
TimeCamp best features
- Time management reports that help you check project costs and whether a project/client is close to going over budget
- Includes productivity tools like reports that show how much time you spent on time-sucking websites and apps
- Timer detects your activity and switches to idle when you’re not working
TimeCamp limitations
- Slow loading and server times reported
- Not always the easiest for new users
- Reports only export in CSV format
TimeCamp pricing
- Free Forever: Unlimited users and projects (with limited features)
- Starter: $3.99/monthly per user
- Basic: $7.99/monthly per user
- Pro: $10.99/monthly per user
TimeCamp customer reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (190+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (590+ reviews)
8. Hubstaff
Windows users, your time has come: Hubstaff is a time-tracking, workforce analytics, and productivity management app for Windows 8 or newer.
Consultants can use Hubstaff to manage the end-to-end project lifecycle, from submitting proposals to invoices that include timesheets. It’s also productivity-focused, with a feature that takes screenshots 1-3 times every 10 minutes (if you want) so you can show your work for clients or simply keep yourself on task.
Hubstaff best features
- Productivity and time management features like screenshotting and activity rates based on mouse movement and typing
- Project cost and budgeting tools, including alerts as you get close to the budgeted time
- 30+ integrations with other business productivity apps
Hubstaff limitations
- Difficult to navigate interface
- Reports can be overwhelming, especially for small teams
Hubstaff pricing
- Free: 1 user with limited features
- Starter: $7/monthly per user (2 users minimum)
- Grow: $9/monthly per user (2 users minimum)
- Team: $12/monthly per user (2 users minimum)
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Hubstaff customer reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (1,400+ reviews)
9. WebWork
WebWork is a time-tracking tool that comes with automatic screenshots, productivity monitoring, and reporting solutions. It generates invoices based on the hourly rates you set and helps you identify your working patterns with detailed reports.
WebWork is best for monitoring the activity of any employees you’re working with, but it can help solopreneurs stay on task too.
The platform also has project management features like assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and flagging different priority statuses. It’s a great option for people who want to combine time tracking with their project management system.
WebWork best features
- Centered around taking screenshots for proof of work, with options for blurring the screenshots or taking screenshots with no notification to keep you focused and hold team members accountable
- Real-time monitoring of remote employees and freelancers if you work with a team
- Extensive productivity reports, including mouse clicks, key strokes, and websites visited
- Project management tools to assign tasks and set deadlines
WebWork limitations
- The time tracker automatically stops after 10 minutes of inactivity, so recordings might not always be accurate
- Some user interface/user experience issues reported in reviews
WebWork pricing
- Basic: $4.99/monthly per user with a free 14-day trial
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
WebWork customer reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (20+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (149 reviews)
10. Replicon
Replicon is an AI-powered time tracking, invoicing, and payroll platform. Many of the platforms on this list are newer to the scene, but Replicon has been around for over 30 years.
Replicon’s AI generates timesheets for you to approve so you don’t have to endlessly start and stop a timer all day. It gathers the data automatically by looking at the work apps you use, like Zoom, Slack, Teams, and project management software.
This can help you create more accurate estimates so that your pricing reflects your realistic work habits.
Replicon best features
- Automated time tracking with Replicon’s ZeroTime feature that uses AI to track work hours compared to non-billable hours in real-time
- Integrations with over 100 platforms mean that contextual time data from other apps is also tracked
- Global payroll, invoicing regulatory compliance, and enterprise-grade security if you work with employees
Replicon limitations
- Users can’t input the number of estimated hours for a project to compare against billable hours
- Base pricing does not reflect the add-ons you need to actually track time
Replicon pricing
- Time & Attendance (for employee time tracking): Starts at $6/monthly per user
- Project Time Tracking (more useful for consultants): Starts at $12/monthly per user
- PSA and PPM: Starts at $29/monthly per user
Replicon customer reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (670+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (440+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseFind the Best Time-Tracking Software for Your Consultancy Business
Being a consultant in any sector and for clients of any size is fulfilling but also challenging, especially when projects have tight deadlines or resource constraints. Self-discipline is essential so you can get your clients the results they’re paying for. ✨
The best time-tracking software has a wide range of features and functionality to fit your type of work, client, and team. For a time-saving time tracker that integrates with an all-in-one project management platform, give ClickUp a try. Sign up for free today and get that clock ticking! 🕐
Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.