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.
10 Time Tracking Software for Small Businesses in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat 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 tools. Also, consider whether you may need unlimited time tracking or access for unlimited users. Think about the features you want before you start shopping for the best time-tracking software.
- What reporting do the time trackers offer? Data from time-tracking apps is great, but it’s only useful when you know what it tells you. Correct reporting, detailed reports, and easy project templates for time and task management can help you make the most of time-tracking solutions without increasing the time spent interpreting results.
- Is there plenty of support available for the time-tracking software, both on the free plan and paid plans? Your time-tracking software should be intuitive, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still have questions. Look for time-tracking software for small businesses with robust documentation and plenty of customer support options for the most accurate time-tracking.
- How much will the time-tracking software cost? Some time-tracking software options sell for a one-time fee, while others charge you monthly. Make sure you know what you’re paying over the lifetime of the time-tracking software to ensure you’re getting the best value for your project budget.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Time-Tracking Software for Small Businesses to Use in 2024
Want to manage your internal resources more efficiently and maximize how hourly employees spend their time? Here are our picks for the top 10 time-tracking software for small businesses in 2024 that optimize employee productivity through better employee time tracking.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp’s all-in-one productivity software offers a powerful project management time-tracking 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 on a weekly or monthly basis
- Label, sort, and add notes to time entries with just a few clicks within the time-tracking tool
- Use the great reporting options to gain insight into how employees are spending their time and how to optimize it in the future
- Discover automated workflow options, such as the ability to automatically track billable hours
ClickUp limitations
- Not all views are available on mobile devices, but more are coming 😉
- The complexity of a complete productivity tool might be a learning curve for those wanting a simple time tracker
ClickUp pricing plans
- Free forever
- Unlimited: $5/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Business Plus: $19/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,600+ reviews)
2. DeskTime
DeskTime is a time-tracking software that focuses on productivity. 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
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 throughout project management workflows
- Quickly generate accurate time reporting while syncing with other mobile apps in your tech stack so you know how many hours each employee is working
- Gain insight into your team’s performance and better understand how to allocate internal resources
TrackingTime limitations
- The desktop app can be fiddly if you need to track time on multiple projects for expense tracking on multiple billing accounts
- Some users found integrating time-tracking data with other mobile app tools difficult
TrackingTime pricing plans
- Free Plan: Available for up to three users
- Pro: $5/month per user, billed annually
- Business: $10/month per user, billed annually
TrackingTime ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (75+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (35+ reviews)
4. RescueTime
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 to members and business owners for easier time-tracking audits
- Goes beyond the core time-tracking feature to provide focus sessions to block distractions and give team members time to deep-dive into tasks
RescueTime limitations
- It’s challenging to police distractions, such as social media, as they may be necessary for some projects within your small business
- You may need to spend time categorizing distractions to optimize reporting
- There is no free plan
RescueTime pricing plans
- Classic version: $12/month or $78/year
- Updated version: Contact for pricing
RescueTime ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.1/5 (85+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)
5. Time Doctor
Time Doctor offers automatic time-tracking apps that run in the background of your team’s system. You have employee productivity monitoring via desktop screenshots. Each periodic screenshot keeps an eagle eye on time-wasters and distractions, so you can address any issues and boost productivity.
The time-tracking software offers powerful reporting features, including project, client, and task time tracking. It also provides options to track employee time for remote, hybrid, and offshore workers, so the time trackers work for you no matter where your team is.
Time Doctor best features
- Time trackers that identify top performers on the team while weeding out time-wasting distractions during work hours
- Allows your team to work from anywhere thanks to the mobile app while still maintaining transparency about their productivity and billable hours
- Includes over 60 integrations that tie time-tracking apps into everyday mobile app stacks for easier time-tracking and reporting
- Sends notifications to any team member who isn’t working to get them back on track
Time Doctor limitations
- The on-screen time-tracking desktop app interface can be distracting for team member users.
- Breaktime monitoring may not provide accurate feedback on how nonhourly and hourly employees spend their time
- There is no free plan
Time Doctor paid plans
- Basic: $5.90/month per user
- Standard: $8.40/month per user
- Premium: $16.70/month per user
Time Doctor ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (350+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (500+ reviews)
6. Timesheets.com
Timesheets.com is a feature-rich time-tracking software for small businesses. It offers easy integration with popular payroll and accounting software and allows you to create custom work calendars to keep teams on track.
The time-tracking app is an all-in-one service for project and employee timesheets, billing, and payroll tracking, with excellent customer support options. It offers robust free and paid plans.
Timesheets.com best features
- Easy-to-follow data trails, making it simple to review billable hours and project time
- Great built-in security features, such as Internet Protocol blocking
- Payroll integration with payroll software to automate most related workflows and time tracking
Timesheets.com limitations
- The time-tracking app’s interface is functional, but it feels outdated
- It can be a little tedious to set up the time-tracking apps initially
Timesheets.com pricing plans
- Free Plan: Available for individual freelancers
- Standard: $5.50 per user
- Nonprofit: $4.40 per user
- Payment options include monthly or annual billing
Timesheets.com ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (460+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (785+ reviews)
7. QuickBooks Time
Formerly known as TSheets, this is the go-to time-tracking software for small businesses already using QuickBooks for their bookkeeping. 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 (PTO), billable hours, and project tracking
- Custom reports allow you to get the data you need and remove the noise for better visual reports
- Seamless integration with other QuickBooks applications for better time-tracking management
QuickBooks Time limitations
- Some users have encountered errors when trying to integrate the time-tracking software for small businesses with their payroll and accounting software
- There is no free plan
QuickBooks Time pricing plans
- Time Premium: $10/month
- Time Elite: $20/month
- Payroll Premium: $37.50/month
- Payroll Premium and Simple Start: $52.50/month
Quickbooks Time ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (1,400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (6,400+ reviews)
8. Buddy Punch
Buddy Punch cuts clutter by using an online punch clock app to track time through its paid plans. The drag-and-drop time-tracking interface is simple to use, and you can leverage the app’s time-tracking tool to create quick, detailed reports on attendance, PTO, and overtime.
The time-tracking app gives small businesses plenty of oversight on when and where a team member works without any software bloat.
Buddy Punch best features
- Automates the calculation of PTO and overtime
- Customizes reports for your small business to get an easy-to-read analysis of timesheet data
- Easily monitors remote workers to manage productivity issues and optimize their workflow
Buddy Punch limitations
- Some users experience lag when trying to punch out of the time-tracking tool. Others reported errors when Buddy Punch tries to take a screenshot
Buddy Punch pricing plans
- Standard: $2.99/month per user, billed annually
- Pro: $3.99/month per user, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for a quote
Buddy Punch ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (190+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (845+ reviews)
9. Timely
Timely works hard to make your time tracking easy because it’s a simple time-tracking tool. Its automatic scheduling technology creates tasks without any manual input from the user. The time-tracking analytics work behind the scenes to determine which tasks take the longest and which resources are available. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for small businesses to update information and stay organized.
This is an excellent time-tracking software option to keep your business running smoothly. It’s straightforward time-tracking software that allows you to still get all the essentials you need in terms of time-track feature options and time-tracking functionality.
Timely best features
- Easily integrates with all your other project management tools for better project management and payroll management
- Creates schedules and timesheets automatically
- Allows customers to book appointments with you at times that work for them
Timely limitations
- Customer support is limited to mostly email
- There is no free plan
Timely pricing plans
- Build: Starts at $20/month
- Elevate: Starts at $30/month
- Innovate: Starts at $35/month
Timely ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (300+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (650+ reviews)
10. Toggl Track
You can easily customize Toggl Track for your team to track time within a specific workflow and see what tasks generate the most revenue for small businesses. It integrates with popular platforms, such as GitLab and Evernote, and provides detailed time data analysis in easy-to-read reports.
It’s a great time-tracking app to help your team identify areas where they’re thriving and where their productivity could improve.
Toggl Track best features
- Automatically populates logged time via Google Calendar integration
- Manually tracks time to make it simple for small businesses to update their times from anywhere
- Easily exports time-tracking data to payroll and accounting software and automates the small business payroll process
Toggl Track limitations
- It can be challenging to edit time-tracking mistakes and project status after you enter the data
Toggl Track pricing plans
- Free Plan: Available for up to five users
- Starter: $9/month per user
- Premium: $18/month per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing available
Toggl Track ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (1,530+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (2,180+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseStay on Track
Having the right time-tracking software and time-tracking apps can make your team run like a well-oiled project management machine. Whether you’re handling massive amounts of contractors and unlimited users who get paid on tracked time or a small internal team, tracking time doesn’t have to take up all your time.
With ClickUp, tracking time is easier than ever so that your team stays in sync. Get started
Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.