6 Cool Tools to Track Your Time
Leo BabautaIf you’re a freelancer, chances are you need to track your time in order to bill your clients. And that can be a major hassle.
You might also be a mobile freelancer, like me, who uses multiple computers and wants to be able to work from anywhere. In that case, a web-based time tracker might be the way to go. You want something easy to use, cheap, with a nice interface. Preferably even fun to use.
Whatever your needs, here are 6 of the coolest tools for tracking your time. Most of them aren’t free, but then the best tools often aren’t.
1. Toggl. Nice interface, simple to use, and there’s both a web version and now a downloadable version (Windows only). And it’s free. Nuff said.
2. Tick. Very slick interface. A simple web-based interface, easy to use (after configuration), and fast. Pretty much all you’re looking for.
3. Harvest. One of the nicest interfaces around, Harvest is definitely a professional package. It works well for teams, it has project estimates, some great reports, and as a web app it’s available from anywhere. Like most of these apps, it has a pricing plan from free to premium.
4. Cashboard. The interface isn’t as slick as the first three on this list, but it does have some very useful and detailed features that go beyond tracking time, including producing and tracking invoices, keeping track of accounts and clients, producing estimates, and more.
5. FreshBooks. A slightly older-looking interface, when compared to the first few items on this list, but it’s a basic product that definitely gets the job done. If integrates with invoicing software which is useful when you’re billing by the hour.
6. yaTimer. The only app on this list that’s not available for the web, yaTimer is a downloadable desktop app. It’s also probably the simplest of the apps on this list, doing simple time tracking and not much else. For those with basic needs, it’s perfect.
Denys
October 16th, 2007
This review is great but I prefer desktop applications like Toggl though it has a few disadvantages I’ve already found after using it for 2 minutes. Online registration is not what I’m looking for. My list of user names are a way big to add a new line their
There are two applications you can be interested in reviewing too. This is not spam but just quick googling: GI Time tracker and TimeCult
Binny V A
October 16th, 2007
My favorite is Slim Timer - very simple, very easy.
Tarique Sani
October 16th, 2007
I second Binny VA on Slim Timer
J Maxfield
October 16th, 2007
I’ve started using simple and free Google Spreadsheets to track client time. Why? My current client likes to keep tabs on his project and Google Spreadsheets allows me to share a read only version. My client can “check in” anytime. Plus, I can get to my timesheet for that project from anywhere. Not its original intent I know, but it’s a simple little hack.
Keep up the great work.
Eric Bartels
October 16th, 2007
I can recommend http://www.xperttimer.com/ (its a desktop application).
Chris Malek
October 16th, 2007
+1 for slimtimer.com
Lance
October 16th, 2007
I use the donationware downloadable ap called TimeStamp. http://www.syntap.com/products_timestamp.htm
It’s easy to use, exports, tracks as many clients as you wish, and more. I save a separate time file for each client in a separate folder for each month and then when I do my invoicing, I simply enter the time into my accounting software (Microsoft Office Accounting Express, free) and I done.
Easy deal.
Lance
Brett
October 16th, 2007
For an all out client management system, including time tracking.. I am a big fan of Billings. I believe it’s a Mac only app (not sure) but it’s excellent in keeping track of everything. It’s not web based but my laptop is strapped to my back at all times anyways.
Laura
October 16th, 2007
Another vote for SlimTimer - suprised it wasn’t on this list. I couldn’t live without it. So easy to use and kicks out all the reports I need, whether detailed or aggregate.
Håkan Gustavsson
October 16th, 2007
Yesterday I started to use Work Timer (for mac users): http://www.gersh.no/projects/worktimer
So far I think it’s very nice and handy (and free!).
Håkan from Sweden
Rob Schultz
October 16th, 2007
I’m actually involved with creating a project management system for my current employer. These are excellent sources of motivation. I love their look and feel way more than the boring suit-n-tie feel of Microsoft Project. Thanks for putting together the list!
Vitor Pereira
October 16th, 2007
I use SlimTimer too, and I learned about it here, so I was also surprised not to see it on the list.
Lunohodov
October 16th, 2007
I am surprised to see only Windows based applications - this is not Windows-only site does it? There are a lot of freelancers working on a Mac. It would be nice to see tools for the Mac also…
BlueSquares
October 16th, 2007
I exclusively use Taskcapture ($79) http://www.captureworks.com/taskcapture.html
Can be installed on 2 PC’s (ie desktop and laptop)
It paid for itself the same day. I track everything from 5 minute conversations to email replies. All that stuff adds up quick and keeps you honest. I’ll check these other tools, too.
Rich
October 16th, 2007
I have been using Fanurio. It’s free if you maintain less than 20 clients.
http://www.fanuriotimetracking.com/
It is available for windows and OSX.
Danny
October 16th, 2007
I too am shocked that so far, it’s been mostly Windows. I thought that the majority of designers are Mac based.
Tom
October 16th, 2007
Keep the (freeware) apps coming! I’ve coincidently been searching for time managements apps all day yesterday. This one really isn’t for projects, but it keeps track of your internet browsing time to keep you in check. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5168
Some stopwatch type programs I’ve been using…
Multi Timer:
http://www.programming.de/freeware_windows.php
Mini Timer:
http://soucek.clearwire.net/filetrac.html
Please keep the links coming for what you use, I’ll try all the free ones out when I have some time. haaahaha
Pawel
October 16th, 2007
I may sound like an old stick in a mud here, but I use good old QuickBooks for all aspects of managing my business (from sales to invoices and taxes) and it has a time tracker built in. Makes it easier for me to have it all in one place.
J.Y.
October 16th, 2007
If you rely on iCal, the following application works very well in tandem with it, it uses your iCal data to tally time spent on projects and then you can associate rates with that time and use that data to calculate billings: TimeLog http://www.mediaatelier.com/TimeLog/
bruce colthart
October 16th, 2007
OfficeTime for Mac is the way to go; been using it for years. Also generates nice reports as well as invoices (though I use QuickBooks for that). Worth more than the $40.00 price.
http://www.officetime.net/download.html
Dee Zsombor
October 16th, 2007
One of the greater features of Harvest is the widgets, provided for Mac and Windows. Brings time tracking to a brand new level funkiness
Troy
October 16th, 2007
As the rare Linux user, I use Stopwatch which is both cross platform, open source and uses templates for reports. I’ve made a few minor modifications myself, and intend to customize the interface to my needs…but it gets the job done as is so I’ve never really found the time to get started:)
https://stopwatch.dev.java.net/
Christoph Hörl
October 16th, 2007
I would add mite. But it’s German. I love it!
Eric Monse
October 16th, 2007
Great overview!
squawk
October 16th, 2007
In the past I have been using On the Job (http://www.stuntsoftware.com/OnTheJob/)
It doesn’t do all the bells and whistles, but it is enough for the average freelance. And most importantly, the interface is usable and not completely cluttered up like in so many other time-tracking-applications.
Design Submit
October 16th, 2007
I would never used something web-based for time tracking, I use on the job. It is very simple but also has useful cool extras such as asking if you want to subtract the time when your computer goes idle with a clock running.
Ryan Terry
October 16th, 2007
I’ve been using Fanurio. $49 one-time fee with free upgrades. Invoicing, time-tracking, and client management. It’s simple and I love that there isn’t a subscription fee like a lot of the stuff out there.
http://www.fanuriotimetracking.com/
Michelle
October 16th, 2007
Hey Leo,
A one-stop-shop for the freelancer is oDesk (http://www.odesk.com). For those of you not familiar with the site, oDesk is a global marketplace for remote work. The best part is that once you find a job on oDesk (there are thousands of jobs posted there each month), oDesk’s Team software keeps track of your time and automatically sends your logged time to the oDesk site. Through oDesk, your client’s credit card is charged every week and you can get your paycheck automatically deposited into your account. There are no membership fees and no fees to download any of their software. For more information on their time-keeping tools or how oDesk works, check out http://www.odesk.com.
~Michelle, oDesk
Julian Schrader
October 16th, 2007
I wrote about this topic on August 27 — my list contains some other apps that do timetracking as well:
http://julianschrader.de/20070827-keep-track-of-what-youre-doing-3-applications-to-further-efficient-working/
brad knapp
October 17th, 2007
Here’s another vote for slimtimer! I use it all day, every day.
Jan
October 17th, 2007
Harvest is great but definately to expensive. Due to the 30 days test period it’s worthless for me.
Mountain/\Ash
October 17th, 2007
I used “On The Job” (OS X) untill I found SlimTimer.
Brett
October 17th, 2007
We’re looking for a time tracking application that integrates well with Basecamp (http://www.basecamphq.com). We tried Cashboard but would be interested to see if there are any others to try.
andrej telle
October 17th, 2007
I can really recommend 14dayz.com
In a free version you can have up to 4 projects and 10 categories (activities like designing, programming, meeting, etc.).
It is web-based and easy to use.
VirtuAllin
October 17th, 2007
I’ve used free TraxTime from SpudCity.com for ages and it’s fantastic. My new favorite that I think will go great with TraxTime is the beta of RescueTime.com which was profiled on TechCrunch.
Blog Theme Machine
October 18th, 2007
I use slimtimer.com and it does an awesome job, gives good spreadsheets to download, ect. might be a good addition to the list.
Anastasia
October 19th, 2007
I highly recommend actiTIME (http://www.actitime.com) - extremely comprehensive.
It`s free and very simple time tracking software providing good online support.
Pulpo
October 22nd, 2007
Been using Billings as well, found it more than worth its price with the time tracking and the (gasp) billing. So far it has saved me a lot of time and kept me fairly organized.
Rick Taylor
October 23rd, 2007
Complete Time Tracking is another awesome tool. I’ve been using it since about June last year. I specifically did *not* want a web based time tracking system - they suck (clunky, slow, sometimes not available). I looked at several desktop programs and settled on complete time tracking.
http://www.complete-time-tracking.com
There’s a standard version for freelancers and a pro version for companies. Great support too.
Rick
Cole Moore
January 14th, 2008
After looking at several options, I decided on Office Timesheets (www.officetimesheets.com)
The excellent interface, integration with Quickbooks and price ($9.95 per user) were the deciding factors. It also works with Mac AND Windows in the same envirmonment. You can also import/export from a variety of different applications in .csv or xml format.
For the price, it can’t be beat.
Chris
January 19th, 2008
http://www.time59.com
$19.95 per year for unlimited use.
Time and expense tracking, online invoicing, payment processing.
Anna Baron - The Virtual Link
March 6th, 2008
I’ve used TraxTime for 5 or more years and love it’s ease of use!
Anthony Manning
March 16th, 2008
May I mention my own offering ? Something I’ve been fine tuning for years as a freelancer
http://www.adderuppa.com
Donna Chu
March 24th, 2008
We use Pacific Timesheet (http://www.pacifictimesheet.com) to track time in our company not because of a whizzy interface (though it has that) but because it does what we need really well - time tracking, time off requests, custom reporting and integration into our payroll system. Don’t be fooled by a lot of the products out there that seem nice on the surface but have no depth. We’ve been burned before. Pacific Timesheet really understood our business space and that time payroll sheet software is mission-critical to a company like ours.
D. Chu
Adam Bard
April 22nd, 2008
If I may throw my own hat on the pile, my own offering is called Tasksy (http://www.tasksy.com).
Instead of competing on features, which has been done in spades, we’re trying to compete on simplicity and utility to meet the needs of independent types.
Up until I started using Tasksy I used Toggl, which to be fair did a damn good job of tracking time in its own right.
Daniel hedman
April 23rd, 2008
I’ve started using http://www.rescuetime.com a few days back, finally an app that records what you’re doing without you fixing it.
you also see how much crap you do with your time..
Digital Base
May 26th, 2008
This review is missing a few real good candidates, Make sure to try
- trackmypeople.com
- rescuetime.com
- xperttimer.com
All good, and missing in the “6 cool tools to track your time” post.
Daniela
August 4th, 2008
I’m also voting for xperttimer.com
John
September 1st, 2008
Another good candidate to add to the list is Intervals, a web-based time tracking tool that includes some very useful reports for analyzing where your time is going.
dmaza
October 23rd, 2008
+1 for slimtimer.com, for me its the most simple and helpful, since I am really bad calculating my time this tool has help me a lot.
Rich
October 29th, 2008
I’ve started trying some of the web based tools, but I keep coming back to Rachota. It’s got a nice interface, and some really good reporting tools. Best of all it’s free, and since it’s Java, it’s cross platform.
http://rachota.sourceforge.net
Robin Lumley-Savile
November 20th, 2008
Thanks again for this list Leo. I’ve been searching Google for something similar but to no avail. Nice one!