In today’s fast-paced world, where time often seems to slip through our fingers like grains of sand, effectively managing our resources is crucial.
Fortunately, we live in an era of technological innovation. Time tracking apps have emerged as valuable tools to help us gain more control over our schedules, boost our productivity, and make the most of every minute.
In this blog post, we explore the benefits of time tracking apps and bring you the best ones currently available on the market.
The best time tracking apps of 2023
- Motion: Best overall time tracking app
- Toggl Track: Best for freelancers and teams of any size
- Harvest: Best for budget tracking and invoicing
- RescueTime: Best for productivity and distraction-blocking
- Clockify: Best for simple time tracking and fast reporting
- TimeCamp: Best for project management and invoicing
- Traqq: Best for real-time monitoring and activity tracking
- Timely: Best for employee scheduling and team dashboards
- HourStack: Best for customizable task labels and task grouping
What is a time tracking app, and how does it work?
A time tracking app is a software tool that records and monitors your time. It helps you monitor how much time you spend on different tasks and activities.
Most time tracking apps work by giving you different options for tracking your time. You can use timers to automatically start and stop tracking time for specific tasks, or you can manually input the time you spend on different activities.
Some apps even integrate with other software tools, like calendars or project management systems, to make tracking your time even easier.
Benefits of time tracking apps
What do you stand to gain from tracking time? Let’s take a look:
More clarity on how you spend your time
With so many distractions and competing demands on your time, it can be difficult to keep track of everything you need to do. But with a time tracking app, you gain visibility into how you allocate your time throughout the day.
You see how much time you spend on different tasks and activities, enabling you to identify areas where you might be wasting time or could be more efficient.
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For example, you might discover that you spend more time than you realize checking your emails or scrolling through social media. You can then take steps to reduce these time-wasting activities and focus more on the things that matter.
Enhanced productivity
Time tracking apps encourage you to stay focused and make conscious decisions about how you allocate your time. With them, you can set goals, prioritize tasks, and create schedules that optimize your workflow.
Tracking your progress in real-time helps you identify areas where you might need to make adjustments to stay on track. You can see where you’re doing well and where you might be falling behind and adjust your behavior accordingly.
Improved focus and concentration
One of the biggest challenges in today’s digital age is maintaining focus amid the constant barrage of notifications and distractions. In fact, the average adult is only able to concentrate on a task for around 15 to 20 minutes.
Time tracking apps help combat this issue by encouraging you to allocate dedicated blocks of time for focused work. Pomodoro timers or focus mode can help you ensure uninterrupted periods of deep work, allowing you to reach a flow state so you can accomplish more in less time.
Insights and analytics
Time tracking apps provide detailed insights and analytics to help you make data-driven decisions. They generate reports and visualizations that showcase your productivity trends, highlighting areas for improvement and showing you where you’re most productive.
For example, a common problem in the workplace is unnecessary meeting attendance. On average, employees have 17.7 meetings (totaling 18 hours) per week. For companies with 100 people, cutting unnecessary meetings would save nearly $2.5 million per year.
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To avoid this, you can optimize your routine and allocate most of your time to your highest-impact tasks.
Collaboration and team efficiency
Time tracking apps are valuable tools for not only individuals but also teams and organizations. Collaborative time tracking apps enable teams to synchronize their efforts, track project progress, and effectively allocate resources based on team members’ availability.
Best time tracking apps today
With so many time tracking apps to choose from, it can be difficult to choose the most suitable one. We’re here to make it easier for you. We’ve tried and tested various apps and curated a list of the best ones available.
1. Motion
Motion is hands down the best time tracking app available today. With its comprehensive tracking features and AI algorithms, it’s perfect for businesses of all sizes, freelancers, and remote teams.
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With Motion, you won’t have to worry about manually tracking your time or spending countless hours trying to figure out how much to bill your clients. The app is intuitive and easy to use, allowing you to focus on your productivity. Motion is also fully compatible with web and iOS platforms, providing you with flexibility and accessibility no matter where you are.
Pros: Automated time tracking, comprehensive planning features, and AI algorithms
Con: Can be costly to use for a team
Users and pricing:
Individual:
- $19 per month, billed annually
- $34, billed monthly
Team:
- $12 per user per month, billed annually
- $20 per user, billed monthly
Free trial: Offers a 7-day free trial and is easy to cancel
Compatibility: Web and iOS
2. Toggl Track
Toggl Track is an all-in-one time tracker designed for everyone from individuals to large teams. It promises effortless time tracking, team management, detailed reporting, and integrations with your preferred workflow tools.
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With Toggl Track, you have the ability to track the time you spend on different tasks and projects and create accurate invoices to bill your clients in a timely manner.
Pros: Simple yet comprehensive interface and efficient team management features
Con: Limited free plan options
Users and pricing:
Free: Free for up to 5 users
Starter: $9 per user per month
Premium: $18 per user per month
Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Free trial: 30-day trial of Toggl Track Premium
Compatibility: Web, mobile, and desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
3. Harvest
Harvest is an intuitive time tracking app that works seamlessly for businesses of all sizes. Known for its timesheet management, automated invoicing, project budget tracking, and team scheduling abilities, Harvest allows its users to easily track time and bill their clients with precision.
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Pros: Easy-to-use interface, thorough budget tracking features, and quick invoicing
Con: Lacks advanced reporting
Users and pricing:
Free: 1 seat and 2 projects
Pro: $12 per month; unlimited seats and unlimited projects
Free trial: 30-day free trial
Compatibility: Web, mobile, and desktop (Mac and Windows)
4. RescueTime
Suitable for individuals and freelancers looking for ways to improve their productivity, RescueTime uses an AI-powered time tracking feature to provide automated time tracking, distraction blocking, website blocking, and weekly performance reporting.
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RescueTime offers an efficient way to track and manage how much time you spend on your computer or smartphone, resulting in increased productivity.
Pros: Automated time tracking, insight reports, and comprehensive blocking features
Con: Limited manual time tracking capabilities
Users and pricing:
RescueTime: Free
RescueTime Classic: $6.50 per month or $78 per year
Free trial: Free 2-week trial for RescueTime Classic
Compatibility: Web, mobile (Android), and desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
5. Clockify
Clockify is a budget-friendly time tracking app built for individuals and growing teams. This basic time tracking tool’s features include project management, detailed reporting, and integrations with other helpful workflow tools.
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With Clockify, you can keep track of each minute you spend on each task or project, making it easy to generate timesheets and speed up your invoicing process.
Pros: Simple interface, free plan, and fast reporting
Cons: Limited team management capabilities and time tracking features
Users and pricing:
All plans have unlimited users.
Basic: $3.99 per user per month, billed annually (or $4.99 if billed monthly)
Standard: $5.49 per user per month, billed annually (or $6.99 if billed monthly)
Pro: $7.99 per user per month, billed annually (or $9.99 if billed monthly)
Enterprise: $11.99 per user per month, billed annually (or $14.99 if billed monthly)
Pricing: Free plan is available, as is a 7-day free trial with extra features
Compatibility: Web and mobile (Android, iOS)
6. TimeCamp
TimeCamp makes time management and organization easier for any business, whether you’re working solo or with a team. The app provides users with automatic time tracking, project management, invoicing, and billing features to analyze how they spend their time and generate insightful reports.
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Pros: Automatic time tracking, integrations, and invoicing capabilities
Con: Limited mobile app features
Users and pricing:
All plans have unlimited users.
Free
Starter: $2.99 per user per month
Basic: $6.99 per user per month
Pro: $9.99 per user per month
Enterprise: Contact TimeCamp
Free trial: 14-day free trial
Compatibility: Web, desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), and mobile (Android, iOS)
7. Traqq
Traqq is an efficient and free time tracking app for remote teams, freelancers, and businesses alike. Along with its automated time tracking feature, the app highlights other performance indicators, including activity tracking and screenshot-based monitoring, simplifying project management and timely delivery.
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Pros: Automated time tracking, screenshots and activities tracking, and real-time monitoring
Con: Limited integrations and customizations.
Users and pricing:
- Premium Starter for 3 users: free
- Premium Teams for 4–100 users: $7 per user per month, billed monthly (or $6 if billed annually)
- Enterprise for 100+ users: custom price
Free trial: Free 21-day trial
Compatibility: Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux)
8. Timely
Timely is a versatile time tracking app with employee scheduling, project tracking, and automatic time tracking features. With its real-time start/stop tracking feature, users can automatically pull weekly timesheets and use the app as a team dashboard to keep track of everyone’s work schedules more accurately.
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Pros: Automatic time tracking, project management, and reporting
Con: Lacks advanced reporting, billing, and invoicing
Users and pricing:
Starter: $11 per user per month for 3 teams and 50 projects
Premium: $20 per user per month for unlimited projects and teams
Unlimited: $28 per user per month for unlimited projects and teams
Unlimited+: Contact Timely
Free trial: 14-day free trial for the Unlimited plan
Compatibility: Web, desktop (macOS), and mobile (Android, iOS)
9. HourStack
HourStack is another budget-friendly time tracking application offering a wide range of features that are customizable to individual preferences. This time tracking app offers task grouping, integrations with other time-management tools, and project and task budget capabilities. Users can create, manage, and sort different task labels as they navigate projects.
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Pros: Customizable task labels and time tracking for businesses and individuals
Con: Lacks advanced features and integrations
Users and pricing:
Personal: $12 per month
Team: $15 per month
Free trial: 14-day free trial as a single user or team
Compatibility: Web, desktop (Windows, macOS), and mobile (Android, iOS)
How to decide which time tracking app is best for you
With so many options available, choosing the best time tracking app for your needs can be daunting. When making a decision, there are several factors to consider to ensure that you end up with the perfect app. We’ll discuss a few of them below.
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Purpose and features
First, ask yourself what you want to get from the app. You need to determine your purpose and the features you need.
Do you need to visualize your time differently? Or do you need to track time simply for timesheet purposes? Or maybe you need something with project management or automated time tracking capabilities to reduce distractions.
Your answers to these questions will determine the type of app you should go for.
Integration options
Integration options are crucial to consider when choosing an ideal time tracking app. You may want the app to integrate with other work management tools that you depend on daily.
User interface and ease of use
Choose an app that is easy to use to avoid losing time through complicated interfaces. A user-friendly interface will help you optimize your time, as it reduces the learning curve and improves time management.
Number of users
How many people will be using the time tracking app? If it’s just you, you may need a personal app. But if other people are on your team, you need software designed for multiple or unlimited users that has the right access features.
Pricing
Determine your budget and compare the pricing plans of different time tracking tools before committing. Find out if these tools have a free version and what subscription models they offer.
Reporting and analytics
Lastly, check the reporting and analytics options each app has to offer, such as customizable reports, visual charts, and export options. These features can be beneficial for organizing and analyzing your time usage data.
Time tracking app best practices
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your time tracking app:
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- Set specific goals and objectives for your tasks or projects so that you can better measure your progress.
- Categorize tasks or activities based on projects, clients, or categories to keep your work organized.
- Use reminders or notifications to stay on track and maintain focus on your work.
- Regularly review and analyze time reports to gain insights into your productivity. Use the data and analytics the app provides to identify areas for improvement and optimize your time usage.
- Experiment with different time management techniques and adjust your approach to find the methods that work best for you.
- Integrate time tracking apps with other productivity apps for seamless workflow management to increase efficiency.
- Collaborate with team members by sharing time tracking data and coordinating efforts to maximize team productivity and enhance communication.
Track and manage your time Motion
Time is a valuable resource, so it’s essential to manage it effectively. With the right time tracking app, you can monitor your time usage, increase your productivity, and improve your efficiency.
Motion can help you easily manage and track time, measure the time spent on each task or project, and get valuable insights into your productivity levels. It includes other awesome features, too, such as reminders, notifications, and integration with other work management tools.
Try Motion for 7 days for free and see how it can improve your time management.
