Best Time Tracking Software for Freelancers (2025)

Know Where Your Time Goes

Look, as a freelancer, time literally is money. Every hour you don't track? That's potential revenue walking out the door. Every project you underestimate chips away at what you're actually making per hour. Administrative stuff bleeding into billable time? Yeah, that's killing your earnings.

Time tracking isn't just billing accurately—though obviously that matters. It's understanding your business. Like which clients are actually profitable versus which ones feel profitable. Which types of projects eat way more hours than you quoted. How much non-billable work you're really doing versus how much you think you're doing.

Without data, you're guessing. And guessing is expensive.

Spent three months testing 12 different time tracking apps. Used them for actual client work. Not demos. Real projects, real deadlines, real invoicing.

Short version if you're in a hurry: Toggl Track is what most freelancers should get. Fast, looks nice, doesn't annoy you. Harvest if you bill hourly and want the smoothest invoicing flow. Clockify if you need free unlimited tracking.

Our Top 3 Time Trackers

Short on time?

All three have free tiers or trials. Test with actual work before paying. Keep reading for why these seven made the list.

Why Freelancers Need Time Tracking

Time tracking does more than help you bill clients.

Billing Clients Accurately

Most obvious reason: charge for hours you actually worked. Without tracking, you either undercharge and lose money or overcharge and lose clients.

Manual estimates? Terrible. Research shows people consistently underestimate task completion time by 30-50% according to planning fallacy studies published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. You think something took two hours. Actually took four. Do that a few times and your profitability disappears.

Plus documentation. Client questions an invoice? You've got detailed records showing exactly what you did and when. Builds trust, prevents disputes.

Project Profitability

Fixed-price projects need accurate estimates. Track time on every project—even fixed ones using project management tools. See actual hours versus what you quoted. Data improves future estimates and shows which project types lose you money.

You might discover certain clients always take more time than others. Or specific project phases consistently run over. That's intelligence you can use to price better.

True Hourly Rate

Your billable rate isn't your actual rate.

Admin work, marketing, invoicing, client emails—all that non-billable stuff reduces what you're really making. Charge $100/hour but half your time goes to admin? Your actual rate is $50/hour.

Track everything—billable and non-billable. Reveals reality. Maybe you need higher rates. Maybe you need to delegate admin. Maybe certain clients demand too much unpaid communication. Can't fix what you don't measure. Check our tax tips for deductibility of time tracking software.

Productivity Patterns

Time data shows when you're actually productive. Morning person? Night owl? Which days are focused? When do meetings pile up?

Knowing this helps you protect peak hours for deep work.

Detailed Time Tracker Reviews

1. Toggl Track — Best Overall

Been the gold standard for over a decade. Latest version is their best yet. Beautiful interface, powerful features. Easy for beginners, deep enough for power users.

What makes it work: Starting a timer is one click. Browser extension adds tracking buttons directly into Asana, Trello, GitHub. Reporting is visual and actually insightful. Pleasant to use—matters when you're clicking it dozens of times daily.

Good stuff:

• One-click tracking from any device or browser.
• Browser extension works in 100+ web apps.
• Organize by clients, projects, tasks, tags.
• Reports are visual, exportable, client-ready.
• Built-in Pomodoro timer.
• Idle detection catches when you forget to stop.
• Imports calendar events as time entries.

For freelancers: Makes tracking feel effortless instead of annoying. Mobile app works great. Reports export by client and date range for invoicing. Free tier is solid for solo work. Teams need paid.

Costs: Free up to 5 users with basics. Ten bucks monthly per user for Starter with billable rates and templates. Twenty for Premium with scheduling.

Annoying parts: Built-in invoicing needs separate Toggl Invoice subscription. Billable rates need paid tier. Project hierarchy can feel complex—workspace then client then project then task.

2. Harvest — Best for Invoicing

Built specifically for billing. If turning tracked time into professional invoices is your thing, Harvest does it better than anyone. Time flows into invoices. Invoices flow into payments. For freelancers juggling multiple hourly clients, this changes everything.

What stands out: Tracking-to-invoice is seamless. Track time, mark billable, generate invoice, send, receive payment. All in Harvest. Invoice templates look professional and customize easily.

What you get:

• Invoicing built in. Time becomes invoices directly.
• Accept cards and ACH through Stripe or PayPal.
• Expense tracking alongside time.
• Set budgets, track against them.
• Timesheet approvals for team billing.
• Reports break down by team, project, client.
• Fifty-plus integrations—Asana, Trello, QuickBooks, Xero.

For freelancers: Bill hourly regularly? Harvest streamlines everything. Set rates, track, invoice monthly, accept payment. One system. Expense tracking helps with reimbursables.

Costs: Free for one person with two projects. Twelve monthly per user for Pro—unlimited projects, invoicing, integrations.

The catch: Pricier than competitors for basic tracking. Free tier's two-project limit is tight for most freelancers. Interface feels dated next to Toggl.

3. Clockify — Best Free Option

Most generous free tier in time tracking. Unlimited users, projects, tracking. For freelancers on tight budgets or just starting, Clockify gives professional tracking at zero cost.

What works: Free tier doesn't feel limited. Core features included: timer, manual entry, projects, reports, integrations. Paid tiers add team management and advanced stuff, but solo freelancers might never upgrade.

Features:

• Free unlimited tracking. No caps on time, projects, users.
• Timer or manual entry. Real-time or add later.
• Set budgets—time or money.
• Reports export for billing.
• Basic invoicing in free tier.
• Eighty-plus integrations and browser extension.
• Kiosk mode for shared tablets.

For freelancers: Perfect for getting started. No credit card, no trial—just sign up and track. Clean interface. Reports work for client billing.

Costs: Free forever with unlimited everything. Five bucks monthly per user for Basic with audits. Seven for Standard with approvals. Twelve for Pro with forecasting.

Not ideal: Less polished than Toggl. More functional, less delightful. Mobile app is okay, not amazing. Advanced reports need paid tiers. Invoicing is basic next to Harvest.

4. Timely — Best Automatic Tracking

Totally different approach. Automatic tracking. Install it, runs silently in background, logs every app and website you touch. Review the timeline later, categorize into projects. Never forget to start timers.

What's different: Automatic timeline catches everything. Even stuff you'd miss tracking manually. AI learns patterns, suggests which project things belong to. Powerful for knowledge work where you're switching contexts constantly.

How it works:

• Automatic tracking of all app and website usage.
• AI learns, suggests project assignments.
• Visual timeline of your entire day.
• Privacy-focused—data stays local until you approve.
• Budgets, milestones, team scheduling.
• Capacity planning, workload balancing.
• Connects to calendar, project tools, accounting.

For freelancers: Captures time manual tracking misses. Ten-minute emails. Quick Slack threads. Research rabbit holes. Weekly review shows complete picture. Great for finding time leaks.

Costs: Fourteen-day trial. Then eleven monthly per user for Starter. Twenty for Premium. Twenty-eight for Unlimited. No free tier.

Tradeoffs: Takes time to review and categorize tracked stuff. Doesn't catch offline work well. Pricier than manual trackers. Automatic approach isn't for everyone—some prefer intentional tracking.

5. RescueTime — Best for Productivity Insights

Focuses on productivity awareness instead of client billing. Automatically tracks apps and websites, sorts them as productive or distracting, gives insights into work patterns. For freelancers wanting to understand and improve time usage, it's invaluable.

What's good: Productivity scoring and sorting is excellent. See at a glance how much went to productive work versus distractions. Set goals, block distracting sites, track focus trends over weeks and months.

Features:

• Automatic tracking. Passive monitoring of computer activity.
• Productivity scores. Sort apps as productive, neutral, or distracting.
• Focus sessions block distractions during work time.
• Set goals, get alerts.
• Long-term trends and analysis.
• Syncs with calendar, Slack, project tools.
• Manual entry for offline stuff.

For freelancers: Use alongside a billing tracker. Answers questions like: How much deep work am I really doing? What distracts me most? More productive mornings or afternoons?

Self-awareness drives improvement.

Costs: Free with limited features and three months of data. Twelve monthly for Premium with full features and unlimited history.

Not great for: Client billing. No project hierarchy or invoicing. Needs computer usage—doesn't track phone in free tier. Sorting sometimes needs manual tweaking. Privacy concerns for some.

6. Paymo — Best Time Plus Project Management

Combines time tracking with full project management. Tasks, milestones, Gantt charts, files, team collaboration. For freelancers wanting one tool for managing projects and tracking time, Paymo cuts out separate apps.

What works: Project management and time tracking connect seamlessly. Create tasks, track time on them, invoice for work. All one interface. Gantt charts and kanban boards manage complex projects.

What's included:

• Full project management—tasks, subtasks, milestones, dependencies.
• Multiple views: list, board, Gantt, calendar.
• Timer or manual entry on tasks.
• Create invoices from tracked time.
• Log project expenses.
• Attach files to projects and tasks.
• Share progress with clients.

For freelancers: Works well managing multiple projects with lots of tasks and deliverables. Track at task level, see progress visually, bill accurately. One tool instead of three.

Costs: Free for one user with limits. Six bucks monthly per user for Starter with tracking and invoicing. Eleven for Small Office with resource scheduling and Gantt.

Downsides: Jack of all trades. Project management isn't as deep as dedicated tools. Interface feels busy. Mobile app works but isn't great. Fewer integrations than specialized trackers.

7. Hours — Best for Apple Users

Beautifully designed, built only for Apple devices. Work entirely in Apple ecosystem and value elegant design? Hours gives the most polished iOS and Mac experience available.

What's special: Visual timeline shows entire day at a glance. Swipe to adjust times, tap to add notes. Design follows Apple's interface guidelines. Feels native in ways cross-platform apps can't match.

Works well:

• Visual timeline. See and edit day graphically.
• Apple Watch tracking from your wrist.
• Siri starts timers with voice.
• iOS home screen widgets.
• iCloud syncs across Apple devices.
• Respects iOS Focus mode.
• Exports to CSV and PDF for invoicing.

For freelancers: Suits Apple-only freelancers who love beautiful design. Timeline view is unique and intuitive. Apple Watch tracking is convenient. Best for personal tracking. Team and invoicing features are limited.

Costs: Eight bucks monthly for Personal. Twelve for Pro with team features and advanced exports. No free tier but trial available.

Downsides: Apple-only. No Windows, Android, or web. Fewer integrations than cross-platform apps. Basic invoicing—export only. Minimal team features.

How to Choose the Right Time Tracker

Several excellent options. How do you actually pick?

By What You Need Most

• Best overall: Toggl Track
• Best for invoicing: Harvest
• Best free: Clockify
• Best automatic: Timely
• Best productivity insights: RescueTime
• Best with project management: Paymo
• Best for Apple: Hours

By How You Work

• Hourly consultants? Harvest for that tracking-invoice-payment flow.
• Project-based freelancers? Toggl or Paymo for project tracking and estimates.
• Creative professionals? Timely captures context-switching time.
• Solopreneurs on budgets? Clockify with free unlimited tracking.

By What You'll Spend

• Free: Clockify unlimited, Toggl Free for 5 users, RescueTime Free.
• Under ten monthly: Toggl Starter at ten, Hours at eight, Paymo Starter at six.
• Ten to fifteen monthly: Harvest Pro at twelve, Timely Starter at eleven, RescueTime Premium at twelve.

What Actually Matters

1. How you'll track: Manual timer, automatic, or both?
2. Invoicing: Built in or connects to existing tool?
3. What devices you use: Works on everything you need?
4. Integrations: Connects to your project and accounting tools?
5. Reports: What insights matter to you?
6. Solo or team: Adding team members later?

Final Recommendations

Three months tracking real client work with each. Here's what actually works:

Most freelancers: Start with Toggl Track. Perfect balance of power and simplicity. Free tier works for solo. Interface makes tracking feel effortless instead of tedious.

Invoicing matters most: Harvest for smoothest tracking-to-invoice flow. Track, invoice, get paid. One system. Worth paying for if billing efficiency matters to your business.

Budget-conscious: Clockify gives professional time tracking at zero cost. Free tier is genuinely generous. Start here, upgrade later if needed.

Capture everything: Timely's automatic tracking catches what slips through. Forget to start timers? Want complete visibility? Automatic approach is worth trying.

Whatever you pick, best time tracker is the one you'll actually open and use. Pick one, commit for a month, watch your understanding of your business change.