Are you looking for an affordable yet powerful time tracking alternative to Timely?
You’re in the right place.
This article dissects ten Timely alternatives with their pros, cons, key features, and pricing.
But first, let’s see why some people look for Timely alternatives.
Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of January 15th, 2024.
Why do people consider alternatives to Timely?
People look for other options than Timely because:
- There’s an extra cost for tracking time against tasks in Timely. Users must purchase a $5 per user per month add-on to access a task timer.
- It has fewer integrations than tools with similar pricing like Toggl Track or Clockify. Also, some integrations are only available on higher price tiers.
- You can’t create custom charts and dashboards to analyze tracked time data in Timely.
- To generate invoices with Timely, you must pay $20 per user per month for the QuickBooks Online integration.
What to look for in a Timely alternative?
This will depend on your specific needs. You may need to track task time, generate invoices, or access lots of integrations.
Here are some general things to look out for:
- Cost: Look for alternatives that fit your budget.
Whether you want a free version, a one-time purchase, or a low monthly fee, make sure it offers good value for the price.
- Features and integrations: The alternative should offer all the features you need. Check for integrations with other apps or software you regularly use.
- User experience: Look for software with good reviews about its ease of use and minimal technical glitches.
10 Timely alternatives
Here’s our list of some of the best Timely alternatives:
- Toggl Track
- Clockify
- Hubstaff
- Harvest
- Timecamp
- Time Doctor
- Everhour
- RescueTime
- DeskTime
- Quickbooks Time
1. Toggl Track
Price: Starts at $10/month.
Toggl Track is an easy-to-use time tracking software tool and a top alternative to Timely. Your team can track time using a simple timer, browser extensions, mobile and desktop apps, native integrations, or even add time entries manually.
Its desktop apps also offer automated time tracking. Running in the background, the app tracks your work activities privately. These are not shared with your colleagues or manager. Once you’re ready, you can upload selected activities as time entries.
While Toggl Track simplifies time tracking, it also offers powerful and customizable profitability insights and time reports. Using the new Analytics feature, you can slice and dice your team’s time data any way you like using custom charts, tables, and dashboards.
What we like
- Toggl Track is not only an intuitive time tracker. It’s also a time analytics tool that provides detailed insights into your tracked time.
What’s missing
- Toggl Track, on purpose, does not offer any surveillance features. We believe employee monitoring and micromanagement feel invasive and create trust issues without offering any real productivity benefits.
Best for
Toggl Track is best for professional service teams that want an easy-to-use time-tracking and reporting tool.
Top features
- One-click timer: Start and stop tracking your work with a single click.
- Automated time tracking: Track time spent on all work activities privately. When you’re ready, upload selected activities as time entries to Toggl Track.
- Calendar view: Visualize your tasks, appointments, and milestones on a calendar and get a clear overview of your day or month at a glance.
- 100+ integrations: Seamlessly connect with over a hundred popular tools and platforms to avoid switching between multiple web, Windows, or Mac apps.
- Project Dashboard: Get a centralized hub to monitor all your projects’ progress, estimated vs. actual budget, and labor cost details.
- Insights: Dive deep into analytics and data to understand real-time profitability trends, areas of improvement, and overall performance.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Google Calendar, Toggl Plan, Asana, and many others.
Pricing
Toggl Track offers four pricing plans:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Personal use |
| Starter | $10 per user per month | Teams with basic time tracking needs |
| Premium | $20 per user per month | Online and offline functionality for tracking time and profitability |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Enterprise teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Top Tip: All Toggl Track plans have a free, 30-day trial of Toggl Track Premium.
2. Clockify
Price: Starts at $4.99/month.
Clockify is a budget-friendly time tracker and timesheet app with a comprehensive set of features.
You can use Clockify to track productivity and attendance in a simple way with just a few clicks.
What we like
- Clockify’s auto tracker tracks websites and apps you use for more than ten seconds and creates personalized records. You can then easily create timesheets based on these activities.
What’s missing
- With Clockify’s free plan, you can’t track time off or schedule projects and don’t have access to project templates.
- Also, Clockify offers surveillance features, including screenshots and GPS tracking. This may feel invasive to some team members.
Best for
Clockify is best for teams who want an affordable but comprehensive tool for tracking time and monitoring employee productivity.
Top features
- Productivity and attendance tracking: Monitor your team’s efficiency and ensure they’re present at work.
- Weekly timesheets: Easily record and access work hours to streamline payroll and accountability.
- Calendar timeline: Get a visual overview of how your team spends time so you can manage resources efficiently.
- Employee monitoring: Timely tracks your team’s location and takes random screenshots when the clock is on.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Monday.com, Jira, and QuickBooks.
Pricing
Clockify offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $4.99 per user per month | Solo users with basic time-tracking needs |
| Standard | $6.99 per user per month | Small teams with more complex time-tracking needs |
| Pro | $9.99 per user per month | Teams who need a robust project and time tracking tool |
| Enterprise | $14.99 per user per month | Teams with complex client projects that require advanced time-tracking features |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
3. Hubstaff
Price: Starts at $7/month.
Hubstaff is another employee monitoring tool and an alternative to Timely with surveillance features. HubStaff’s surveillance features include periodic screenshots along with app and website URL tracking.
What we like
- Hubstaff comes with powerful workforce management features like scheduling, attendance, time off, holidays, and overtime tracking.
For service companies who need to schedule shifts and comply with workforce regulations, these features are very useful.
What’s missing
- Hubstaff has features like random screenshots, mouse activity monitoring, and GPS tracking that might feel intrusive.
Best for
Hubstaff is best for service companies who need robust shift scheduling and workforce management features.
Top features
- Time tracking: Simply start and stop the timer or let it run when you’re actively working.
- Integrations: Hubstaff seamlessly blends with popular apps, meaning your tasks, discussions, and time logs are all in one space.
- Reporting: Dive deep into the data. View time reports, identify productivity patterns, and monitor the progress of various projects.
- Productivity monitoring: Hubstaff takes screenshots and tracks activity levels, apps, and URLs.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Asana, Slack, and Trello.
Pricing
Hubstaff offers five pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | For individual use |
| Starter | $7 per user/month | Small teams who need a basic time-tracking solution |
| Grow | $9 per user/month | Teams who need more complex time-tracking and time-management features |
| Team | $12 per user/month | Teams with advanced time-tracking needs |
| Enterprise | Contact Hubstaff for prices, starting at $25 per user/month | Enterprise companies |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
4. Harvest
Price: Starts at $12/month
Harvest is a user-friendly time management tracker with productivity and profitability features.
What we like
- With Harvest, you can collect client payments directly from the app. Harvest integrates seamlessly with PayPal and Stripe, so clients can easily pay Harvest invoices.
What’s missing
- Harvest’s reporting features are limited. For example, you can’t generate utilization reports or customize your reports with Harvest.
Best for
Harvest is best for teams who want an easy-to-use time-tracking software tool to manage their work hours and track productivity and profitability.
Top features
- Invoicing and payments: Create invoices faster directly from your timesheets and get paid in Harvest through the PayPal and Stripe integrations.
- Seamless integrations: Harvest connects with many third-party apps and lets you accurately track work hours.
- Instant reports: Quickly generate reports to gain insights into your work and project profitability.
- Team reporting: See how much work your team has, improve their productivity, and avoid burnout.
Tool Integrations
Integrations include Slack, Google Calendar, and Asana.
Pricing
Harvest offers two pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Solo users |
| Pro | $12 per user per month | Small teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
5. TimeCamp
Price: Starts at $3.99/month.
TimeCamp comes with features for time and expense tracking, reporting, budgeting, invoicing, and more.
What we like
- TimeCamp offers 20+ built-in reports, including attendance, time off, overtime, project budgets, and expense reports.
What’s missing
- TimeCamp surveillance features like screenshots and website tracking can feel intrusive to employees and negatively impact their productivity.
Best for
TimeCamp is best for teams seeking an automatic time tracker with profitability and productivity insights.
Top features
- Keyword-based time tracking: Assign specific keywords to automate time tracking. When you use them, TimeCamp matches your time entry to the right task.
- Task management and project tracking: Generate detailed time records to schedule work and resources efficiently.
- Profitability analysis: Get a clear overview of how profitable your team and projects are.
- Integrations: Use the Browser Plugin to track time in 80+ popular tools.
- Invoicing: Easily create invoices, track billable time, and access historical billing rates.
Tool integrations
Integrations include ClickUp, Slack, and Notion.
Pricing
TimeCamp offers five pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Individual users with minimal time tracking needs |
| Starter | $3.99 per user per month | Teams with more complex time-tracking needs |
| Premium | $6.99 per user per month | Large teams that need advanced time-tracking features |
| Ultimate | $10.99 per user per month | Multiple teams |
| Enterprise | Contact TimeCamp | Enterprise teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
6. Time Doctor
Price: Starts at $7/month.
Time Doctor is a top web-based alternative to Timely. This employee monitoring tool tracks your team’s productivity and improves workforce management.
What we like
- Time Doctor lets you track time per client, task, or project. Choose how you want to log in time for more accurate records.
What’s missing
- Time Doctor comes with employee monitoring features like recording random screenshots of the user’s screen and silent tracking. These features can feel invasive and lower team morale.
Best for
Time Doctor is best for teams who need a tool for tracking time accurately and improving employee productivity. But only if the surveillance features aren’t an issue.
Top features
- Productivity analysis: Get in-depth productivity insights to improve your employee’s work habits.
- Offline tracking: Ensure every activity gets logged, even when not online.
- Automated time logging: Minimize the need for manual data entry so your team can focus on their work.
- Employee monitoring: Time Doctor takes random screenshots and tracks time silently whenever your computer is on.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Trello, Slack, and Asana.
Pricing
Time Doctor offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $7 per user per month | Individual users with minimal time tracking needs |
| Standard | $10 per user per month | Teams with more complex time-tracking needs |
| Premium | $20 per user per month | Large teams who need advanced time-tracking features |
| Enterprise | Contact Time Doctor | Enterprise teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
7. Everhour
Price: Starts at $6/month
Everhour is an affordable, all-in-one time management tool for tracking time.
In addition to time tracking, it also offers invoicing, budgeting, approvals, time off, and resource planning features.
What we like
- Everhour’s free plan includes unlimited time tracking, projects, and reports. In addition, the paid plans offer team management features for resource planning, time off, and expense management.
What’s missing
- The Lite paid plan ($6 /user/mo) limits you to 10 users. And only offers three integration options — Trello, Todoist, and Notion.
Best for
Everhour is best for teams of all sizes that want an all-in-one yet affordable tool to monitor their work hours and manage their time.
Top features
- Visual project scheduling: Plan and view projects visually for better organization.
- Smooth integrations: Everhour syncs seamlessly with many popular project management tools so you can work smarter.
- Detailed reporting: Gain deep insights into work patterns, project progress, and team productivity.
- Cost and billable rates: Track how much employees cost or track billable rates for accurate invoices.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Asana, Monday.com, and Salesforce.
Pricing
Everhour offers three pricing plans:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Solo users |
| Lite | $6 per user per month | Teams who need basic time-tracking features |
| Team | $10 per user per month | Teams with team management and complex time-tracking and project-scheduling needs |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
8. RescueTime
Price: Starts at $12/month.
RescueTime is a hands-free time management software tool that helps teams focus on their work and improve productivity. Its Focus Session feature blocks the websites and apps that most impact your focus negatively.
What we like
- There’s no need to fuss with starting or stopping, as RescueTime does the tracking independently. Unlike other tools that offer time tracking features, RescueTime focuses on improving productivity.
What’s missing
- RescueTime’s team time tracking features are currently in beta. It may take some time for the feature to stabilize and become production-grade.
Best for
RescueTime is best for individuals looking to improve their work habits and productivity.
Top features
- Automated and manual time tracking: Get the flexibility of both automatic tracking and manual input and log work hours accurately.
- Daily summaries: Each workday, you get a recap that shows your team’s main tasks and time spent to keep you in the loop.
- Third-party integrations: RescueTime works with many other tools to help your workflows run smoothly. Third-party apps include project management and communication apps.
- Focus time: Set Focus Time sessions for as long as you need to block distracting websites and improve productivity.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Google Calendar, Slack, and Outlook Calendar.
Pricing
RescueTime offers two pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| RescueTime Lite | $0 | Solo users with basic time-tracking needs |
| RescueTime | $12 per month | Teams with more complex time-tracking needs |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
9. DeskTime
Price: Starts at $7/month
DeskTime is an all-in-one time tracker with features like automatic time tracking, URL and app tracking, productivity calculation, project tracking, and more.
What we like
- DeskTime’s Private Time feature lets you pause tracking for breaks or personal tasks. This feature helps keep accurate time records.
What’s missing
- DeskTime’s reporting is on the basic side. You don’t get in-depth insights and can’t customize reports in detail.
Best for
DeskTime is best for teams who want an all-in-one employee monitoring tool with lots of time management features and affordable forms.
Top features
- Automatic time tracking: As soon as a user starts working, DeskTime kicks in, logging activities without manual input.
- Third-party syncing: DeskTime integrates well with popular project management tools like Asana or Basecamp for a smooth workflow.
- User dashboard: View and manage daily tasks, track time spent on various activities, and monitor overall productivity levels.
- Idle time detector: DeskTime detects idle time when you pause for accurate time records.
- Employee monitoring: DeskTime lets you track apps and URLs and take screenshots for proof of work.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Jira, Outlook Calendar, and Zappier.
Pricing
DeskTime offers four pricing plans:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DeskTime Lite | $0 | Solo users |
| Pro | $7 per user per month | Teams who need a basic time-tracking app |
| Premium | $10 per user per month | Teams with more complex time-tracking and project-scheduling needs |
| Enterprise | $20 per user per month | Enterprise teams |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
10. QuickBooks Time
Price: Starts at $30/month
QuickBooks Time is a cloud-based alternative to Timely that tracks employee work hours and handles payroll. It works along with QuickBooks — a popular invoicing, expenses, and cloud accounting software.
What we like
- QuickBooks Time’s close integration with QuickBooks online makes it a go-to tool for finance teams and accountants.
What’s missing
- QuickBooks Time is expensive, with price plans ranging from $30-$200 per month.
Best for
QuickBooks Time is best for accountants, finance teams, and teams that already use QuickBooks online.
Top features
- Mobile app: Your team can log work hours anytime, anywhere, directly from their phones. (Android and iOS)
- Clear scheduling: Assign work hours based on shifts, specific jobs, or tasks and ensure everybody is clear on their schedule.
- Overtime alerts: Receive notifications when team members exceed their standard work hours to prevent burnout.
- Project profitability: Track labor costs, expenses, and payroll directly from QuickBooks Time.
Tool integrations
Integrations include Gusto, PaymentEvolution, and Google Drive.
Pricing
QuickBooks Time offers four pricing options:
| Plan | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Simple start | $30 per month | Solo users with basic time-tracking needs |
| Essentials | $60 per month (includes three users) | Small teams with more complex time-tracking needs |
| Plus | $90 per month (includes five users) | Small businesses and robust project, time, and billable hours tracking |
| Advanced | $200 per month (includes 25 users) | Complex client projects that require advanced time-tracking and invoicing features |
Visit the pricing page for more information.
Best Timely alternatives: Quick comparison
Here’s a quick overview of our top Timely alternatives:
| Tool | G2 Rating | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl Track | 4.6 | Knowledge-based service businesses | From $10/user/month |
| Clockify | 4.5 | Teams of all sizes that need comprehensive time clocking features | From $4.99/user/month |
| Hubstaff | 4.3 | Monitoring remote employees | From $7/user/month |
| Harvest | 4.3 | Teams of all sizes that invoicing and payments | From $12/user/month |
| TimeCamp | 4.7 | Teams of all sizes | From $3.99/user/month |
| Time Doctor | 4.4 | Remote teams and freelancers who need employee monitoring | From $7/user/month |
| Everhour | 4.7 | Teams of all sizes | From $6/user/month |
| RescueTime | 4.1 | Solo users who want to stay focused on work | From $12/month |
| DeskTime | 4.6 | Teams of all sizes | From $7/user/month |
| QuickBooks Time | 4.5 | Finance teams and accountants | From $30 per month |
Timely FAQs
Here are the most commonly asked questions about Timely.
What is Timely used for?
Timely is a productivity tool for tracking and managing time. Timely’s features include automated time tracking, reporting, and project management.
How does Timely work?
Timely works by using AI to track time automatically. This AI-based model observes how you work, organizes your tasks, and provides insights into your time use.
Does Timely take screenshots?
No, Timely does not take screenshots. Timely supports time tracking without compromising the user’s privacy.
The bottom line
If you haven’t yet made a purchasing decision, you can try some of these software solutions.
For example, you can see Toggl Track in action by signing up for a free Toggl Track account.
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