Maximize Productivity and Efficiency with the Best Time Tracking App
Whether you’re a contractor or own a company, time-tracking apps can be helpful.
Unfortunately, there are so many options it is challenging to determine the best time-tracking app.
In this article, I discuss what to consider when looking at apps and the best time tracker options available.
Streamline Your Workflow and Boost Your Bottom Line with the Top Time Tracking App
Best Overall
TimeCamp
Automatic Time Tracking
Low Price
Integrates with Trello
Inflexible Time Entries
Best For Simplicity
Toggl
Detailed Reports
Streamlined User Interface
Impressive Free Version
Lack of Common Features
Best For Mobile Use
Harvest
Simple and Flexible
Great Mobile App
Billable Time Tracking
No Sales Tax Integration
What Is a Time Tracking App?
A time-logging app is an online tool you can use to keep records of your working hours and productivity.
You can use it to track how much time you spend on each task.
It’s fantastic for contractors or freelancers who charge by the hour.
Additionally, time-tracking apps are useful for people who have trouble managing their schedules.
These people can use this software to let them know when it’s time to finish a task.
The data you get from an hour-tracking app is also useful to analyze once you finish working.
How To Choose the Best Time Tracking App
If you’re a contractor, it’s crucial to use apps to keep track of hours worked.
You should also look at one of these apps if you run a company.
Setting your employees up with a time tracker will help them stay on task and get their work done more efficiently.
Essential Considerations
When you choose a time-tracking app, there are several factors to consider.
However, nothing is more essential than its time-tracking ability.
The top time-tracking apps usually come with several features, but the reason you download them is to track your time.
So, before you look at other factors, you should ensure the quality of the app’s time tracking is high.
Test the time-logging software with a separate timer to ensure accuracy.
Pause it several times to see if it loses seconds or minutes.
You should also see if an unstable internet connection impacts the app’s accuracy.
The app should also have the option to enter manual time since mistakes happen, and you may forget to start your timer.
Additional Features
Once you verify the quality of the time-tracking aspects of the app, you can look at other features.
Managers should see which apps have team management capabilities.
Can you use the app to easily track time spent on tasks by all employees?
Can your employees sign into one area so you can see what everyone is working on?
There are other features to consider like:
- Price
- Customer support quality
- Training resources
Ideally, you want to find the best hour tracker app for the lowest price, but it’s up to you to determine how cheap you want to go.
Furthermore, most apps come with customer support of some sort, but you need to weigh the pros and cons of paying for higher-quality support.
I like it when I can integrate our time-tracking apps with other apps.
Most apps support integrations, but you should verify this before downloading.
Having several integrations will make your life easier.
What Type of Time Tracking App Should You Get?
Another thing to consider is the type of time-tracking app you should get.
Standalone Trackers
Standalone trackers are simple and easy to use.
With one of these apps, you can record your time spent on all activities in real time.
Later, you can review your hours and enter them onto a timesheet.
A standalone time tracker isn’t usually complex.
As a result, users need to manually enter their data into a timesheet when they finish.
Fortunately, most apps provide categorization options for each user.
I recommend making use of reporting options with these apps.
Project Management Software
Some time-trackers aren’t standalone apps.
Many come as a feature in a larger app.
For example, most project management software comes with a built-in time tracker.
If you download one of these apps, you should be able to do the following:
- Monitor project resources
- Plan schedules
- Track tasks
- Share files
- Easily manage invoices
Automatic Time-Logging Apps
The last type of time-tracking app I want to discuss is automatic time-tracking software.
Most time trackers require that you press start and stop on the timer.
However, an automatic time tracking software will automatically track how much time you spend performing tasks on your computer.
It tracks your time by logging how much time you actively spend in each app on your computer or phone.
Automatic time trackers are easy to use and great for displaying efficiency.
These apps are useful for monitoring productivity and how often you get distracted.
The Five Best Time-Tracking Apps
Here are the five best time-tracking apps on the market.
1.TimeCamp
Best Overall
TimeCamp
TimeCamp is the first time-tracking app I want to discuss, as it’s the one I use the most.
If you’re looking for an app that keeps track of hours worked, I recommend TimeCamp.
Here are some of the reasons I think this is one of the best apps to track work hours.
I love the automatic time tracking aspect of this app.
It takes some time to find the phrases that will monitor your time correctly, but once you figure it out, it’s very useful.
While some apps provide more features than TimeCamp, this app gives you more bang for your buck.
It’s cheaper than most other time tracking software while staying high quality.
Trello is one of the most popular project management tools, so integrating with it is very useful.
Here are some of the cons of using TimeCamp.
Unfortunately, you can’t move time entries or delete them from an activity.
Sorting is limited, which can cause issues for large companies.
Sadly, TimeCamp doesn’t offer refunds to users if something breaks or goes wrong.
Read the full TimeCamp review here.
Pros
Automatic Time Tracking
Low Price
Integrates with Trello
Cons
Time Entries Can’t Be Moved
No Refunds
2.Toggl
Best for Simplicity
Toggl
Toggl is another solid time-billing app with several high-quality features, including the following.
The reports you receive have lots of detail, so you can see why projects were delayed or incomplete.
The user interface is simple and easy to navigate.
So, you don’t need to spend many resources training new employees in Toggl.
Although the premium version is useful, the free version does enough for most people.
It provides several impressive services for users to utilize.
Here are some of the cons of Toggl.
Unfortunately, if you want to use the premium version of Toggl, it’s expensive compared to other options.
Unfortunately, Toggl doesn’t include several common features, such as invoicing and scheduling.
I think Toggle is one of the best apps to track work hours if you only need simple features and accurate time logging.
Pros
Detailed Reports
Streamlined User Interface
Impressive Free Version
Cons
High Price
Doesn’t Include Several Common Features
3.Harvest
Best for Mobile Use
Harvest
Harvest is a beneficial app for most users, especially freelancers who work on their phones.
Here are some of my favorite features.
When looking for a time tracker, you don’t need anything complex.
Harvest is simple, flexible, and easy to use.
The mobile app lets users easily track time on their mobile device.
It has a simple design that is easy to understand.
Users can set different rates for different clients and projects.
So you can easily manage your invoices as a contractor.
Unfortunately, there are some cons to using Harvest.
For an app that sells great invoice tracking, it doesn’t support sales tax integration.
Desktop and Web App Disconnectivity: The desktop and web apps sometimes have discrepancies in tracked time.
Pros
Simple and Flexible
Great Mobile App
Billable Time Tracking
Cons
No Sales Tax Integration
Desktop and Web App Disconnectivity
4.ATracker
Best for Multi-Device Use
ATracker
ATracker is another popular app for tracking employee hours.
Here’s an overview of some of its pros.
You can customize similar activities using icons, making it easier to manage large teams.
The alarm reminder alerts you so you never forget a task.
Here are the cons of using ATracker.
Unfortunately, the privacy features in this app are limited.
If you run into problems, the support staff doesn’t always respond promptly.
Pros
Great Customization Options
Alarm Reminder
Cons
Limited Privacy
Slow Support
5.TrackingTime
Best for Accuracy
TrackingTime
TrackingTime is another fantastic time-monitoring app that’s easy to use.
It’s one of the best tools for project management due to the following reasons.
You can easily track time spent on tasks in real time by hitting the play button before starting.
The interface is simple and easy to navigate.
Some cons to this time-keeping app include the following.
If you need to access old projects, you may find it challenging.
You won’t receive notifications after your tracker has run for a set amount of time.
As a result, if you forget to turn it off, it will run indefinitely.
Pros
Track In Real-Time
Streamlined Interface
Cons
Difficulty Opening Archived Projects:
No Timeouts or Notifications
What next? Best Apps To Track Work Hours
To find the best time-tracking app, you must consider all the top options.
All five apps outlined above are useful, but I like TimeCamp the most.
TimeCamp has a streamlined interface, supports integrations, and has all the features you need.
It’s affordable, so everyone should be able to use it.
Although the platform doesn’t offer refunds, its low price and integration options make it one of the best time-tracking tools for freelancers and people looking to improve productivity.
So, if you have trouble picking an app, try TimeCamp.
