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Time tracking tools help you stay on schedule, monitor progress, and gather data to improve planning and decision-making. Despite its value, time is one of the hardest resources to manage, often slipping away unnoticed and causing missed deadlines and incomplete tasks. The best time tracking software gives you a clear view of where your time goes, helping you stay focused, meet deadlines, and work more efficiently.

Over the years, I’ve used time tracking software to manage a wide range of projects, and it’s made a measurable difference in productivity, accountability, and team alignment. By clearly seeing where time is spent, I’ve been able to spot inefficiencies, adjust workloads, and keep projects moving forward with greater confidence.

In this article, I’ll share the best time tracking software that I've tested and reviewed, focusing on the features that will matter most to project managers. Here, you can survey the market and decide which tool will best serve you and your team.

Why Trust Our Time Tracking Software Reviews

We’ve been testing and reviewing time tracking software since 2011. As project managers ourselves, we know how critical, and difficult, it is to make the right decision when selecting software.

We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different project management use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our time tracking software review methodology.

Compare Specs Side-By-Side

This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top time tracking software selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.

Best Time Tracking Software Reviews

Here’s a brief overview of the best time tracking apps, including screenshots, standout features, available integrations, and more.

Best for keeping payroll in sync

  • Free trial + demo available
  • From $29/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Deel is an HR and payroll platform designed for businesses with distributed teams. It’s especially useful if you’re hiring across different countries, handling compliance, and managing international contracts. Deel covers everything from hiring and onboarding to payroll, benefits, and even expense management, giving you the tools to manage a global team in one place. 

Why I picked Deel: Deel’s time-tracking feature simplifies hour tracking for you and your team. With its clock-in and clock-out widget, available on both desktop and mobile, your team can quickly log hours and breaks, which are automatically recorded in their timesheets. Manual adjustments can be made as needed, while permissions can be set to control who edits or adds hours. This approach reduces errors and keeps payroll in sync with actual hours worked, helping you avoid surprises on payday and making your time management more accurate.

Deel Standout Features & Integrations

Features include an integrated time approval workflow that allows managers to review and approve team members' logged hours before they are synced to payroll. Its geo-tagging feature adds an extra layer of accountability, verifying the location of clock-ins and clock-outs for distributed teams. Furthermore, Deel supports automated overtime calculations and compliance with local labor laws, which helps streamline the time-tracking process for international teams.

Integrations include Google Workspace, Hubstaff, Brex, Personio, Sage, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workable, UKG Ready, QuickBooks, Xero, and BambooHR.

Best for global time management

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $6/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Replicon is a time tracking and timesheet software with a project time tracking product suite. This suite can help you manage project hours and costs, paid time off, and track billable hours and project expenses.

Why I picked Replicon: I chose this tool for the list because of its intelligent time tracking feature, which leverages AI and machine learning to help populate timesheets for employees based on the apps they use. The app will track employee activity across different platforms and pre-fill timesheets for them. Additionally, it will reconstruct the work week across multiple projects. Based on my research, it seems like all your people will have to do is review and submit, which will save you both hours of administrative tasks and money.

Replicon also has a mobile app that you can use to track time from any device. This makes it easy to track time while you are away from your computer, but also makes use of mobile device capabilities to expand its functionality. For example, you can take a pic and add it to your expense report using the phone's camera. I think that this feature makes Replicon perfect for employees on-the-go, since it can help them track their time quickly, easily, and without needing access to a computer.

Replicon Standout Features & Integrations

Features include advanced multi-level approval workflows that allow organizations to customize approval hierarchies for timesheets and project hours based on complex requirements. Its time intelligence system also offers predictive analytics that enable managers to identify patterns in time usage and proactively address inefficiencies or bottlenecks.

Integrations include SAP, ADP, Salesforce, Slack, Quickbooks, Jira, ServiceNow, Xero, Workday, Myob, Adobe XD, and Bamboo HR.

Best for distributed teams

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $4.99/user/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Hubstaff is a full-featured, free time tracking software tool (with freemium upgrades) that, in my opinion, is best suited to remote or distributed teams. It’s a lightweight, native time tracking tool that includes screenshots, time tracking, and project management. I love how its simple interface and design makes it really easy for your team to enter their time and for you to track their progress.

Budget management is also very straightforward using Hubstaff. You can easily set time limits and budgets for your team to bill against with a maximum number of hours you want a member to be able to work in a week and the app will automatically prevent them from exceeding the limit.

Additionally, in my experience, it can be hard to verify exactly what people are doing and how they’re spending their time when you’re working with a distributed team. To help with this, Hubstaff has some pretty handy tools to give you insight into what your team is doing in the time they’re logging to your project with screenshots and activity levels. Now you can also see which applications your team members are using and what URLs they are browsing while they’re tracking time.

Integrations are well supported across stacks of different tools including project management tools Asana, Jira, and Basecamp, payments, accounting and invoicing integrations including QuickBooks, Paypal as well as Salesforce and Zendesk among others.

Hubstaff is free to use for 1 employee. Paid plans cost from $7/user/month and come with a 14-day free trial.

Best for visual project planning

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $8/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.6/5

monday.com is a project management software with time tracking features that has done away with a lot of the trimmings of typical management tools and focused on simple, visually intuitive layouts that help clarify the sequence of work.

Why I picked monday.com: I think monday.com is great tool. You can use it to track project billable hours, employee productivity, and invoicing. More than being a time-tracking solution, you can also use it for your employee productivity needs. You can easily assign owners to new tasks, prioritize each item, set due dates and know exactly how every working hour is spent on each project and task. You can also keep track of time on their mobile app.

Overall, monday.com is a highly customizable software that I would definitely recommend using to help handle your projects, collaborate in real time, and track time so you can provide more accurate information to the client.

According to my research, time tracking is available on monday.com's Pro and Enterprise plans and has to be added to each board as a column.

monday.com Standout Features & Integrations

Features include an intuitive time-tracking column that integrates seamlessly into project boards, which allows teams to monitor hours directly within their workflows. Furthermore, monday.com's automation capabilities extend to time tracking, where triggers can be set to automatically start or stop timers based on task status changes.

Integrations include business apps like Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Harvest, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform, and many more, accessible via Zapier.

Best for resource management features

  • Pricing upon request
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Rating: 4.1/5

Kantata time tracking software is designed to help individuals and businesses efficiently manage and monitor their time and workload. The software can help users understand how their team's time is being utilized. These insights can be invaluable for optimizing workflows, identifying time-wasting activities, and improving overall efficiency.

Why I picked Kantata: I chose Kantata for this list because it goes beyond simple time tracking by offering time budgeting and forecasting capabilities. Users can set time budgets for specific tasks or projects, allowing them to allocate time and resources effectively. I also love how the software provides real-time updates on time spent, remaining time, and progress towards budgeted goals. In my experience, these types of features enable users to proactively manage their time, prioritize tasks, and more accurately meet deadlines.

Kantata Standout Features & Integrations

Features include AI-powered suggestions that analyze historical data to recommend adjustments to time budgets or schedules, helping teams stay on track. Additionally, the platform offers built-in reminders and nudges that can prompt team members to log hours consistently, reducing the risk of incomplete or forgotten time entries.

Integrations include Slack, Trello, Salesforce, Sage, Jira, Quickbooks, Xero, NetSuite, Genpact, and Google Calendar.

New Product Updates from Kantata

Kantata Introduces Real-Time Sentiment Analytics
Kantata Pulse dashboard showing response sentiment analysis for team collaboration.
June 8 2025
Kantata Introduces Real-Time Sentiment Analytics

Kantata has unveiled In-App Sentiment Data in its Pulse solution, enhancing real-time sentiment analytics to improve team morale and project delivery. For more details, visit Kantata Press.

Best for remote team monitoring

  • 7-day free trial
  • From $8/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Insightful is a workforce analytics suite focused on time tracking. It's both easy to navigate and pretty advanced, with remote team monitoring features like auto-grab screenshots and web usage tracking. For this reason, I think it's a useful tool for remote businesses that are scaling quickly—you can start with something relatively basic and adopt more advanced plans as you scale.

Why I picked Insightful: I chose Insightful as one of the best time-tracking tools because of its user-friendly interface and integration with various project management tools. The platform is well-designed and easy to navigate, making it a great choice for anyone who is new to time-tracking software in my opinion.

Insightful Standout Features & Integrations

Features include an automated time mapping feature that categorizes time entries based on the apps, websites, or documents used. The platform also provides stealth mode tracking, which allows time and productivity to be monitored discreetly. This feature is especially useful for roles requiring minimal interference.

Integrations include various project management tools like Asana, Jira, Slack, Trello, and others.

Best for timesheet logging

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $4.16/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.7/5

Resource Guru is a resource management tool that helps you and your team schedule work, manage workloads, and keep projects on track.

Why I picked Resource Guru: Although it doesn't have a real-time time tracker, Resource Guru's timesheet feature makes logging work hours straightforward. It pre-fills timesheets with entries from your schedule, so you can quickly confirm or adjust the time spent on tasks. This approach reduces the time you spend on administrative tasks and improves accuracy in time tracking. 

Additionally, Resource Guru provides a bulk log option, allowing you to review and log a week's worth of work with a single click. This feature speeds up the time-tracking process, letting you focus more on your projects. 

Resource Guru Standout Features & Integrations

Features include logged hours that are automatically aligned with scheduled activities to minimize discrepancies and manual edits. The platform also includes utilization heatmaps that provide a visual overview of how team members' tracked hours align with their capacity. Additionally, Resource Guru's integration with capacity planning allows you to compare planned versus actual time spent.

Integrations include Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Calendar, Calendly, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Sheets, Gmail, Asana, Salesforce, Jira Software, and Smartsheet.

Best integrated time and resource management

  • Free trial available
  • From $9/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.4/5

Bonsai is a comprehensive business management software designed for agencies, consultancies, and professional service providers to streamline their operations. It offers a wide range of tools for managing client relationships, projects, financials, and more, including features such as CRM, scheduling, proposals, contracts, time tracking, file sharing, and invoicing.

Why I picked Bonsai: I selected Bonsai for this list for its time tracking solution designed to assist agencies of various sizes in managing their projects and ensuring accurate billing for clients. I like how the tool allows users to track their team's hours, generate timesheets, and produce instant activity reports, all fully integrated with project management and billing systems. 

Bonsai's time tracking capabilities also enable users to understand which projects and tasks consume the most time, thereby helping to manage billable hours more effectively. I particularly admire how the tool facilitates the conversion of billable hours into invoices with a few clicks and supports online payments to expedite the payment process.  

Bonsai Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a focus timer feature that combines time tracking with productivity techniques, enabling users to break work into focused intervals for increased efficiency. The platform additionally offers automatic time entry suggestions that are based on past activity to make it easier to log time without interrupting workflows. 

Integrations include Gmail, Google Calendar, Zapier, Slack, QuickBooks Online, Calendly, ClickUp, Trello, Google Drive, Google Sheets, Xero, and HubSpot.

Best GPS time tracking for mobile teams

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $29/month (for up to 30 users, billed annually) + $0.5/user/month for each additional user
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Rating: 4.3/5

Connecteam is a workplace software company that offers products for operational, communication, and skills management. The operational platform facilitates time tracking and employee scheduling.

Why I picked Connecteam: I am particularly impressed by Connecteam's operations management software, which offers a unique approach to time tracking, scheduling, and task management features. Employees can log their time in the system and it even provides GPS tracking to keep managers updated on the whereabouts of staff. You can also assign shifts and tasks to employees, and oversee their work with forms and checklists.

I also admire how the Connecteam's software can be connected with a payroll platform so you can easily use schedules and timesheets for pay administration. Additionally, I'm always on the lookout for customizable features, and Connecteam offers several customization tools for your team's unique tasks and timesheet needs.

Connecteam Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a geo-fencing feature that ensures employees can only clock in and out within a designated physical location, providing an added layer of accountability for remote or field teams. The platform's kiosk mode also allows multiple employees to log time from a single shared device, which is ideal for industries like retail or hospitality. 

Integrations include Paychex, Xero, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll (online + desktop), Google Calendar and others.

Best for small teams and businesses

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $6/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

actiTIME is a time tracking software designed to keep track of hours spent on projects, and it also allows project managers to analyze hours and timesheets to make informed decisions about estimates, invoices, and more.

actiTIME allows you to create projects and allocate tasks to team members so you can keep track of time per project and per task. Project managers can collect data on employee performance, as well as project costs and revenues, and review it in reports and charts.

This tool also offers the ability to compare estimated vs. actual time, as well as the ability to use that information to create invoices and adjust estimates as needed. These features foster a comprehensive and objective analysis of individual and team performance.

actiTIME is highly flexible and configurable to a diverse set of needs and preferences. It can also be integrated with other project management apps through Zapier or their API.

actiTIME offers free plans for teams of up to three members. Paid plans start at $5/user/month, and a free trial is offered.

  1. Beebole

    For customizable dashboards

  2. TimeCamp

    For automatic time tracking

  3. Buddy Punch

    Time clock for GPS and image tracking

  4. Toggl Track

    For its workload balancing

  5. TMetric

    For 7-day activity tracking storage

  6. My Hours

    For small teams and freelancers

  7. Clockify

    For efficient time tracking

  8. Traqq

    For a feature-rich free version

  9. BigTime

    For invoicing and billing

  10. ProjectManager

    For real-time time monitoring

Selection Criteria for Time Tracking Software

When selecting the best time tracking software to include on this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points, like ensuring accurate billable hours and improving productivity insights. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:

Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion on this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:

  • Tracking employee work hours
  • Logging billable and non-billable time
  • Generating timesheets
  • Providing real-time tracking
  • Supporting manual time entry

Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:

  • AI-powered time tracking suggestions
  • GPS and geofencing capabilities
  • Automatic time classification for projects
  • Integration with payroll and invoicing software
  • Idle time detection and reminders

Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:

  • An intuitive and clean interface
  • A minimal number of clicks needed to start tracking
  • A well-designed mobile app
  • Quick access to frequently used features
  • Easy switching between manual and automatic tracking

Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:

  • Interactive product tours
  • Pre-built templates for common use cases
  • On-demand training videos and webinars
  • Live chat or chatbot assistance during setup
  • Quick import of user and project data

When it comes to team adoption, I’ve found that success depends on how easy the tool is to onboard new users. Some tools are much trickier for people to pick up than others.

photo of Sara Fisher

Sara Fisher

Founder @ Green Luna Studio

Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:

  • Multiple support channels including chat, email, and phone
  • 24/7 customer support availability
  • A detailed knowledge base and FAQs
  • Quick response times for critical issues
  • A user community or forum for peer assistance

Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:

  • A transparent and flexible pricing structure
  • A free plan or trial option
  • All essential features included in lower-tier plans
  • No hidden fees or extra costs for integrations
  • Pricing scaled based on team size and usage

Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:

  • Highlighted ease of use and adoption rates
  • Mentions of reliability and system uptime
  • Notes on the responsiveness and helpfulness of support
  • Assessments of accuracy and efficiency of time tracking
  • Pricing satisfaction compared to competitors

How to Choose Time Tracking Software

It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:

FactorWhat to Consider
ScalabilityEnsure the software can handle your team’s growth. Look for flexible pricing, unlimited users, and features that support large teams, like role-based permissions and enterprise reporting.
IntegrationsChoose a solution that connects with your existing tools, like payroll, invoicing, project management, and HR software. This reduces manual data entry and keeps workflows seamless.
CustomizabilityYour team’s needs are unique. Look for customizable reports, adjustable tracking rules, and configurable permissions to align the tool with your business processes.
Ease of UseA complex system slows adoption. Opt for an intuitive interface with minimal setup, simple time entry options, and a user-friendly mobile app for on-the-go tracking.
BudgetCompare pricing tiers, hidden fees, and free trial options. Consider whether the tool charges per user, per feature, or has a flat-rate model that fits your budget.
Security SafeguardsProtect sensitive time logs and payroll data with features like two-factor authentication, role-based access controls, and encrypted data storage.
Mobile AccessibilityIf your team works remotely or on-site, ensure the software has a strong mobile app with offline tracking, GPS features, and seamless syncing.
Reporting & AnalyticsLook for detailed insights into work hours, project costs, and team productivity. Customizable dashboards and automated reports help you make data-driven decisions.

In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different time tracking software vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on:

  1. Mobile Apps and Geofencing: Mobile apps for project management time tracking are increasingly popular, especially with geofencing technology. This allows for automated check-ins and location-based tracking for more accurate time recording across different work settings.
  2. Biometric Identification: Technologies like facial recognition and biometric iris technology are being adopted in modern time tracking solutions​​ for better ease-of-use and more accurate time-punching.
  3. Energy Expenditure Tracking: This emerging concept measures the mental and physical effort expended during work, which offers insights into employee engagement and well-being beyond simple time tracking​​.
  4. Integration with Wearable Technology: Wearable devices like smartwatches can now track work hours while also offering activity and health monitoring to support employee well-being.
  5. Advanced AI and Automation: AI is now a common, fast-evolving feature in timesheet software, often used to automate time capture, improve accuracy, and analyze time-usage patterns.

What is Time Tracking Software?

Time tracking software is a digital tool that monitors and records the amount of time individuals or teams spend on tasks, projects, clients, or activities.

It typically includes features like timers, manual time entry, timesheets, reporting, and invoicing. These tools help boost productivity, ensure accurate billing, and provide insights for better planning and resource use. Many time tracking tools also integrate with project management, payroll, and collaboration tools to streamline workflows and reduce administrative work.

Features of Time Tracking Software

When selecting time tracking software, keep an eye out for the following key features:

  • Real-time tracking: Allows users to start, pause, and stop timers instantly to capture work hours accurately without manual input.
  • Timesheet management: Automates the creation, approval, and submission of timesheets, reducing administrative work for teams.
  • Project-based tracking: Enables users to log time against specific projects or tasks to ensure accurate client billing and productivity analysis.
  • Billable and non-billable time: Differentiates between revenue-generating and internal work, helping businesses optimize resource allocation.
  • Payroll integration: Syncs tracked hours with payroll systems to streamline wage calculations and reduce manual data entry.
  • Automated reminders: Sends alerts for missing time entries, idle tracking, and upcoming deadlines to improve compliance and accuracy.
  • GPS and geofencing: Tracks employee locations for fieldwork and remote teams, ensuring accountability and accurate jobsite logging.
  • Custom reporting: Generates detailed reports on time usage, efficiency, and labor costs to support data-driven decision-making.
  • Multi-device accessibility: Provides seamless tracking across desktop, mobile, and web platforms, ensuring flexibility for all work environments.
  • User roles and permissions: Controls access levels to safeguard sensitive data and ensure only authorized personnel can modify time records.

Benefits of Time Tracking Software

Implementing time tracking software can provide several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:

  • Better accuracy: Tracks work hours down to the minute to reduce mistakes in payroll and invoicing.
  • Easier project billing: Logs billable time per client or project, so you can charge correctly without guesswork.
  • Fewer time leaks: Helps spot untracked or idle time, so you don’t lose billable hours.
  • More productive teams: Shows where time is spent, helping teams cut distractions and focus on real work.
  • Less admin work: Automates timesheets, approvals, and reports, so managers spend less time chasing data.
  • Stronger accountability: Keeps a record of work hours, helping remote and field teams stay on track.
  • Better cost control: Tracks labor costs in real time, so you can adjust budgets before they go off track.

Costs & Pricing for Time Tracking Software

Choosing time tracking software requires that you understand the different pricing models and plans available. Costs typically vary by features, team size, add-ons, and more. The table below outlines common plans, average prices, and common features included in time tracking tools:

Plan Comparison Table for Time Tracking Software

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon Features
Basic/Free PlanFree- Basic time tracking
- Simple reporting capabilities
- Limited number of users or projects
Standard Plan$5 - $10 per user/month- Enhanced time tracking features
- Basic reporting and analytics
- Integration with other software
- Limited support
Professional Plan$10 - $20 per user/month- Advanced reporting and analytics
- Full project management integration
- Enhanced support options
- Additional features like invoicing, scheduling
Premium/Enterprise Plan$20+ per user/month- Customizable features
- Advanced security options
- Priority support
- Comprehensive integrations with business systems
A breakdown of plan types, costs, and features for time project management software.

Once you've chosen software, it's a good idea to start with a free trial or a basic plan to see how well it suits your needs before upgrading to a more advanced plan.

Stages where your company may want to upgrade its pricing plan include:

  1. Growing Team Size: When the number of employees or team members increases, additional user licenses or more comprehensive management features may be required.
  2. Increased Project Volume: When the company starts handling more projects simultaneously, you many need advanced tracking and reporting.
  3. Enhanced Reporting Needs: As the company grows, more detailed and customizable reports may be needed for better insights into time usage and resource allocation.
  4. Integration Requirements: With business growth, there may be more need to integrate time tracking software with other systems, such as payroll, invoicing, or project management platforms.
  5. Advanced Features and Automation: Eventually, the company may require more sophisticated features like automated time tracking, advanced analytics, and workflow automation to improve efficiency and accuracy.

New & Noteworthy Product Updates

Below you’ll find our release notes and take on the latest time tracking software product updates. Explore feature releases, improvements, and updates across web, desktop and mobile apps. See what’s new, if it’s hot—or not—and why it matters for tracking time on tasks and projects.

Q1 2025 Time Tracking Software Updates

monday.com Update Notes

A screenshot showing an example of monday.com's new Item ID column feature. A graphic request chart shows various items listed alongside their date, rating, description, priority, request source, brief, and the new Item ID, which is a unique serial number associated with each item.
monday.com's new Item ID column feature assigns a unique identifier to each item, allowing users to track and reference tasks more efficiently.

On March 2, monday.com released the Item ID Column, which assigns a unique identifier to each item within a board. This identifier can be configured in two ways: either as a randomly generated number or as a custom key defined by the user. By default, the system generates a random number for each item to ensure uniqueness without additional customization.​

Users seeking more control can also opt for the "Custom key" setting, which allows them to define specific identifiers that align with their organizational or project-specific conventions. This flexibility improves item tracking by making it easier to find and reference items using familiar identifiers.

This feature is particularly beneficial for teams that require precise item identification, such as project managers overseeing multiple tasks, developers tracking issues or features, and operations teams managing inventories or workflows. 

Verdict: Hot! Automation + Organization + Customization = Success

Resource Guru Update Notes

A screenshot of Resource Guru's new heatmap view, which is formatted as a weekly calendar showing each team member's workload utilization percentage per day. All percentages under 100% are highlighted in green, while the one in the middle, at 100% is highlighted yellow. A popup shows that that team member is booked with overtime, as there are 10 hours booked (2 hours over) with 0 hours free.
Resource Guru's new heatmap views use color-coded visuals to help project managers quickly assess team workload, utilization, and availability.

On February 18, Resource Guru introduced heatmap views to enhance workload visualization and capacity management for project managers. These views use color coding—dark green for heavy workloads, light green for lighter ones, and amber for potential issues—to give a quick view of team utilization. Users can enable three types of heatmap views: Total Utilization, Billable Utilization, and Hours Available, directly from the Schedule.

The Total Utilization heatmap view displays the percentage of a person's availability that is booked to help you quickly identify under- or over-utilized team members. Warnings flag issues like overtime or scheduling conflicts to help managers quickly address potential bottlenecks.

The Billable Utilization heatmap view reveals how much of each team member's time is spent on revenue-generating tasks. This insight helps managers identify opportunities to optimize billable hours and improve business performance. Additionally, the Hours Available view helps pinpoint time slots for urgent tasks to facilitate efficient workload distribution.

Verdict: Hot! The faster you can see and process data, the more streamlined your planning will be. 

MyHours Update Notes

A screenshot of My Hours’ updated Time Log form. For each day, there is an option to add a manual time log that tracks the project, task (with a description), the start and end time (and duration), and expenses. You can also use the New Timer, track your tasks, and there is also a Favorites and Timeline view.
My Hours' updated Time Log form allows users to add time logs manually or start a timer in the Daily Track view, providing greater flexibility in time tracking.

In January 2025, My Hours introduced several updates to enhance its time-tracking platform. A key improvement is the updated Time Log form, which now lets users add time logs in the Daily Track view either manually or by starting a timer. Both options are available regardless of the entries in the Duration fields, providing greater flexibility in tracking work hours.

Another enhancement is the introduction of new task functionalities. Administrators can now define default values for task descriptions and billable fields within task templates. Users can also add, edit, or remove custom IDs on individual tasks, allowing for more personal, organized task management.

Furthermore, My Hours has improved the setup process for submission and approval workflows. The platform now offers a more streamlined and intuitive configuration for timesheet submissions and approvals, simplifying workflow management. These updates are particularly helpful for administrators and team managers seeking to enhance time tracking efficiency and accuracy.

Verdict: Not. Flexibility is great, but the features are not particularly new.

BigTime Update Notes

A promotional image for BigTime Foresight’s AI Resource Matching feature. A slightly out-of-focus screenshot of the feature is surrounded by percentages (35%, 85%, 100%) to demonstrate how the tool matches team skills to tasks.
BigTime's new Foresight AI-powered resourcing feature helps organizations efficiently match staff to projects by analyzing availability, skills, and profitability for optimized team allocation.

BigTime's March 2025 update introduced Foresight AI-powered resourcing, which enables organizations efficiently match staff to projects based on availability, skills, and profitability. This feature allows users to define project requirements and receive instant AI-driven recommendations, streamlining the staffing process and enhancing team efficiency.

The update also improves Time & Expense Approvals by refining subtotals, clarifying column names, and enhancing sorting, based on user feedback. These adjustments aim to simplify the approval process and provide a more intuitive experience for users managing time and expenses.

BigTime has also revamped its Help Center, now accessible from the top navigation bar, combining self-service resources and live support. This centralized hub includes the BigTime AI Assistant for 24/7 support, an extensive Knowledge Base, training materials, and real-time chat support to ensure users have comprehensive assistance readily available. 

These updates will be particularly beneficial for project managers, finance teams, and all BigTime users seeking to enhance operational efficiency and access support resources more effectively.

Verdict: Hot! AI is getting more and more normalized, but it’s still a hot new trend in our book. 

Deel Update Notes

A screenshot of Deel’s new time off dashboard with a welcome message over top. The message reads “Meet our new time off dashboard - Welcome! With just a click, our new dashboard brings all your time off data together, making it simple to keep track of employee vacations and stay compliant.” Behind the message, the dashboard has two different tabs—Overview and Balances. On the overview tags, there are areas for compliance issues, time off requests, average time taken per request, reports, and more.
Deel's new dashboard provides HR teams with a centralized, real-time view of workforce metrics, including time tracking, contract statuses, and compliance updates.

Deel’s February 2025 update introduces several enhancements aimed at improving HR efficiency, including a new dashboard that provides a centralized view of key workforce metrics. The dashboard offers HR teams real-time insights into time tracking, contract statuses, compliance updates, and workforce trends, helping them make data-driven decisions more efficiently.

Deel has also launched a reimagined onboarding experience with customizable checklists for contractor hires and new automation tools, like pre-built workflow templates, to streamline routine HR tasks.

The update additionally strengthens compliance by enhancing contract management tools and more seamlessly integrating payroll and workforce analytics. Enhanced time tracking ensures greater data accuracy, while improved automation reduces administrative burdens. These improvements help HR teams mitigate risks, maintain regulatory compliance, and manage employee records more effectively.

These upgrades are particularly helpful for HR professionals looking to optimize workforce management and streamline operations. Companies managing a global workforce will also benefit from improved tracking, onboarding, and reporting tools.

Verdict: Not. All good things, but nothing particularly new or trendy. 

Kantata Update Notes

A screenshot of Kantata’s new custom task status feature. On the left, there is a column of Task Status Sets, with a list of functions including “Fetching a list of Task Status Sets”; “Creating a new Task Status Set”; “Fetching a single Task Status Set”; “Updating an existing Task Status Set”; “Deleting an existing Task Status Set”; and “Update Account Default Task Status Set.” There is also a search function. On the right, there is a box associated with “Fetching a single Task Status Set”. This creates code associated with the task, which can be in curl, Ruby, JavaScript, Python, and 2 more.
Kantata's new custom task statuses allow teams to define and automate task workflows, improving project tracking, flexibility, and efficiency.

In February 2025, Kantata introduced a major enhancement to task management with the addition of custom task statuses and task status sets, accessible via Kantata Connect and the API. This new functionality allows organizations to define and customize task workflows to fit their specific project needs. By enabling greater flexibility, teams can create a more structured and relevant workflow that aligns with their internal processes.

The ability to customize task statuses ensures more accurate project tracking and improved communication across teams. With this update, project managers can use statuses that reflect real-time progress, helping to spot bottlenecks, prioritize tasks, and keep projects moving. Additionally, automation rules can be applied to these statuses, streamlining workflows and reducing manual updates.

This feature is particularly beneficial for project managers, operations teams, and organizations with complex or evolving workflows. Whether managing agile sprints, client deliverables, or internal processes, teams can now tailor their task structures to improve efficiency, enhance collaboration, and maintain better oversight of project progress.

Verdict: Hot! Workflow management can be difficult, so any amount of customization that makes it easier is a great step forward.

Toggl Update Notes

A screenshot of Toggl’s new Profit and Cost Analysis feature, showing an analytics dashboard with two pie charts: “Workload Hours per Project” and “Worked Hours per Task”. Next to each pie chart is an “Edit” button, which leads to a dropdown with different metrics that can be displayed.
Toggl's new Profit and Cost Analysis feature enables users to track cost, profit, and fixed-fee profit calculations through customizable charts for better financial decision-making.

Toggl has introduced significant updates to its Analytics platform, now available in beta, that aim to provide users with more actionable insights from their time-tracking data. A key enhancement is the Profit and Cost Analysis feature, which lets users chart costs, profits, and fixed-fee profits to spot loss or profit areas and optimize resources. This functionality helps businesses identify areas where they are operating at a loss or profit, facilitating more informed decision-making and optimization of resources.

Another major improvement is the introduction of Flexible Filters, which are designed to eliminate the need for time-consuming data exports. Users can now choose from 14 different filters to tailor their data views. This flexibility allows for quick auditing of time entries, analysis of specific project types, and exclusion of non-billable activities, which enhances the accuracy and relevance of insights.

Additionally, the updated date picker provides the ability to view all-time data and select any desired time range, offering more flexibility in data analysis. The platform also now supports grouped rounding, which allows users to apply rounding at any level, ensuring greater accuracy across their data. 

These updates will be particularly beneficial for project managers, financial analysts, and business owners seeking to gain deeper insights into their operations, improve profitability, and streamline reporting processes.

Verdict: Hot! Data—especially financial data—is the backbone of business. Making it easier to filter and understand is definitely hot.

Insightful Update Notes 

A promotional image of Insightful’s new Time Off Types feature, showing that employees can now categorize absences as “Public Holiday”, “Vacation”, “Sick Leave”, “Undertime”, “Late Clock-in”, and “Expected.” It also shows that notes such as “Ronald Richards is often late for shift clock-in” can be added to time log entries.
Insightful's new Time Off Types feature categorizes time-off entries as Vacation, Sick Leave, Public Holiday, Unauthorized Leave, or Other, improving scheduling accuracy and planning.

In Q1 2025, Insightful enhanced its platform with new Time Off and Scheduling features to improve workforce management. A key update is the introduction of Time Off Types, where every time-off entry is now labeled as Vacation, Sick Leave, Public Holiday, Unauthorized Leave, or Other. This categorization allows managers and team members to quickly see who is off and why.

To enhance communication, managers can also now attach Notes for Schedules & Time Off when creating or editing shifts or time-off requests. These notes appear directly in shift details, ensuring that all relevant context is accessible. This feature reduces confusion about schedule changes or specific employee requests.

Additionally, three new filters—Time Off Type, Lateness, and Work Time—allow managers to quickly find and analyze key scheduling data. These filters track time-off categories, flag late employees, and compare expected vs. actual hours to simplify attendance and overtime management.

These updates are particularly beneficial for HR teams, managers, and businesses looking to improve workforce planning and scheduling efficiency.

Verdict: Not. Scheduling information is always great to have, but these updates are nothing new.

TMetric Update Notes

A screenshot of TMetric’s new Timesheets feature, displaying a timesheet for employee “Eddy Brok”. The timesheet displays the weekdays as columns and tasks as rows. Time allotted to each task per weekday is recorded, with a total at the end of the week for each task. At the top of the timesheet, there are buttons to Approve, Reject, or Withdraw Submission.
TMetric's Timesheets approval feature allows team members to submit work hours for managerial review and approval, ensuring accuracy and streamlining payroll processing.

In February 2025, TMetric enhanced its time-tracking platform by introducing a comprehensive Timesheets feature that is designed to streamline the process of recording and approving work hours. This feature allows team members to submit their timesheets for managerial approval, ensuring accuracy in recorded hours and facilitating efficient payroll processing. Managers can review, verify, and approve submissions within the platform, streamlining admin tasks and ensuring accurate records.

To further customize the timesheet experience, TMetric allows workspace administrators to configure settings that align with their organization's policies. Options include setting approval periods, selecting the starting day of the timesheet cycle, and enabling automatic email reminders for timely submissions. These customization options ensure that the timesheet process integrates seamlessly with existing workflows.

Additionally, TMetric offers the ability to export timesheets in CSV or PDF formats, facilitating integration with external accounting systems or for use in detailed reporting. The platform also provides various timesheet statuses to help track progress in the payroll process and updates both employees and managers via email. 

These features are particularly beneficial for HR departments, project managers, and finance teams seeking to improve accuracy in time tracking, enhance payroll efficiency, and maintain clear communication regarding work hours and project allocations.

Verdict: Hot! Approving timesheets can take up a lot of a manager’s time. Making it quicker and easier frees up their time for more important tasks.

Clockify Update Notes

Clockify's new time tracking reminders notify users based on their work capacity or a custom number of hours, helping them stay on track and manage their workload efficiently.


In March 2025, Clockify introduced several updates to enhance its time-tracking and workforce management platform. A standout feature is the ability to transfer a workspace between organizations in the CAKE.com Suite, improving collaboration and resource management. This update is particularly helpful for organizations managing multiple workspaces and seeking streamlined operations.

Another significant enhancement is the introduction of time-tracking reminders that align with a user's work capacity or a custom number of hours. This feature helps ensure that team members adhere to their designated work hours, preventing burnout. Additionally, the default work capacity for users has been standardized to 8 hours, providing a consistent framework for time management across the platform.

Clockify also improved its time-off management system by implementing warnings for overlapping time-off requests, reducing scheduling conflicts and ensuring adequate staffing. Furthermore, a new filter in the Requests tab allows managers to view time-off requests by specific team members and dates. These updates are particularly valuable for HR professionals, team managers, and organizations aiming to optimize workforce scheduling.

Verdict: Hot! Burnout is so not hot, so we love features that prevent it. 




Time Tracking Software Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions people ask about this topic.

What is the best time tracking software?

The best time tracking software is the one that works best for your situation. Three things you should consider are:

  • The level of customer support you need
  • Any advanced feature needs (normally in premium paid plans)
  • If you need access from mobile devices

If you only need software that tracks time and generates invoices, you will benefit from most of the items on this list. However, if you are looking for a project management tool with time tracking capabilities, you want to stick with software like monday.com, Smartsheet or Toggl.

What does time tracking software do?

Time tracking software allows project team members to track time to reflect the time spent on the tasks they are executing. It is a technological solution to the timesheets that were popular in the past.

Time tracking software also incorporates reporting features, so you can see what your team has been up to and if they have free time to take on more work, which makes it a great complement to resource management software.

Why is time tracking software important?

Time tracking and expense tracking software aren’t anyone’s idea of fun, but they’re necessary in the digital agency world, especially for professional services and consulting. When you’re billing by the hour or charging time and materials, you have to track budget burn. Invoicing isn’t fun either, but it relies on accurate timesheet detail to work.

At the core, businesses need budget and financial tracking to survive; we have to know the project budget essentials:

  • Are we above or below the project budget?
  • Are we tracking to hit the budget?
  • How much should be invoiced to the client?
  • How profitable is the project / job / client?

What is the best time tracking tool for small business?

The best tool for small business is Clockify. This free tool has all the basic time tracking features you need: timesheets, an auto timer, a pomodoro timer, and even idle detection and notifications.

The free version of Clockify is available for unlimited users and allows managers to pull basic reports on team activity, billable time, and overall team workload. However, if you need to track time only in a team of five or less users, you can consider free plans from many other tools like Toggl Track or Everhour.

Are timesheets important?

Timesheets are important because they provide a clear, detailed record of how time is spent across tasks and projects. Accurate timesheet data helps teams build better budgets, forecast project timelines more realistically, and identify scope creep early. It’s not just about billing clients—it’s also about improving internal processes and resource planning.

Without timesheets, it’s easy to underestimate workloads, miss deadlines, or misallocate resources.

Can time tracking help with risk management?

Time tracking can definitely help with risk management. A good productivity tool doesn’t just log hours—it shows patterns. If a task is taking longer than expected or a team member is overloaded, time tracking flags it early. That gives project managers a chance to adjust timelines, reassign work, or talk to the client before small issues turn into big risks. It can also help spot budget overruns and resource shortages before they get out of control.

How do time tracking tools handle data privacy?

Time tracking software providers recognize the importance of data privacy and usually follow strict standards like GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations. They use security measures such as encryption, secure storage, and regular audits to protect user data.

Many tools also offer customizable privacy settings, giving businesses control over what’s tracked and who can access it. These options help ensure employee monitoring stays compliant with privacy laws and ethical standards.

Can time tracking tools integrate with other project management software?

Most leading time tracking solutions offer strong integration capabilities with popular project management software to streamline workflows, boost productivity, and create a cohesive user experience.

Integrations can range from basic tracking to deep, two-way syncs that cover task updates, project progress, and financial tracking. Many tools connect with platforms like Asana, Trello, Jira, and Slack to let users track time directly within these apps.

Furthermore, some project management tools, such as ClickUp, Teamwork, and Paymo, include built-in time tracking alongside project planning features, which allows users to manage tasks, budgets, and time from a single platform.

How scalable are time tracking solutions for growing teams?

Time tracking solutions are designed with scalability in mind, supporting both small teams and large enterprises. Features often include easy user management, flexible pricing, and the ability to handle growing data and projects.

Scalable tools also offer advanced features like project forecasting, resource allocation, and detailed reporting, which become more valuable as teams expand. The best solutions scale with user count and project volume while adapting to changing business needs.

 

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Ben Aston
By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!