10 Best Time Tracking Software Of 2025
Edited by
Eric Czerwonka
As a small business, you need to know how your employees spend their work hours. Time tracking software can help you do just that. With the right software, you’ll be able to increase productivity and efficiency while reducing costs. To help you choose the right time tracking software for your business and its staff, Forbes Advisor compiled a list of the best time tracking software of 2024.
We reviewed 13 software options using a complex methodology that allowed us to narrow it down to the 10 best time tracking platforms for small businesses. Our ratings consider 25 characteristics that small businesses look for, including offering a free version, a variety of pricing plans, mobile functionality, built-in reporting and more. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Buddy Punch is a comprehensive time tracking software with no shortage of features. Its Starter package includes unlimited time tracking for an unlimited number of projects. The reports are fully featured allowing you to filter and group by user, project, or job code.
If your workforce is remote and in an office, you can limit where they can punch in by IP address or specific in-office device. If your users are instead in the field you can limit them by geofence or specific GPS location. If you need to understand where your employees went during a shift they also offer live GPS tracking.
We can't forget Buddy Punch's webcam feature. It allows you to require that your employees or contractors take a photo when they punch in and out. This allows you to review photos to keep employees honest.
Buddy Punch is a great option for small to medium sized businesses who are looking for a user-friendly, easy to use time tracking software.
QuickBooks Time is a cloud-based time tracking solution that lets your employees clock in and out from mobile apps and automatically transfer their information to timesheets. You can also set custom rules for PTO and time off requests so that they can manage their vacation, sick time and holidays from the app.
The drag-and-drop tools are designed to help you build schedules and inform your employees of any open shifts or changes. At the end of the pay period, you’ll have a record of your employees’ hours and can sync it to a payroll software for invoicing.
QuickBooks’ geotechnology lets you monitor where your employees are so you can improve dispatching and client billing. It will also remind workers to check in and out when they come to and leave a job site, ensuring all hours are properly tracked.
QuickBooks Time is the ideal choice if you have a mobile workforce and want to improve productivity and profitability.
ClockShark is a time tracking software for small to midsize businesses in the construction and field service industries. It supports three clock-in methods, including mobile apps, kiosks and facial recognition.
Thanks to the built-in GPS, you can see where your employees are while they’re on the clock. Even if they lose internet connection, your workers can still track their time as the software will save the hours they worked and jobs they completed. Once there’s a connection again, the software will sync their data to their account.
There’s also a drag-and-drop schedule editor you can use to create and change work shifts. Any time there is a change in the schedule, ClockShark will automatically inform your team via email or the mobile app. The JobFlow solution offers a list of active and inactive jobs, the clients associated with them, the number of hours worked and the stage of each job.
It’s designed to show employees who are collaborating on the same job what has been completed and what’s in the pipeline. In addition, you can create custom job quotes with photos and documents and generate invoices directly from the quotes and employee timesheets.
Small businesses in construction and field service that are looking for an alternative to paper timesheets and a robust solution tailored for their industry.
Paymo focuses on time tracking, invoicing and billing. Each task you create in the software will include a start date, end date, description, expected hours to complete, billing type and estimated price. You’ll be able to set alerts when the billable amount of a task is about 90% of the estimate. Once a task is completed, you can create and send an invoice directly from the software.
While the free plan is pretty basic, the higher-level plans let you set live task timers so you can track progress in real time and send reminders and alerts to various team members. There’s also a way to view detailed time reports that show how long tasks are taking and which employees are the most efficient with them.
Paymo’s Kanban boards are ideal if you’d like to streamline workflows and enhance visibility. There are also Gantt charts you can use to plan, schedule and monitor every big or small detail of a project. Plus you can enjoy actionable insights to improve accountability.
Paymo is worth exploring for businesses that want to be able to track hours, keep tabs on tasks and generate invoices with ease.
TimeCamp is a cloud-based time tracking tool that helps all types of workers, including freelancers and contractors, become more productive. While you use it to log the time you spend on various tasks and projects, its tracking tool keeps tabs on the apps and websites you visit. This lets you understand how and where your time is being spent.
You have the option to track your time via desktop, Android or iOS device. Plus you can use a Google Chrome extension. In addition, TimeCamp creates attendance reports that clearly display how long you, and anyone else you work with, worked on a given day. The reports also make it easy to track time by project, client and task time.
Also, TimeCamp integrates with accounting tools, such as QuickBooks and Xero so you can track your clients accurately and budget for them accordingly.
TimeCamp is a solid pick if you’re a freelancer or contractor. It can help you identify and resolve any habits that take away from your productivity and accurately measure your profitability.
Deputy has no shortage of useful features to help you stay compliant, save costs and improve efficiency. You can create and assign ongoing or one-off tasks or checklists to individual employees. Once you do, you’ll be able to monitor them through a central dashboard with a color code that displays which tasks were completed and which ones are still pending.
The software’s time clock app gives managers insight on where employees are so they can ensure the ideal coverage and easily find replacements as needed. There’s also a shift scheduling tool to help you comply with federal, state and local labor laws.
You can schedule required breaks, paid time off and overtime. Since the app flags missed or unscheduled breaks, you’ll be able to easily reduce compliance risks. Deputy also offers a timesheet feature that can calculate employee wages based on employment contracts or local labor laws.
If you’d like to ensure your small business stays compliant with labor laws, Deputy can come in handy.
Formerly Toggl, Toggl Track is a time tracking app with a generous free plan. If you’re a freelancer, solopreneur or very small business, the free plan is sure to exceed your expectations. It’s full of basic time tracking features, including a timeline, auto-tracker, idle detection, off-line time tracking and weekly reports.
Best of all, there are no limits to how many projects you can create or how many clients you can track. Of course, you can enjoy more advanced features if you upgrade to the higher-level plans. Several of these include calendar integration, project templates, time tracking audits and priority support.
Since Toggl Track is essentially a timer, it’s a breeze to use. All you have to do is turn it on and let it count seconds and minutes. Once you end a timing session, the total amount of time will be saved to your account.
For a free software that offers impressive insights and reporting, Toggl Track should be on your radar.
TrackingTime is a web-based time tracking solution you can use to manage your projects and collaborate with your team. Its real-time tracker lets you keep tabs on working hours and organize projects, clients and tasks.
You’ll be able to see the work that’s currently being completed by your team. Plus you can categorize time as billable or non-billable to get insight on how much is spent on administrative tasks, such as sending emails and attending meetings.
Your employees can clock in and out from their mobile devices, TrackingTime time cards or apps, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. In addition, you’ll get automatic monthly attendance reports, which reveal detailed work schedules and include breaks, overtime and paid time off.
If you have a small team that only requires basic time tracking capabilities, TrackingTime can meet your needs.
Time Doctor is a cloud-based time tracking software with an emphasis on productivity monitoring. Its tools let you analyze how employees manage their time and alert you when they’re wasting it.
You can set alerts and reminders to increase productivity by stating a time limit when workers can be idle. Once they exceed this limit, they’ll receive a pop-up that asks them if they’re still working. In the event they don’t respond after 60 seconds, the timer will stop recording.
There’s also a tool that captures employees’ screens at random times so you can see what they’re working on. In addition, you can track their website activities to find out if they visit any sites that hinder their productivity while they’re at work. The daily and weekly productivity reports can be useful as well.
Time Doctor makes sense if you have a remote or hybrid workforce or are simply looking for a way to increase your productivity.
RescueTime is a time tracking and management software with a focus on boosting productivity and staying focused while you work. Its most noteworthy feature is focus sessions, which you can use to keep track of when employees are working and taking breaks. Your employees can set goals about how long they’d like to work, what they would like to work on and which websites and apps they need to get the job done.
As soon as a Focus Session begins, the software turns off all notifications and distractions. Employees will then receive real-time alerts to help them stay on track. With RescueTime’s schedule management feature, you can view each employee’s schedule and work with them to determine what types of goals are most realistic for them.
RescueTime also generates daily summaries and in-depth reports so you can learn how productive your employees are and which distractions they need to work on. These can come in handy when it comes time to assess their progress and review their performance.
RescueTime is worth considering if you’re a small to medium-sized business with a focus on setting employee goals and limiting distractions.
| Buddy Punch | QuickBooks Time | ClockShark | Paymo | TimeCamp | Deputy | Toggl Track | TrackingTime | Time Doctor | RescueTime | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes Advisor Rating | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| Starting Price | Free; $5.49 per user per month (paid annually) | $20 per month (for the first three months, then $40 per month) plus $10 per user, per month | $8 per month per user plus a $40 per month base fee | Free; $5.90 per user, per month (billed annually) | Free; $2.99 per user, per month | Free; $6 per user, per month (billed annually) | Free; $9 per user, per month (billed annually) | Free; $5.75 per user, per month (billed annually) | $5.90 per user, per month (billed annually) | $6.50 per month |
| Free Trial | Yes, for seven days | Yes, for 30 days | Yes, for 14 days | Yes, for 15 days | Yes, for 14 days | Yes, for 31 days | Yes, for 30 days | Yes, for 14 days | Yes, for 14 days | Yes, for 14 days |
| Standout Features | Employee monitoring, off-line mode | PTO management, employee scheduling, geotechnology | Drag-and-drop schedule editor, JobFlow solution | Kanban boards, Gantt charts | Productivity tracking, attendance tracking | Shift scheduling compliance tool, timesheet wage calculator | Calendar integration, time tracking audits | Automatic monthly attendance reports, project management tool | Productivity alerts and reminders, employee screen capture | Focus sessions, end-of-day reviews, schedule management |
Time tracking software helps employers and workers keep track of time spent on various tasks, projects and other deliverables. You can use it to stay organized, regardless of your industry or job responsibilities. With a quality time tracking solution, you’ll find it easy to pinpoint distractions and make smart business decisions that allow you to become more productive and profitable.
Time tracking software offers a number of noteworthy advantages, such as:
Not all time tracking software is created equal. To help you find the ideal option for your unique situation, consider the following.
The way you run your business and perform your work will determine the best time tracking solution. It’s a good idea to ask yourself these questions:
If you’re typically away from the office and out in the field, for example, a robust mobile app should be your priority. In the event you’re a small business with several employees, investing in a paid time tracking solution may make more sense than if you’re self-employed with no employees.
A stand-alone time tracker is a basic tool that lets you record the time spent on projects and tasks. In most cases, you’ll need to manually enter your time and categorize it. A time tracking suite, on the other hand, is more robust and offers bells and whistles, such as schedule management, geo-tracking, easy integrations and more.
When it comes to pricing for time tracking software, it varies greatly. Typically, however, most solutions will charge you a flat monthly rate plus a rate per user. Factors including specific features and the number of employees you have will dictate what you pay for a time tracking tool. Keep in mind that sometimes, you won’t be able to find pricing information online and will need to reach out to the company directly for a custom quote.
Our staff researched 13 time tracking solutions to narrow down our top 10 recommendations. We homed in on 25 factors including pricing, features, third-party ratings and reviews, and our proprietary expert score. You can find details on each factor below.
We paid attention to how much each solution costs and whether or not it had a free version. Pricing accounted for 10% of the overall score.
Features such as a mobile app, clock in/clock out, invoicing, scheduling, alerts, time management and multiple billing rates were all important to us. Features made up 30% of the overall score.
Bonus points were given to solutions that come with extra features, including reporting, real-time project dashboards, automatic time capture and automated reminders. Additional features accounted for 20% of the overall score.
We prioritized solutions with higher third-party ratings of 3.5 or higher while also taking into account the total number of reviews. Reviews were 10% of the overall score.
Our team of researchers focused on the overall value of the platforms, their popularity and ease of use and any personal experience or hands-on testing they were able to conduct. The expert score played a 30% role in the overall score.
Time tracking software allows employees to record the time they spend on various tasks or projects. Most solutions include extra features, such as invoicing, reporting and productivity monitoring.
Time tracking software keeps track of work hours. It provides insight on how much time was spent on various tasks, projects and clients. Most solutions also offer extras, such as scheduling tools and invoicing.
Whether you need time tracking software depends on your unique business and goals. If you’re a small business who would like to improve employee productivity, it may make sense. On the flip side, if you’re a freelancer who is starting out, you may be able to keep track of your time manually without a solution.
Typically, time tracking software with robust features will cost you a flat monthly rate plus a fee per user. Also, some time tracking software comes with a steep learning curve, so it might take some time and effort to get used to it and unlock its full potential.
While it’s convenient, you don’t need a time tracking software to track employee time. Instead, you may use a spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Another option is to install time clocks where employees can clock in and out. In addition, you can try geofencing or GPS tracking apps to keep track of employee time while they’re away from the office.