5 Best Time Tracking Software April 2023

You need to be aware of how your staff members use their working hours as a small business owner. Using time monitoring software will enable you to do that. You may save expenses while increasing production and efficiency with the proper software. Forbes Advisor created a list of the top time tracking software for 2023 to assist you in selecting the finest program for your company and its employees.

Read more to know about: 10 Powerful Mission Statement Examples That Stand Out

The Best Time Tracking Software of 2023

• Clockify: Best Overall
• ClockShark: Best for Construction and Field Service Industries
• Paymo: Best for Invoicing and Billing
• Deputy: Best for Staying Compliant With Labor Laws
• Toggl Track: Best for a Free Plan with Impressive Reporting

Clockify: Best Overall

Clockify is a feature-rich time monitoring program that covers all the bases. For as long as you use it for free, you may monitor an infinite number of projects. The function for summary reports summarizes the time recorded for each day, together with the money made per project, costs, profits, and estimates. This graph may be filtered by clients, projects, tasks finished, and project status.

Additionally, there is a function for monitoring your staff that captures screenshots of their displays while they work. You may monitor the GPS positions of your remote workforce members while they are working at home or out in the field. Additionally offered are customizable invoicing and expense tracking.

Not to be overlooked is Clockify’s offline mode function. It enables your staff to keep track of time even if they lose internet access. The time entries will be immediately entered in their timesheet after the connection has been restored.

Who should use it?

Clockify is a great option for freelancers and small businesses who are looking for a user-friendly, free time tracking software.

Pros

• Several ways to track your time: manually, with a timer, or through the calendar input feature
• Unlimited free time tracking for an unlimited number of projects
• Screenshot feature to keep an eye on employees’ screens as they work

Cons

• No way to mark projects completed
• Glitches with the mobile app
• Summary can be confusing to navigate

ClockShark: Best for Construction and Field Service Industries

For small to medium firms in the construction and field service sectors, ClockShark is time tracking software. It accepts three clock-in techniques: face recognition, kiosks, and mobile apps.

You can track where your personnel are while they are working because of the integrated GPS. Your employees may still keep track of their time even if they lose internet access since the program will preserve the hours they put in and the tasks they finished. The program will sync their data to their account if there is a connection once more.

You can also create and modify work shifts using the drag-and-drop schedule editor. ClockShark will automatically alert your employees through email or the mobile app if the schedule changes. The Job Flow system provides a list of open and closed jobs, the clients connected to them, the hours worked on each task, and its stage.

It is intended to display accomplished tasks and upcoming tasks to workers who are working on the same project. Additionally, you may build personalized work quotations with images and documents, and you can generate bills from the quotes and timesheets of your employees.

Who should use it?

Small businesses in construction and field service that are looking for an alternative to paper timesheets and a robust solution tailored for their industry.

Pros

• Job Flow solution to track the life cycle of your jobs
• Drag-and-drop schedule that lets you create and change work shifts
• Job quote and invoice creator with personalization options

Cons

• Basic plan is designed for smaller businesses with up to five employees
• Must upgrade to a higher-level plan for scheduling
• Higher-level plans are expensive

Paymo: Best for Invoicing and Billing

Paymo focuses primarily on time monitoring, billing, and invoicing. Each job you create in the program will have a start date, an end date, a description, an anticipated number of hours to do it, a billing type, and a price. You may create alerts for when a task’s billable cost is roughly 90% of the estimate. When a task is finished, the program allows you to instantly produce and submit an invoice.

The higher-level plans allow you to create live task durations so you can check progress in real-time and send reminders and notifications to various team members, but the free plan is quite minimal. Additionally, there is a method to check comprehensive time statistics that demonstrate how long tasks are taking and which personnel are handling them most effectively.

If you want to improve visibility and streamline procedures, Paymo’s Kanban boards are perfect. Gantt charts may also be used to plan, schedule, and keep track of all the minor and large details of a project. Additionally, you may benefit from practical ideas to enhance responsibility.

Who should use it?

Paymo is worth exploring for businesses that want to be able to track hours, keep tabs on tasks and generate invoices with ease.

Pros

• Robust Kanban and Gantt features
• Advanced billing and invoicing features
• Unlimited invoices on all plans
• Comment flow on tasks for easy collaboration

Cons

• Limited users with the basic plan
• Can be expensive
• Comes with a steep learning curve

Deputy: Best for Staying Compliant With Labor Laws

Deputy provides a ton of helpful tools that can keep business in compliance, save expenses, and boost productivity. You may make and give certain workers recurring or one-time assignments or checklists. When you do, you’ll be able to keep track of them using a single dashboard that shows which jobs have been finished and which are still outstanding using a color code.

With the use of the software’s time clock app, managers can see where their staff members are at all times, ensuring the best coverage and making replacements simple when necessary. You may also use a shift scheduling tool to assist you abide by labor rules from the federal, state, and local levels.

You may arrange paid time off, overtime, and mandatory breaks. You can quickly lower compliance risks since the software indicates missing or unplanned breaks. Additionally, Deputy has a timesheet function that may compute employee pay in accordance with employment contracts or regional labor regulations.

Who should use it?

If you’d like to ensure your small business stays compliant with labor laws, Deputy can come in handy.

Pros

• Employees can clock in and out digitally
• Shift scheduling tool to simplify labor law compliance
• Automatic wage calculations according to local labor laws or employment contracts

Cons

• Very basic free plan
• Must invest in Enterprise plan to enjoy the forecasting feature
• User interface could be improved

Toggl Track: Best for a Free Plan with Impressive Reporting

Time monitoring app Toggl Track, formerly Toggl, offers a generous free plan. If you run a very tiny business, a solopreneur, or a freelancing firm, the free plan will more than meet your needs. It includes a timeline, auto-tracker, idle detection, off-line time monitoring, and weekly reports, among other fundamental time tracking capabilities.

The best part is that there are no restrictions on the number of projects or clients you can keep track of. Of course, if you upgrade to the higher-level plans, you can take use of more sophisticated features. Integration of the calendar, project templates, time tracking audits, and priority support are a few of them.

Toggl Track is simple to use because it is basically a timer. Simply switch it on and let it start counting seconds and minutes. The entire length of time will be stored to your account once a timing session has ended.

Pros

Methodology

Our team looked at more than a dozen time monitoring options before settling on our top seven suggestions. We examined cost, including free plans and trials, as well as important features, such tools for project management and clocking in and out.

We also gave priority to products with favorable client feedback and round-the-clock customer assistance. Additionally, we awarded extra points for solutions with special features like monitoring screenshots, productivity reports, and the ability to measure time when offline.

How to Choose a Time Tracking Software

Software for tracking time is not all made equal. As you search for the best choice, there are several things you should take into account. Consider your workforce first, and if your employees are typically in the office, at home, or out in the field.

After that, decide what you want a time monitoring program to help you achieve. Perhaps you want to do away with paper timesheets. Or maybe you want to boost productivity while reducing waste. Establish a budget, and don’t stop there. If you have the money, would you like to splurge on an all-inclusive plan with all the bells and whistles or are you searching for a free plan?

Benefits of Time Tracking Software

There are a number of notable benefits that time monitoring software provides, including:

Increased Productivity:

Time monitoring software can help you identify inefficiencies and develop a more efficient workforce if your team has trouble meeting deadlines or you are concerned that they are being unproductive.

More Accurate Quoting:

Time tracking software may eliminate the time and guesswork associated with correct quotation since you will be able to record how long each activity or job takes.

Easier Prioritization:

You’ll have a better notion of how to manage your resources so that you may work on the tasks that are most important first thanks to time monitoring software.

Improved Rewards and Retention:

Your best staff may be identified using time monitoring tools, allowing you to reward and keep them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is time tracking software?

Employees can log the time they spend on various jobs or projects using time tracking software. The majority of solutions come with added features like billing, reporting, and productivity tracking.

How much does time tracking software cost?

Software for keeping track of time might be expensive. While there are many free options available, a full solution with cutting-edge features may cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually.

What is the best time tracking software?

The best time tracking software will depend on your particular business needs and objectives. ClockShark is perhaps the best option if you own a small construction firm, for instance. Toggl Track, however, might be a good option if you’re a freelancer or solopreneur looking for an excellent free plan with basic time tracking capabilities.