Top 5 SaaS Tools for Timekeeping — Best Time Trackers

Time slips away—literally. If you bill by the hour, manage hybrid teams, or simply want clarity on where the workday goes, choosing the right SaaS tools for timekeeping matters. I’ve tested popular apps with small teams and freelancers, and I’ll walk you through the top five options, what they do best, and how they actually perform in real workflows. Expect clear comparisons, quick pros/cons, and practical examples so you can pick a tool that fits budgets, compliance needs, and the reality of messy calendars.

How I evaluated these tools

From what I’ve seen, the best timekeeping tools balance accuracy, ease-of-use, and integrations. I tested each app for:

• Ease of onboarding and daily use
• Mobile and desktop reliability
• Reporting and export options (for payroll or billing)
• Integrations with popular project management and accounting stacks
• Pricing transparency and free-plan usefulness

For background on time-tracking concepts and history, see the Time tracking overview.

Top 5 SaaS Tools for Timekeeping

Toggl Track

Best for: Freelancers and teams who want a frictionless timer and powerful reports.

Toggl Track is built around a start/stop timer with simple project and client structures. I like how quickly you can tag tasks—no clunky timesheets. It offers idle detection, manual time entry, and useful reporting for invoicing.

• Key features: One-click timers, project tags, rich reporting, browser extension, calendar integration.
• Pricing: Free tier available; paid plans add billable rates and prioritized support.
• Real-world tip: Use Toggl’s tag filters to separate billable client work from internal projects when exporting invoices.

Official site: Toggl Track.

Clockify

Best for: Teams on a budget that still need unlimited users and basic reports.

Clockify offers a robust free plan with unlimited users—rare for time tools. It includes timers, timesheets, and basic project tracking. It’s especially attractive for small agencies and nonprofits.

• Key features: Unlimited users on free plan, timesheet approvals, simple invoicing, integrations.
• Pricing: Generous free tier; paid plans for advanced admin and analytics.
• Real-world tip: Combine Clockify’s timesheet approvals with a weekly review process to keep payroll clean.

Harvest

Best for: Service businesses that bill clients and need integrated invoicing alongside timekeeping.

Harvest blends time tracking with invoicing and expense capture. The reporting is straightforward and the project budget alerts are useful to prevent overruns.

• Key features: Integrated invoices, expense tracking, project budgets, Slack and Asana integrations.
• Pricing: Free trial; paid plans per user with project limits.
• Real-world tip: Turn on project budget alerts to notify PMs when a job is near allocation—saves surprises at billing time.

QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets)

Best for: Teams needing payroll-ready timekeeping and deep accounting integration.

QuickBooks Time tightens the loop between time capture and payroll, especially if you already use QuickBooks Online. It supports geofencing, shift scheduling, and robust compliance features.

• Key features: GPS/time clock, shift scheduling, overtime rules, payroll export.
• Pricing: Per-user pricing with robust admin features for larger teams.
• Real-world tip: If you run payroll in QuickBooks, the direct sync eliminates manual export/import errors.

Official site: QuickBooks Time.

Hubstaff

Best for: Remote teams needing time tracking plus optional productivity and activity monitoring.

Hubstaff pairs timekeeping with screenshots, activity levels, and payroll features—useful for distributed teams where visibility matters. It’s heavier on monitoring, so weigh that against culture.

• Key features: Screenshots, activity metrics, payroll, GPS for field teams.
• Pricing: Free trial; paid plans per user with monitoring features.
• Real-world tip: Use activity monitoring sparingly; communicate expectations to keep trust high.

Comparison Table — Quick at a Glance

Key selection tips (so you don’t pick the wrong tool)

• Start with use case: Billing vs payroll vs monitoring—different needs require different features.
• Test the free plan: Many tools let you run a pilot for 2–4 weeks—use real projects.
• Check exports: CSV, Excel, and payroll exports save time during payroll reconciliation.
• Watch integrations: If you use QuickBooks or Xero, choose a tool with first-class sync.
• Consider privacy: Monitoring features can affect morale; be transparent.

For evidence that time-tracking improves productivity when implemented well, see this industry perspective on adoption and benefits: Forbes — How Time Tracking Tools Can Improve Productivity.

Short checklist before you commit

• Does it handle your payroll rules and overtime? (Yes or No)
• Can team members start/stop timers in under five seconds?
• Are reports exportable into your accounting system?
• Does the vendor offer good documentation and quick support?

Next steps

If you’re unsure, pick two finalists and run a two-week pilot. Track admin time to onboard the tool—if setup costs exceed benefits in the pilot, rethink. From my experience, a short trial with a small cross-section of users reveals most issues quickly.

Additional resources

Learn more about timekeeping fundamentals on Wikipedia and check vendor docs for payroll compliance details on official sites linked above.

Pick one, pilot it, and iterate. You’ll get cleaner invoices, smoother payroll, and better visibility into how work actually gets done.