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Time tracking software helps businesses track employee working hours, monitor productivity, manage tasks, and improve workforce efficiency. The right tool depends on business needs, team size, features, and budget.
Finding the right time tracking software for your business goes beyond just knowing the name of the best time tracking software, comparing prices, and analysing the features list. It requires analysis of how a solution fits to your business need, existing workflow, and team requirements, how reliable its support and data security is, and the value it offers.
To make this time consuming process easy, we have compared 13 best time tracking software solutions based on their features, pricing, user experience, learning curve, security, customer support, and suitability for different business requirements.
This guide explains what each tool does best, its advantages and limitations, and which businesses should consider it.
Disclosure: This article is published by MaxelTracker, which is included in the comparison. The recommendations are based on vendor documentation, published pricing, and available third-party review information.
The following table compares the tools by their primary use cases starting prices.
Sr. No. | Software | Best For | Starting Price |
1. | MaxelTracker | User productivity insights | $1.59/user/month |
2. | Toggl Track | Project and task tracking | $9/user/month |
3. | Hubstaff | Remote workforce tracking | $4.99/seat/month |
4. | TimeChamp | Data loss prevention | $3.90/user/month |
5. | Time Doctor | Employee activity reporting | $6.67/user/month |
6. | DeskTime | Desktop productivity tracking | $6.42/user/month |
7. | Clockify | Project timesheets | $3.99/user/month |
8. | Harvest | Client billing and invoicing | $9/seat/month |
9. | Jibble | Attendance tracking | Paid plans vary |
10. | Connecteam | Frontline workforce management | $29/month for first 30 users |
11. | Everhour | Project management integrations | $8.50/seat/month |
12. | QuickBooks Time | Payroll and accounting | $20/month base + $10/user/month |
13. | Keka | Payroll and Leave Management | Custom pricing |
Pricing notes: All prices are in USD. Paid starting prices are based on advertised annual billing where available, except QuickBooks Time, which shows its standard monthly base and per-user prices.
We considered following criteria to evaluate time tracking software:
Features: Time tracking capabilities, reporting and analytics, workforce visibility (application usage, screenshots, activity tracking, and monitoring controls), project and billing capabilities, and integrations
User experience: Interface clarity, navigation, and accessibility of everyday features.
Learning curve: Setup complexity, onboarding, and employee adoption requirements.
Business suitability: Fit for specific industries, team sizes, and workforce structures.
Pricing and value: Subscription costs, tier restrictions, add-ons, and billing requirements.
Data security and privacy: Documented security measures, access controls, certifications, and employee privacy protections.
Customer support: Available support channels, onboarding resources, and independently reported experiences.
Note: We evaluated each vendor’s publicly advertised security measures, certifications, compliance standards, and support offerings for review of data security.
MaxelTracker is employee monitoring and time tracking software designed to help businesses understand how employees spend working hours and convert tracked time into workforce productivity insights.
It automatically tracks working time and provides visibility into applications, websites, productive and unproductive activities, idle time, and other work patterns.
Businesses can use these insights to identify inefficiencies, understand how time is distributed across teams, and make more informed decisions about workforce productivity.
Unlike basic time trackers that primarily record hours, MaxelTracker also provides screenshots, live screen monitoring, screen recording, productivity classification, and AI-powered reports.
Automated and manual time tracking: MaxelTracker supports two tracking modes: automatic and manual. Automatic tracking begins when the employee's desktop is active, while manual tracking allows users to start and stop timers for project or task work. The system records working hours, idle time, offline time, and extra time.
Application and website usage tracking: The platform records time spent across applications and websites, including page titles, URLs, and browser tabs. Managers can review application usage, detailed activity logs, and work patterns to understand where employees spend working time.
Department-specific productivity classification: Applications and websites can be classified as productive, neutral, or unproductive for different departments.
Screenshots:MaxelTracker captures screenshots at configurable intervals of 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, or 60 minutes.
Live screen monitoring: Live screen monitoring allows authorized managers to view up to nine employee screens simultaneously.
Screen recording: Screen recording allows admins to record the user screen to ensure accountability .
AI-powered summaries and reports: Organization-wide productivity summaries, cross-department comparisons, activity breakdowns, business impact analysis, and strategic recommendations.
Integrations: The platform supports ClickUp, Jira, and Redmine for task-related workflows. Slack and Microsoft Teams support delivery of daily and weekly productivity reports.
Modern and intuitive interface as compared to other time tracking software.
Minimal learning curve with free onboarding assistance.
AI-powered workforce reports and cross-department comparisons.
No mobile application for field employee time clocks.
Not designed for payroll processing or client invoicing.
MaxelTracker has a modern interface that provides an intuitive experience for the admin/user. A complete setup requires productivity classifications, monitoring settings, and role & shift management that takes a few hours to set up.
Free trial: 10 days, up to 10 users, no credit card required.
Pro: $1.99 per user/month billed monthly or $1.59 per user/month billed annually.
Enterprise: Custom pricing for additional administration and support requirements.
Screen recording add-on: $5 per user/month with MaxelTracker Cloud storage.
Verdict: MaxelTracker is a strong candidate for computer-based businesses seeking automated employee time tracking, workforce productivity insights, and greater visibility into working-time activities with screenshots, screen recording, and live screen monitoring.
Best for: IT companies, BPO/KPO operations, digital agencies, professional services firms, and computer-based businesses.
Toggl Track focuses on making time tracking easy for individuals and teams. Users can record time using timers, manual entries, calendars, and automatic tracking features. Managers can review project hours, billable work, team reports, and capacity information.
One-click timers and manual time entry.
Automatic desktop activity tracking.
Project and task reporting.
Billable rates.
Team productivity and revenue reports.
Project profitability and timesheet approvals in Premium.
Automatic tracking options that support time-entry workflows.
Clean and intuitive interface
Easy to use with small learning curve
Expensive than other time tracking software
Premium plan required for advanced features. Additional planning and capacity functions may involve extra costs.
Not designed for detailed screenshot-based employee monitoring.
Reviewers consistently appreciate its clean interface, simple timers, and minimal onboarding, although manual time corrections and some desktop workflows can be less intuitive.
Free plan available.
Starter: $9/user/month with annual billing.
Premium: $16/user/month with annual billing.
Enterprise: Custom pricing.
Verdict: Toggl Track is well suited to businesses that want accurate project time records without introducing extensive workforce monitoring.
Best for: Consultants, creative agencies, freelancers, and project-based businesses.
Hubstaff combines employee time tracking with activity levels, screenshots, application usage reports, timesheets, and project management-related functions.
It also provides features supporting payroll, payments, scheduling, and mobile workforces.
Employee time tracking and timesheets.
Activity levels and idle time tracking.
Screenshots.
Application and URL usage tracking.
Project budgets and work scheduling.
Payments, payroll-related workflows, and integrations.
Location-related functionality through selected plans and add-ons.
Broad integration capabilities.
Supports desktop and mobile workforces.
Offers project, scheduling, and payment-related features.
Entry-level plans limit screenshots and app/URL tracking.
Businesses with simple timesheet requirements may not need its broader feature set.
Hubstaff receives widespread praise for easy navigation and time tracking, although some users report inconsistent activity tracking and synchronization issues.
Starter: $4.99/seat/month annually.
Grow: $7.50/seat/month annually.
Team: $10/seat/month annually.
Enterprise: $25/seat/month annually.
A two-seat minimum applies to the main paid plans.
Verdict: Hubstaff is a strong candidate when remote time tracking must work alongside employee activity monitoring, projects, scheduling, and payroll-related processes.
Best for: Remote teams, distributed service businesses, and organizations combining time tracking with workforce administration.
TimeChamp is employee monitoring and workforce management software that combines automatic time tracking, productivity analytics, employee activity monitoring, and data loss prevention (DLP).
In addition to tracking working hours and application usage, TimeChamp offers security capabilities designed to help organizations monitor and restrict potentially unauthorized data transfers.
This makes it particularly relevant to businesses where monitoring employee work activities and protecting sensitive business information are both important requirements.
Automatic time tracking
Application and website monitoring
Screenshots and screen recording
Productivity analytics
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) including USB blocking, file transfer and upload monitoring, and email and cloud data protection
Combines employee time tracking and activity monitoring with DLP.
Offers additional controls for organizations handling sensitive information.
DLP and certain advanced capabilities involve additional charges.
Deploying endpoint security controls requires configuration and policy management.
Users praise TimeChamp's automated tracking and informative dashboards, although its extensive reporting and configuration options can overwhelm new administrators.
Time tracking and monitoring plans: Advertised from $3.90 per user/month.
Data Loss Prevention: Advertised from an additional $4 per user/month.
Implementation and training: Additional charges may apply.
Advanced analytics, recording, data retention, and other capabilities may have separate charges.
Free trial available.
Pricing depends on the selected plan, billing arrangement, add-ons, and implementation requirements.
Verdict: TimeChamp is worth considering when a business requires employee time tracking, productivity visibility, and data loss prevention capabilities in one platform. Buyers should evaluate the DLP add-on's scope and total implementation cost before purchasing.
Best for: IT companies, BPO/KPO operations, financial services firms, and businesses requiring employee activity visibility alongside data loss prevention controls.
Time Doctor combines employee time tracking with activity reports, screenshots, attendance information, and workforce productivity analysis.
Its higher tiers add application usage reporting, advanced analytics, and screen recording.
Automatic time tracking.
Employee screenshots.
Project and task time reports.
Attendance and scheduling features.
Application and website usage reports.
Productivity ratings and advanced analytics.
Video screen recording in Premium.
Multiple workforce monitoring capabilities.
Relevant to distributed and computer-based operations.
Application usage analysis requires Standard or higher.
Video recording is included in Premium rather than the entry plan.
Detailed monitoring requires clear employee privacy policies.
Users generally find Time Doctor's tracking interface accessible, but some report difficulty adjusting time entries, occasional login issues, and concerns about intrusive monitoring.
Basic: $6.67/user/month annually.
Standard: $11.67/user/month annually.
Premium: $16.70/user/month annually.
Enterprise: Custom pricing.
Verdict: Time Doctor is worth considering for organizations seeking more granular employee activity analysis and management reporting.
Best for: BPO operations, remote teams, and businesses requiring detailed productivity reporting.
DeskTime automatically tracks employee computer activity and calculates productive and unproductive time.
It provides application tracking, productivity reports, and additional monitoring capabilities in higher subscription tiers.
Automatic desktop time tracking.
Application and document-title tracking.
Productivity calculations.
Shift scheduling and integrations.
Calendar integration.
Suitable for desktop-based operations.
Screenshot capturing requires Premium.
Offline work may require additional reporting or manual context.
Less suitable for mobile field attendance.
Users generally appreciate DeskTime's automatic tracking and accessible reports, although productivity classification, initial configuration, and some interface elements can require adjustment.
Pro: $6.42/user/month annually.
Premium: $9.17/user/month annually.
Enterprise: Custom pricing.
Verdict: DeskTime is relevant for businesses that want automatic desktop time tracking and visibility into application usage.
Best for: Office-based, remote, and hybrid teams.
Clockify is a time tracking platform that helps businesses record employee hours, organize work by project, and generate timesheet reports.
Its free plan supports up to five users and includes timers, timesheets, an auto-tracker, and basic reporting.
Businesses requiring additional administration, invoicing, expenses, scheduling, or employee activity monitoring can upgrade to paid plans.
Timer-based and manual time tracking.
Automatic activity tracker.
Project and task time allocation.
Timesheets, attendance, and overtime.
Billable rates and invoicing in paid tiers.
Screenshot and activity monitoring in Pro.
Free plan for small teams.
Activity monitoring available for businesses that need it.
Detailed setup may become more complex as projects and team requirements grow.
Screenshots and activity monitoring require Pro.
Advanced administrative features require higher tiers.
Users frequently praise Clockify's intuitive interface and straightforward setup, although some find advanced reporting, billable settings, and synchronization less convenient.
Free: Up to five users.
Basic: $3.99/user/month annually.
Standard: $5.49/user/month annually.
Pro: $7.99/user/month annually.
Enterprise: $11.99/user/month annually.
Verdict: Clockify is a practical choice for businesses prioritizing affordable project tracking and timesheets. Its Pro plan deserves consideration when employee monitoring is also required.
Best for: Small businesses, freelancers, agencies, and project-based teams.
Harvest focuses on helping service businesses track time, manage expenses, monitor budgets, and invoice clients.
Its workflows connect recorded hours with project financial information.
Timers and timesheets.
Billable and non-billable hours.
Client invoicing.
Expense tracking.
Project estimates and budgets.
Team capacity and financial reporting.
Accounting and payment integrations.
Expense tracking alongside employee hours.
Strong billing and invoicing capabilities with project budget reporting.
Integrations with accounting applications.
Less suitable for employee desktop activity monitoring.
Businesses primarily concerned with attendance may not need its financial tools.
Harvest earns praise for straightforward time tracking and easy onboarding, although some users find its reporting and more complex billing workflows cumbersome. Initial setup may involve establishing client records, projects, rates, and invoice workflows.
Free: One seat and two projects.
Teams: From $9/seat/month annually.
Enterprise: From $14/seat/month annually.
Additional usage-related fees may apply.
Verdict: Harvest is a strong choice for service businesses where tracked time directly affects client invoices and project financial management.
Best for: Consultants, agencies, and professional services organizations.
Jibble is a time and attendance solution designed to record when employees start and finish work.
Its mobile and kiosk-based functionality can support businesses operating across different sites.
Employee clock-in and clock-out.
Attendance reports and timesheets.
Mobile time tracking.
GPS and geofencing.
Facial recognition.
Shared employee kiosks.
Scheduling and attendance-related administration.
Designed for attendance and clock-in workflows.
Mobile and kiosk functionality.
Location-based verification.
Suitable for frontline workers.
Not primarily designed for application and website productivity analysis.
Biometric and location tracking require privacy consideration.
Advanced functionality varies by subscription.
Users frequently praise Jibble's simple clock-in interface, although initial configuration, advanced settings, and reporting customization can require additional familiarization.
A free plan is available. Jibble also offers paid subscriptions with expanded functionality. Current paid rates should be checked against the applicable regional quotation.
Verdict: Jibble is an appropriate option for businesses that prioritize accurate attendance records and employee clock-ins.
Best for: Retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and businesses with shift-based employees.
Connecteam combines mobile time tracking with scheduling, task coordination, forms, and workforce communication.
Its Operations Hub supports organizations that need to manage time and daily work processes from one platform.
Mobile employee time clock.
GPS-supported clock-ins.
Employee scheduling.
Job and task management.
Forms and checklists.
Payroll integrations.
Workforce administration tools.
Combines employee time clocks and scheduling.
Mobile-oriented workflows.
Useful for frontline operations.
Multiple operational features in one platform.
Hub-based pricing can become more complex.
Less relevant for desktop activity analysis.
Businesses may need onboarding across several features.
Users generally find Connecteam's mobile experience accessible, although configuring its broader scheduling, communication, and workforce-management features involves a learning curve.
Small Business plan: Free for eligible teams of up to 10 users.
Operations Basic: $29/month for the first 30 users, annually.
Operations Advanced: $49/month for the first 30 users, annually.
Operations Expert: $99/month for the first 30 users, annually.
Additional users and hubs may increase costs.
Verdict: Connecteam is a strong candidate for organizations that need mobile time tracking alongside scheduling and frontline operations management.
Best for: Field-service companies, retail operations, hospitality businesses, and deskless employees.
Everhour helps businesses track time against projects and tasks while connecting with established project management workflows.
Its paid plan includes billing, budgeting, invoicing, and time approval capabilities.
Project and task time tracking.
Native project management integrations.
Billable-hour reporting.
Project budgets.
Invoicing.
Time approvals.
Administrative permissions.
Integrates tracking with project workflows.
Billing and budgeting features.
Useful task-level reporting.
Relatively straightforward paid plan structure.
Five-seat minimum on Team.
Integration compatibility must be checked.
Not primarily an employee productivity monitoring system.
Users praise Everhour's intuitive interface and smooth project management integrations, although some reporting and export workflows need improvement.
Free: Up to five users, with limited capabilities.
Team: $8.50/seat/month annually.
Custom: Quotation-based for larger teams.
The paid Team plan has a five-seat minimum.
Verdict: Everhour is suitable for project-based teams that want time tracking closely connected to the applications they already use.
Best for: Teams using supported project management platforms.
QuickBooks Time provides employee time tracking connected to QuickBooks workflows.
It supports timesheets, mobile attendance, and payroll-related processes.
Employee time tracking.
Mobile timesheets.
Time approvals.
Attendance-related functions.
GPS functionality.
Project time and cost reporting in higher plans.
QuickBooks accounting and payroll connections.
Connected time tracking and accounting workflows.
Mobile timesheet functionality.
Payroll-related integrations.
Useful for businesses already using QuickBooks.
Requires QuickBooks Online.
Base fees increase total subscription costs.
Not focused on detailed desktop activity monitoring.
Users appreciate its straightforward timesheets and QuickBooks integration, although mobile glitches, customization limitations, and occasional clock-in issues affect usability.
Time Premium: $20/month base fee plus $10/user/month.
Time Elite: $40/month base fee plus $12/user/month.
QuickBooks Online subscription required.
Promotional rates may be available for limited periods.
Verdict: QuickBooks Time is worth considering when employee time records must connect with accounting and payroll processes.
Best for: Businesses using QuickBooks for accounting or payroll.
Keka is an HR and payroll management platform that combines employee attendance tracking, leave management, shift scheduling, and payroll administration.
Unlike time tracking tools primarily focused on computer activity or productivity monitoring, Keka connects employee working-time records with HR policies and payroll processes.
Keka also offers project timesheet functionality for businesses that need to record billable and non-billable work.
Time and attendance tracking
Leave management
Payroll automation
Shift management
Mobile attendance
GPS and geofencing
Project timesheets
Statutory compliance
Integrates attendance, leave, overtime, and payroll.
Reduces the need to reconcile employee working-time records across separate HR tools.
Offers employee self-service and mobile attendance features.
Supports Indian payroll and statutory compliance workflows.
Includes broader HR and workforce management functionality.
More extensive than necessary for businesses needing only basic time tracking.
Requires configuration of payroll, leave, and attendance policies.
Does not primarily focus on detailed desktop application and website monitoring.
Project timesheets and advanced capabilities may require additional modules or higher-tier plans.
Users frequently praise Keka's intuitive HR and payroll interface, although advanced customization and reporting can require additional effort.
Keka main subscription categories include Foundation, Strength, and Growth, with more advanced HR and workforce-management features available in higher tiers.
Project timesheets and professional services automation may have separate packaging.
Businesses should request a quotation reflecting employee count, required modules, implementation charges, and local tax requirements.
Verdict: Keka is a strong candidate for businesses that need an integrated HR, attendance, leave, and payroll management platform rather than a standalone employee activity tracker.
Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses, HR teams, and organizations seeking integrated attendance, leave, payroll, and employee management.
To choose the right time tracking software, consider the following factors before purchasing.
Start by defining why the business needs time tracking software. Define what you need.
Employee working hours: Automatic tracking, timesheets, and attendance.
Project management: Project and task time allocation, budgets, and reporting.
Client billing: Billable-hour tracking, invoices, and expense management.
Workforce productivity: Application usage, activity reports, and productivity insights.
Frontline operations: Mobile clock-ins, shifts, and location-aware attendance.
Based on the needs, look for the list of the features you need.
Manual tracking requires employees to start and stop timers or enter working hours themselves.It can work well for project-based teams, especially when employees need to assign time to clients and tasks.
Automatic tracking records working time or computer activity without requiring constant manual input. This approach can reduce missing entries and administrative work for desktop-based teams.
However, automatic computer tracking does not capture every type of work. Meetings, offline activities, and tasks away from the computer may require additional context.
Time tracking software is used frequently, so usability affects adoption.
During a trial, evaluate whether employees can perform everyday actions without unnecessary steps.
Managers should be able to find relevant reports, understand dashboards, and manage users without extensive effort.
Also consider onboarding requirements. Some products are easy to use after configuration but require more technical setup at the beginning.
Time tracking platforms may collect sensitive workforce information.
Depending on the software, that information may include working schedules, application usage, website activity, employee locations, screenshots, or video recordings.
Before purchasing, review:
Encryption and authentication.
Role-based access permissions.
Employee privacy controls.
Data storage and retention.
Relevant security certifications.
Data-processing arrangements.
Monitoring and access policies.
Businesses should also communicate what information is collected, why it is collected, and who can access it.
Customer support becomes particularly important when deploying software across a large workforce.
Check whether the provider offers email, live chat, phone support, onboarding assistance, and technical documentation.
Support availability alone does not establish support quality.
Where possible, examine recent customer feedback and test the provider's responsiveness during the trial.
A time tracking platform should consistently record and synchronize data.
Before deployment, enroll in a free trial and test how it behaves when the internet disconnects, the computer restarts, or employees switch between applications.
Managers should also verify whether incorrect time entries can be reviewed or corrected.
Avoid choosing software solely because it advertises the lowest starting price.
The plan your business needs may cost more once screenshots, recording, analytics, support, or integrations are included.
Also consider billing frequency, annual contracts, minimum-seat requirements, storage charges, and administration costs.
The most suitable software depends on how employees work and what managers need to measure.
Business Type | Primary Requirement | Software to Consider |
IT and software companies | Working-time and activity visibility | MaxelTracker, Hubstaff, Time Doctor |
Digital marketing agencies | Project hours, accountability, billing | Toggl Track, Harvest, MaxelTracker |
BPO and KPO operations | Working-time patterns and productivity | MaxelTracker, Time Doctor, Insightful |
Consulting firms | Billable hours and client invoicing | Harvest, Everhour, TimeCamp |
Remote desktop teams | Activity insights and time records | Hubstaff, DeskTime, ActivTrak |
Retail and hospitality | Attendance and shift records | Jibble, Connecteam |
Construction and field services | Mobile time clocks and location | Connecteam, Jibble, QuickBooks Time |
Small businesses | Affordable timesheets | Clockify, Toggl Track, TimeCamp |
There is no single time tracking platform that is best for every business.
For businesses that primarily need project timers and timesheets, Clockify and Toggl Track are good starting points.
For client billing and financial reporting, Harvest, TimeCamp, and Everhour deserve consideration.
For frontline attendance and scheduling, Jibble and Connecteam are more suitable.
For businesses managing computer-based employees that need greater visibility into how working time is spent, MaxelTracker, Hubstaff, Time Doctor, TimeChamp, and DeskTime are relevant options.
MaxelTracker is particularly worth evaluating if your business wants to combine automated time tracking, application and website usage visibility, productivity insights, screenshots, and live screen monitoring in one platform.
Its department-specific productivity classifications also make it relevant to businesses with multiple teams performing different types of work.
Before deciding, shortlist two or three products, compare the subscription plans that contain your required features, and test the experience with a representative group of employees.
The right software should give management useful information without creating unnecessary complexity for the people using it.
Explore MaxelTracker's 10-day free trial to evaluate automated time tracking, activity reporting, and workforce productivity insights for your business.
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