Hate timesheets? You’re not alone. But my top-performing clients are obsessed with time-tracking at their agencies. Billable hours are closely connected to agency profit margins, because your team’s time is your agency’s “inventory.” Pick the right time tracking software and you’ll get data without a painful process. Pick the wrong software and your team will revolt. Ultimately, you’ll want to pick just one. [Latest update: June 2023] The ideal choice is a time-tracking tool that’s built into PM software you already use, but many agencies use a combo of tools to get things done—for instance, Asana for PM plus Harvest for time-tracking.
50+ time tracking tools for agencies
5pm
5pm has a time tracking desktop widget that you can use in addition to your project management systems to manage your time spent on individual tasks.
aTimeLogger
This personal time tracker can help your team members track personal time, goal progress, and productivity levels. You can use it to track projects and daily tasks to see how long each takes.
Active Collab
Active Collab is time tracking software that works across your project and task list. You can list priorities in one place and then hit play to begin tracking time.
ATracker
ATracker allows you to track time from your phone, view tasks, and see how much time you spend on particular projects via a convenient pie or bar chart. You can also share time reports via social.
Avaza
This kanban project management tool includes time tracking on individual tasks. It comes complete with downloadable reports and timesheets for users and projects, which will be useful for clients who want to know billable time breakdown.
ChronoMate
This is a Mac OS time tracking app specifically for Freshbooks. Track the time you spend on different projects, and then have those numbers to back up your client invoices.
ClickTime
This time tracking app also has expense tracking, can separate online and offline tracking, and vacation tracking. It also supports multiple billing rates and performance tracking for your team.
Clockify
Time tracking with desktop and mobile app, categories, and export features. Main version is free, with self-hosting available on a paid basis.
Clockodo
This time tracking tool is designed for small to medium agencies, helps you invoice more quickly and accurately, and has detailed reports that show how time was spent and whether it was profitable.
Clockspot
A cloud-based time tracking tool for small to medium-sized businesses allows you to track your team’s work hours from any device, so you can monitor budgets and billables.
Dovico
Your team members can use Dovico to enter time on a project then submit that time for reporting, billing, and approval.
Everhour
Everhour works within your favorite project management tools, such as Trello, Slack, and more. It will embed directly and provide detailed time reports.
Fanurio
Fanurio is a time tracking tool and billing software for freelancers and small teams, has a flexible timer that works on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Unix, and can produce detailed invoices.
Freshbooks Time Tracker
Freshbooks has a built-in time tracker that allows you to monitor your time and prevent under- or over-billing. Log hours from anywhere and have your team members do the same.
FunctionFox
FunctionFox includes time-tracking plus lightweight PM. They’re targeted to agencies with 5-50 employees, but can handle 500 employees. Founded in 2001, theirs is one of the oldest web-based time-tracking systems.
Harvest
Harvest is a time tracking tool that can use your tracked time to generate automatic invoices on your schedule. It can also send payment reminders if your clients miss an invoice payment deadline.
Hours
This time tracking tool allows you to instantly switch between different projects, has a clear timeline to monitor your day, and works for both individuals and teams.
Hubstaff
This time tracking solution offers productivity monitoring, online timesheets, invoicing, and customizable reports, and over 30 integrations.
ManicTime
ManicTime tracks your work day in the background by recording which programs and files you access. It uses “time tags” to analyze how productive you work, and how efficiently you used your time.
Minterapp
The time tracking system also features billing and per-user monitoring. You can generate reports and invoices, and get paid easily via PayPal or Stripe.
Mite
Mite has manual and timer time tracking available, with clear reports and an option to export your time sheets.
MoneyPenny
MoneyPenny gives PMs and other managers live access to employees’ time-tracking timers, so you can see who’s doing what.
My Hours
This web-based time tracking tool allows you to create projects, track time to tasks, and generate time reports.
My Minutes
My Minutes uses a countdown timer and daily progress signals to allow you to track time against goals. For example, if you want to do a sprint in 1 hour, you can set up a countdown timer and ensure you don’t run over time.
Now Then
Switch tasks easily, track time spent on a project, and clock in and out with ease. Now Then offers colorful reports and charts to analyze how you’ve spent your time.
Parakeeto
Time tracking for creative agencies—to automate profitability tracking. Includes features to help you track budget against SOWs and tasks, without all the manual spreadsheet calculations.
Paydirt
Paydirt can scan the pages you visit and prompt you to start your timer when it finds a keyword matching a client. There is no code or special integrations needed, and easy-to-use one-click navigation makes it a simple yet effective solution.
Paymo
This time tracker also comes with project management functionality, and invoicing features so you can bill clients easily and accurately.
PomoDoneApp
This tool tracks time in 5, 15, or 25 minute sprints, allowing you to follow the Pomodoro technique. It has an option for timed auto-breaks and manage time based on projects or tasks. You can view project time reports, import lists, and integrate with various project management tools.
ProofHub
This tool is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration tool that simplifies daily tasks and projects for teams working remotely or in the same office.
Qbserve
This is a desktop time tracking app that automatically tracks time and activity on Mac OS. It’s a hands-off tool that can also create reports and invoices.
Replicon’s Web TimeSheet
This is a timesheet generation tool that captures time and attendance data for payroll and processing uses, and also tracks productivity levels.
RescueTime
This time tracking tool tracks time silently in the background, and compiles detailed reports that share time spent on projects, productivity, and accurate, comprehensive numbers.
Retain.ai
Automatically track where everyone’s time is going. Monitors which clients are consuming most of your team’s time, with integrations across numerous software programs.
Screenshot Monitor
This is a time tracking and screenshot monitoring tool for agencies to get a clear picture of where their freelancers or remote workers are spending the most time. Generate reports by employee, date range, and more.
SlimTimer
SlimTimer allows you to quickly create, track, and even share tasks with your coworkers. It can run reports of not only your time but also that of your coworkers.
Tick
This time tracking tool also tracks goal completion and integrates with Quickbooks, Freshbooks, and other tools to integrate budgets and time tracking into project workflows.
Time Doctor
This time tracker shows how you spent the workday, and integrates with different project management tools.
timegram
timegram is a privacy-first, smart time tracking platform that respects your team’s privacy and concentrates everyone’s focus on delivering their best work.
TimeCamp
TimeCamp is time tracking and invoicing software that allows your team members to track their own productivity so they can see how much time they lose to different distractions.
Timelogger
Track time down to task level with multiple timers that generate time, productivity, and routine reports.
Timely
Plan ahead and then log your work hours with Timely. You can sort time and goals by hashtags.
Timeneye
This intuitive time tracker can record the time spent on different projects, generate reports, and analyze efficiency.
Timesheet
Designed for Android, this tool can manage project tasks, expenses (even down to mileage), and display reports all in one dashboard. It can track locations of your team and syncs data on the cloud.
Timesheets.com
Track time for payroll and billing, including expense tracking, scheduling, and HR management tools.
Toggl
Track time from your browser, computer, or smartphone with one click. It integrates with many project management tools and other great agency apps.
Tyme
This time tracker has an intuitive interface with a colorful design, with comprehensive gesture controls and shortcuts. It also creates detailed reports and is a fully downloadable app.
WeWorked
This time tracker focuses on projects and can track employee leaves, create invoices, and collect payments over the web.
Worksnaps
With a particular focus on remote work, this time tracker integrates with Asana, JIRA, Teamwork, Trello, Zapier, and more.
Wrike
This time tracking software enables teams to improve their planning and resource management and focus on billable work.
Yast
This time tracker allows you to track time online to multiple projects, view reports by user or entire team, and boasts a simple one-click time tracker that also works on mobile.
yaTimer
This is one of the few time tracking tools that allow you to have multiple timers running at the same time. It supports a wide range of reports and timesheets, and allows you to order and color-code your tasks in one place.
Picking the Right Time Tracking Tool for Your Agency
Assign one of your PMs to lead the selection process—you want to make the right decision the first time, instead of switching again in a few months. Look for time tracking software that includes a mobile app or mobile-friendly web interface. You and your team will be using the tool all day long, so don’t put up with a poor UX. Question: What agency time tracking tools have you tried? Note: This post was originally published in 2017. Since then, we’ve updated it regularly with the latest time tracking tools (as of June 2023).
