Top 9 time tracking software solutions for smarter work in 2025

Manually chasing timesheets wastes hours. Time tracking software streamlines how you log project hours, bill clients, and improve team productivity. Needs vary—from simple timers for freelancers to employee tools with GPS, invoicing, and manual entry editing. We tested widely and identified 11 consistently high-rated options for 2025. Want a clearer way to plan and choose? Start with Xmind to map requirements and pick the right fit.

Xmind

Xmind takes time management beyond simple tracking by providing strong visual organization in a mind mapping format. Users can break down complex projects into manageable tasks and track their progress through its easy-to-use interface.

Xmind time tracking capabilities

Xmind’s Task Tracking feature, introduced in recent updates, combines project structure with visual task management. Instead of relying on separate tracking software, users can create, assign, and update tasks directly within their mind maps.

Key capabilities include:

• Integrated task structure: Add task markers (priority, progress, start & end dates, and assignees) directly to each topic.

• Real-time progress updates: Completion percentages update automatically as you mark tasks done.

• Visual clarity: Track your project’s status at a glance using visual progress indicators and color-coded tags.

• Smart filtering: Quickly find pending or completed items using the built-in filter.

• Flexible task views: Switch between Mind Map, Outline, and Tree Table modes for different planning perspectives.

Advantages of Xmind’s task tracking:

• Keeps planning and tracking in one place — no switching between apps.

• Visual structure helps you see dependencies and timelines naturally.

• Encourages better focus by connecting ideas to actionable tasks.

• Ideal for both individual time management and team progress tracking.

Xmind integration with time tracking tools

While Xmind is primarily a mind mapping and planning tool, it connects seamlessly with various productivity ecosystems to complement traditional time tracking workflows.

Integration & export capabilities:

• Connects easily with workplace tools such as Slack, Zoom, and Google Workspace, allowing information sharing and meeting collaboration.

• Export mind maps in multiple formats, including:

Advantages of integration:

• Keeps your task and time data portable across platforms.

• Enables cross-device productivity — Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android all supported.

• Allows flexible collaboration with team members using other project or time tracking tools.

Xmind pricing

Xmind offers simple, transparent pricing designed for flexibility across individual and team users.

• Free version: Includes core mind mapping and basic task features, perfect for beginners.

• Pro Plan: $59.00 per user annually (or $5.99/month). Unlocks advanced structures such as Tree Table, Fishbone, and Timeline, plus Pitch Mode, Color Themes, and more customization.

• Enterprise options: Custom pricing for larger teams needing centralized billing, admin control, and enhanced security.

Why it stands out:

• One of the most affordable professional mind mapping tools with cross-platform licensing.

• No paywall for essential features — even free users can explore core planning functions.

• Offers continuous updates and access across up to 10 devices (desktop + mobile) per subscription.

Xmind best use case

Xmind shines when you need both visual clarity and practical time management in one workspace.

It’s especially effective for:

1. Project management—Define scope, set timelines, identify dependencies, and visualize progress at every stage.

2. Academic planning—Build course schedules, research outlines, and learning plans that evolve visually with your progress.

3. Personal organization—Plan routines, trips, budgets, or habits with color-coded tracking and milestone progress.

4. Creative brainstorming—Transform chaotic ideas into organized, actionable mind maps.

5. Team coordination—Share visual plans that everyone can understand instantly, regardless of technical background.

The mind map format creates a "total sandbox environment" for ideas, offering a fresh viewpoint compared to traditional time tracking tools. Creative professionals and strategic thinkers who like visual organization methods will find Xmind particularly useful.

Want to boost your time tracking with visual mind mapping? Try Xmind today and see how visual organization can improve your productivity.

Paymo

Paymo sets itself apart by bringing project management, time tracking, and invoicing together on a single platform. Teams can easily connect their tracked hours with client billing, making it a great choice for businesses.

Paymo key features

Paymo has a complete set of features built around project management and time tracking. The platform has multiple task views (List, Table, Kanban, Calendar, and Gantt Chart) that match different workflow priorities. You can track time flexibly with web timers, desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The automatic time capture feature "Paymo Track" connects your computer activities to specific tasks and boosts accuracy without manual entry.

Teams will find resource scheduling tools that show workloads clearly, help manage availability, and track leave days. The platform also has reliable invoicing features that turn tracked time into professional invoices. You can accept online payments through several gateways.

Paymo pros and cons

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface that you can learn quickly

• Complete time tracking with multiple capture methods

• Quick conversion of tracked time into invoices

• Powerful task management with flexible viewing options

• Customer support team rated 4.7/5 by users

Cons:

• Desktop version works better than the mobile app

• Few options to customize invoices and project lists

• Complex features might need some training

• Web timer doesn't catch idle time automatically

Paymo pricing

Paymo has tiered pricing with monthly and annual billing options:

• Free: USD 0.00 - Has basic features with limits (10 projects, 5 clients)

• Starter: USD 5.90/user/month (annual) or USD 9.90/user/month (monthly) - Adds unlimited projects and clients

• Small Office: USD 10.90/user/month (annual) or USD 15.90/user/month (monthly) - Has timesheet reports and project templates

• Business: USD 16.90/user/month (annual) or USD 23.90/user/month (monthly) - Adds Gantt charts and employee scheduling

You can try any paid plan free for 14 days without a credit card.

Paymo best use case

Small to medium-sized teams of up to 20 people will find Paymo especially useful when they need to track billable hours across multiple projects. Creative agencies, consultants, and project-based businesses that need accurate time tracking for invoicing and profit tracking will get the most value.

Freelancers can use the complete time tracking and invoicing features, even with the free plan. The platform's project management tools help growing teams stay on top of priorities and deadlines.

Timely

Timely has changed how we track time with its AI-powered automatic tracking features. This software stands apart from regular time trackers that need manual input. Users can focus on their work while Timely records activities in the background.

Timely key features

The heart of Timely lies in its smart automation:

• Memory Tracker: Captures your computer activity automatically without manual input. It tracks the apps you use, websites you visit, and documents you edit.

• AI Timesheets: Creates accurate timesheets within minutes based on your past logging patterns. No more guesswork needed.

• Project Dashboard: Shows you everything about project health, billable hours, and cost rates in one place.

• Capacity Planning: Lets you spot available time slots to take on more billable client work.

• Tags: Makes workflow organization simple with an easy classification system.

The software works with over 50 currencies, making it a great fit for global businesses. Right now, Timely serves over 5,000 companies in 160 countries and logs more than 127 million actions each year.

Timely pros and cons

Pros:

• Cuts down admin work by removing manual time entry

• Works great for both office and remote teams

• Keeps employee data private (no keystroke tracking or screenshots)

• Works with 100+ apps including project management tools

• Lets you create branded reports for clients

Cons:

• Costs more than similar tools

• Takes time to learn project and category setup

• Doesn't track offline work

• AI suggestions might need manual fixes

• Mobile app has fewer features than desktop

Timely pricing

Timely's pricing plans fit different team sizes:

• Starter: $11/user/month - Great for freelancers with 20 projects and up to 5 users

• Premium: $20/user/month - Perfect for small teams with unlimited projects and up to 50 users

• Unlimited: $28/user/month - Gives you unlimited projects and users plus advanced capacity management

• Enterprise: Custom pricing - Comes with personalized onboarding, expert training, and priority support

Each plan includes a 14-day free trial without needing your credit card.

Timely best use case

Timely shines brightest for consultancies, agencies, and software companies that want better billing accuracy and team productivity. Small teams who need to track billable hours without breaking their workflow will find it valuable. A customer put it well: "By capturing every hour that goes into each project, we can follow project budget spend to proactively manage the return of our work".

Timeular

Timeular brings a unique physical approach to time tracking that connects digital tracking with hands-on productivity management. The software pairs with an 8-sided physical device and tracking apps to create a complete time management system.

Timeular key features

The standout element is a physical time tracking device - an 8-sided die with each side showing different activities. You just flip the device to your current task and tracking starts automatically. The software runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, so you can track time whatever device you prefer.

Key capabilities include:

• Visual reports that show how you spend your work hours

• Uninterrupted sync between devices

• Activities and projects you can customize

• Tags and notes to keep detailed records

• Team features to monitor group productivity

Timeular pros and cons

Pros:

• Physical tracker helps you stay aware of time usage

• Clean, simple interface that's accessible

• Sync works across platforms

• Notes and tags for entries (#tags for activities, @mentions for clients)

• Auto notifications show time spent on previous tasks

Cons:

• Device can lose Bluetooth connection

• Physical device only tracks 8 activities at once

• Tracker size makes it tough to carry while traveling

• Auto reconnection sometimes has glitches

• Can't track anything under 60 seconds

Timeular pricing

Here's what Timeular costs:

• Personal: 7.50/user/month (annual billing) or 9.00/user/month (monthly)

• Personal Pro: Includes billable rates, time-off tracking, overtime monitoring

• Team: $15.80/user/month (annual) - adds team analytics and collaboration

• Enterprise: Custom pricing with priority support and tailored solutions

The physical tracker costs $69 extra - you can add it to any software subscription.

Timeular best use case

Timeular works great for professionals who jump between tasks throughout their day. The physical tracker sits on your desk as a reminder to stay focused. Lawyers, consultants, and creative professionals who switch between client projects find it especially helpful.

A lawyer who uses it shared: "Using a physical object to change tasks removes the 'yet another window' problem—and I almost never forget to switch because it's always right there on my desk."

RescueTime

RescueTime takes a fresh approach to managing productivity. The software tracks your digital activities automatically in the background and shows how you spend your time without manual tracking.

RescueTime key features

The software runs quietly on your computer or mobile device. It monitors time spent on apps, websites, and documents. Your activities get sorted into five productivity levels, ranging from very productive to very distracting. A complete dashboard displays this data with productive tasks in blue, neutral ones in gray, and distracting activities in red.

You can block distracting websites and apps during Focus Sessions to stay concentrated on important work. The software goes beyond basic tracking. It lets you set daily work goals and alerts you when focus drops or multitasking becomes excessive.

Teams can see detailed productivity trends through reports that help managers review work habits without micromanaging. The platform's automatic offline time tracking gives a fuller picture of your workday.

RescueTime pros and cons

Pros:

• Tracks productivity automatically

• Runs quietly in the background

• Shows daily and weekly performance insights

• Support team provides helpful assistance

Cons:

• The interface is nowhere near as accessible as other platforms

• Few integration options with other software

• Limited project management features

• Restricted customization choices

• No attendance report features

RescueTime pricing

RescueTime comes in three pricing tiers:

• Lite (Free): Simple automatic tracking, basic reporting, and one daily goal

• Premium Solo: 6.50/month billed annually (78/year) or $12/month billed monthly

• Premium Team: 6/user/month billed annually or 9/user/month billed monthly (minimum two users)

A 14-day free trial is available on all paid plans without credit card details.

RescueTime best use case

RescueTime excels if you have to understand and improve your digital habits. Freelancers can benefit from automatic time tracking that creates accurate timesheets for billing clients. Remote teams can use the anonymous productivity reports to spot workflow issues without intrusive monitoring.

Productive

Productive combines a complete agency management system with powerful time tracking to create an all-in-one business solution. This platform stands apart from regular tracking tools. It merges project management, budgeting, and reporting features to give you a full view of your agency's operations.

Productive key features

Productive's easy-to-use time tracking system lets you log hours in multiple ways. You can track time with the web timer, desktop widget, or manual entry. Your data moves automatically to your timesheets. The system helps you separate billable and non-billable hours. You can approve entries one by one or all at once.

The platform goes beyond time tracking. It delivers resilient project management through various views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, List, and Workload). The platform uses no-code automations for simplified processes. Resource planning helps you see team availability clearly. You can forecast utilization and stop overbooking. The complete reporting tools show you project profitability, billable utilization, and budget performance.

Productive pros and cons

Pros:

• Complete features for financial management and reporting

• Resilient resource planning capabilities

• Customizable dashboard that fits agency needs

• Real-life profitability tracking tied to logged hours

Cons:

• Limited integration options compared to competitors

• Original setup and onboarding takes time

• Higher learning curve for complex features

• Mobile app lacks features found in web version

Productive pricing

Productive's three main pricing tiers:

• Essential: 9.00 per user/month (annual) or 11.00 per user/month (monthly) - Has core features like budgeting, project management, time tracking, and simple reporting

• Professional: 24.00 per user/month (annual) or 28.00 per user/month (monthly) - Adds custom fields, advanced reports, and billable time approvals

• Ultimate: $32.00 per user/month (annual) - Has everything in Professional plus advanced forecasting and overhead calculations

Each plan comes with a 14-day free trial. No credit card needed to start.

Productive best use case

Productive works best for agencies and consultancies that want to link time tracking with project profitability. Teams that are growing will find great value in this platform. They can monitor budget burn, resource allocation, and client billing in one system.

Connecteam

Connecteam brings a mobile-first approach to time tracking that keeps field teams connected and productive. This platform is built for deskless workers. It combines complete time tracking with team communication and HR functions in one user-friendly app.

Connecteam key features

The platform's time tracking system lets employees clock in through multiple methods. Teams can log hours using the mobile app, a fixed kiosk with PIN verification, contactless NFC scanning, or traditional hardware systems. Smart timesheets are created automatically and ready for approval and payroll integration. GPS functionality helps supervisors verify that workers are at their assigned locations. Geofencing options add another layer to confirm on-site presence.

The platform goes beyond just tracking time. It includes powerful communication tools with in-app chat and update feeds. The core team can create and assign tasks with deadlines. They can set up recurring assignments and build custom digital forms for safety checklists and end-of-job reports.

Connecteam pros and cons

Pros:

• Free plan gives full access to all features for up to 10 users

• User-friendly, clean interface needs minimal training

• Strong mobile and GPS features work great for field teams

• Team communication tools come with read receipts

Cons:

• Third-party integrations are limited

• Higher-tier plans are needed for key security features like two-factor authentication

• You need to pay for separate hubs

• Field workers don't get built-in mileage tracking

Connecteam pricing

Connecteam uses a hub-based pricing model with similar tiers across its Operations, Communications, and HR & Skills modules:

• Small Business Plan: Free for up to 10 users with full feature access

• Basic: 29.00/month for first 30 users + 0.50/additional user (billed annually)

• Advanced: 49.00/month for first 30 users + 1.50/additional user (billed annually)

• Expert: 99.00/month for first 30 users + 3.00/additional user (billed annually)

Connecteam best use case

Businesses with mobile or field-based teams will find Connecteam extremely useful for precise time tracking and verification. Construction, retail, hospitality, and service industries can benefit from tracking employee location and hours together.

Kantata

Kantata is a complete PSA (Professional Services Automation) solution that brings together resource management and powerful time tracking capabilities. This cloud-based system, previously known as Mavenlink and Kimble, helps service businesses streamline processes in resource planning and keeps project delivery within budget.

Kantata key features

Time tracking capabilities are the foundations of Kantata's complete project management toolkit. The platform gives you detailed timesheet functionality with approval workflows, billable hours tracking, and automated time calculations. Kantata also provides:

• Resource management tools that optimize team allocation

• Financial management to track budgeting and profitability

• Business intelligence dashboards that support analytical insights

• Project management with task automation

• Team collaboration tools for efficient communication

Kantata pros and cons

Pros:

• Time tracking and detailed financial data in a single system

• Complete resource management tools

• Proprietary integration platform

• Task management that includes built-in client interaction

Cons:

• Costs more than many competitors

• Mobile app needs improvement

• New users might find navigation difficult

• Basic reporting tools that could use more depth

Kantata pricing

Instead of published rates, Kantata works with custom quotes. Prices start at $59 per user monthly, with unlimited user options available. The final cost depends on:

• Team size and number of users

• Feature tiers and functionality you need

• Contract length

• Support and customization requirements

Kantata best use case

Large service businesses that need resilient infrastructure for project and resource management will find Kantata particularly useful. The platform works best for consulting firms, creative agencies, and IT services teams who want to link time tracking with profitability metrics.

actiTIME

actiTIME is a flexible time tracking tool that works great for businesses of all sizes. Teams can track their productivity and manage projects better with this customizable platform.

actiTIME key features

The software gives you detailed time tracking options:

• Weekly timesheets and calendar views make time entry easy

• A mobile app lets you track hours offline

• Chrome extension captures time right from your browser

• Well-laid-out timesheet approval system with locking options

The platform does more than just track time. It comes with strong task management through custom workflows, Kanban boards, and task assignments. Users get access to over 15 different reports to analyze performance, compare estimated vs actual time, and check profitability. The software also handles finances by calculating costs from employee rates and creating invoices automatically.

actiTIME pros and cons

Pros:

• Simple, accessible interface that's easy to learn

• Choice of cloud or self-hosted setup

• Detailed reporting tools

• Automatic billing and invoice creation

Cons:

• Mobile app needs internet for full features

• Admin screen changes often need relearning

• Fewer third-party connections than rivals

• Room to improve automatic reminder system

actiTIME pricing

The software comes with three pricing options:

• Free Online: Basic features for 1-3 users

• Online Subscription: $6.00/user/month (annual) with bulk discounts

• Self-Hosted: One-time fee of $120.00 per user

actiTIME best use case

Small and medium businesses that need to track billable hours across projects will find actiTIME extremely useful. Consulting firms, creative agencies, and IT service providers who need accurate client billing get the most value.

Comparison Table

Conclusion

Time tracking software goes far beyond logging hours—it reshapes how you manage productivity, client billing, and project oversight. The right solution depends on your team’s size, structure, and workflow.

Our research highlights how smart tracking tools, from manual entry to AI-assisted systems, help businesses work more efficiently and transparently.

Good time management starts with organization. Xmind enhances your planning with visual mind mapping, helping you break down complex projects into clear, manageable tasks. Combine Xmind with your preferred time tracking setup to streamline your workflow, boost accuracy, and make every hour count.