Discover the best time-tracking alternatives to Timely. Learn about key features and pricing to find the best option for your business.
Manual time tracking is tedious and puts you at risk for mistakes and billing errors. Thankfully, time-tracking software helps to automate this process and keeps your paperwork error-free.
Timely is one of the more popular time-tracking software options, but is it actually the best? Timely does have some good features, but there is a lot of competition out there, and another platform may work better for your needs.
Here, we break down the best Timely alternatives you can use to improve timekeeping in your business.
What is Timely?
Timely is a time-tracking software that offers online timesheet management and timekeeping. This app allows workers to log their hours by a specific project or keep a general timesheet.
Its features help people working in professional services keep track of their billable and non-billable hours. Its dashboards are colorful and easy to understand. Plus, users can export reports and use analytics to improve their productivity.
Timely integrates with most project management platforms, connecting with specific projects and teams. With reporting features, they can get an idea of how much time they spend on certain tasks and with each client. It also allows users to make adjustments to their workflows for better efficiency.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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The best alternative to Timely
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Good for freelancers
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Good for keeping time on fixed-fee projects
Why trust us?
Our team of unbiased software reviewers follows strict editorial guidelines, and our methodology is clear and open to everyone.
See our complete methodology
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Tools reviewed
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chosen
Why are People Moving Away From Timely?
Limited integrations seemed to be an issue for some. One user stated that they “cannot split time between clients with some of the integrated programs.”. These users may need to work around the issue by closing and reopening the program.
Another user said, “It’s a good program but ultimately we were unable to use it in tandem with other programs we were more committed to.”
One user noted the following integration issue, “I did notice an issue when you change the name of a Google Doc you’re working on, Timely stopped tracking time for that particular document.”
Cost is another factor that has come up. One user stated, “Most times I only have 1 or 2 projects on the go at once, and I’d like to see a ‘light’ monthly fee added.” Another mentioned, “Timely does not have a free version, there is however a free trial, but if you plan to use the software you will have to pay for it.”
Some of Timely’s features are powered by artificial intelligence. It can offer helpful insights, but a learning curve exists when setting up projects, teams, and time tracking. One user noted, “Due to the steep learning curve, learning to use Timely took me longer than expected.”
Overall, Timely offers a good product, and many of its customers have had positive experiences. However, it might not be the right platform for everyone. As such, you may be searching for the right Timely alternative for you.
The Best Timely Alternatives & Competitors for Time Tracking
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Connecteam — The best alternative to Timely
Connecteam’s features make setting up teams and projects easy so employees can track their billable and non-billable hours. It is user-friendly, with a minimal learning curve.
Clock in and out from any device
With Connecteam, you can turn any device into a time clock app—including desktops and smartphones. Workers can punch in and out with a single touch or tap of their device and categorize time by task, job, client, and location. Connecteam will record time down to the second.
For companies that prefer a central time clock station, Connecteam also has a time kiosk feature that enables employees to clock in and out of a single shared device.
GPS and geofencing help verify workers’ real-time locations
Connecteam’s time clock has built-in GPS software. You can use this to verify that employees are where they need to be while they’re on the clock.
Connecteam also lets you set up geofences, which are digital boundaries around work locations. Employees are sent reminders to clock in when entering a geofence and can be automatically clocked out when exiting the geofence. They’re also restricted from punching in unless they’re within the set location.
Track time off to keep the team running smoothly
You can also use it to view employees’ upcoming vacations and other time off that may impact regular shifts in upcoming weeks.
You can create your own time off, overtime, and rest break policies with Connecteam. Employees can request time off for vacation days, personal leave, and more right from within the Connecteam app. You can also approve or deny requests easily from your own device.
Smart employee scheduling
Connecteam’s intuitive drag-and-drop scheduler helps you assign shifts with ease. You can also easily create templates, copy previous schedules, or set common schedules to repeat, saving you time and effort when scheduling your staff.
Automated timesheets
Connecteam takes the hassle out of submitting timesheets to HR and payroll. You can assign hours to specific jobs and track an employee’s time against the timeline. You can also set specific pay rates for each team member.
When your employees need to submit their timesheets, they can review all logged data before turning in their time for the week. This way, payroll and HR can approve each timesheet in real-time.
Connecteam can flag any irregularities, allowing the payroll team to correct errors before they become costly. If your employees work late on a job site, they can easily submit their timesheets to payroll from their mobile devices instead of having to turn in a manual timesheet the next day.
Payroll integrations
With Connecteam, you can export timesheets and integrate them with Gusto, QuickBooks Online, Paychex and Xero. Your payroll team can run payroll by simply exporting approved timesheets to their payroll software with one click.
For business owners working on projects with billable hours, Connecteam’s reports offer a fast and easy solution for the accounting team. Your accounts receivable manager can track each employee’s hours by project, ensuring accurate invoicing.
Smart online reports
Connecteam’s reporting features let you track your team’s time with ease. You may be trying to determine which non-billable tasks take the most time. Or you could be interested in creating more accurate estimates for future projects and want to know how much time your team spends during each phase.
Whatever your goals, online reports give you quick access to the data you need.
Task assignments and customized checklists
You can create, assign, and track progress on tasks using Connecteam’s task management tool. You can also assign checklists for important action items, such as safety checks, and track statuses in real-time. This way, you can verify that workers are completing their work efficiently and productively.
With these features, you can be sure every employee covers all of their responsibilities for each shift, eliminating costly or time-consuming mistakes.
Excellent customer service
Connecteam’s customer service staff offers timely, exceptional customer service whenever you need it. They are always available by starting a ticket within the app, email, or chat. If you need more training, Connecteam often hosts webinars to walk you through your questions.
An Affordable Solution
Overall, Connecteam is the best Timely alternative because of its wide range of features, affordability, and ease of use. It also comes with excellent customer service and various communication and support tools.
Small businesses with up to 10 users can access Connecteam completely free, while premium plans start as low as $29 per month for up to 30 users.
Key Features
Pros
All-in-one time tracking solution
Easy to set up custom digital forms and checklists
Prompt and excellent customer service
Offers a full range of time tracking features for a fixed price
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
Timecamp — Good for freelancers
Timecamp offers automated timekeeping geared toward tracking billable hours and other tasks. It includes various dashboards for monitoring time. This app’s productivity features allow freelancers to see which parts of a project might be impacting their time.
This data allows them to set more accurate billing rates and submit project estimates. Timecamp also lets users export timesheets and convert them for invoicing.
It offers a tax rate feature freelancers can use to track their taxable income in various locations, which is helpful for those who work in multiple states or countries. This app also integrates with PayPal, letting freelancers collect client payments. It is more affordable than other similar alternatives but still operates with a per month/user rate.
Key Features
- Productivity tracking
- Adjustable tax rates
- PayPal integration
- Timesheet-based invoicing
Pros
- Good for tracking tasks that impact productivity
- Helps project managers plan schedules more accurately
Cons
- Adjusting timekeeping errors is difficult
- Hard to understand the payment platform for multiple users
Pricing
Starts at $2.99/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Toggl Track — Good for keeping time on fixed-fee projects
Toggl Track offers tools that are helpful for teams that need to allocate their hours to a specific budget, such as a construction team working on a project or a home services team that has bid on a job at a fixed price.
Project managers can set these budgets and add notifications when the team is about to go over. It also offers the ability to set different billing rates for team members, allowing management to see where each project dollar is going.
This feature is also helpful for managing add-ons for clients who might ask team members to complete other tasks while on-site. If the client consistently asks to add on small tasks for free, the manager can show them how much of the project budget is left to cover those tasks.
Toggl Track offers different reports for tracking productivity and seeing which project tasks consume most of the budget. With these reports, managers can set up accurate yearly budgets, create a case for hiring new team members, or generate better project estimates.
The Toggl Track app is hard to learn and doesn’t give much margin for error. If a team member makes a mistake, it can be difficult to correct. Additionally, there is no way to pause a session and pick it up later. Instead, the user has to stop the session and create a new task, which makes time sheets more difficult to read.
Key Features
- One-click timers
- Calendar view
- Multiple hourly rates
- Saved reports
Pros
- Dashboards are easy to read
- Users can set up favorite projects for recurring tasks
- There is a learning curve
Cons
- No ability to pause a session
Pricing
Starts at $9/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: Yes — For up to 5 users
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ClickUp — Good for collaborating on project work
ClickUp is a productivity platform built for managing teams and projects. Project managers can customize projects and to-do lists and assign them to each team member. They can set dependencies and automatically schedule recurring tasks. ClickUp team members can collaborate using chat and document-sharing features.
ClickUp allows employees to prioritize their workloads with checklists and color-coding tools. They can use Gantt charts and other features to visualize their workload by time blocks. Thus, managers can use this feature to set schedules by color-coding workers within the platform.
ClickUp is primarily geared toward productivity, and many of its features may not be useful for every business. It might not be right for companies just looking for time management software solutions.
Key Features
- Reminders
- Calendar Sync
- Ability to set time estimates for tasks
- Automated timesheet reports
Pros
- Collaborative tools are good for teams with multiple members
- Good for tracking and integrating communication
Cons
- The interface is hard to read
- Not all notifications are necessary
Pricing
Starts at $7/member/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Proofhub — Good for time management
ProofHub is a project management tool with time-tracking features for managing and organizing workflows. Users can organize projects into tasks and subtasks and assign them to different team members. They can track who is responsible for each task and use the timekeeping feature to keep everyone on track. This platform allows users to assign multiple team members to a single task, which helps accurately track time on collaborative efforts or when multiple people are working the same shift.
Anyone who is assigned as a manager can receive notifications about the team. If certain people are approaching or missing deadlines, they can check in and help offer solutions to make their team members more efficient.
With ProofHub, managers can add time sheets and set time estimates for each task. They can also create reports to see which tasks take the most time. Some users have mentioned that their notifications end up in the spam folder of their email boxes.
So, they could miss a notification if they aren’t using the app to monitor notifications. The platform also charges a flat fee instead of a per month/user rate.
Key Features
- Task prioritization
- Boards
- Calendar View
- Table View
Pros
- Good for setting and managing team workflows
- Ability to assign multiple team members to a task
Cons
- Does not offer in-person training
- Difficult to set up some project features
Pricing
Starts at $79/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No
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Hubstaff — Good for remote workers
Hubstaff offers time tracking and task monitoring tools employers can use to see how their workers use their time. This tool offers location-based time tracking with GPS, which is good for remote teams and field workers who can clock in once they’re on a job site. This feature helps eliminate buddy punching and other forms of time theft. Employees can clock in on any device with one click and track their time by task, project, or client.
With these tools, management teams can create reports to monitor analytics. They can see which tasks take up the most time and assign team members more effectively.
Hubstaff also offers tools to monitor an employee’s activities and website activity. Any employer worried about time theft can use these tools to see what their workers are doing, although there is no way to track time spent in meetings, on job sites, and on phone calls. However, some employees might feel like they are not trusted, which could negatively impact morale.
Key Features
- Time clock
- Location-based clock in
- Employee monitoring
- Analytics reports
Pros
- Good for creating detailed time-tracking reports
- Location-based time tracking is good for tracking remote teams
Cons
- Monitoring tools don’t record time spent offline, which can skew data
- Limited integrations
Pricing
Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — For one user only
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Avaza — Good for tracking expenses
Avaza offers features that allow employees to track their time and expenses. With the mobile app, they can upload images of receipts and attach them to different projects. They can also attach an expense report to each client.
Plus, employees can track their time on their computers or mobile devices. Avaza also offers a time estimating feature so users can track their actual time against an estimate for improved budgeting.
Some users have reported difficulty with setting up projects and recurring tasks. They noted that the app tends to lag on occasion. It is also tricky to upload data, as the app does not always maintain data integrity. This sometimes requires users to correct errors manually.
Key Features
- Expense reporting
- Online invoicing
- Mobile time tracking
- Customizable dashboards
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Clean interface
Cons
- Integrations don’t always work correctly
- Advanced features are hard to set up
Pricing
Starts at $11.95/month + $7/user/month for more than 2 users Trial: No Free Plan: Yes — For a single user
Compare the Best timely alternatives
Topic | Start for free | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reviews |
4.8
|
4.7
|
4.7
|
4.7
|
4.6
|
4.6
|
4.6
|
Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
|
Starts at $2.99/user/month
|
Starts at $9/user/month
|
Starts at $7/member/month
|
Starts at $79/month
|
Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum
|
Starts at $11.95/month + $7/user/month for more than 2 users
|
Free Trial |
yes
14-day
|
yes
|
yes
30-day
|
no
|
yes
14-day
|
yes
14-day
|
no
|
Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
|
yes
|
yes
For up to 5 users
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
For one user only
|
yes
For a single user
|
Use cases |
The best alternative to Timely
|
Good for freelancers
|
Good for keeping time on fixed-fee projects
|
Good for collaborating on project work
|
Good for time management
|
Good for remote workers
|
Good for tracking expenses
|
Available on |
Conclusion
When it comes to time-tracking software, there are multiple options on the market. If you’ve been using Timely, you may be looking for a more cost-effective solution that handles time management, time entries, and more.
Connecteam is the best Timely alternative offering an affordable solution that lets you track time more efficiently. Its robust range of features lets your team track and monitor their time by task, client, or other important metrics. Its reporting and communication features also keep your team on task more effectively.
If you are looking for apps like Timely that let you do more, try Connecteam. We have helped companies of all sizes in multiple industries and are ready to help you.