Time tracking apps give you the tools you need to monitor employee attendance, performance, and safety from any location. Let’s explore the 7 best employee time tracking platforms to find the right fit for your company.
Monitoring how employees spend their time is an essential but often tedious part of staff management. Accurate time tracking is crucial for ensuring profitability and maintaining a good reputation with customers.
Mistakes in overtime, payroll, and billable hours can have serious consequences, which is why it’s important to have full visibility of the time spent on shifts, tasks, and projects. However, this can be difficult when your workers are working on multiple job sites and are spread out geographically.
Time-tracking applications solve this issue by allowing employees to clock in and out from any location and device. Many apps also streamline tasks like approving time off requests and paying staff. The best time tracking tools decrease time theft, improve employee performance, and promote safety.
TMetric is a popular time-tracking tool, but it isn’t the right fit for everyone. In this guide, we look at the 7 best TMetric alternatives so you can find a time tracking tool that works best for your team.
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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Best TMetric alternative for time tracking and employee management
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Good for basic budget management
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Good for project management
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Our team of unbiased software reviewers follows strict editorial guidelines, and our methodology is clear and open to everyone.
See our complete methodology
25
Tools considered
16
Tools reviewed
7
Best tools
chosen
What is TMetric?
TMetric is a time-tracking software designed for distributed, hybrid, and remote teams. The software has several subscription models with varying features. At all tiers, the application allows users to record the time they spend on each project and generate summary reports. Employees can independently monitor their attendance and request paid time off.
TMetric has desktop and mobile applications for all major platforms, along with a browser extension. The software integrates with over 50 programs frequently used by organizations, including Google Calendar, Intuit Quickbooks, and Slack. TMetric also automatically generates reports to help managers identify inefficient processes and unproductive employees. These features have contributed to the application’s popularity, and it currently has over 3,000 corporate clients.
Despite its many excellent features, the software’s complicated user interface and tiered pricing model have caused many businesses to turn to other applications to meet their time-tracking needs.
Why are People Moving Away From TMetric?
Many businesses prioritize accessibility and useability when choosing software. Yet some people find it challenging to navigate TMetric’s user interface. For instance, one reviewer stated that the “navigation in between different types of tasks is clumsy.” A second reviewer observed that “the mobile app isn’t as user friendly as on the computer.”
Other users have noted that TMetric isn’t always accurate or reliable. For example, one reviewer wrote that the application “often crashes, breaks or bugs out, leaving myself and my team unable to track our hours in the software.” Another reported that TMetric “loses time entries and bloats others by hours.”
Many time-tracking applications generate client invoices based on the hours employees work. TMetric offers this feature, but a reviewer stated that the “invoicing part is not really well-thought-of and customizable enough” to replace their existing billing system.
Additionally, one reviewer identified time zone differences as an issue. They wrote, “The company is located in the Czech Republic and has a tendency to roll out updates in the middle of the workday.” These updates, the user continues, have “caused some frustration with our team.”
Finally, the cost of TMetric’s paid subscriptions can be a sticking point for some reviewers. One person observed that the application is “a little expensive just for simple software.”
Overall, reviewers tend to award TMetric high ratings and positive reviews. However, another time tracker may suit your needs better if you want to avoid the issues highlighted by these reviewers.
The Best TMetric Alternatives & Competitors for Time Tracking
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Connecteam — Best TMetric alternative for time tracking and employee management
Key Features
One-touch time clock that can be accessed from anywhere
Built-in GPS and geofencing for real-time location tracking
Powerful time and attendance tracking
Easy drag-and-drop scheduling
Instant communication between team members with in-app chat
Pros
Accessible user interface for employees and managers
Flat fee pricing for up to 30 users
Geofencing prevents time theft
Sends notifications when employees go into overtime
Cons
Still developing additional features like video chat and better payroll integration
Connecteam is an all-in-one employee time-tracking software that allows managers to monitor their staff’s work hours and productivity. Its time-tracking tools help account for every second of your team’s time, while its smart GPS location features enable you to track employees’ real-time locations while they’re on the clock.
Plus, Connecteam also helps with error-free payroll, time off management, and more.
Let’s explore how Connecteam’s top features can help busy project managers improve time management and increase productivity.
Accurate time tracking with a GPS-enabled time clock
With Connecteam’s smart time clock app, employees can easily clock in and out using their mobile devices from anywhere. In addition, the time clock is equipped with GPS capabilities, allowing you to automatically track employees’ real-time location as long as they are clocked in.
Connecteam also let’s you set up customizable geofences, which are virtual boundaries around job sites. These geofences prevent employees from clocking in or out until they’ve entered or exited the designated area.
Connecteam’s time clock kiosk app enables you to set up a central clock-in and clock-out location for your employees. Multiple people can clock in and out using a secure shared device. You can also set up multiple geofences across different sites.
Feature-rich drag-and-drop scheduling
Connecteam’s intuitive drag-and-drop scheduler helps you assign shifts with ease. You can also use templates, copy previous schedules, or set common schedules to repeat, saving you time and effort.
For last-minute swaps or unexpected absences, Connecteam sends smart alerts to let workers know of changes to their schedule. You can also use the in-app chat to communicate directly with impacted workers in one-to-one or group settings.
Stay adequately staffed and compliant with time off and attendance tracking tools
You can create your own time off, overtime, and rest break policies with Connecteam, and workers have access to these at their fingertips. Employees can easily request time off right from within the app. You or your managers can approve or deny requests with just one tap.
In addition, Connecteam sends smart alerts to notify you when employees are nearing overtime. You can approve or deny overtime requests with a single touch from the app.
Connecteam also shows you every worker’s time off and attendance history, plus how much leave they have remaining. This gives you valuable insights when you’re creating shift schedules. Plus, it helps you stay compliant with local, state, and federal overtime and rest break regulations.
Pay workers fairly and effortlessly using timesheets and payroll integrations
With Connecteam, you can generate automated timesheets for payroll reporting. They account for hours worked, plus rest breaks and time off.
Timesheets are routed to you through the central dashboard. You can spot and correct any potential errors before approving and then integrate them with Gusto and QuickBooks Online for swift and precise processing. Timesheets can also be downloaded to be used with another payroll provider of your choice.
They’re also a great way to track billable and non-billable hours accurately, so you can avoid disputes about hours worked.
Track real time progress with feature-rich task management
Connecteam’s free task management tool provides your staff with a clear set of tasks to work on during shifts. Subtasks help to break down projects into manageable chunks, and checklists remind workers of critical action items. Employees can tick items off in real time, so you can be assured that they’ve taken care of key project tasks.
Moreover, the forms tool lets employees collect digital signatures for important documents like safety inspections or end-of-shift sign-offs. Employees are sent reminders so they never miss a form.
Customized reporting, and so much more
Connecteam’s highly customizable reporting feature lets you track time, attendance, and task progress across different employees, locations, projects, and more. This helps ensure your team is showing up on time and getting work done efficiently. You can also use time logs to create accurate customer invoices.
Together, these features make Connecteam the best and most cost-effective TMetric alternative on the market.
Small businesses with up to 10 users can access Connecteam completely free. Premium plans start as low as $29 per month for up to 30 users and only $0.50 per additional user, per month after that.
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 basic budget management
Key Features
- Converts timesheet data into client invoices
- Drag and drop interface
- Generates 10 types of built-in reports
- Tracks attendance and overtime
Pros
- Free plan offers unlimited users, projects, and tasks
- Integrates with over 100 popular applications and websites
Cons
- Need to upgrade to the paid plans to access every integration
- Need to upgrade to the paid plans to access every integration
TimeCamp is a simple but adaptable time-tracking tool for businesses and freelancers. The application has an automated time tracker that starts and stops with a single click, reducing distractions. TimeCamp uses customized keyword-based tracking to assign time entries to specific projects automatically.
For instance, if an employee opens a client’s website, the tracker will start recording time for that project. When they switch to writing an email for another project, the smart timer changes again. The tracker also automatically pauses during idle periods to ensure that invoices and reports only include actual work hours.
The application has several features to monitor and enhance productivity. It offers built-in and customized reports that let employers analyze how much time staff spends on every client and project. Plus, TimeCamp’s website and app usage tool reveal how much time employees spend on unproductive tasks like browsing social media.
TimeCamp focuses on self-managed time tracking, so it lacks some of the features other trackers offer. For example, the application doesn’t allow employers to set schedules for team members. It also doesn’t have geofencing capabilities, so managers can’t control where employees start logging their work hours.
Pricing
Starts at $2.99/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Toggl Track — Good for project management
Key Features
- Generates daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly reports
- Integrates with Google and Outlook calendars
- Pomodoro technique timer
- Unlimited projects and tags
Pros
- Desktop notifications remind employees to log their time
- Numerous apps allow users to access the tool from any device
Cons
- Doesn’t allow employees to clock in and out
- Lacks GPS-enabled monitoring features
Toggl Track is an intuitive and versatile time tracker frequently used by freelancers and teams of all sizes. Employees can switch a one-click timer on and off as they work on tasks or manually log past work hours. The free and paid tiers of the application allow users to add unlimited clients and projects, so it’s easy to monitor how employees spend their time precisely. Additionally, users can access the tool through the Toggl Track website, download a mobile application, or install a browser extension.
Toggl Track stands out because of its powerful reporting tools. The application generates colorful graphs that break down how much time employees spend on each client and task. The paid subscription plans provide personalized insights to help employees improve productivity.
However, Toggl Track has a few limitations. It doesn’t include a traditional time clock or attendance monitoring features, so managers must do extra work to ensure employees follow their set schedule. Plus, the application’s paid tiers are more expensive than similar products.
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 users needing to collaborate on projects
Key Features
- Add custom notes, labels, and other tags to time records
- Automatic or manual time tracking
- Creates customized timesheets
- Integrates with other popular time-tracking apps
Pros
- Add time estimates to projects and divide time among teams
- Chat and shared tasks promote collaboration
Cons
- Doesn’t alert employers to overtime or time theft
- Requires extra steps to generate invoices based on hours worked
ClickUp is a project management tool designed for teams. Employees can use ClickUp’s time tracker to record work hours or sync the application with another tool like TimeCamp or Toggl Track. The platform lets users label, filter, and sort time entries to make monitoring time spent on specific tasks easier. ClickUp also has a handy note feature so team members can add explanations or reminders to their logs.
Additionally, ClickUp has many features that support collaboration. For example, shared whiteboards encourage teams to brainstorm ideas and map out workflows together. Employees can also edit documents and wikis in real-time, share updates in the chat, and track shared goals.
Time tracking is only a small part of ClickUp’s platform, so this feature doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as other applications. For instance, ClickUp lacks scheduling capabilities and an in-app chat system. Also, ClickUp users can label hours as billable, but the application doesn’t automatically convert time logs into invoices.
Pricing
Starts at $7/member/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes
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Proofhub — Good for project management
Key Features
- Bird’s eye view of data for all employees and projects
- Search timesheets with keywords
- Separates billable and non-billable hours
- Two-tier, flat fee pricing with unlimited users
Pros
- Export timesheets for easy payroll processing and invoicing
- Set timesheets to private for confidential projects
Cons
- Must manually switch between timesheets and tasks
- No automatic reminders to start the timer
Proofhub is a comprehensive project management software. The platform includes a wide range of features, including time-tracking capabilities. Employees can track billable and non-billable hours with an automatic timer or manually input hours worked. Additionally, Proofhub creates and exports timesheets for client invoicing and payroll.
The ability to view all time records simultaneously distinguishes Proofhub from many other time-tracking platforms. Managers can get an overview of every employee’s time logs and check each project’s progress. This feature saves time because users don’t need to gather data from individual projects manually.
Proofhub is a highly-rated project management tool, but it has several things that could be improved when it comes to time management. The application has dozens of project management features, so it can be overwhelming for people looking for a simple time-tracking tool. It also doesn’t offer a free version, and the subscription plans can be pricey for freelancers and small businesses.
Pricing
Starts at $79/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No
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Hubstaff — Good for employee monitoring
Key Features
- 24/7 customer support
- Customize invoices with logos, contact information, and more
- Optional screenshotting to monitor employee productivity
- Set up recurring or one-time shifts
Pros
- Automate time and location tracking with geofencing features
- Boost productivity with in-app agile project management software
Cons
- Features like data retention and insights have extra monthly fees
- Employees may find monitoring tools like screenshots invasive
Hubstaff is an employee monitoring and time-tracking tool. This platform has geofencing capabilities, so it can automatically start and stop recording time when employees enter and leave designated work zones. Also, staff can log work hours manually or access a single-timer using Hubstaff’s desktop or mobile applications.
Many managers use Hubstaff to supervise employee performance closely. An automated attendance system sends employers notifications if a team member arrives late or misses a shift. Proof of work features can take screenshots and monitor the websites that employees access during their shifts.
Furthermore, the platform automatically collects activity metrics and provides detailed insights about each employee’s productivity. These features allow managers to identify unproductive tasks and provide personal mentoring to employees who need extra help to meet performance benchmarks.
However, Hubstaff doesn’t have a training and onboarding center, so managers may need to provide additional support to help staff learn the system. Also, the software doesn’t include a kiosk app for centralized time tracking.
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 timekeeping and reporting
Key Features
- Bulk approve or reject employee timesheets
- Generate employee utilization reports based on tracked time
- Set flexible billing rates for each project
- Sort tasks into billable and non-billable work hours
Pros
- Employees can conveniently update time logs in bulk
- Intuitive user interface that requires minimal training
Cons
- Employers can’t track workers’ location with GPS
- Paid tiers have higher price tags than comparable software
Avaza is a project management software that facilitates remote and in-person collaboration. Employees can use the mobile application to track work hours on smartphones or tablets. Users can use their timesheets to create invoices, and flexible billing options allow organizations to set different hourly rates for various clients and projects. Avaza lets employees copy or import previous timesheets, reducing the time spent recording repetitive tasks.
Along with time tracking, Avaza has many features designed to streamline task management. For instance, the software has scheduling options that make allocating staff and resources to different projects easy. And the Avaza Chat makes it easy for teams to communicate with each other and clients one-on-one or in group chats.
While Avaza has a free version with limited capabilities, the more sophisticated business plan can have a hefty price tag for large organizations. Also, the application lacks advanced time-tracking features like geofencing and time off requests.
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 TMetric Alternatives
| Topic |
Start for free
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $2.99/user/month
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Starts at $9/user/month
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Starts at $7/member/month
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Starts at $79/month
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Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum
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Starts at $11.95/month + $7/user/month for more than 2 users
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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yes
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yes
30-day
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no
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yes
14-day
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yes
14-day
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no
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| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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yes
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yes
For up to 5 users
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yes
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no
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yes
For one user only
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yes
For a single user
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| Use cases |
Best TMetric alternative for time tracking and employee management
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Good for basic budget management
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Good for project management
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Good for users needing to collaborate on projects
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Good for project management
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Good for employee monitoring
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Good for timekeeping and reporting
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| Available on |
Summary
Time-tracking tools are the most effective way for businesses to monitor employee attendance and performance. Many companies use TMetric for these tasks, but some users find the application unreliable and prone to inconvenient downtimes. Additionally, the platform limits the free version to 5 users, and the price can increase rapidly for large companies.
Fortunately, many excellent time-tracking alternatives may better suit your company’s needs. Connecteam is the best TMetric alternative, thanks to its all-in-one time tracking solutions.
This convenient tool was designed specifically for busy teams on the go, allowing managers to monitor employees effortlessly from a distance. Plus, Connecteam empowers workers to monitor their own productivity, request time off, and swap shifts.