Archives

Earlier we discussed our Top 5 in Time Tracking Software. But maybe those weren’t quite what you were looking for.  Here’s what didn’t make our Top 5 list – maybe this will help you find the right software….

Izepto

Notable features of Izepto:

• Free (up to 3 users); AUD$15/mo; AUD$65/mo (depending on # of users)

Tick

Notable features of Tick:

• Free; $9/mo; $19/mo; $39/mo; $79/mo (depending on # of projects – most consultants would be at $19)
• Good project-based time budgeting features
• Basecamp integration (with $19 and up plans)
• Web-based with iPhone app, does have an API

My Comments:  Nice clean interface, not bad. For the price, FreshBooks wins over Tick – it’s just more robust.

Freckle

Notable features of Freckle:

• $12/mo; $24/mo; $48/mo (depends on # of users)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Time divided between billable and non-billable
• Nice tagging feature; analytics
• Download into Excel; has API

My Comments:  Comparable to Toggl with slightly better analytics. Their self-proclaimed differentiator is “good software is cheerful software.” If you’re into cheer, go here.  We’re not convinced it’s enough.

Bill4Time

Notable features of Bill4Time:

• Lite: $19.99/mo + $9.99/mo/user; Pro: $39.99/mo $19.99/mo/user (Free for 1 user & 5 projects)
• Some project management capabilities
• Exports to Quickbooks
• Has some industry-specific billing/tracking categories

My Comments:  Aside from the fact that the name sounds sleazy and the website homepage design doesn’t do anything to disprove that, it actually doesn’t look like a bad program. We like the desktop widget.  But definitely on the pricey side for what it does.

TimeXchange

Notable features of TimeXchange:

• 1 year subscription free; $39.99/yr/user afterward (anyone on a project is a user)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Web-based with iPhone & Blackberry apps

My Comments:  A lot like Toggl but feels more clunky and… outdated.  An ok program with no bells & whistles. Great price for the first year, but adds up in future years.

Blinksale

Notable features of Blinksale:

• $15/mo
• Mostly geared toward invoicing rather than time tracking
• Integrates with Basecamp and PayPal
• For an extra $9/mo you can accept credit cards from clients

My Comments:  Since we are looking mainly for a time tracking software at this point, this was too expensive and not focused on time tracking, this wasn’t right for us.

Senomix

Notable features of Senomix:

• $120/user (one-time fee, but upgrades to new versions $20/ea time)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Integrates with Quickbooks and Blackberry (but not iPhone)

My Comments:  Doesn’t do enough for the price. We also don’t like that you have to pay to upgrade when a new version comes out.

CurdBee

Notable features of CurdBee:

• $149/year
• Timesheet time keeping only
• Tracks expenses; Generates estimates & invoices

My Comments:  No bells and whistles, no pizazz, no reason we can see to pay for the features it provides.

CloudSurfing

If you haven’t visited our friends at Cloudsurfing, do check them out.  They have more reviews and listings for time tracking and other tools. Plus they’re good guys doing good things!

Know Another One?

Please let us know – we’d love to hear about it!

As a growing firm that bills hourly for a number of our design and storytelling work, we recently searched for a good time-tracking software.  There are an incredible number of them once you start searching!  We figured since it took so long for us to find a good one, we’d help you by giving the low-down on what we found.

Our Top 5…

Klok

Notable features of Klok:

• Free (most features are included); $15.99 one-time fee (Pro version – has a few more features)
• Timetracking. That’s what it does. It’s easy to use (drag & drop), exportable to Excel.
• Has some nice, simple reporting and data visualization.
• Desktop interface only.

My Comments:  I have used it for 2 years – I started using it with RVL, where we were able to keep track of 20 different people by collating all the Excel outputs by hand. (I wouldn’t recommend that unless you are a low-income startup!)

No project limit, no subproject limit (that we know of).  Honestly, it is good for a solo consultant, and the price is right, but it’s time to move onto something we can use together in one interface.

Toggl

Notable features of Toggl:

• Free (limited features); $5/mo; $12/mo; $19/mo; $39/mo; $79/mo (depends on # of users)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping (we want the latter)
• Pro version includes invoice billing
• Integrates with Basecamp, Quickbooks, exportable to Excel, has API
• Web-based with desktop widgets, iPhone & Android apps, mobile-accessible

My Comments:  I have used Toggl (the free version) in the past for side consulting jobs. Since then, it has improved!  It’s basic, easy to use, low barrier to entry, with some nice data visualization. Toggl doesn’t try to be more than it is: a solid time tracking tool for individuals and teams.

FreshBooks

Notable features of FreshBooks:

• $19.95/mo; $29.95/mo; $39.95/mo (depending on # of users & clients)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Estimate & Invoice generation; Expense tracking
• API Integrates with 70 different programs, like MailChimp, Basecamp, Salesforce
• Web-based with iPhone app

My Comments:  Simple to use, nice interface, customizable, nice reporting features.  We’re hoping for something a little cheaper for the features it offers, but this was a close runner-up.

Harvest

Notable features of Harvest:

• $12/mo; $40/mo; $90/mo (based on # of users – all have unlimited clients & projects)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Online payment capability; multi-currency support
• Invoice & Estimate generation; Invoice tracking; Expense tracking
• Data exportable to and importable from Excel, Google docs, Quickbooks; with API for others
• Integrates with Basecamp, Quickbooks, Highrise, and more.
• Web-based with desktop widgets, iPhone app, mobile-accessible

My Comments:  Lots of customizable features on the client-facing side, decent reporting, nice invoice automation features. Seamless workflow from estimate to invoice. You can even take a photo of a receipt with your iPhone and send it to Harvest!

And you can track your time directly from your Google homepage – it has lots of great integration with Google apps.

And you can send an SMS from your phone or DM from Twitter to log time or expenses. Amazing. This one is the winner if you can afford it.

Invoicera

Notable features of Invoicera:

• $9.95/mo; $19.95/mo; $29.95/mo; $49.95/mo (depends on # of clients, profiles, and users)
• Timesheet or Stopwatch time keeping
• Includes invoicing & multiple modes of payment for your clients – a nice feature
• Expense logging, exportable reports, task lists
• Integrates with BaseCamp; many “payment gateways” like PayPal & Google Checkout; API
• Web-based only

My Comments:  The time tracking stopwatch is a little clunky, but seeing the time spent in calendar form is an added bonus. No iPhone or desktop capabilities is a minus – particularly because the stopwatch is not super accessible in the website.

But wow, the workflow from estimate generator > timetracker > invoice generator > payment receiving is pretty outstanding.

Our Winner Is….

Toggl for the short-term, due to its low cost and lovely simplicity.  And Harvest as we grow and need more features, due to its wide array of integration, ease of use, and great social features.

Know A Better One?

We’d love to hear about it!