Whether you’re billing by the hour or just want to understand where your time goes, time tracking is essential for remote workers. The right app should fade into the background while capturing accurate data.
Why Time Tracking Matters
Beyond billing, time tracking helps you:
- Identify productivity patterns
- Estimate future projects more accurately
- Prove value to clients
- Set boundaries and avoid overwork
Top Time Tracking Apps
Toggl Track
The gold standard for simplicity:
- One-click timer starts
- Clean, minimal interface
- Powerful reporting
- Browser extensions and integrations
- Project and tag organization
Best for: Freelancers who want simple, reliable tracking.
Pricing: Free tier, Starter at $9/user/month.
Clockify
The budget-friendly option:
- Genuinely free for unlimited users
- All core features in free tier
- Timesheets and scheduling
- Kiosk mode for teams
Best for: Budget-conscious teams and freelancers.
Pricing: Free forever tier, Pro at $7.99/user/month.
Harvest
Time tracking meets invoicing:
- Native invoicing built-in
- Expense tracking
- Team capacity planning
- QuickBooks/Xero integration
Best for: Freelancers who want to track time and invoice from one platform.
Pricing: Free for 1 user/2 projects, Pro at $10.80/user/month.
RescueTime
Automatic tracking for self-awareness:
- Runs in background automatically
- Categorizes apps and websites
- Focus time features
- Detailed productivity reports
Best for: People who want to understand their habits without manual tracking.
Pricing: Free tier, Premium at $12/month.
Timing (Mac only)
AI-powered automatic tracking:
- Learns from your behavior
- Suggests projects based on activity
- Beautiful Mac-native design
- Timeline view of your day
Best for: Mac users who hate manual time tracking.
Pricing: Professional at $11/month.
Manual vs Automatic Tracking
Manual tracking (Toggl, Clockify, Harvest):
- More intentional
- Works for billable work
- Requires discipline
- More accurate project allocation
Automatic tracking (RescueTime, Timing):
- Zero effort
- Captures everything
- Great for self-analysis
- Less precise for billing
Many people use both: automatic for personal insight, manual for client billing.
Making It Stick
- Start simple - Just track total hours first
- Review weekly - Data is useless without reflection
- Use keyboard shortcuts - Speed matters for adoption
- Integrate with your tools - Automatic tracking from calendars, etc.
- Don’t obsess - It’s a tool, not a taskmaster
Time is your most valuable resource as a remote worker. Track it wisely.