18 Best Time Management Software in 2018

Time management tools help you keep track of the specific ways you use your time throughout the day.

Properly tracking time the time you or your team spent actually working is essential to determine how profitable certain projects are. You can also use these tools to identify problem areas and correct them before they become bigger problems in the long run.

Before we go any further, it’s important to note that time management tools are closely related to time billing tools and software. While these two often go hand in hand, this page will focus on the tools that value the time tracking functionality over billing and invoicing functionality.

We believe that value based pricing is the best move for most professional service businesses.

Of course, if you need a solution that offers both features, there are plenty of options available, including some on our list.

Since time tracking and management should be simple and efficient for both you and your employees, try to find a solution that meets all your needs without any of the fluff.

So what time management software do you need in 2018?

As mentioned above, time management tools often come in the form of time trackers and time billing software. We looked for tools that focused more on the time tracking functionality over time billing. We also considered tools that are:

• Easy to use – if you spend more time trying to figure out your time tracking software, something is wrong.
• Flexible – the best time management tools allow you to track time by project or individual employee.
• Collaborative – interacting with your employees or leaving comments on specific projects are both important for tracking time appropriately.

After considering a wide variety of different solutions, here are the 18 best time management tools:

Time Doctor is made for remote teams and integrates with a variety of third-party project management apps like Asana, JIRA and more. It provides a ton of functionality that allows you to gain valuable insights into the way your employees are using their time so you can improve ROI and overall team performance.

Time Doctor's features:

• Automate screenshots at customizable time intervals during working hours
• Monitor how much time employees spend on chat software, phone calls or in meetings
• Android and iOS apps for remote time tracking
• Generate extensive, customizable reports by individual, team, client or project
• Track what websites and apps your employees use most

RescueTime is geared toward individuals who want to improve their productivity. It gives you a personalized productivity score each day that helps you identify inefficiencies in your personal workflow. It also helps you disable or otherwise block distractions while you work for maximum productivity potential.

RescueTime's features:

• Set goals for yourself and track your progress throughout your day or week
• Block access to any distracting websites to prevent yourself from getting off track
• Track your offline activity like meetings and phone calls
• Customize alerts that notify you of a variety of different things, ranging from too much time spent on a specific activity or for when you’ve been extra productive
• Get detailed reports on goal completion, time spent on website and total time spent on projects

Toggl works best for small businesses and freelancers. Its free-tier product offers a lot more than other free solutions, and its paid plans offer business analytics. Toggl is intuitive and easy to use, making the transition into tracking time easier for everyone on the team.

Toggl features:

• Browser integration runs seamlessly in the background
• Start tracking time with a simple click of your mouse
• Use Toggl on any of your devices, desktop or mobile, with over 80 online integrations
• Includes project and team management functionality for greater collaboration
• Send reports directly to your email inbox

Timely is dedicated to ending manual time tracking. It uses a sophisticated AI called Memory AI to automate time tracking by following what you do on your computer or your phone. Employers can view a general overview of hours worked, while employees will be the only ones who can see specific details.

Timely features:

• Fully automated time tracking
• Allocate hours and projects based on employee workload and availability
• Generate helpful reports to measure team performance
• Measure team capacity based on the projects and hours being worked

Tick is a straightforward time tracking tool that simplifies the way you and your employees keep track of the hours you work. With a streamlined interface and the ability to track time across different platforms, this time management software is a great solution for both individual freelancers and large teams alike.

Tick features:

• In-app timers for comprehensive time tracking
• Assign team members to specific projects for better collaboration
• Create recurring projects to save you more time in the long run
• Receive high-level reports that can be expanded for more in-depth details without creating a new report
• Export reports to Excel, Freshbooks, or QuickBooks

Hubstaff is a comprehensive time tracking software that offers real-time tracking of everyone on the team. It’s a lightweight tool that runs almost invisibly in the background so you and your employees don’t get distracted during crucial productivity hours, all while providing extensive details into the ways you’re working.

Hubstaff features:

• Integrate with over 30 different applications ranging from project management software to help desk tools.
• Track employee drive time
• Take randomized screenshots to ensure employees aren’t wasting time
• Monitor the number of keystrokes and mouse clicks employees make, without revealing private or personal information
• View high-level and detailed time breakdowns with the daily, weekly and monthly calendar

DeskTime helps businesses increase their productivity and profits through instantaneous time tracking. With features that allow you to identify inefficiencies and monitor employee work habits, this time tracking tools is incredibly useful for today’s fast-paced and budget-conscious world.

DeskTime features:

• Track the amount of time employees spend on individual applications and URLs on their computers
• Create customizable reports to gain in-depth insights into your organization’s overall working habits and inefficiencies
• Coordinate employee time off in the Absence Calendar, which allows employees to create and edit their schedules
• Use DeskTime on desktop or mobile applications
• Track offline time like meetings or phone calls

Tsheets is an incredibly simple, but comprehensive time tracking tool that helps you manage your employees’ productivity more efficiently. It includes tons of features that are meant to replace the outdated, traditional process of punching in and out on bulky hardware.

TSheets features:

• Track remote employees using GPS time tracking functionality
• Schedule employee shifts using the built-in scheduling calendar
• Create alerts that remind your employees to clock in and out on time to decrease overtime costs
• View a real-time breakdown of who’s currently clocked in and where they are working for the day
• Use the app on mobile devices so employees are always connected to view alerts and schedule changes as they happen in real time

Hours works best for individuals looking to track their own productivity, but the app also includes a team time tracking solution for those interested. Use timers to track the time you spend on any given project across any of your devices.

Hours features:

• Beautiful, simple interface that’s incredibly easy to use
• Access across all your devices, whether they be mobile or desktop
• Flexible timeline view that allows you to easily correct any mistakes in the time you reported
• View a breakdown of productivity in a streamlined and extra-visual reporting interface

Timecamp is a free solution for individuals that offers simple time tracking tools. However, you can also choose to purchase the software for teams. The solo version only offers time tracking functionality, while the team versions offers interfaces and add-ons like invoicing and reporting.

Timecamp features:

• Track attendance and time off by user or by team, including when the employee logged in and out
• Analyze employee and individual productivity by listing the most time-consuming websites and applications
• Create productivity goals for employees and track their progress
• Integrate with over 120 different project management apps and tools
• If needed, bill clients and send them invoices based on time tracked

Qbserve is a Mac-only time tracking tool that works automatically in the background to provide you a seamless and productive time working. It allows you to accurately track your own productivity while keeping your data private. This tool is not made for teams.

Qbserve features:

• Track your time and productivity seamlessly in the form of a browser integration
• Receive real-time feedback in the form of a dynamic icon in your menu bar that lets you know how productive you’re being
• Customize notifications to alert you when you’re spending too much time away from work
• Track idle time to know how much time you spent away from your computer doing offline work
• Export data and reports in both CSV and JSON formats

ClickTime is a simple yet powerful time tracking tool made for teams. This time tracking tool helps you predict project needs and track budgetary concerns by tracking the amount of time your employees are spending on any given project.

ClickTime features:

• Use the simple desktop or mobile interfaces to accurately track time for all your employees
• Integrates with Google Calendar for easy meeting tracking
• Manage employee performance through comprehensive reporting features that allow you to see an individual’s profitability
• View employee availability to plan better for upcoming projects
• Track time off requests like vacations and sick time

TopTracker is a completely free time tracking tool that works best for teams of freelancers or individuals. The creators of this tool are dedicated to keeping the tool free while providing all the functionality you need. TopTracker is simple and fully functional without all the complicated and high monthly pricing options.

TopTracker features:

• Take timed screenshots of an employee’s screen or even webcam shots
• View a centralized dashboard of all the projects your team is working on, along with details about each employee working
• Track time from both desktop and mobile devices
• Control privacy settings so personal information is kept private for your employees
• Create fully customizable productivity reports to identify areas where work can improve

Freckle is a web-based time tracking tool that aims to lessen the amount of time you and your team need to spend on tracking hours worked. Freckle is quick to install, with an advertised setup time of under three minutes.

Freckle features:

• A unique, pie-chart view of the hours your employees are spending on individual projects
• Create new projects or clients simply by typing the new name and initial time spent. No extra configuration needed
• Generate comprehensive and detailed reports to track both team and individual performance
• Get support from a team that actually uses the tool to track their own time

Deputy bills itself as an employee scheduling tool that incorporates a wide variety of time tracking functionality. It focuses on easy time tracking and collaboration features so your team stays connected all the time.

Deputy features:

• Super intuitive clocking in and clocking out functionality for all employees
• Compatible with mobile devices and web browsers for easier time tracking
• Create and assign tasks to employees, and track the time it takes for them to complete them
• Use face detection to ensure employees are where they are supposed to be
• Generate comprehensive reports to gain valuable insight into the productivity of your employees

As a whole, Scoro is a project management software that focuses heavily on time and team management functionality. Its most robust features are found in these areas, and it provides an incredibly simple way to view employee habits and productivity.

Scoro features:

• Use the feature-rich calendar to schedule meetings and track what everyone is doing
• Create and assign tasks to teams or individual, and track them on the calendar
• Customize the dashboard to create a truly unique experience that’s specific to your needs
• Plan budgetary needs based on previous time tracking
• Customize reports to give you the information you need about your workforce

Vericlock is a cloud-based time tracking tool that eliminates the need for complicated software or hardware to keep track of employee time. This tool is best used for large or small businesses. While it doesn’t offer as much as other solutions, it performs well for simple punch in and punch out tracking.

Vericlock features:

• Enable employees to clock in and out using their phones, tablets, or web browsers
• Receive instant updates on your dashboard whenever employees clock in and out
• Require employees to sign their time cards and manage disputes directly within the tool
• Add notes and photos to track job progress more accurately and with better information
• Configure email alerts to monitor employee time

ZoomShift features:

• Customisable time clock software and app designed for hourly employees.
• Provides an easy to use clock in and clock out functionality.
• You can add desired weekly hours and customize the hourly rate.
• The hours that are clocked show up in the schedule.
• It has easy to manage capacity and is a breeze for your team members to use.