Toggl Track is the best time tracking software for most freelancers — its Starter plan at $9/user/month balances clean UX, reliable mobile apps, and strong reporting without the complexity freelancers never need. For zero cost, Clockify’s Free plan is the most generous on the market. If native invoicing is non-negotiable, Harvest at $12/user/month is the only tool that handles time tracking and client billing in one place.
Toggl Track
The clearest balance of usability, reporting depth, and mobile reliability for freelancers billing hourly clients.
Starting price: $9/user/mo (Starter) | Free tier: Yes, up to 5 users | Free trial: 30 days on paid plans
How Do the Top Freelancer Time Trackers Compare?
Before diving into individual reviews, here is how every tool covered in this article stacks up across the metrics that matter most to freelancers: exact plan names, verified pricing, free tier availability, and the core limitation you need to know before committing.
Pricing for Toggl Track, Harvest, and Clockify is sourced directly from their official pricing pages (Toggl Track, Harvest, Clockify). TopTracker pricing is sourced from Toptal’s official product pages and should be verified directly before use.
| Tool | Plan Name | Monthly Price (per user) | Free Tier | Best For | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl Track | Starter | $9/mo | Yes (up to 5 users) | Solo freelancers billing hourly | No native invoicing |
| Toggl Track | Premium | $18/mo | Yes | Agency-of-one with contractors | Price jumps sharply from Starter |
| Clockify | Free | $0 | Yes (unlimited users) | Budget-conscious solos | Invoicing requires Standard plan |
| Clockify | Standard | $5.49/mo | Yes | Freelancers needing invoicing on a budget | Less polished mobile UX than Toggl |
| Harvest | Free | $0 (1 user, 2 projects) | Yes (severely limited) | Testing invoicing workflow only | 2-project cap makes free tier impractical |
| Harvest | Pro | $12/mo | No (30-day trial) | Freelancers who invoice clients directly | Most expensive per-user in this roundup |
| TopTracker | Free | $0 | Yes (unlimited) | Freelancers on Toptal or needing screenshot tracking | No invoicing; screenshot tracking feels intrusive |
Is Toggl Track the Best Time Tracker for Freelancers?
Toggl Track is the best all-around time tracking software for freelancers who bill by the hour and need reliable reporting without a steep learning curve. The Starter plan at $9/user/month includes unlimited projects, clients, and tags — everything a solo freelancer needs to run a billing workflow. The Free plan supports up to 5 users and covers basic time entry and reporting, making it genuinely useful rather than a stripped trial.
Pricing
According to Toggl Track’s pricing page, the plan structure is:
- Free: Up to 5 users, unlimited time tracking, basic reporting
- Starter: $9/user/month — adds billable rates, time rounding, saved reports, and Excel/PDF exports
- Premium: $18/user/month — adds project forecasts, team scheduling, and priority support
For most solo freelancers, the Starter plan covers everything. The Premium plan is worth considering only once you’re managing contractors or running multiple simultaneous projects with budget visibility needs.
Key Features
Toggl Track’s core strengths for freelancers include:
- One-click timer — start and stop from the web app, desktop app, browser extension, or iOS/Android app
- Billable rate tagging — set different hourly rates per project or client on the Starter plan
- Detailed time reports — weekly and custom-date summaries exportable as PDF or CSV for client billing
- Integrations — connects with Asana, Trello, GitHub, Jira, and 100+ tools via the browser extension, which embeds a timer button directly in those interfaces
Limitations
Toggl Track’s most significant gap for freelancers is the absence of native invoicing. After exporting a time report, you still need a separate tool — FreshBooks, Wave, or PayPal Invoicing — to generate and send a client invoice. This two-step workflow is a real friction point for freelancers billing monthly. There is no built-in expense tracking either, which matters for freelancers who pass through costs to clients.
Who should NOT use Toggl Track: Freelancers who want to track time and invoice from a single tool. If your billing workflow demands native invoice generation and online payment collection, Harvest is the clearer choice. Also avoid Toggl Track if expense pass-through to clients is a regular workflow need — there is no native mechanism for it.
If you’re a solo freelancer billing 10+ clients by the hour and want the cleanest UX in this category, Toggl Track’s Starter plan is the clearest choice at this price point.
Is Clockify Worth It for Freelancers Who Won’t Pay for Time Tracking?
Clockify is the best free time tracking software for freelancers — its Free plan includes unlimited time tracking, unlimited projects, and unlimited users with no expiration date. No other tool in this roundup matches that scope at zero cost. For freelancers just starting out or those whose clients don’t require sophisticated reporting, Clockify’s Free plan is genuinely sufficient.
Pricing
According to Clockify’s official pricing page, the plan tiers are:
- Free: Unlimited users, unlimited projects, basic time tracking and reporting
- Basic: $3.99/user/month — adds project templates, time rounding, and bulk editing
- Standard: $5.49/user/month — adds invoicing, expense tracking, and approval workflows
- Pro: $7.99/user/month — adds project budgeting, labor cost tracking, and scheduling
- Enterprise: $11.99/user/month — adds SSO, custom subdomain, and priority support
For freelancers who need invoicing, the Standard plan at $5.49/user/month is the entry point — and it undercuts Harvest’s $12/user/month significantly.
Key Features
Clockify’s strengths for freelancers include:
- Genuinely unlimited free tier — not a trial, not a stripped-down version, but a functional product with no user or project caps
- Web, desktop, and mobile apps — available across all plans including Free, with Chrome and Firefox extensions
- Project budgeting — available on the Pro plan, showing how much of a project’s budget has been consumed in real time
- Invoicing — the Standard plan generates invoices from tracked time entries and supports expense line items
Limitations
Clockify’s mobile app is functional but less polished than Toggl Track’s. The free plan’s reporting is basic — custom date ranges and detailed summaries require upgrading to Standard or above. The interface is also more complex than Toggl Track’s, with more navigation layers that can feel overwhelming for freelancers who just want to hit a timer and see a weekly total.
Who should NOT use Clockify: Freelancers who prioritize the cleanest, most minimal UX — Toggl Track’s interface is significantly simpler. Also avoid Clockify’s Free plan if invoicing is an immediate need; you must upgrade to Standard ($5.49/user/month) before the tool can generate a single invoice. Teams that need online payment collection built into invoices will find Harvest’s Pro plan more complete, as Clockify’s invoicing does not accept payments directly.
If you’re a solo freelancer operating on a tight budget who needs a no-cost tool that actually works end-to-end, Clockify’s Free plan is the clearest choice at this price point.
Is Harvest the Best Choice for Freelancers Who Invoice Clients?
Harvest is the best time tracking software for freelancers who need native invoicing — it generates invoices directly from tracked time entries and accepts Stripe and PayPal payments without a third-party tool. No other option in this roundup matches that complete billing workflow in a single interface. The trade-off is cost: at $12/user/month (the Pro plan), it is the most expensive option here.
Pricing
According to Harvest’s official pricing page, the plan structure is:
- Free: 1 user, 2 active projects — severely limited for real freelance use
- Pro: $12/user/month (billed monthly) or $10.80/user/month (billed annually) — unlimited projects, clients, invoices, and expense tracking
The Free plan exists primarily to test the invoicing workflow, not to run a business on. Essentially every active freelancer will need the Pro plan.
Key Features
Harvest’s defining capability for freelancers is its end-to-end billing loop:
- Time-to-invoice generation — select a date range, choose tracked time entries, and Harvest drafts an invoice automatically with line items pre-populated
- Online payment collection — clients pay via Stripe or PayPal directly from the invoice link; payments reconcile automatically against the invoice
- Expense tracking — log receipts and attach them to projects for reimbursable cost pass-through to clients
- Budget alerts — get notified when a project hits 80% or 90% of its budgeted hours, preventing scope creep on fixed-price projects
For freelancers managing multiple clients with varied billing schedules, Harvest’s dashboard view showing outstanding invoices, draft invoices, and paid invoices is substantially better than anything Toggl Track or Clockify offers.
Limitations
Harvest’s pricing model punishes growth more than alternatives do. At $12/user/month per seat, adding even one or two subcontractors doubles or triples the monthly cost immediately. The tool also has no free tier worth using — the 2-project cap on the Free plan makes it impractical for any freelancer with more than two active clients. The UI, while functional, has not been modernized as aggressively as Toggl Track’s, and first-time setup of invoice templates requires more configuration than competing tools.
Who should NOT use Harvest: Freelancers who do not bill hourly or who already use a separate accounting tool — FreshBooks or QuickBooks — that handles invoicing. At $12/user/month, you’re paying primarily for the invoicing feature. If you don’t need it, Toggl Track or Clockify deliver better value. Freelancers managing growing contractor teams should also note that Harvest’s per-seat cost scales steeply — Clockify’s Standard plan at $5.49/user/month is the better value for teams of 3 or more.
If you’re a solo freelancer or agency-of-one who needs to track time and send professional invoices without juggling two separate tools, Harvest is the clearest choice at this price point.
What Is TopTracker and Who Should Use It?
TopTracker is Toptal’s free time tracking tool — unlimited users, zero cost, and built-in screenshot and activity monitoring. It is the only tool in this roundup that includes screenshot-based activity tracking at no charge, which is why some clients (especially those who hire through Toptal or other platforms) specifically require it. Pricing and feature details for TopTracker are sourced from Toptal’s official product pages and should be verified directly before use.
Pricing and Key Features
TopTracker is entirely free with no paid tiers. Key capabilities include:
- Screenshot tracking — captures screenshots at set intervals to verify activity for clients who require it
- Activity monitoring — tracks keyboard and mouse activity percentages alongside time entries
- Multi-device tracking — desktop apps for Windows and Mac with online dashboard access
- Unlimited projects and clients — no caps on the free plan
Limitations
TopTracker has no native invoicing and no integration with accounting tools. The screenshot and activity monitoring features, while useful for specific client relationships, can feel intrusive for freelancers who do not work with clients requiring proof-of-work.
Who should NOT use TopTracker: Freelancers who work with clients who do not require screenshot-based proof of work. If activity monitoring is not a client requirement, Clockify’s Free plan offers more complete reporting and a better overall UX at the same price of zero. Also avoid TopTracker if any invoicing capability — even basic — is part of your billing workflow; the tool has no path to invoice generation and requires a fully separate solution such as Wave or PayPal Invoicing.
If you’re a freelancer working with clients who specifically require screenshot-based activity tracking and you want a zero-cost solution, TopTracker is the clearest choice at this price point.
Does Each Time Tracker Have a Real Weakness? A Symmetrical Limitations Breakdown
Every time tracking tool in this roundup has at least one meaningful limitation that competing roundups either omit or bury in promotional language. The table below presents each tool’s specific weakness, its real-world impact on freelance billing workflows, and the most practical workaround. The dedicated callout boxes that follow give a direct “who should NOT use this” verdict for every tool — structured symmetrically so you can compare at a glance.
| Tool | Key Limitation | Impact on Freelancers | Workaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toggl Track | No native invoicing | Must use separate tool to bill clients | Export CSV → FreshBooks, Wave, or PayPal |
| Toggl Track | No expense tracking | Cannot log reimbursable costs | Track expenses in a spreadsheet or accounting tool |
| Clockify | Less polished mobile app | Inconsistent experience on mobile | Use desktop or web app as primary; treat mobile as backup |
| Clockify | Invoicing gated behind $5.49/mo Standard plan | Free plan cannot bill clients | Upgrade to Standard or use separate invoicing tool |
| Harvest | No usable free tier (2-project cap) | Cannot evaluate the tool realistically without paying | Use 30-day Pro trial; commit or leave |
| Harvest | Most expensive per-user ($12/mo) | Cost multiplies quickly when adding contractors | Consider Clockify Standard ($5.49/mo) for team tracking |
| TopTracker | No invoicing, no integrations | Cannot bill clients from the tool | Pair with Wave or PayPal Invoicing |
| TopTracker | Screenshot tracking feels intrusive | May damage trust with clients who don’t require it | Use only when client explicitly requests activity proof |
Who Should NOT Use Toggl Track
Freelancers who want a single tool for time tracking and invoicing. Toggl Track has no native invoicing on any plan — you will always need a separate billing tool. Also avoid Toggl Track if you need to log and pass through reimbursable expenses to clients; there is no expense tracking module.
Who Should NOT Use Clockify
Freelancers who prioritize a minimal, frictionless UX. Clockify’s interface has more navigation layers than Toggl Track and can feel over-engineered for simple start-stop tracking. Avoid the Free plan specifically if invoicing is an immediate need — it is gated behind the Standard plan at $5.49/user/month.
Who Should NOT Use Harvest
Freelancers who do not bill hourly or who already have an invoicing tool in their stack. The Pro plan at $12/user/month is priced almost entirely around its invoicing capability — if you handle billing through FreshBooks, QuickBooks, or Wave, Harvest’s premium is hard to justify. Growing teams should also note that its per-seat cost scales steeply.
Who Should NOT Use TopTracker
Freelancers whose clients do not require screenshot-based proof of work. Activity monitoring can damage trust in client relationships where it was not requested. TopTracker also has zero invoicing capability at any tier — freelancers who need to bill clients must pair it with a separate tool from day one.
Which Time Tracker Is Right for Your Freelance Setup?
The right time tracking tool depends entirely on your billing model and team structure — solo freelancers, agencies-of-one managing contractors, and small teams have genuinely different requirements. Based on verified pricing from Toggl Track, Harvest, and Clockify, here are the clearest recommendations per segment.
Best for Solo Freelancers
Solo freelancer: 1 person, self-billing, no subcontractors.
Toggl Track Starter at $9/user/month is the best choice for solo freelancers billing hourly who want reliable reporting and a clean interface. If budget is the primary constraint, Clockify Free covers all basic tracking needs at zero cost — with the option to upgrade to Standard at $5.49/month when invoicing becomes necessary.
Skip Harvest at this stage unless invoicing is already a weekly workflow task. The $12/user/month Pro plan is hard to justify for a freelancer who only sends a handful of invoices per month and can handle billing through Wave or PayPal at no cost.
Best for Agency-of-One (Freelancer Managing Subcontractors)
Agency-of-one: 1 primary freelancer managing 2–4 subcontractors on shared projects.
Harvest Pro at $12/user/month becomes the strongest choice here. The ability to consolidate time tracked by subcontractors, view project-level budget consumption, and generate a single invoice to the client — all within one tool — saves meaningful time when you’re coordinating multiple contributors. Clockify’s Standard or Pro plan ($5.49–$7.99/user/month) is the budget alternative, with solid team tracking and invoicing at a lower per-seat cost.
For project management alongside time tracking, see the best project management software for small teams — many agency-of-one setups benefit from pairing a dedicated PM tool with a lean time tracker.
Best for Small Freelance Teams (2–10 People)
Small freelance team: 2–10 people, shared client projects, team-level reporting needed.
Clockify Standard or Pro ($5.49–$7.99/user/month) is the best choice for small freelance teams. The per-seat cost is significantly lower than Harvest, and the Pro plan adds project budgeting, labor cost tracking, and scheduling — capabilities that matter when multiple people are billing against the same project. Toggl Track Premium at $18/user/month is the higher-cost alternative with better team scheduling and forecasting, worth considering for teams that prioritize UX over per-seat savings.
For teams also managing client relationships, the best CRM for freelancers covers how to pair time tracking with client management without doubling your SaaS spend.
Does Your Time Tracker Handle Invoicing — or Just Tracking?
Invoicing capability is the single most consequential feature gap across freelancer time tracking tools — and the distinction no competitor maps clearly. In this evaluation, only two tools support a complete billing loop (time entry → invoice → online payment) without a third-party tool. Here is the exact invoicing status per tool, sourced from verified pricing pages for the three primary tools (Toggl Track, Harvest, Clockify), with TopTracker details sourced from Toptal’s official product pages.
The following list covers every reviewed tool and its invoicing status:
- Toggl Track (all plans): No native invoicing. Export time as PDF/CSV, then create invoices in FreshBooks, Wave, QuickBooks, or PayPal Invoicing.
- Clockify Free/Basic: No invoicing. Upgrade to Standard ($5.49/user/month) for native invoice generation.
- Clockify Standard and above: Native invoicing — generates invoices from time entries, supports expense line items, but does not accept online payments directly (must use external payment link).
- Harvest Pro: Full native invoicing — generates invoices from time entries, accepts Stripe and PayPal payments directly, and tracks invoice status (draft, sent, paid) in the dashboard.
- TopTracker (all tiers): No invoicing. Use Wave, PayPal Invoicing, or FreshBooks as a companion tool.
Bottom line on invoicing: If native invoicing is a requirement, the realistic options are Harvest Pro (best invoice workflow, highest price at $12/user/month) or Clockify Standard (adequate invoicing, lowest price among tools with this feature at $5.49/user/month). All other tools require a third-party invoicing solution.
For freelancers who also need to manage accounting alongside time tracking, the best accounting software for freelancers covers which tools integrate cleanly with the time trackers reviewed here.
Is It Worth Switching Time Tracking Tools?
Switching time tracking tools carries lower risk than most SaaS migrations, but the effort varies depending on how many active clients and projects you’re managing. The key factors to evaluate are data portability and billing commitment — not workflow complexity, which is low for all tools reviewed here.
Data portability: Toggl Track, Clockify, and Harvest all export time entries as CSV. This means historical data is never locked in — you can archive it locally before cancelling any subscription. The practical switching cost is rebuilding your client list, project structure, and billing rates in the new tool. For a solo freelancer with under 10 active clients, this is a one-time task that takes an afternoon. For a freelancer managing multiple contractors with established invoice templates in Harvest, rebuilding those templates in a new tool requires more deliberate planning.
Contract lock-in risk: Toggl Track, Clockify, and Harvest all offer monthly billing with no cancellation penalty, making them low-risk for freelancers whose workload fluctuates seasonally. If you are evaluating any tool that requires annual billing for its advertised price, factor in the cost of the unused portion if you cancel early — not all tools pro-rate refunds.
From Toggl Track to Harvest: The primary switching cost is rebuilding your invoice templates and billable rate configurations in Harvest’s system. Neither tool charges a cancellation fee on monthly billing, so the financial risk is limited to one month’s overlap if you run both in parallel during transition.
From Clockify to Toggl Track: Both tools use similar project/client/tag structures, making the conceptual transition straightforward. Clockify exports time data as CSV, and Toggl Track accepts manual entry or CSV import for historical records.
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Tracking for Freelancers
These questions reflect how freelancers actually ask about time tracking tools — covering free options, invoicing capability, mobile reliability, and team size fit. Each answer is written to stand alone without requiring context from the rest of this article.
What is the best free time tracker for freelancers?
Clockify is the best free time tracker for freelancers. Its Free plan includes unlimited time tracking, unlimited projects, and unlimited users with no time limit — not just a trial. Toggl Track also offers a free tier for up to 5 users, but Clockify’s free plan is more generous for solo freelancers who need project-level reporting without paying.
Does Toggl Track work for invoicing?
Toggl Track does not have native invoicing on any plan. You need to export time reports and create invoices in a separate tool such as FreshBooks, PayPal Invoicing, or Wave. Harvest is the strongest alternative if native invoicing is a priority, as it generates invoices directly from tracked time and supports online payment collection via Stripe and PayPal.
Which time tracking app works best on mobile for freelancers?
Toggl Track and Harvest both offer full-featured iOS and Android apps, and Clockify’s mobile app is available on all plans including the Free tier. For mobile-first freelancers who prioritize a clean, minimal experience, Toggl Track’s app is the most straightforward to use. If you also need invoicing on mobile, Harvest’s app covers the full billing workflow from time entry through invoice delivery.
What is the cheapest paid time tracking software for freelancers?
Among tools with verified pricing in this roundup, Clockify’s Standard plan at $5.49/user/month is the most affordable option that includes invoicing. Toggl Track’s Starter plan is $9/user/month, per Toggl Track’s pricing page. Harvest charges $12/user/month with no usable free tier beyond a 30-day trial, per Harvest’s pricing page. For freelancers who do not need invoicing, Clockify’s Free plan costs nothing and has no expiration.
Can freelancers use time tracking software to bill clients directly?
Yes, but only Harvest and Clockify Standard support native invoicing. Harvest generates invoices directly from tracked time and accepts Stripe and PayPal payments. Clockify’s Standard plan ($5.49/user/month) adds invoicing but does not process online payments directly. Toggl Track and TopTracker require a third-party invoicing tool such as FreshBooks, QuickBooks, or Wave for client billing.
Is Harvest worth it for a solo freelancer?
Harvest is worth it for solo freelancers who bill clients by the hour and want invoicing built in. At $12/user/month, it is more expensive than alternatives, but the combination of time tracking, expense tracking, and direct invoice generation with Stripe and PayPal eliminates the need for a separate invoicing tool. Freelancers who do not bill hourly will find Clockify’s Free plan or Toggl Track’s Starter plan sufficient — and significantly cheaper.
What time tracking software is best for a freelancer managing subcontractors?
Harvest is the strongest choice for a freelancer managing subcontractors because it supports multi-user time tracking, consolidated project reporting, and invoice generation from a single interface. Clockify’s Standard or Pro plans ($5.49–$7.99/user/month) also support team tracking and project budgets at a lower per-seat cost — making Clockify the better value once you’re managing three or more contributors.
Pricing last checked from official vendor websites. Prices are subject to change — verify directly before purchasing.