11 Best Time Tracking Software For Project Managers (2024)

Time-tracking software helps project managers stay on top of their team’s hours and productivity.

When integrated with payroll and task management, it can also be a great way to track your team’s workflow.

There are many options for time-tracking software, depending on the size of your team and the nature of your work.

Many are cloud-based, while some require installation.

Several options are simpler in design and features, while others incorporate time tracking with payroll, invoicing, and document sharing.

To help you find the best software for your needs, we’ve compiled a list of the top 11 time-tracking software for project managers.

Why use Time Tracking Software for Project Managers?

Time tracking software assists project managers in keeping track of the amount of time is spent on each activity.

Using this information, they can detect any slowdowns or inefficiencies in the workflow and make necessary improvements.

For instance, they can look into why a certain activity is taking so long and make adjustments to the process to make it go more quickly.

Without time tracking software, accurately charging customers for project time can be challenging.

Project managers can quickly monitor how much time is spent on each project with the time tracking software, which also helps to verify that customers are charged fairly.

This not only aids in dispute avoidance but also fosters client trust.

Time tracking software provides project managers with information on how much time is spent on various activities and projects.

This information enables them to more efficiently manage resources, ensuring that all activities are done on time. T

hey can also use it to find any resources that are being used too much or too little and make changes to improve their performance.

Tip: With monday.com time tracking feature, team members can log the amount of time they spend on each task, making it easier for project managers to see where time is being spent and how much progress is being made.

What makes good Time Tracking Software for Project Managers?

A good time tracking software for project managers should be easy to utilise, versatile, integrate with other programs, provide extensive reporting, allow for real-time monitoring, promote collaboration, be mobile-friendly, and have powerful security measures to secure sensitive data.
Project managers may need to check time against project budgets to make sure they are remaining within their allotted resources.

Project managers should be able to create budgets and monitor time spent in relation to those budgets using good time tracking software.

A good time tracking software should contain tools for handling employee time off requests, including as sick time, vacation time, and personal days.

Tip: monday.com time tracking software is a valuable tool for project managers looking to manage their projects more effectively and efficiently.

How to choose the right Time Tracking Software for Project Managers

Choosing the right time-tracking software is essential for project managers since it allows them to efficiently monitor and manage the time of their team members as well as track the development of their projects.

With the right tools, project managers can boost team efficiency, streamline operations, and base decisions on accurate data.

While searching for time tracking software, project managers must first determine their individual demands and goals.

The software should be user-friendly for both project managers and team members.

Also, the software must to be customizable to the specific requirements of the company.

This could involve having the option to modify workflows, design unique fields, or include certain functionality.

Tip: monday.com time tracking software also allows project managers to manage budgets more effectively.

Top 11 time tracking software for project managers

1. Monday.com – best for customizable time tracking
2. Bonsai – Best for optimizing workflow
3. Toggl Track – best user-friendly software
4. ProofHub – best All-in-One software
5. Paymo – best for small to medium teams
6. Mavenlink – best for large organizations
7. Time Doctor – best for workplace transparency
8. Replicon – best multi-product software
9. FunctionFox – best for creative teams
10. Wrike – best for hands-on management
11. Hub Planner – best for remote teams

1. Monday.com: best for customizable time tracking

Pricing: $8/per user/per month (14 days free trial)

If you’re looking for a highly customizable way to track individual and team productivity, Monday.com is a great option.

With streamlined layouts and complex reporting features, this time-tracking software allows you to track time in a way that suits your company’s needs.

Key Features:

• Simple visual layout free from distractions
• Google Chrome plugin
• Keyword-based tracker
• Resource and project management
• Sophisticated reporting dashboard
• Integrates with Slack, Google Drive, Jira, Dropbox, and more

Reasons to buy:

• Great for collaboration
• Highly effective workflow layouts

Reasons to avoid:

• No accounting or invoicing features

2. Bonsai – Best for optimizing workflow

Pricing: Starts at $24 per month (7-day free trial)

Time is money, which is why businesses need to track the time their employees are working. Such a tracking system helps you understand what you owe to your employees and what the clients owe you. Fortunately, Bonsai is one of the top time tracking tools that will help you optimize workflows in the best way possible.

For example, Bonsai will track all the time spent on a project and automatically create an invoice based on the timesheet. All the time worked will be broken down for you and the client to understand why a certain amount has been billed. Such transparency is crucial in building client relations for the long term.

Bonsai will also create time reports so that you know where you spend time to maximize all the hours you can bill. You can set the rate of the project yourself, and Bonsai will work accordingly. The invoicing features, along with time tracking, make it a breeze to make sure that you get your payments without any issues.

Key Features:

• Project timesheets
• Download the app to track time anywhere
• Instant invoice creation based on timesheet
• Task creation and management

Reasons to buy:

• It will help you understand where you are spending most of your time
• You can manage the hours with ease
• It is a billing and time tracking system in one for your ease

Reasons to avoid:

• There is a learning curve that comes with using the time-tracking feature

3.Toggl Track: Best user-friendly software

Pricing: $15 per month for more than 5 users (14 days free trial)

With a simple yet beautiful design that is easy for managers and employees to use, Toggl has everything you need and nothing you don’t.

For a relatively simple software, Toggl boasts an impressive array of time-tracking features and can easily connect to third-party apps for invoicing and budgeting.

Key features:

• Simple, intuitive design
• Unlimited time tracking, clients, and projects
• Works with web apps, mobile apps, and desktop apps
• Automated reminders
• Time tracking audits
• Pomodoro timers
• CSV imports
• Integrates with Asana, Basecamp, Teamweek, Freshbooks, and more

Reasons to buy:

• Highly user friendly
• Auditing tools for suspicious timesheet entries

Reasons to avoid:

• No budgeting or invoicing features

4. ProofHub: Best All-in-One software

Pricing: 

• 14 days free trial
• ULTIMATE CONTROL – Flat $89/ month billed annually
• ESSENTIAL – Flat $45/ month billed annually

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration solution that assists managers and teams with planning, organizing, managing, tracking, and delivering projects on time.

The tool is built for teams to track time spent on tasks and track performance.

You can easily analyze how your team members are utilizing their time.

Key features: 

• Bird’s eye view for all-time data
• Timesheets for payroll, client billing, estimation, and time management 
• Set time estimates for different tasks
• Quick reporting and advanced time-tracking capabilities
• Effective project management and collaboration
• Create custom time reports
• Export timesheets
• Archive timesheets

Reasons to buy:

• Gantt chart view to get the summary of the project timeline 
• Effective team collaboration features 

Reasons to avoid:

• Does not support Google Signup right now

5. Paymo: Best for small to medium teams

Pricing: $4.95/user/month (15 days free trial)

Paymo provides highly detailed insight into each member of your team, which makes it great for small to medium teams.

Through web timers, running timers, and detailed reports, Paymo can help you analyze your team’s productivity from multiple perspectives.

Key features:

• Clear yet detailed time entry cards
• Tracks running timers for each team member at once
• Customizable timesheet settings
• Live reports that update automatically
• Web timer tracks time directly in your browser
• Generates invoices and integrates with Square, Stripe, and Paypal
• Provides daily, weekly, and monthly overviews

Reasons to buy:

• Can send reports directly to clients
• Streamlined invoicing and payment system

Reasons to avoid:

• Not ideal for larger teams

6. Mavenlink: Best for large organizations

Pricing: $39/month (No free trial)

Mavenlink is great for managing large organizations thanks to its variety of features.

This software offers business intelligence and resource management in addition to time tracking, which will give you a more complete picture of trends.

The performance forecast is another bonus not found in most simpler time-tracking software.

Key features:

• Detailed timesheets and reports
• Customizable templates
• File sharing and document management software
• Activity tracking
• Integrated accounting
• Budgeting and forecasting features
• Client portal
• Dependency tracking

Reasons to buy:

• Extensive features
• Good for large organizations

Reasons to avoid:

• Some features may be unnecessary for smaller teams
• Higher cost

7. Time Doctor: Best for workplace transparency

Pricing: $7/per user/per month (14 days free trial)

If you’re looking for something that creates a fully transparent work environment, Time Doctor is a great option.

Alongside detailed timesheets and numerous other features, you’ll be able to see exactly what your employees are doing on their screens and which websites they visit.

Key features:

• Chrome extension
• Integrates with Asana, Pipedrive, and more
• Screencasting to monitor employee activity
• Distraction alerts
• Screenshots of employees’ screens
• Detailed productivity and activity reports
• Email notifications

Reasons to buy:

• Payroll integrated with timesheets
• High level of employee monitoring

Reasons to avoid:

• Features geared more towards monitoring employee activity than time tracking

8. Replicon: Best multi-package software

Pricing: $18/per user/per month (14 days free trial)

If you’re looking to implement a complex time-tracking system, Replicon might be a good choice.

Replicon’s time-tracking software consists of multiple products, which allows you to keep track of employee time, billable hours, time off, and more.

The comprehensive scope of Replicon’s packages provides an easy way to keep track of many different employees, projects, and clients at once.

Key features:

• Cloud-based
• High level of security
• Detailed reports on employee activities
• Paid time off management
• Integrated time tracking and budgeting features
• Different packages for billable hours, paid time off, and more

Reasons to buy:

• Many features
• Great for time tracking within large teams

Reasons not to buy:

• Need to subscribe to multiple software packages to access all features
• Features are not streamlined

9. FunctionFox: Best for creative teams

Pricing: $5/per month/per user but $35 for first user (no free trial)

If you’re managing a team of creative professionals, FunctionFox will help you stay on top of all your projects through streamlined, user-friendly software.

With detailed productivity reports, FunctionFox is great for anyone in marketing, public relations, graphic design, and more.

Key features:

• Simple yet detailed time tracking
• Designed specifically for the creative industry
• User-friendly interface
• Cloud-based
• Interactive charts in productivity reports
• Advanced budget tracking
• Mobile app version
• Tracks billable and non-billable hours

Reasons to buy:

• Great for creative teams
• Excellent customer support is available

Reasons to avoid:

• Not suited for all industries

10. Wrike: Best hands-on time tracking

Pricing: $9.80/user/month (14 days free trial)

If you’re looking for hands-on time tracking software that will send you real-time updates and allow you to communicate with your employees as you go, try Wrike’s time tracking software.

With features that allow you to mention employees, comment, and track each step, Wrike makes it easy to stay on top of the details of day-to-day workflow.

Key features:

• Tracks time of individuals, teams, and tasks
• Customizable project tracking
• Newsfeed that provides updates
• Notifications when time is tracked and members make comments
• Workload charts showing effort points

Reasons to buy:

• Great for fast-paced work
• Reduces the need for emails

Reasons to avoid:

• Many notifications
• Not designed for a hands-off approach

11. Hub Planner – Best for Remote Teams

Pricing: $7/user/month (60 days free trial)

If you’re managing a remote team, Hub Planner is the best option.

With time-tracking features that connect directly to team scheduling and project milestone tracking, this highly streamlined software will give you a clear view of your team’s resources.

Key Features:

• Integrated time tracking and team scheduling
• Detailed analytics reports
• Automated scheduling
• Paid time off tracking
• Clear and effective resource management
• Project milestone tracking

Reasons to buy:

• Highly streamlined
• Detailed resource tracking

Reasons to avoid:

• No file sharing or document management

References and links:

• https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/tools/time-tracking-software/#time-tracking-software
• https://biz30.timedoctor.com/time-tracking-software-for-project-managers/
• https://blog.hubstaff.com/project-management-software-with-time-tracking/#proofhub
• https://toggl.com/track/pricing/
• https://project-management.com/monday-com-time-tracking/
• https://www.paymoapp.com/
• https://www.capterra.ca/software/110832/mavenlink
• https://www.timedoctor.com/features.html#f1
• https://www.functionfox.com/products.aspx
• https://www.softwareadvice.com/ca/project-management/timefox-profile/
• https://softwarefinder.com/replicon
• https://try.wrike.com
• https://hubplanner.com/