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Updated June 2026

Agency Time Tracking Software: 10 Tools Compared (2026)

Most agencies track time wrong. Someone opens Toggl, types "client work," starts a timer, stops it an hour later. At billing time, they open a spreadsheet and try to match those entries to actual projects and tasks. It takes longer than it should and the numbers are never quite right.

Task-linked time tracking attaches every entry to the specific task it belongs to. When billing time comes, you run a report and the work is already organized by client, project, and task.

This guide covers 10 tools used by agencies: Worklenz, Harvest, Toggl Track, Clockify, Hubstaff, Everhour, Paymo, Teamwork, Timely, and TMetric. comparison table or read each tool in detail below.

Why task-linked time tracking matters

The gap between time tracked and time billed is where agency profit disappears. A team member logs 6 hours tagged "design work" and 2 hours tagged "meetings." At billing time, someone has to figure out which design work was for which client, which meetings were billable, and whether those 8 hours match the project estimate. For a busy agency, that process takes around 30 minutes per person per week. Multiply across 10 people and you are spending 5 hours every Friday on administrative work that should have happened automatically.

When time entries are attached to tasks, the task already knows which project and client it belongs to. Billable hours are separated from non-billable ones at the point of entry. Reports are ready when you need them, not assembled the day before invoicing.

The second issue: whether the time tracking tool is built into your project management system or runs as a separate app. Separate tools create sync problems. Someone logs time in Harvest but the task in Asana is marked complete at a different time. The project manager looks at two systems and neither has the complete picture.

Quick comparison

Tool Free plan Task-linked Billable/non-billable Invoicing Starting price
Worklenz Yes Yes Yes No Free
Harvest No No Yes Yes $12/user/mo
Toggl Track Yes No Yes No Free (5 users)
Clockify Yes No Yes No Free (unlimited)
Hubstaff No No Yes Yes $7/user/mo
Everhour No Yes Yes Yes $8.50/user/mo
Paymo Yes Yes Yes Yes Free (1 user) / $9.90
Teamwork Yes Yes Yes Yes $10.99/user/mo
Timely No No Yes No $9/user/mo
TMetric Yes No Yes No Free / $7/user/mo

Task-linked means time entries are structurally tied to specific tasks, not just tagged to a project.

1. Worklenz

Free plan + self-hostable  ·  github.com/Worklenz/worklenz

Best for agencies: task-level tracking + free

Worklenz tracks time at the task level. Every entry is attached to the task, the task is attached to the project, and the project is attached to the client. When you pull a billing report, the data is already organized the way invoicing requires.

The timer sits inside each task. You open it, click start, work, stop. The entry records against that task automatically. You can also log time manually by adding past entries with a date and duration, useful for people who work without starting timers.

Billable vs non-billable is set at the task or project level. You can mark projects as non-billable (internal work, pitches, business development) and mark specific tasks within a billable project as non-billable (internal review rounds, revision loops the client should not see). Reports separate these at export. The team utilization view shows each person's hours across all active projects for the week or month. You can see who is over capacity and who can absorb new work, which is the question a resource manager needs answered before committing to a new client.

What sets it apart for agencies: time tracking is not a bolt-on module. It is built into the same platform as project management, workload views, Gantt, sprint planning, client portal, and budget tracking. The free plan includes time tracking with no seat limit. Where it falls short: Worklenz does not generate invoices. You export time reports as CSV and handle invoicing in your accounting tool. For agencies that want invoice generation inside the time tracker, Harvest or Paymo are closer to that.

What you get for time tracking

  • Timer on every task, auto-linked to project and client
  • Manual time entry with date and duration
  • Billable and non-billable separation at task or project level
  • Team utilization view across all active projects
  • Project budget tracking with hours vs estimate
  • CSV export for invoicing in any accounting tool
Start Tracking Time Free View on GitHub

2. Harvest

No free plan  ·  $12/user/month  ·  getharvest.com

Harvest is built for agencies and consultants that bill by the hour. You track time, set project budgets, and generate invoices directly from tracked hours without exporting to a separate system.

Project budget tracking is one of its genuine strengths. You set a budget in hours or dollars and Harvest shows how much has been used in real time. When a project approaches the cap, both you and the client can see it before it becomes a problem. Invoicing is built in and well-designed. You select the time entries to invoice, set a rate, and Harvest generates an invoice you can send from within the app. Clients can pay via Stripe or PayPal.

No free plan past a 30-day trial. Paid plans start at $12/user/month. A 10-person team pays $120/month for time tracking and invoicing. Whether that is worth it depends on how frequently you invoice and how much time you spend on billing reconciliation. Harvest also has no meaningful project management. Tasks exist in the tool but it is primarily a time tracker, not a PM platform.

Pricing: No free plan. $12/user/month for all features. 30-day trial available.

3. Toggl Track

Free up to 5 users  ·  toggl.com/track

Toggl Track is probably the most widely used standalone time tracker among agencies and freelancers. Fast, clean, easy to start. The free plan covers up to 5 users.

Reporting is its strong suit. You can filter by team member, project, client, and date range, then export to CSV or PDF. For agencies that need to show clients where hours went, Toggl's reports are clean enough to share without reformatting.

The gap: time entries are not structurally linked to tasks. You type a description and tag it to a project. At billing time, some manual matching is still required. No invoicing on the free plan and no project management at any tier. Paid plans go from $9/user/month (Starter, adds billable rates and richer reporting) to $18/user/month (Premium, for timesheet approval and profit tracking). For small agencies that need a clean timer and CSV export, the free plan is enough. For anything more complex, you are paying a meaningful per-user cost for a single-purpose tool.

Pricing: Free up to 5 users. Starter $9/user/month. Premium $18/user/month.

4. Clockify

Free forever (unlimited users)  ·  clockify.me

Clockify has the most generous free plan on this list: unlimited users, unlimited projects, unlimited tracking, and basic reporting at no cost. For agencies that want a team of 20 tracking time without a software budget, it is the only realistic option.

The free plan includes tracking, project and client organization, basic reports, and a team dashboard. Invoicing, billable rates, project budgets, and advanced reporting are behind paid plans, which start at $3.99/user/month.

Time entries can be assigned to a project and a task within that project, which is closer to task-linked tracking than Toggl. The structure is simpler than a full PM system, but it is there. The limitation: Clockify has no project management and no client portal. Agencies that want time tracking embedded in their project workflow rather than running alongside it still end up with two systems.

Pricing: Free forever (unlimited users). Paid from $3.99/user/month for invoicing and advanced features.

5. Hubstaff

From $7/user/month  ·  Monitoring + payroll  ·  hubstaff.com

Hubstaff adds an employee monitoring layer on top of time tracking. Beyond entries, it captures screenshots at set intervals, tracks mouse and keyboard activity, and supports GPS tracking for field teams. For agencies managing remote teams who need accountability beyond self-reported hours, it covers that use case.

Billable hours work as expected: you set rates per team member, track time against projects and clients, and generate reports for invoicing. Payroll processing is built in for US-based agencies.

The monitoring features are both the main differentiator and the main point of friction. Some agencies find screenshots and activity tracking useful for remote accountability. Others find it creates a trust problem with their team. This one genuinely depends on your culture and how you manage remote work. Paid plans start at $7/user/month. No free plan, though there is a 14-day trial. No meaningful project management.

Pricing: No free plan. From $7/user/month. 14-day trial available.

6. Everhour

$8.50/user/month  ·  Embeds in Asana / Jira / Trello  ·  everhour.com

Everhour embeds inside the project management tools your team already uses. You track time from Asana tasks, Trello cards, Jira issues, or Linear tasks without opening a separate app.

For agencies already running projects in Asana or Jira, this is the least disruptive path to time tracking. The timer appears inside the task card, the entry links to that task, and Everhour pulls everything into its own reporting and budget tracking layer. Budget tracking is a real feature: you set budgets per project in hours or dollars, track remaining capacity in real time, and get alerts when projects approach their limits.

The limitation: if your agency is not using one of the supported PM tools, Everhour loses most of its value. And if you are already paying for Asana, adding Everhour means two subscriptions. $8.50/user/month, no free plan.

Pricing: No free plan. $8.50/user/month. Requires Asana, Jira, Trello, or similar PM tool.

7. Paymo

Free (1 user) / $9.90/user/month  ·  paymoapp.com

Paymo combines time tracking, project management, and invoicing in one platform built for freelancers and small agencies. You track time, manage tasks, generate invoices, and log expenses without leaving the tool.

Time tracking is task-linked: open a task, start the timer, and the entry associates with the task, project, and client. Paymo also includes kanban, Gantt, team scheduler, and file sharing, which makes it one of the more complete all-in-one options at this price range. Free plan exists but is limited to one user. Paid plans start at $9.90/user/month with invoicing included.

The limitation: Paymo's interface is older than most alternatives on this list, and the project management side is thinner than Worklenz or Teamwork. For freelancers and very small agencies that want time tracking and invoicing in the same tool, it is worth a look. For larger teams with complex project structures, the PM limitations show up quickly.

Pricing: Free plan: 1 user, limited features. Paid from $9.90/user/month with full invoicing.

8. Teamwork

Free (5 users) / $10.99/user/month  ·  teamwork.com

Teamwork is a full agency PM platform with time tracking built in as a native feature. You track time against tasks, set project budgets, manage client billing and retainers, and run utilization reports, all within the same platform you use for tasks and Gantt planning.

Time tracking is task-linked. You start a timer on a task and the entry associates with that task, project, and client. Billable rates are configurable per team member or per project. Reports separate billable from non-billable hours. For agencies already evaluating Teamwork for project management, the time tracking requires no additional tool or cost. Paid plans start at $10.99/user/month.

The limitation: Teamwork is complex and time tracking is one feature among many. Teams that only need time tracking and reporting will find it oversized. It makes most sense for teams running the full Teamwork stack.

Pricing: Free plan: 5 users, 5 projects. Paid from $10.99/user/month. Client collaborators free.

9. Timely

No free plan  ·  From $9/user/month  ·  timelyapp.com

Timely skips manual timers entirely. It automatically captures all activity across apps, meetings, and browser tabs, then builds a timeline the user reviews and converts into time entries before submitting.

For agencies where team members consistently miss timers, Timely reduces that friction. Automatic capture tends to recover hours that would otherwise go unlogged.

Plans start at $9/user/month and go to $22/user/month. No free plan. No project management. No invoicing. Time entries link to projects but not to task-level items in the traditional sense. For agencies that primarily want automatic capture and are comfortable keeping project management elsewhere, it is worth evaluating. For everyone else, the price-to-feature ratio is hard to justify.

Pricing: No free plan. Starter $9/user/month. Premium $22/user/month.

10. TMetric

Free (unlimited users) / $7/user/month  ·  tmetric.com

TMetric is a clean time tracker with solid billing support and not a lot else. The free plan covers unlimited users and projects with basic tracking. Paid plans from $7/user/month add billable rates, invoicing, project budgets, and integrations with Asana, Jira, Trello, and GitHub, so tracking can happen from inside those tools.

The reporting covers what agency billing requires: time by client, project, and task, exportable as CSV or PDF.

It is not going to be anyone's favourite tool, but it is reliable and the price is fair. For agencies that want a clean time tracker with invoicing and nothing more complex than that, $7/user/month works.

Pricing: Free plan: unlimited users, basic features. Paid from $7/user/month for invoicing and budgets.

Detailed feature comparison

Feature Worklenz Harvest Toggl Clockify Hubstaff Everhour Paymo Teamwork Timely TMetric
Task-linked time entries
Billable vs non-billable
Project budget tracking
Team utilization view
Invoicing built-in
Client portal
Project management
Free plan available
Self-hostable

Self-hostable applies to agencies that want to run the tool on their own infrastructure. All features reflect paid tier unless noted.

How to choose

You need time tracking built into project management with no extra cost

Worklenz. Task-linked tracking, billable vs non-billable separation, team utilization view, and budget tracking are all in the free tier with no seat limit. One tool instead of two.

You want invoicing built into the time tracker

Harvest. The cleanest quote-to-invoice workflow on this list. $12/user/month for time tracking with project budgets and direct client invoicing. No project management, but the billing workflow is polished.

You need unlimited free time tracking for a large team

Clockify. Unlimited users and projects at no cost. Invoicing and advanced reporting require upgrading from $3.99/user/month. No project management or client portal.

Your team already uses Asana, Jira, or Trello

Everhour. The timer sits inside your existing task cards. Budget tracking and billable rates included. $8.50/user/month with no free plan.

You need employee monitoring alongside time tracking

Hubstaff. Screenshots, activity levels, and GPS built in. Payroll processing for US teams. $7/user/month. Worth considering only if remote accountability is a real need for your team.

You want automatic capture without manual timers

Timely. Builds timesheets from app and calendar activity automatically. Best for agencies where manual tracking compliance is consistently low and the $9+ per user cost is acceptable.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time tracking software for agencies?

Worklenz. Time tracking is built into the project management platform at the task level. Every entry links to a task, project, and client automatically. Billable vs non-billable separation, team utilization views, and project budget tracking are all in the free plan with no seat limit. One tool instead of two.

What is the difference between task-linked tracking and standalone time trackers?

Standalone trackers (Toggl, Clockify, TMetric) record time with a description and a project tag. At billing time, someone has to match those entries to actual tasks and verify client assignments. Task-linked tracking (Worklenz, Everhour, Teamwork) attaches entries to specific tasks at the point of tracking, so billing reports are already organized when you need them.

Does Worklenz have a free plan for time tracking?

Yes. Time tracking is included on the free cloud plan with no seat limit. You get task-level tracking, billable vs non-billable separation, project budget tracking, and team utilization reports at no cost. The self-hosted version is also free.

Can I track billable and non-billable hours separately in Worklenz?

Yes. You set billing type at the project level and override it at the task level. Internal review rounds, revision loops, and admin tasks can be marked non-billable within an otherwise billable project. Reports separate them automatically.

How do agencies export time data for invoicing from Worklenz?

Worklenz exports time reports as CSV. You select the date range, project, and team members, export the data, and use it in your accounting tool (QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks) to generate invoices. Worklenz does not generate invoices directly. That is the one thing Harvest and Paymo do that Worklenz does not.

Does time tracking software help with project profitability?

Yes, if the tool connects time to budgets. Worklenz shows hours logged against budget at the project level, so you can see when a project approaches its cap before it goes over. Harvest, Teamwork, and Everhour do the same. Toggl Track and Clockify require manual budget comparisons unless you are on a paid plan with budget tracking.

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