- Best for complex projects: Wrike
- Best for customization: ClickUp
- Best for spreadsheet users: Smartsheet
- Best for collaboration: Teamwork
- Best for freelancers and small businesses: Clockify
- Best for experienced project teams: Microsoft Project
Keeping track of the time is an integral component of project management. Time tracking helps to streamline business processes and boost team efficiency. Fortunately, you don’t have to manually track time, as there are several applications that help you with project management time tracking. The challenge is to pick the right software for your needs.
SEE: Hiring kit: Project manager (TechRepublic Premium)
To help you get started, we have compiled a list of the six best project management time tracking software. We have highlighted how each software compares to the others in terms of core features, pricing, and pros and cons. We also share our methodology for compiling the list and some tips on choosing the right time tracking software for your business.
Top project management time tracking software comparison
| Software | Free plan | Automated time tracking | Mobile app | Invoicing | 24/7 support | Starting price (per user) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrike | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only with premium plans | $9.80 per month |
| ClickUp | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $7 per month |
| Smartsheet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $7 per month |
| Teamwork | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $5.99 per month |
| Clockify | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | $3.99 per month |
| Microsoft Project | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | $10 per month |
Wrike: Best for complex projects
Wrike is a project management software loaded with features, including time tracking (Figure A), which allows you to collect data from time spent on tasks. The time tracking tools provide a complete picture of how you are utilizing your resources for the project. Wrike’s time management tools come built-in with Business and Enterprise plans. Some of the key benefits of Wrike’s time tracking tools for project management include the ability to automatically log work hours, generate online invoices and manage timesheets.
Pricing
- Free: Unlimited users.
- Team: $9.80 per user per month, billed annually.
- Business: $24.80 per user per month, billed annually.
- Enterprise: Reach out to sales for a custom quote.
- Pinnacle: Reach out to sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Wrike Lock cloud-based security tool adds an extra layer of data encryption.
- Two-way sync with third-party software platforms.
- Reporting and business intelligence for in-depth insights.
- Budgeting and resource management tools.
Top integrations
- Google Drive.
- Zoom.
- Miro.
- Microsoft OneDrive.
- Tableau.
- Slack.
- Dropbox.
Pros
- Excellent customer support.
- Free plan has unlimited users.
- Strength in security standards.
- Custom branding for the Business plan and up.
Cons
- Customization is limited.
- Data import process is difficult, as there are too many parameters.
- Under 15 GB of storage for all plans, except for Pinnacle.
Why we chose Wrike
Wrike is a fully featured project management software that offers time tracking in addition to resource planning, budgeting, reporting and other tools. If you need to manage complex projects — and you’ve got the budget to upgrade to the more advanced plans — then Wrike is an excellent choice to consider.
For more information, read our full Wrike review and check out our Smartsheet vs. Wrike comparison.
ClickUp: Best for customization
ClickUp offers native time tracking for all paid plans (Figure B), which start at just $7 a month. ClickUp makes it easy to know exactly how much time was spent on a task and how much time you want to allocate to it. You have the ability to add estimates to any task and split the time between your team members. The estimates help your team understand how much work or time is expected on each task or subtask.
Pricing
- Free: Unlimited users.
- Unlimited: $7 per user per month if billed annually, or $10 per user per month if billed month-to-month.
- Business: $12 per user per month if billed annually, or $19 per user per month if billed month-to-month.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for custom pricing.
- ClickUp AI: Add on to any paid plan for $5 per person per month.
Standout features
- ClickApps allows you to completely customize your workspace to help streamline the workflow.
- Choose from 15 different work views, including calendar, Gantt and timeline.
- Unlimited custom views, storage and project spaces for paid tiers.
- Native video recording and chat messaging on the app.
Top integrations
- Slack.
- Webhooks.
- Google Drive.
- Outlook.
- Microsoft Teams.
- Zoom.
- Hubspot.
- Toggl.
Pros
- Time tracking on all paid plans.
- Free plan offers an impressive range of features.
- Clean and well-organized interface.
- Unlimited storage in higher-priced plans.
Cons
- There is a steep learning curve.
- Customization options can be overwhelming.
- Custom user roles and permissions available only in Enterprise plan.
Why we chose ClickUp
Unlike other platforms that confine native time tracking to the highest tier paid plans, ClickUp offers time tracking on all paid plans. The paid plans are also highly affordable, starting at just $7 a month (billed annually). ClickUp also offers a high level of customization and flexibility, making it a versatile solution for many teams and departments.
For more information, read our full ClickUp review and check out our Smartsheet vs. ClickUp comparison.
Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet users
With Smartsheet’s resource management add-on, you get a variety of time tracking tools (Figure C) including predictive timesheets, real-time budget updates, actual versus planned hours and mobile time tracking. Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-inspired interface is ideal for those who already have experience with spreadsheets. In addition to excellent time tracking tools, Smartsheet offers all of the tools you would expect from a top project management software, such as analytics, reporting, data security and team collaboration.
Pricing
- Free plan: No cost.
- Pro: $7 per user per month billed annually, or $9 per user billed monthly.
- Business: $25 per user per month billed annually, or $32 per user billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Price on request.
Standout features
- Predictive timesheets make it easy to track work and adjust hours as needed.
- Track time on the go via the mobile app.
- Project dashboard centralizes everything in one place.
- Collaboration tools promote teamwork.
Top integrations
- Slack.
- Microsoft Teams.
- Webex.
- Power BI.
- Adobe Creative Cloud.
- Tableau.
- Okta.
- Jira.
Pros
- Robust automation tools.
- Excellent flexibility with unlimited custom fields and sheets.
- Over 350 templates to choose from.
- Spreadsheet-based design will be familiar to many.
Cons
- Must add-on Resource Management in order to get time tracking.
- Free account only supports one user.
- Autosave doesn’t work in real-time.
Why we chose Smartsheet
Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-style interface will appeal to Excel users who are looking for a traditionally designed project management software. It also offers advanced project management, though you do need to be willing to pay for them: Time tracking is part of the optional Resource Management module, for example.
For more information, read our full Smartsheet review and check out our Smartsheet vs. Microsoft project comparison.
Teamwork: Best for collaboration
Teamwork provides excellent time tracking tools to help users stay on schedule, manage invoicing and budgeting, and use the resources to maximize productivity (Figure D). The My Timesheets tools feature a clean and simple interface, providing an easy learning curve for Teamwork. Additionally, the time tracking tools allow users to quickly view time details for the entire project or dig deeper with more specifics for a particular task. You also get to compare estimated, logged and actual hours for projects.
Teamwork’s time tracking feature. Image: Teamwork.
Pricing
- Free plan: No cost.
- Starter: $5.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $8.99 per user billed monthly.
- Deliver: $9.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $13.99 per user billed monthly.
- Grow: $17.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $24.99 per user billed monthly.
- Scale: Contact sales for a customer pricing quote.
Standout features
- Teamwork Chat helps optimize team collaboration.
- Teamwork Spaces centralizes document management.
- Client portal makes it easy to communicate with people outside your company.
- Subtask and dependencies streamline task management.
- Choose from multiple project views, including Kanban and Gantt charts.
Top integrations
- HubSpot.
- Microsoft Teams.
- Slack.
- Stripe.
- Mailchimp.
- Outlook.
- Box.
- DropBox.
Pros
- Variety of visualization tools.
- Easy learning curve.
- Built-in chatting tool is impressive.
- Client portal and collaboration features.
Cons
- Free plan limited to 5 users.
- Edits or modifications take time to load.
- Must upgrade to Grow plans for company timesheets and time reminders.
Why we chose Teamwork
Teamwork offers time tracking and basic timesheets on all of its plans, even the forever free one, which is almost unheard of. It also offers multiple tools for collaborating both inside and outside your organization, including a chat module and a client portal. Client-facing teams will definitely want to take a closer look at Teamwork for that reason.
For more information, read our full Teamwork review.
Clockify: Best for freelancers and small businesses
As the name suggests, Clockify is a full-featured time tracking software. It offers tracking for billable hours, project progress, payroll and employee productivity (Figure E). The software is based on the cloud, so it can be used across devices. While it may not have the advanced project management tools, it does feature invoicing, reporting, budget managing and other features you expect from a top project management application.
Pricing
- Free plan: No cost.
- Basic: $3.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $4.99 per user billed monthly.
- Standard: $5.49 per user per month, billed annually, or $6.99 per user billed monthly.
- Pro: $7.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $9.99 per user billed monthly.
- Enterprise: $11.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $14.99 per user billed monthly.
Standout features
- Set up a kiosk where employees can clock in and out.
- Add time for others and lock timesheets.
- Unlimited time tracking even for free plans.
- Automatic reminders to stop and start the time clock.
- Select custom billable rates.
Top integrations
- Evernote.
- Google Calendar.
- Asana.
- Jira.
- Trello.
- Todoist.
- Outlook.
- Hubspot.
Pros
- Unlimited users and projects on all plans.
- Useful browser extensions.
- Advanced time tracking features.
- Transparent and affordable pricing plans.
Cons
- Reporting tools are limited.
- Must upgrade in order to get PTO management.
- Lacks advanced project management features.
Why we chose Clockify
If you are mostly looking for a time tracking solution as opposed to a full fledged project management app, then Clockify is a great option. It offers some of the most advanced time tracking features of any platform on this list, though the tradeoff is that its project management features aren’t as robust, so it’s not ideal for managing complex projects.
Microsoft Project: Best for experienced project teams
Microsoft Project is an advanced project management solution with outstanding time tracking tools (Figure F). You can track time spent on tasks and the progress of tasks toward the completion of the project. With Microsoft Project, you can break larger projects into smaller tasks and assign to each an estimate of how long it should take to complete. You can also delegate tasks to your teammates and leave comments to help them understand what to do.
Pricing
Cloud-based solutions:
- Project Plan 1: $10 per user per month.
- Project Plan 3: $30 per user per month.
- Project Plan 5: $55 per user per month.
On-premises solutions:
- Project Standard 2021: $679.99 per license.
- Project Professional 2021: $1,129.99 per license.
- Project Server: Contact sales for pricing details.
Standout features
- Set priorities and milestones to manage tasks.
- Manage resources to identify project bottlenecks.
- Prebuilt reports show your progress and efficiency.
- Choose from multiple project views to visualize projects.
- Interactive roadmap feature aggregates multiple projects into one view.
Top integrations
- Microsoft Teams.
- SharePoint.
- OneDrive.
- Excel.
- Word.
- Power BI.
Pros
- Full compatibility with other Microsoft products.
- Comprehensive set of scheduling and time tracking tools.
- Resource management available.
- Detailed project planning and task management tools.
Cons
- Limited integrations.
- Steep learning curve.
- Not suitable for beginners or simple projects.
Why we chose Microsoft Project
In addition to time tracking, Microsoft Project offers some of the most advanced project management features of any platform out there, making it a good choice to manage multiple complex projects at once. It’s designed to be used within the Microsoft ecosystem, meaning that it’s best for current Microsoft devotees.
For more information, read the full Microsoft Project review. Like Microsoft Project but want to see some similar options first? Check out these Microsoft Project alternatives.
Key features of project management time tracking software
Automated time tracking
Automated time tracking works in the background, so you can focus on completing your tasks. This feature helps minimize the need to manually manage timesheets. In most cases, you also have the ability to manually input or modify data, so you can fix any errors after the fact.
Reporting and analytics
Reporting and analytics tools help you analyze data. For example, you can use such tools to visualize team performance and improve productivity or to track project budgets to ensure you are on schedule.
Mobile app
A mobile app offers extra flexibility to enter time tracking information into the software. It also helps users view the task progress and resource allocation for projects while on the go.
Invoicing
With invoicing tools, you can track billable hours. In some cases, you can also automate invoices to help you save time and effort. Other advanced features include invoice templates, recurring billing and automated reminders.
24/7 Support
Having 24/7 customer support provides you with the peace of mind that if you run into issues with the software, you can rely on customer support from the vendor.
How to choose the best project management time tracking software?
To choose the best project management time tracking software, you need to start with an evaluation of your business needs. You want to focus on your major pain points to determine exactly what problems you are trying to solve.
Once you have clearly defined a problem, you can start considering other factors such as the size of your organization, existing tech stack, the experience level of your team and use case for the software. There are software more geared toward time tracking, but they may not offer advanced project management tools. Similarly, there are comprehensive project management software that offer basic time tracking tools.
Ideally, you want to balance the offering of the software based on the needs of your organization. This list should help you get started, but you will have to dig deeper by watching a full demo and using the free version to get a feel for the software. This will help you make an informed decision about which is most suited to your organization.
Methodology
The methodology used to compile this list of best project management time tracking software included comprehensive research and analysis. We evaluated dozens of software against the criteria set for this category. The criteria include pricing, user interface, ease of setup, core features, unique selling points and more.
We also looked at expert reviews, customer ratings and other parameters to choose the best project management software with time tracking tools. To learn more about the software, you can read our detailed reviews for each individual platform.