The best free time tracking apps for freelancers let you log your hours, see where your week actually went and bill clients accurately, without adding another monthly subscription. If you are just starting out, there is rarely a good reason to pay for time tracking on day one.
This guide compares seven free options, explains what free plans usually limit, and shows how to choose one you will really use. Plans change often, so confirm the current limits on each tool’s website before you commit. If you also want paid tools in the comparison, read our guide to the best time tracking apps for freelancers.
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Why Freelancers Should Track Their Time
Even if you charge per project, tracking time shows whether a project was actually worth it. Without numbers, you only guess, and most people guess low. Tracking helps you:
- Price future work with real data instead of hope.
- Spot clients who take far more time than they pay for.
- Bill hourly clients accurately and defend your invoice if questioned.
- See how much of your week disappears into unpaid admin, emails and revisions.
Our guide to pricing your freelance services explains how tracked hours turn into better rates, and how much freelancers make shows why your effective hourly rate matters.
What Free Plans Usually Limit
Free time tracking apps give you the core features and hold back the extras. Common limits include:
- A cap on the number of projects, clients or users.
- Reports that cover only a short date range, or limited exports.
- No built-in invoicing, or fewer integrations with accounting tools.
- No advanced features such as approvals or detailed permissions.
For one person with a handful of clients, these limits rarely matter at first. They start to matter when you want to send professional invoices straight from the tracker or hand a client a detailed report.
7 Free Time Tracking Apps for Freelancers
The limits below are based on a 2026 comparison by Dupple. Treat them as a guide and check each pricing page, since free plans change.
1. Clockify: A Generous Free Plan
Clockify offers unlimited time tracking and unlimited projects on its free plan, and it is the tool most freelancers try first. Reports on the free plan cover a limited date range, and invoicing sits on paid plans. If you want a simple, no-nonsense timer, start here. See Clockify’s pricing.
2. Toggl Track: A Clean, Fast Timer
Toggl Track is popular because starting and stopping a timer takes one click. The free plan supports unlimited projects and summary reports for a small number of users, but some exports and advanced features are paid. It suits people who forget to track because other apps feel like work. See Toggl Track pricing.
3. Harvest: Time Tracking With Invoicing
Harvest’s free plan is limited to one seat and two projects, but it includes time tracking, expense tracking and invoicing. That makes it enough for a new freelancer with a couple of clients who wants to send invoices from the same place. When you grow past two projects, you will need to upgrade or switch. See Harvest pricing.
4. TimeCamp: Unlimited Users and Projects
TimeCamp’s free plan includes timesheets with unlimited users and projects, plus a PDF report export. It is a good fit if you work with a small team or subcontractors and do not want to count seats.
5. Jibble: Free Clock-Ins for Any Size of Team
Jibble is free for unlimited users and supports clock-ins from the web, mobile and desktop, with integrations such as Slack. It is better known as an attendance tool, but works well if you manage a few helpers and want to see who worked when.
6. My Hours: Billable and Non-Billable Time
My Hours has a free plan with unlimited projects and billable rates per project, plus PDF reports for a handful of users. Its strength is separating billable from non-billable time, which shows how much of your week actually earns money.
7. Kimai: Free and Open Source
Kimai is open-source time tracking software that you can host yourself, so it costs nothing beyond your own server. It gives you full control of your data, but it needs some technical comfort to set up. See Kimai.
Free Time Tracking Apps Compared
| App | What the free plan gives you | Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Clockify | Unlimited tracking and projects | Paid plans |
| Toggl Track | Unlimited projects, summary reports | Paid plans |
| Harvest | 1 seat, 2 projects, expense tracking | Included |
| TimeCamp | Unlimited users and projects | Paid plans |
| Jibble | Unlimited users, multi-device clock-ins | See current plan |
| My Hours | Unlimited projects, billable rates | Paid plans |
| Kimai | Self-hosted and open source | Depends on your setup |
How to Choose Between Free Time Tracking Apps
Ask yourself four questions:
- Will I really use it every day? The simplest tool usually wins. A tracker you forget to start is useless.
- Do I bill hourly? If so, choose one with clear reports or built-in invoicing.
- Do I need a mobile app? Check that it works on your phone and syncs properly.
- Can I export my data? You should be able to take your records with you if you switch.
Try one tool for two weeks. If you keep forgetting to start the timer, switch to something simpler or fall back to a spreadsheet such as our freelance income tracker.
Build a Simple Tracking Habit
The app matters less than the habit. A routine that works for many freelancers:
- Start the timer when you begin a task and stop it when you switch.
- Name entries clearly, such as “Client A: homepage edits”.
- Track admin, emails and calls too, so you see your true hourly rate.
- Review the week every Friday and note what took longer than expected.
- Use the totals when you write your freelance invoice.
Pair tracking with time blocking to plan your day before you start it. And if a client’s requests keep growing, your tracked hours give you evidence to discuss it. Our guide on scope creep shows how to raise it politely.
When to Upgrade to a Paid Plan
Stay on a free plan until it genuinely slows you down. Common reasons to upgrade are hitting a project limit, needing better reports for clients or wanting automatic invoicing. When that happens, compare paid tools in our full time tracking guide and make sure the tool connects with your accounting software.
Common Time Tracking Mistakes
- Forgetting to start the timer. Set a daily reminder, or a browser shortcut.
- Tracking too much detail. Client and task level is usually enough.
- Switching tools constantly. Stay with one for a few weeks before judging it.
- Tracking only billable work. Unpaid admin is real time that you should see.
- Never reviewing the data. Tracking only helps when you look at the results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free time tracking app for freelancers?
There is no single best one. Clockify and Toggl Track are popular starting points, and Harvest is useful if you want invoicing in the free plan. Choose the one you will use daily.
Are free time tracking apps safe to use?
Reputable tools protect your data, but read the privacy policy and check that you can export your records.
Do I need to track time if I charge per project?
It is still worth doing. Tracking shows your real hourly earnings and helps you price future projects better.
Can I use a free tracker for client billing?
Yes, as long as the reports are clear. Many freelancers export totals and add them to their own invoices.
When should I move to a paid plan?
When the free plan blocks something you need, such as more projects, detailed reports or integrated invoicing.
Final Thoughts
You do not need to pay to get started with the best free time tracking apps for freelancers. Pick one simple tool, such as Clockify or Toggl Track, run it for two weeks and look at what your real hourly rate is. The insight alone will help you price better and protect your time. If you are building your business from scratch, see how to start a freelance business.
Keep reading
- Price with confidence: how to price freelance services.
- Get paid properly: how to invoice international clients.
- Set up the basics: how to start a freelance business.
