# The 6 best time tracking apps for accountants in 2026 By **Jeff** · Updated October 15, 2026 Canonical HTML: · App Store: > An independent accountant's year has a shape: steady monthly bookkeeping for a dozen small businesses, then a busy season when every client wants their return at once and the hours double. Most fees are fixed, a few are hourly, and few are ever compared with the time they took. We compared six iPhone apps on whether they record that time per client and service, prompt the monthly invoices, and show in May which fees need to rise. ## Quick answer Quick answer: Harvest is the best pick for an accountant who wants time, expenses and invoices in the cloud with a web dashboard, and FreshBooks for one who also wants their own books in the same subscription. Tyme suits those who work across Mac, iPad and iPhone. For the independent accountant with recurring clients and fixed fees, iTimeSheet is our pick: hours per client and service, fee quotes that become invoices, and a monthly recurring-invoice nudge. Accountants are the professionals most likely to know their clients' margins and least likely to know their own. Fixed fees are set once, renewed out of habit, and the busy season absorbs the overrun. The question that matters in May is simple: which returns took twice their fee in hours, and for whom. Answering it needs time recorded per service, not per day. We compared six apps from the US App Store on the criteria below, using each listing's own description and ratings dated at the top of the page. iTimeSheet is our app; it was held to the same criteria, and we are clear that it is not accounting software and has no QuickBooks or Xero connector. ## What to look for We ranked for a practice of recurring clients, fixed fees and one season that tests everything. - **Time per client and per service** — Bookkeeping, payroll and the annual return each need their own hours, to show which fixed fee is too low. - **Recurring invoices on time** — Twelve monthly bookkeeping clients mean twelve invoices each month. A reminder when the month turns keeps the cash steady. - **Fee quotes that become invoices** — The fee proposed for the year's return becomes the invoice later. One document, converted, not retyped. - **A busy season you can measure** — Quarter and year views compared with the previous period show whether this season was heavier, and for whom. - **A confidential client list** — An accountant's client list is sensitive by profession. It matters whether it sits on the device or in a vendor's cloud. ## The ranking _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ### 1. iTimeSheet: Best for independent accountants on fixed fees — _5.0 ★ · 1 ratings · US App Store_ **Hours per client and service, recurring invoices prompted, and a busy season you can measure** The Client, Mission and Task tree reads as client, service and task: monthly bookkeeping, payroll, the annual return. Rates cascade from the client to the service, with a single-entry override. The timer starts from the app or the Watch, and on Pro from a widget or the Lock Screen; switching clients saves the running entry, and per-weekday reminders at a chosen hour catch the afternoon nobody logged. On Studio, a fee quote has its own ledger and converts to an invoice in one tap; the client billing profile holds the address, legal form and payment terms; and a monthly recurring-invoice notification at 09:00 reminds you to bill the clients invoiced every month, without sending anything itself. The Invoices tab shows un-invoiced amounts, overdue invoices come with a pre-filled chase e-mail, and Reports show Due versus Paid. From Essential, Reports give revenue and hours by client with a drill into services, over a quarter, a year or a custom range, with the change against the previous period: the busy-season post-mortem. A formatted PDF timesheet per client can go out alongside the invoice. Data stays in a local database on the phone, with no account and no vendor server; manual iCloud backup on every tier, automatic daily backup from Essential. The limits: it is not accounting software and has no QuickBooks or Xero connector, only CSV; recurring invoices are a reminder, not automatic; one user; iPhone and Apple Watch only, with no iPad version yet. - **Strengths:** Client, service and task with cascading rates; Monthly recurring-invoice reminder and fee quotes on Studio; Quarter and year reports with period-over-period change; No account and no vendor cloud - **Limits:** No QuickBooks or Xero connector; CSV only; Recurring invoices are a reminder, not automatic; Single user; no staff timesheets; iPhone and Apple Watch only; one US rating since July 2026 - **Best for:** An independent accountant or bookkeeper with recurring clients and fixed fees who wants to know which fees hold. - **Pricing:** Free covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day, with no export. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr for drill-down reports, CSV and PDF export, and daily backup. Pro is $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr for receipt photos and widgets. Studio is $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr for quotes, invoices and the recurring reminder; it has no free trial, but a watermarked invoice preview shows the PDF with your own data. > ★★★★★ **Super** — « Application extra pour les professions libérales. Une demande au développeur : intégrer la possibilité de facturer directement dans l'application ses clients en leur mettant en annexe le détail du temps passe. Merci d'avance et encore merci pour cet appli. » > — Tteegg, App Store review · France · 2011 > (translated from French: A great app for the liberal professions. One request to the developer: add the ability to invoice clients directly in the app, attaching the detail of the time spent. Thanks in advance and thanks again for this app.) ### 2. Harvest: Best for cloud invoicing _Iridesco, LLC · 4.5 ★ · 2,708 ratings · US App Store_ **Time, expenses and invoices in a cloud account** Harvest tracks time and expenses with receipt photos, sends invoices, works offline then syncs, and bills per seat. With a web dashboard, it suits an accountant who works mostly at a desk and wants the data in a browser, and it beats iTimeSheet on multi-device access. - **Strengths:** Time, expenses and invoices; Web app; Works offline, then syncs - **Limits:** Account required; Per-seat pricing; Data on the vendor's servers - **Best for:** An accountant who wants cloud invoicing and a web dashboard. - **Pricing:** Free plan, paid plans ### 3. FreshBooks: Best for invoicing plus your own books _2ndSite Inc · 4.7 ★ · 10,978 ratings · US App Store_ **Invoicing and accounting in one subscription** FreshBooks does invoicing and accounting, with receipts, mileage and billable time added to invoices. For an accountant, it can double as the practice's own books, which iTimeSheet cannot. It is a subscription with an account and vendor cloud. - **Strengths:** Accounting plus invoicing; Billable time added to invoices; Large US rating base - **Limits:** Subscription and account; Data on the vendor's servers; Time tracking is secondary - **Best for:** An accountant who wants their own books and invoices in the same tool. - **Pricing:** Subscription ### 4. Toggl Track: Best for browser-based reporting _Toggl OU · 4.8 ★ · 9,593 ratings · US App Store_ **Track on the phone, report in the browser** Toggl Track is free on iPhone and syncs to a Toggl account, with deeper reports in the web app and no invoicing in the iPhone app. It fits an accountant whose reviews happen on a large screen. - **Strengths:** Free iPhone app; Web reports; Client, project and tag - **Limits:** Account required; No invoicing in the iPhone app; Data on the vendor's servers - **Best for:** An accountant who reviews time from a desktop browser. - **Pricing:** Free iPhone app, paid web plans ### 5. Timemator: Best private pay-once tracker _Gleb Kotov · 4.7 ★ · 170 ratings · US App Store_ **Pay once, track privately** Timemator is a one-time purchase with no account, iCloud sync, hourly rates and earnings, and a PDF report for clients. It does not invoice; it is a private tracker for an accountant who bills from their own accounting software. - **Strengths:** One-time purchase; No account; PDF report for clients - **Limits:** No invoices; Folder and task model; Small US rating base - **Best for:** An accountant who invoices from accounting software and wants a private tracker. - **Pricing:** One-time purchase ### 6. Tyme: Best across Mac, iPad and iPhone _Unit Numberfive oHG · 4.5 ★ · 54 ratings · US App Store_ **A design-led tracker across Mac, iPhone, iPad and web** Tyme runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the web, with PDF and CSV export, a subscription with a 14-day trial and an optional account. It covers the iPad and Mac that iTimeSheet does not, but it does not invoice. - **Strengths:** Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch and web; PDF and CSV export; 14-day trial - **Limits:** No invoicing; Subscription; Small US rating base - **Best for:** An accountant who wants the same tracker on Mac, iPad and iPhone. - **Pricing:** Subscription ## Side by side | App | Account required | Where your data lives | Invoices | Receipt photos | Platforms | Pricing | Rating | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | iTimeSheet | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | Yes (Studio) | Yes (Pro) | iPhone + Apple Watch | Free plan, paid plans | 5.0 ★ (1) | | Harvest | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Free plan, paid plans | 4.5 ★ (2,708) | | FreshBooks | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Subscription | 4.7 ★ (10,978) | | Toggl Track | Yes | Vendor's servers | No | — | iPhone + web/other | Free iPhone app, paid web plans | 4.8 ★ (9,593) | | Timemator | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | No | — | iPhone + Apple Watch | One-time purchase | 4.7 ★ (170) | | Tyme | Optional | Your iPhone; optional cloud | No | — | iPhone + web/other | Subscription | 4.5 ★ (54) | _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ## How to choose - Pick Harvest if you want time, expenses and invoices in the cloud with a web dashboard. - Pick FreshBooks if you want your own books and your invoices in one subscription. - Pick Toggl Track if you track on the phone but review everything in a browser. - Pick Timemator if you invoice from accounting software and want a private, pay-once tracker. - Pick Tyme if you need the same tracker on Mac, iPad and iPhone. - Pick iTimeSheet if you run your own practice: hours per client and service, fee quotes that become invoices, a monthly nudge for recurring clients, and quarter-on-quarter reports that show which fees to raise. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best time tracking app for accountants? For cloud invoicing with a web dashboard, Harvest; for invoicing plus the practice's own books, FreshBooks; for Mac and iPad, Tyme. For the independent accountant with recurring clients and fixed fees who works from an iPhone, we rank iTimeSheet first, because hours per service, fee quotes, recurring-invoice reminders and period comparisons sit in one app without an account. ### Can you work at a client's office with no Wi-Fi? With iTimeSheet, yes. It stores everything on the phone and never needs a server, so timers and entries work offline, and the Apple Watch queues taps and backdates them on reconnection. Only the iCloud backup and App Store purchases need a network. ### Where is the client list stored? In iTimeSheet, in a local SQLite database on the iPhone, with no account, no vendor server, no analytics SDK and no ads. Backup is one file in the user's own iCloud Drive, daily from Essential. Harvest, FreshBooks and Toggl Track require an account and store data on their servers. ### Can the time detail be attached to the invoice? In iTimeSheet, a formatted PDF timesheet for the client and period (Essential) can be sent alongside the Studio invoice PDF. They are two documents: the invoice carries the header, numbering and payment details, and the timesheet carries the entries behind it. ### What does a US invoice for accounting services need? There is no national list of mandatory invoice fields in the US beyond identifying the business, the client, the services and the amount; a few states tax some professional services. iTimeSheet's Studio tier uses a US layout with yearly sequential numbering, the client's billing profile and payment terms, and bank details. ### What does it cost for one accountant? iTimeSheet's free tier covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day, with no export. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr, Pro $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr, and Studio $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr on the US store. Studio has no trial but a watermarked invoice preview. A seasonal assistant cannot share the database, since it is single-user. ## The bottom line For cloud invoicing, Harvest or FreshBooks are the natural choices, and FreshBooks doubles as the practice's own books. If Mac and iPad matter, Tyme; if the invoices come from accounting software anyway, Timemator is a clean private tracker. For the independent accountant, iTimeSheet is the first install: hours per client and service, monthly invoices prompted when the month turns, fee quotes that become invoices, and a busy season measured against the last one, with the client list kept on the phone. --- _Method: ratings and review counts come from the US App Store on October 15, 2026; features come from each app’s own App Store listing. iTimeSheet is our app, and it was held to the same criteria as the others. No affiliate links._ ## Other guides - iTimeSheet for accountants: the product page: - The 6 best time tracking apps for lawyers in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for independent consultants in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for consultants in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for people who bill by the hour in 2026: - Guides: - llms.txt: · agents.md: