# The 7 best time tracking apps for freelance designers and developers in 2026 By **Jeff** · Updated October 15, 2026 Canonical HTML: · App Store: > A freelance designer or developer usually carries three kinds of client at once: the retainer that pays the rent, the fixed-price project that was supposed to take three weeks, and the hourly favor for a friend's startup. Scope creep lives in the second one, and it only shows when someone looks at the hours. We compared seven iPhone apps on whether they keep all three on one timer and send the right invoice to each. ## Quick answer Quick answer: Toggl Track is the best pick for a freelancer who works at a desk, wants web reports and invoices elsewhere, and HoneyBook for one who needs contracts and online payments in the same place. For the solo designer or developer with a mix of retainers, fixed-price and hourly clients, iTimeSheet is our pick: hours per project to support change requests, quotes that convert to invoices, and a monthly retainer reminder. Freelancers rarely lose money on the hourly client. They lose it on the fixed-price project that grew a checkout page and two rounds of revisions nobody priced. A change request is only persuasive with hours behind it, logged per project and per task while the work happens, and that is where many trackers and most invoice makers fall short of each other. We compared seven 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 judged by the same criteria, and we say plainly that it has no Mac app, which matters to people who work on a laptop all day. Studios with employees will be better served by the team tools below. ## What to look for We ranked for the mix most freelancers actually have: retainers, fixed fees and hourly work. - **Proof of scope creep** — Hours per project and per task, visible during the project, are the argument a client accepts for a change request. - **Fixed price and hourly side by side** — The fixed-price project invoices the quote; the hourly client invoices the hours. One app should handle both. - **Retainers billed on time** — A reminder when the month turns beats remembering on the 9th. - **Starting the timer before the laptop opens** — A widget or a Watch tap catches the call that turned into an hour of work. - **Your client list, not a platform's** — Freelancers change tools. The record should live somewhere you can leave with. ## The ranking _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ### 1. iTimeSheet: Best for freelancers with mixed clients — _5.0 ★ · 1 ratings · US App Store_ **Retainer, fixed price and hourly on one timer, with the scope creep in black and white** The Client, Mission and Task tree reads as client, project and task: the redesign with its pages, the app build with its sprints. Rates cascade from the client to the project and task, with a single-entry override. The timer starts from the app or the Watch, and on Pro from a widget, the Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island; switching projects saves the running entry. From Essential, Reports show hours and revenue by client with a drill into each project, and a PDF timesheet of the hours makes a change request hard to dispute. On Studio, the fixed-price project is a quote that converts to an invoice in one tap, with a deposit invoice at 20, 30 or 50 percent up front if wanted. The final invoice does not deduct the deposit automatically, so it is accounted for by hand. The hourly client is invoiced from the un-invoiced amount in the Invoices tab, and retainers get a monthly recurring-invoice notification. Every invoice carries a logo, numbering, the US layout and payment details, and overdue ones get a pre-filled chase e-mail. On Pro, Software subscription, Hardware and Coworking / venue rental are among the expense presets, with receipt photos attached to the client's project. Data stays on the phone, with no account and no vendor server; manual iCloud backup on every tier, automatic daily backup from Essential. The limits: no Mac app or web dashboard, no iPad version yet, no online payments or client portal, no invoice templates yet, and no integration with project-management or accounting tools beyond CSV. - **Strengths:** Hours per project and task to support change requests; Quotes, deposits, invoices and a retainer reminder on Studio; Software, hardware and coworking expense presets on Pro; No account and no vendor cloud - **Limits:** No Mac app or web dashboard; No online payment link or client portal; No invoice templates yet; One US rating since the July 2026 relaunch - **Best for:** A solo freelance designer or developer with a mix of retainer, fixed-price and hourly clients. - **Pricing:** Free covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day, with no export. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr for reports, export and daily backup. Pro is $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr for widgets, the Live Activity and receipt photos. Studio is $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr for quotes and invoices; it has no free trial, but a watermarked invoice preview shows the PDF with your data first. > ★★★★★ **Meilleur outil que j’ai testé** — « Je l’utilise depuis 15 ans et c’est un outil qui s’adapte et qui offre la meilleure interface. Le truc le plus pénible de mes journées en devient presque agréable et surtout très efficace. » > — Damien94200, App Store review · France · 2026 > (translated from French: I have been using it for 15 years and it is a tool that adapts and offers the best interface. The most tedious thing in my days becomes almost pleasant and, above all, very efficient.) ### 2. Toggl Track: Best for desk-based freelancers _Toggl OU · 4.8 ★ · 9,593 ratings · US App Store_ **The desk worker's tracker, with web reports** Toggl Track is free on iPhone, syncs to an account and keeps its deeper reports in the web app, with no invoicing in the iPhone app. For a freelancer who lives in a browser all day, it fits better than a phone-only app such as ours. - **Strengths:** Free iPhone app; Web reports across devices; Widely used, well rated - **Limits:** Account required; No invoicing in the iPhone app; Data on the vendor's servers - **Best for:** A freelancer who works at a desk and invoices elsewhere. - **Pricing:** Free iPhone app, paid web plans ### 3. Harvest: Best for cloud invoicing _Iridesco, LLC · 4.5 ★ · 2,708 ratings · US App Store_ **Time, expenses and invoices in the cloud** Harvest covers time, expenses with receipt photos and invoices, works offline then syncs, and bills per seat. It is the closest in scope to iTimeSheet, with a web app and multi-device access in exchange for an account. - **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:** A freelancer who wants cloud invoicing and a dashboard. - **Pricing:** Free plan, paid plans ### 4. HoneyBook: Best for contracts and online payments _HoneyBook, Inc. · 4.8 ★ · 16,325 ratings · US App Store_ **Contracts, invoices and payments for independents** HoneyBook manages the client workflow for independents: contracts, invoices, payments and projects, on a subscription, with more than sixteen thousand US ratings. It handles contracts and payments, which iTimeSheet does not; time tracking is not its center. - **Strengths:** Contracts and payments; Client workflow; Large US rating base - **Limits:** Subscription and account; Data on the vendor's servers; Not a time tracker first - **Best for:** A freelancer who wants contracts and online payment in one place. - **Pricing:** Subscription ### 5. FreshBooks: Best for invoicing plus accounting _2ndSite Inc · 4.7 ★ · 10,978 ratings · US App Store_ **Invoicing and accounting with billable time** FreshBooks combines invoicing and accounting, with receipts, mileage and billable time added to invoices, on a subscription. It is useful for a freelancer who wants the books in the same place as the invoices. - **Strengths:** Accounting plus invoicing; Billable time added to invoices; Receipts - **Limits:** Subscription and account; Data on the vendor's servers; Time tracking is secondary - **Best for:** A freelancer who wants accounting and invoicing together. - **Pricing:** Subscription ### 6. Timery: Best iPhone client for Toggl _Joseph Hribar · 4.8 ★ · 1,133 ratings · US App Store_ **A polished iPhone client for Toggl** Timery is an independent iPhone, Mac and Watch app for Toggl Track, with saved timers, widgets and Shortcuts. It needs a Toggl account and does not invoice; for a freelancer already on Toggl, it is a nicer way to use it, including on the Mac. - **Strengths:** Saved timers; Shortcuts and widgets; Mac and Watch apps - **Limits:** Needs a Toggl account; No invoicing; Data on the vendor's servers - **Best for:** A freelancer on Toggl who wants better widgets and Shortcuts. - **Pricing:** Companion app (needs the paid product) ### 7. 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, a Live Activity and a PDF report for clients. It does not invoice, which makes it a strong choice for a freelancer who invoices from another tool. - **Strengths:** One-time purchase; No account; PDF report for clients - **Limits:** No invoices; Folder and task model; Small US rating base - **Best for:** A privacy-minded freelancer who invoices elsewhere. - **Pricing:** One-time purchase ## 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) | | Toggl Track | Yes | Vendor's servers | No | — | iPhone + web/other | Free iPhone app, paid web plans | 4.8 ★ (9,593) | | Harvest | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Free plan, paid plans | 4.5 ★ (2,708) | | HoneyBook | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | — | iPhone + web/other | Subscription | 4.8 ★ (16,325) | | FreshBooks | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Subscription | 4.7 ★ (10,978) | | Timery | Yes | Vendor's servers | No | — | iPhone + web/other | Companion app (needs the paid product) | 4.8 ★ (1,133) | | Timemator | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | No | — | iPhone + Apple Watch | One-time purchase | 4.7 ★ (170) | _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ## How to choose - Pick Toggl Track if you work at a desk all day and want reports in a browser. - Pick Harvest if you want time, expenses and invoices in a cloud account across devices. - Pick HoneyBook if contracts and online payments matter more than the timer. - Pick FreshBooks if you want your bookkeeping and invoices in one subscription. - Pick Timery if you are on Toggl and want a better iPhone, Mac and Watch experience. - Pick Timemator if you invoice elsewhere and want a private tracker paid once. - Pick iTimeSheet if you juggle retainers, fixed-price and hourly clients alone: one timer for all three, hours per task that back up a change request, and the right invoice for each client from the phone. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best time tracking app for freelance designers and developers? For desk-based work with web reports, Toggl Track; for contracts and payments, HoneyBook; for cloud invoicing, Harvest or FreshBooks. For the solo freelancer who mixes retainers, fixed prices and hourly work and wants it on the phone, we rank iTimeSheet first: hours per project and task, quotes that become invoices, a monthly retainer reminder and no account. ### Does it work on a train or a plane? iTimeSheet does. It stores everything on the phone and needs no server, so the timer and entries work offline, and the Apple Watch queues taps and backdates them later. Only the iCloud backup and App Store purchases need a connection. ### Where are clients 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. Toggl Track, Harvest, HoneyBook, FreshBooks and Timery store data in their own clouds. ### How should a fixed-price project that grows be handled? Log the hours anyway. In iTimeSheet, Reports show hours per project and the PDF timesheet lists them. On Studio, invoice the original quote on delivery and issue a separate quote for the change, converted to an invoice once accepted. A credit note cancels an invoice that went out wrong. US invoices need no national mandatory fields beyond business identity. ### Is there a Mac app? Not for iTimeSheet: it runs on iPhone and Apple Watch only, with widgets and a Live Activity on Pro so the timer stays visible without opening the app. For a timer on the Mac, Toggl Track or Timery cover it. ### What does it cost for one freelancer? 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. Subscriptions go through Apple, and cancelling never locks data. ## The bottom line For a freelancer who lives at a desk, Toggl Track or Timery are the natural trackers. HoneyBook is the choice when contracts and online payments come first, and FreshBooks when the books should sit with the invoices. For the solo freelancer with a mix of retainers, fixed-price and hourly work, iTimeSheet is the first install: one timer for all three, hours that make a change request credible, and the right invoice for each client, 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 freelance designers and developers: the product page: - The 7 best time tracking apps for independent consultants in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for photographers in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for architects in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for people who bill by the hour in 2026: - Guides: - llms.txt: · agents.md: