# The 6 best time tracking apps for lawyers in 2026 By **Jeff** · Updated October 15, 2026 Canonical HTML: · App Store: > A lawyer's time leaks in small pieces: the eight-minute call in the corridor outside the courtroom, the e-mail answered from the car, the filing fee paid on a personal card. Each is a fraction of an hour that never reaches the bill. The right app catches those pieces on the right matter as they happen, holds the disbursements that go with them, and produces a pre-bill to read before the client does. We compared six iPhone apps on that. ## Quick answer Quick answer: Clio is the right choice for a lawyer whose firm already runs Clio practice management, and LEAP Mobile for firms on LEAP. Fract suits a lawyer who thinks in six-minute units and bills from another system. For the solo practitioner who keeps their own time and bills their own clients, iTimeSheet is our pick: client, matter and activity, a timer on the wrist, disbursements on the matter, a PDF timesheet to review and invoices on Studio. Solo lawyers face an awkward choice. The practice-management suites are built for firms and priced accordingly, while generic timers know nothing about matters, disbursements or the pre-bill review that comes before an invoice. Many end up reconstructing the week from their calendar on Friday, which is exactly where the corridor calls disappear. We compared six apps from the US App Store against the criteria below, using each listing's own description and ratings dated at the top of the page. iTimeSheet is our app; we applied the same criteria to it and name its limits, including the absence of six-minute increments and trust accounting. Nothing here is legal or ethics advice about billing. ## What to look for We ranked for the way lawyers actually lose time: in fragments, away from the desk, between other things. - **Capture in seconds, away from the desk** — The call in the corridor is logged from the wrist or not at all. Anything slower than a tap loses the time. - **Matter-level structure** — Client, matter and activity. A client with three matters needs three separate records and possibly three rates. - **Disbursements on the matter** — Filing fees, postage, couriers and travel belong to the matter and to the bill. - **A pre-bill you can read** — Before an invoice goes out, the entries get reviewed. A formatted timesheet for that review is part of billing practice, not a luxury. - **Where the client list lives** — A list of who you represent is confidential. 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 solo lawyers who bill directly — _5.0 ★ · 1 ratings · US App Store_ **Matter-by-matter time from the wrist, a pre-bill to read, and a client list on the phone** The Client, Mission and Task tree becomes client, matter and activity: research, drafting, calls and hearings. Rates cascade from the client to the matter and the activity, with a single-entry override for a pro bono hour or a different rate. The timer starts from the Apple Watch outside the courtroom or from the app, and on Pro from the Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island; switching matters saves the running entry, and forgotten time goes in by hand from Today. Entries can be rounded to 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes, but there is no six-minute, 0.1-hour unit. From Essential, a formatted PDF timesheet per period serves as a pre-bill, and the CSV export lets you choose columns, order, per-column format and separator, with durations as 1:30 or decimal hours. On Pro, Postage & shipping, Mileage, Parking and the travel presets cover most disbursements, with a receipt photo attached to the matter; filing fees get a category created once. On Studio, the Invoices tab shows what each client has not been billed and makes the PDF with a logo and text header, numbering and payment details; drafts stay under a Draft filter until ready, and credit notes cancel an invoice that needs correcting. Data lives 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. That is a fact about the architecture, not a certification, and each lawyer should weigh it against their own professional obligations. The limits: no trust accounting, no conflict checks, no document management, no firm features, iPhone and Apple Watch only with no iPad version yet, and no connector to practice-management or accounting software. - **Strengths:** Client, matter and activity with cascading rates and overrides; PDF timesheet for pre-bill review and configurable CSV on Essential; Postage, mileage and travel presets plus receipt photos on Pro; No account and no vendor server holding client names - **Limits:** Rounding to 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes, but not to six-minute units; No trust accounting, conflict checks or document management; Single user; no firm workspace; iPhone and Apple Watch only; one US rating since July 2026 - **Best for:** A solo or small-office lawyer who keeps their own time and bills their own clients. - **Pricing:** Free covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day, with no export. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr for the PDF timesheet, CSV 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 invoices and credit notes; it has no free trial, but a watermarked invoice preview shows the PDF with your data first. > ★★★★ **The best I have found so far.** — « Sorry that I have to rewrite this whole review, but the app store is no longer allowing the users to modify prior reviews. The only things that I would change on this app are: 1. Have the potential to create a default database of tasks and projects. As it stands now, I have to create a Default (dummy) client and put all task information into that client. Then, before I enter any information with respect to an actual client, I have to copy the information from the Default client into every client I am going to enter data for that day. It's not very efficient. 2. Have an option for non-time related expenses such as postage or filing fees. Understanding that this is primarily a timesheet program, allowing people to capture expenses would be great. 3. Modify the manner in which the data exports with regard to time. Currently the program exports the data in the form 0h48. Unfortunately, Excel requires the export to be in the following form 0:48 so that the user can manipulate it. I can work around the problem by exporting the start and end times, rather than duration, but it would be nice to have the data export into a format that Excel can actually use. Other than these points (and I hope I don't think of any others, because I really don't want to have to write this review again!!), this is an outstanding app. » > — RickyMaveety, App Store review · United States · 2010 ### 2. Clio: Best for firms on Clio _Themis Solutions Inc. · 4.8 ★ · 9,044 ratings · US App Store_ **The companion to a widely used practice-management suite** Clio's app is the mobile companion to Clio practice management: billable time, expense categories and custom rates, with a Clio subscription, and more than nine thousand US ratings. For a firm on Clio, time belongs there, alongside everything else the suite does that iTimeSheet does not. - **Strengths:** Full practice-management suite behind it; Billable time, expenses and custom rates; Large, well-rated user base - **Limits:** Needs a Clio subscription; Data on the vendor's servers; Firm-priced - **Best for:** A lawyer whose firm runs Clio. - **Pricing:** Companion app (needs the paid product) ### 3. Fract: Best for six-minute billing habits _Cornice Labs, LLC · No ratings yet on the US App Store_ **Six-minute taps, no timer, no account** Fract, new in 2026, logs time by tapping six-minute increments rather than running a timer, keeps data on the device, needs no account and archives the hours once they are billed elsewhere. It had no ratings on the US store on the date above. For a lawyer who thinks in tenths of an hour, it fits that habit better than any timer, including ours. - **Strengths:** Six-minute tap logging; No account, on-device data; Simple - **Limits:** No invoicing; No ratings yet on the US store; No timer at all - **Best for:** A lawyer who thinks in tenths of an hour and bills from another system. - **Pricing:** Free with in-app purchase ### 4. LEAP: Best for firms on LEAP _LEAP Legal Software Pty Limited · 4.6 ★ · 208 ratings · US App Store_ **The companion to LEAP legal software** LEAP Mobile gives access to matters, timed calls and time entries synced to the desktop timesheet of LEAP's legal software. It is useful when the firm runs LEAP and has no purpose without it. - **Strengths:** Timed calls on matters; Syncs to the desktop timesheet; Well rated - **Limits:** Requires LEAP; Account and vendor cloud; Firm product - **Best for:** A lawyer whose firm runs LEAP. - **Pricing:** Companion app (needs the paid product) ### 5. Bill4Time: Best for offices already on Bill4Time _Broadway Billing · 3.6 ★ · 85 ratings · US App Store_ **A billing companion with a timer, last updated in 2022** Bill4Time's app is a companion to its web billing: a one-tap timer, receipts and invoice review, working offline then syncing. Its iOS app was last updated in September 2022 and shows 3.6 on 85 US ratings, so it is worth testing on your iOS version first. - **Strengths:** Timer and receipts; Invoice review; Works offline, then syncs - **Limits:** Last updated September 2022; 3.6 on the US store; Needs the web service - **Best for:** A lawyer whose office already bills with Bill4Time. - **Pricing:** Companion app (needs the paid product) ### 6. It’s About Time: Best pay-once tracker for lawyers _Advanced Logistics Group Inc. · 5.0 ★ · 1 ratings · US App Store_ **A pay-once tracker aimed at lawyers and consultants** It's About Time costs $4.99 once, keeps data locally with iCloud sync, and exports, and it is aimed at consultants and lawyers. It does not invoice, and it had a single US rating on the date above. - **Strengths:** One-time purchase; Local data with iCloud sync; Export - **Limits:** No invoicing; One US rating; iPhone only - **Best for:** A lawyer who wants a simple private tracker and bills 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) | | Clio | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Companion app (needs the paid product) | 4.8 ★ (9,044) | | Fract | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | No | — | iPhone | Free with in-app purchase | — | | LEAP | Yes | Vendor's servers | — | — | iPhone + web/other | Companion app (needs the paid product) | 4.6 ★ (208) | | Bill4Time | Yes | Vendor's servers | Yes | Yes | iPhone + web/other | Companion app (needs the paid product) | 3.6 ★ (85) | | It’s About Time | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | No | — | iPhone | One-time purchase | 5.0 ★ (1) | _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ## How to choose - Pick Clio if your firm runs Clio practice management, including trust accounting. - Pick Fract if you bill in six-minute units and invoice from another system. - Pick LEAP Mobile if your firm's timesheets live in LEAP's desktop software. - Pick Bill4Time if your office already bills with it and the 2022 app runs fine on your phone. - Pick It's About Time if you want a private, pay-once log and bill elsewhere. - Pick iTimeSheet if you practice alone: corridor calls land on the right matter from the wrist, filing fees and postage stay on the matter, the pre-bill is a PDF you review, and Studio issues the invoice without an account. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best time tracking app for lawyers? For lawyers in a firm on Clio or LEAP, the companion app of that suite. For lawyers who bill in six-minute units from another system, Fract. For the solo practitioner who keeps their own time and bills directly, we rank iTimeSheet first: matter-level time from the wrist, disbursements on the matter, a PDF pre-bill and invoices on Studio, with the client list kept on the phone. ### Does it work in a courthouse with no signal? iTimeSheet does. It never contacts a server; timers and entries are stored on the phone. The Apple Watch queues taps away from the phone and backdates them on reconnection. Only the iCloud backup and App Store purchases need a connection. ### Where are client names and matters 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. The privacy label lists a device identifier, purchases and usage data, none linked to the user. Whether that meets confidentiality duties is each lawyer's own judgement. ### Does it round to six-minute increments? iTimeSheet does not. Entries can be rounded to 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes in Settings, and the CSV can show durations as decimal hours, but there is no 0.1-hour increment. If six-minute units are central to how you bill, Fract is built around them. ### Can it handle trust accounting or retainers held in trust? No. iTimeSheet tracks time and expenses and issues invoices, quotes, deposit invoices and credit notes, but it keeps no trust ledger. Client funds held in trust belong in an accounting system or a practice-management suite such as Clio. US invoices otherwise have no national mandatory fields beyond identifying the parties, the work and the amount. ### What does it cost for a solo lawyer? 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, with invoices, $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 If the firm runs Clio or LEAP, the companion app is the right answer, because time belongs where the trust ledger and the billing already live. If six-minute taps are the habit, Fract is the honest alternative. For the solo lawyer who keeps their own time, iTimeSheet is the first install: the corridor call lands on the right matter from the wrist, filing fees and postage stay with the matter, the pre-bill is a PDF read before the client sees it, and the client list stays 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 lawyers: the product page: - The 6 best time tracking apps for accountants 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: