# The 7 best time tracking apps for people who bill by the hour in 2026 By **Jeff** · Updated October 15, 2026 Canonical HTML: · App Store: > For anyone who bills by the hour, the hour that never got written down is the one they paid for. A consultant on a retainer, a tutor with six families, a bookkeeper with a dozen small clients: the problem is the same. Something has to catch the start and the stop, put it on the right client at the right rate, and turn the month into a number a client will pay. We compared seven iPhone apps on how well they do that. ## Quick answer Quick answer: Toggl Track and Clockify are the best choices for people who work inside a team or want reports on a large screen, and Harvest for those who want time, expenses and invoices in the cloud. Timemator is the strongest pay-once private tracker. For one person billing their own clients by the hour, iTimeSheet is our pick: a timer on the wrist, cascading rates, expenses on the client, and invoices on the phone, with no account. Most people pick a time tracker for the timer and discover the real work later: getting the hours onto the right client at the right rate, attaching the expenses, and producing something a client will pay. Cloud trackers built for teams do the reporting well and leave invoicing to the web or another tool; indie trackers keep the data private and stop before the invoice; a few apps cover the whole chain. This is the general guide; trade-specific lists on this site go into the detail for electricians, lawyers, consultants and others. 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 held to the same criteria, and we are precise about every limit, including our own. ## What to look for We scored the apps on what one person needs between the first call of the morning and the invoice at the end of the month. - **Starting is cheaper than remembering** — The timer must be reachable from the wrist, the Lock Screen or a widget. An app that needs the passcode and three taps gets skipped, and a skipped start becomes an estimate on the invoice. - **A hierarchy that matches how you bill** — Some people bill per client, some per project, some per task. The app should let the tree be collapsed or expanded rather than forcing one shape on everyone. - **Rates that cascade** — A retainer client at one rate, a rush task at another and a single Saturday entry at a third. Setting a rate once and overriding only the exception keeps invoicing to minutes. - **An exit that does not need a login** — The accountant wants CSV, a client wants a PDF with the detail, the calendar wants the same entries. Export formats you control beat a dashboard you can only look at. - **Expenses next to the hours** — The train ticket and the printing bill belong to the client they were spent on. In a separate app, they get billed late or not at all. - **Data you own** — Who you worked for, how long and at what price is the most sensitive file in a small business. On-device storage with your own backup is the safest default; a vendor cloud is a trade to make knowingly. ## The ranking _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ### 1. iTimeSheet: Best for solo professionals who invoice — _5.0 ★ · 1 ratings · US App Store_ **One phone, one person, hours to invoice without a server in between** iTimeSheet stores a Client, Mission and Task tree that can be collapsed to clients only or projects only. The rate cascades down the tree: set it on the client, override it on a mission or a task, and override a single entry for the exception. The timer starts with one tap from Today or the Apple Watch, and on Pro from the Home Screen widget, the Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island; switching to another mission saves the entry in progress, and a forgotten entry is added by hand from Today. Rounding to 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes is optional. At the end of the period there are three ways out. From Essential, Reports show revenue and hours by client with a drill into projects, over a week, month, quarter, year or custom range, with the change against the previous period. Export is a CSV with chosen columns, order and formats, or a formatted PDF timesheet, and entries can be pushed one way to an Apple Calendar. On Studio, the Invoices tab shows what each client has not been billed and makes the PDF in one tap, with a logo, yearly numbering, the US layout or the French, German, Spanish or Japanese one, bank details, and quotes, deposit invoices, credit notes and overdue reminders when needed. Expenses sit on the same mission as the hours, with photo receipts and fourteen ready-made categories on Pro. There is no account and no vendor server. The database is a local SQLite file on the phone; manual iCloud backup works on every tier, and an automatic daily backup to the user's own iCloud Drive starts with Essential. The limits: iPhone and Apple Watch only, no web dashboard, no iPad version yet, one user per database, no real-time sync between devices, and no accounting connector beyond CSV. If any of those is a deal-breaker, the next six apps are the ones to read. - **Strengths:** One-tap timer on iPhone and Apple Watch, plus widget, Lock Screen and Dynamic Island on Pro; offline Watch taps are backdated; Rate cascade from client to mission to task with per-entry override; configurable CSV and PDF timesheet export; Invoices, quotes, deposits, credit notes and overdue reminders on Studio, with US, FR, DE, ES and JP layouts; No account, no vendor cloud, no analytics SDK; backup is a file in your own iCloud Drive - **Limits:** iPhone and Apple Watch only; no web app, no iPad version yet, no Android; Single user: no shared workspace, no approvals, no team reports; No QuickBooks or Xero connector; CSV export only; Back on the App Store since July 2026, so a single rating on the US store at the time of writing - **Best for:** A single professional who bills clients by the hour and wants the full chain, from timer to invoice, on an iPhone that keeps the data to itself. - **Pricing:** Free covers 3 clients and 2 entries a day, with no export. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr for unlimited entries, drill-down reports, CSV and PDF export, and daily iCloud backup. Pro is $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr and adds widgets, the Lock Screen complication, the Live Activity and photo receipts. Studio is $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr for invoicing and quotes; it has no free trial, but a watermarked invoice preview shows the PDF with your own data first. > ★★★★★ **Best of Show** — « I've tried all of the time keeping apps. I work as a consultant. I work for a company. I run a company. I have several needs for a time keeping app. Nothing comes closer to footing the bill than iTimeSheet. Reporting and statistics are consice and to the point. App is easy to use - and quick! Let me tell you if an app is cumbersome and slow to respond, I ditch it. Developers are responsive. 10 versions in the past year - all with major improvements and new features. I expect more to come. » > — 13ill, App Store review · United States · 2009 ### 2. Toggl Track: Best for desk-based and team tracking _Toggl OU · 4.8 ★ · 9,593 ratings · US App Store_ **The cloud tracker many people have already tried** Toggl Track's iPhone app is free, the timer is quick, and the client, project and tag model fits most billing. The rest lives elsewhere: the app syncs to a Toggl account, deeper reporting is in the web app, and there is no invoicing in the iPhone app. For someone at a desk with a browser open, it beats iTimeSheet on screen size and team features; for someone whose phone is the only computer, it means exporting and re-entering. - **Strengths:** Free iPhone app with a fast timer and client, project and tag structure; Web reports and team workspaces; Widely used, well rated - **Limits:** Account required; entries live on the vendor's servers; No invoicing in the iPhone app; Deeper reporting lives in the web app - **Best for:** Someone who tracks on the phone but reports and bills from a desk, alone or inside a team. - **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, billed per seat** Harvest covers the full chain: hours, expenses with receipt photos, and invoices, and it keeps working offline until it can sync. It is the closest on this list to iTimeSheet's scope, with two differences that cut both ways: everything is in Harvest's cloud, which brings a web dashboard and access from any device, and paid plans are billed per seat. For a solo biller who uses the browser as much as the phone, it is a fair choice. - **Strengths:** Hours, expenses with receipt photos and invoices in one product; Works offline, then syncs; Web app and multi-device access - **Limits:** Account and vendor cloud required; Paid plans billed per seat; The useful feature set is a subscription - **Best for:** A solo or small-team biller who wants invoices and a web dashboard and accepts an account. - **Pricing:** Free plan, paid plans ### 4. Clockify: Best free option for team timesheets _CAKE.com Inc. · 4.6 ★ · 4,471 ratings · US App Store_ **Free for unlimited users, built for the team timesheet** Clockify offers a free plan with unlimited users: timesheets, approvals, GPS and a client, project and task tree on the phone. It is a team product first; expenses and invoicing exist on paid plans in the web app, and the design assumes a manager approving the week. It is the one to suggest to an employer that wants timesheets; for one person billing their own clients, it is more process than needed. - **Strengths:** Free plan with unlimited users; Timesheet approvals, GPS and team reports; Client, project and task hierarchy - **Limits:** Account required; data on the vendor's servers; Invoicing and expenses only on paid plans, in the web app; Oriented toward managers, not the person billing - **Best for:** An hourly worker whose employer or agency wants shared timesheets and approvals. - **Pricing:** Free plan, paid plans ### 5. Timemator: Best pay-once private tracker _Gleb Kotov · 4.7 ★ · 170 ratings · US App Store_ **One-time purchase, no account, a PDF report for the client** Timemator is a strong indie option: a one-time purchase, no account, sync through the user's own iCloud, and a Live Activity that keeps the timer on the Lock Screen. It knows hourly rates and earnings and produces a PDF report for clients. It does not invoice, and its hierarchy is folders and tasks rather than clients, so quotes, deposits and credit notes are out of scope. For someone who bills through another tool, it is a clean, private tracker. - **Strengths:** One-time purchase, no account, iCloud sync; Hourly rates, earnings and a PDF report for clients; Live Activity and Apple Watch - **Limits:** No invoices or quotes; Folder and task model rather than client and project; Smaller rating base on the US store - **Best for:** A privacy-minded freelancer who invoices elsewhere and prefers paying once to subscribing. - **Pricing:** One-time purchase ### 6. HoursTracker: Best for a plain hours log _Cribasoft, LLC · 4.8 ★ · 56,323 ratings · US App Store_ **The veteran hours log with a geofence** HoursTracker has more than fifty thousand US ratings: jobs, clock in and out, breaks, pay, CSV export, and a geofence that reminds you to start on arrival at a saved location. The account is optional and only for cloud backup. It is a log of hours and pay, not a billing tool, with no clients above the jobs, no invoices and no receipts; for someone paid hourly by one or two employers, that is enough. - **Strengths:** Geofenced clock-in reminders; Breaks, pay and CSV export; No account needed; cloud backup optional - **Limits:** No invoicing, no receipts; Flat job list, no client hierarchy; Reporting is a timesheet, not revenue by client - **Best for:** Someone paid hourly by an employer or a contractor who wants an accurate, exportable record. - **Pricing:** Free with in-app purchase ### 7. atWork: Best for timesheets handed to a payer _Sergej Steinbach · 4.8 ★ · 3,832 ratings · US App Store_ **Hours and pay with a Watch app and 22 languages** atWork does the hours-and-pay job cleanly: clock in from the phone, the Watch or Siri, then export CSV, Excel or PDF timesheets. Backup is iCloud, there is no account, and the interface exists in 22 languages. It stops where billing starts, with no invoices and no expenses, and its job and client model is thinner than a project tree; for a timesheet handed to someone else, it is a good, inexpensive answer. - **Strengths:** No account, iCloud backup, Apple Watch and Siri; CSV, Excel and PDF timesheets; 22 interface languages - **Limits:** No invoicing or expense tracking; Simple job and client model; Extra features are an in-app purchase - **Best for:** An employee or contractor who hands a timesheet to a payer and never sends an invoice. - **Pricing:** Free with in-app 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) | | Clockify | Yes | Vendor's servers | — | — | iPhone + web/other | Free plan, paid plans | 4.6 ★ (4,471) | | Timemator | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | No | — | iPhone + Apple Watch | One-time purchase | 4.7 ★ (170) | | HoursTracker | Optional | Your iPhone; optional cloud | No | — | iPhone + web/other | Free with in-app purchase | 4.8 ★ (56,323) | | atWork | No | Your iPhone (your iCloud for backup) | No | — | iPhone + Apple Watch | Free with in-app purchase | 4.8 ★ (3,832) | _App Store ratings checked on October 15, 2026 (US App Store)._ ## How to choose - Pick Toggl Track if you track on the phone but report from a desk, alone or in a team. - Pick Harvest if you want hours, expenses and invoices in a cloud account with a web dashboard. - Pick Clockify if your employer or agency wants free shared timesheets with approvals. - Pick Timemator if you invoice elsewhere and want a private tracker paid for once. - Pick HoursTracker if you are paid hourly and only need a log of hours, breaks and pay. - Pick atWork if you hand a timesheet to someone else and never send an invoice. - Pick iTimeSheet if you bill your own clients alone: a one-tap timer on the iPhone and the wrist, rates that cascade from client to task, expenses on the same client, and invoices on the phone with no account. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best time tracking app for people who bill by the hour? For teams and desk-based reporting, Toggl Track or Clockify; for cloud invoicing, Harvest; for a private, pay-once tracker, Timemator; for a plain hours log, HoursTracker or atWork. For one person billing their own clients from an iPhone, we rank iTimeSheet first, because the timer, cascading rates, expenses and invoices sit in one app with no account and no vendor server. ### Does the timer keep running without a connection? In iTimeSheet, yes. It does not talk to a server, so the timer, entries, expenses and reports all work in airplane mode, and the Apple Watch queues its taps when the phone is out of range and backdates them on reconnection. A connection is only needed for the iCloud backup and to buy or renew a subscription. ### Where is the client list stored? In iTimeSheet, in a local SQLite database on the iPhone, with no account and no vendor copy. Backup is a single file in the user's own iCloud Drive, visible in the Files app, written daily from Essential. The App Store privacy label lists a device identifier, purchases and usage data, none linked to the user and none used for tracking. Toggl Track, Harvest and Clockify store data in their own clouds. ### What does a US invoice need, and does the app handle it? A US invoice has no mandatory legal mentions beyond the business identity; sales tax varies by state, and clients who pay contractors often ask for a W-9 and issue a 1099. iTimeSheet ships a US layout with a company header, yearly sequential numbering, payment details and a free-text instructions block. It produces the PDF and tracks Draft, Unpaid and Paid; tax filing stays with your accountant. ### What does it cost for one person? iTimeSheet's free tier works for up to 3 clients and 2 entries a day. Essential is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr, Pro $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr, and Studio, with invoicing and quotes, $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr on the US store. Essential and Pro have free trials; Studio has a watermarked invoice preview instead. Subscriptions renew through Apple, and cancelling never deletes or locks data. ### Can an employee with side clients keep both in one app? In iTimeSheet, yes. The employer becomes a client with its projects, and side clients get their real rates; Reports then show hours by client and revenue where it applies. The employer's hours can be exported as CSV or a PDF timesheet, and the side clients invoiced from Studio. The database cannot be shared with a colleague, since it is one user per phone. ## The bottom line For people inside a team or who want a web dashboard, Toggl Track or Clockify are the honest choices, and Harvest when invoicing should live in the cloud too. If all that is needed is a record of hours and pay, Timemator, HoursTracker or atWork do it with less fuss. For one person who bills their own hours, iTimeSheet is the app to install first: the timer is where the hand already is, the rates do the arithmetic, the expenses follow the client, and on Studio the invoice is a tap away, with everything living on the phone rather than in a vendor's cloud. --- _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 - The 7 best time tracking apps for consultants in 2026: - The 7 best time tracking apps for freelance designers and developers in 2026: - The 8 best time tracking apps for electricians in 2026: - The 6 best time tracking apps for lawyers in 2026: - Guides: - llms.txt: · agents.md: