Best Project Time Tracking Software for 2026

Find the leading project time tracking tools that help teams capture hours accurately, manage workloads, and stay profitable across every project.

Here’s the problem no one admits: Most time trackers are just glorified stopwatches. They log hours but say nothing about the project behind them — no budgets, no tasks, no clients, no sense of whether the work is actually profitable.

So project managers end up buried in spreadsheets trying to answer one basic question:

“Are we making money on this project or not?”

With remote and hybrid work now fully baked into how teams operate, that visibility gap is causing professional services firms to lose 15–25% of billable hours because hours. Modern time tracking must do more than just record time. They need to connect time to the full project ecosystem (tasks, budgets, scopes, expenses, and client billing) so teams see real-time project health, not just a list of completed hours.

This guide reviews the top project time tracker options for 2026, with a focus on agencies and software teams working in Jira, Asana, Notion, or ClickUp. It’s built for teams that need robust, reliable project-based time tracking running quietly in the background.

Our top picks

These are the top project time tracking tools for 2026, selected for how well they connect time, delivery, and financial performance in real project environments:

• TMetric: Built for agencies and consultancies that depend on accurate client project time tracking, with strong project budgets, flexible billable rates, expense tracking, and deep integrations with PM and accounting tools.
• ClickUp: A true all-in-one project time management software platform that combines planning, tasks, docs, and time tracking for projects in a single workspace.
• Harvest: Designed for service businesses that want clean project-based time tracking paired with fast invoicing and built-in expense management.
• Toggl Track: A lightweight option for small teams that need reliable timesheets, tags, and project views without heavy setup or admin overhead.
• Timely: Uses AI-assisted activity capture to recover otherwise lost billable hours and generate accurate project timesheets with minimal manual effort.

Comparison table

Tool	Lowest paid plan (per user/month)	Free plan limitations	Ratings (G2 / Capterra)	Agency fit score	SoftDev fit score
TMetric	~$5–$7	Free for up to 2 users with core features	~4.6 / 4.5	4.8 / 5	4.7 / 5
ClickUp	~$7–$10	Free Forever; limited advanced time features	4.7 / 4.6	4.4 / 5	4.8 / 5
Harvest	~$11	1 user, 2 projects	~4.3 / 4.6	4.5 / 5	3.5 / 5
Toggl Track	$9	Free for up to 5 users	~4.5 / 4.6	4.5 / 5	3.5 / 5
Timely	$9–$22	No forever-free plan; 14-day trial	~4.8 / 4.7	4.6 / 5	4.2 / 5

The numbers don't lie

Across mainstream tools, most project time-tracking software falls in the $5–$12 per user/month range for core plans. AI-heavy or enterprise tiers climb higher.

For a 20–30 person team, that usually means a few hundred dollars per month. In return, you protect thousands of billable hours and gain clear visibility into project budget and profitability.

1. TMetric 

Best for: Agencies & remote teams.

Price: Free; paid plans from about $5–$7 per user/month.

Available on: Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, browser extensions.

Why TMetric

TMetric is built for teams that live and die by profitable projects. It treats projects, clients, and budgets as first-class citizens, not as labels on a generic timer. You can set budget limits in time or money, assign billable rates, track expenses, and see whether a client project is on track or already dipping into margin.

For agencies and remote software teams, that combination is powerful. Time logs flow into clear project views, timesheet approvals, and billing exports. You get one place where operations, finance, and delivery can all see the same numbers.

Key features

• Project budgets and billing types: Set fixed-fee or hourly billing, define budgets in hours or money, and get early warnings when projects approach limits.
• Billable rates and roles: Apply different rates by project, role, or work type to keep billable hours accurate and aligned with contracts.
• Expenses and budget vs. actuals: Log expenses per project, compare spend and time against budget, and monitor overall profitability.
• Reporting and timesheets: Use detailed project reports and timesheet views for approvals, payroll, and client reviews.
• Team productivity view: See which projects people are focused on and how workload is distributed, without turning the tool into surveillance.

Integrations

TMetric integrates with 50+ tools, including Jira, Asana, Trello, Notion, Monday.com, and GitHub on the project side, plus QuickBooks and other systems on the finance side. You can start timers from within your PM tools and push data into accounting for client billing and analysis.

Pros

• Strong project-based time tracking with clear budgets, rates, and expense tracking.
• Clean reporting that links time, cost, and profitability at the project and client level.
• Deep integrations with popular PM tools and accounting systems.
• Well-suited to remote and hybrid teams that work across multiple clients.

Cons

• Interface can feel busy if you only want a very simple timer.
• Advanced monitoring features are limited compared to tools built for surveillance.

Ratings & user quote

• Agency fit score: 4.8/5
• SoftDev fit score: 4.7/5
• Price to value: 4.5/5
• G2 rating: 4.6
• Capterra rating: 4.5

“The time tracking is hands-down the best I’ve used: accurate, intuitive, and easy to manage across multiple projects.” (Capterra)

2. ClickUp

Best for: Teams that want planning and time tracking in one system.

Price: Paid plans from around $7–$10 per user/month.

Available on: Web, desktop apps, mobile apps, browser extension.

Why ClickUp

ClickUp is project time management software at its core. Tasks, boards, docs, goals, and dashboards all live in one workspace. Time tracking is built straight into that environment. You can log time on tasks, compare estimates vs. actuals, and view workload without leaving your project board.

It’s a strong choice if you want fewer tools. You don’t get the same degree of depth as a dedicated project time tracking platform like TMetric or Harvest, but you gain a single hub where planning, collaboration, and time tracking for projects all happen together.

Key features

• Native timers and manual time entry on tasks and subtasks.
• Estimates vs. actuals, plus workload and capacity views on higher plans.
• Custom fields for budget, expenses, and status per task or project.
• Dashboards for project progress, capacity, and utilisation.

Integrations

ClickUp integrates with Slack, Google Workspace, GitHub, GitLab, and many others. For billing, teams often pair ClickUp with Harvest, TMetric, or an accounting system. Time data flows out; planning and collaboration stay inside ClickUp.

Pros

• Single workspace for planning, execution, docs, and time.
• Strong fit for software and product teams already using ClickUp for projects.
• Highly flexible views and workflows.

Cons

• More complex than simple trackers if all you need is basic time tracking for projects.
• Some of the best time features are on higher-tier plans.

Ratings & user quote

• Agency fit score: 4.4/5
• SoftDev fit score: 4.8/5
• Price to value: 4.4/5
• G2 rating: 4.7
• Capterra rating: 4.6

“ClickUp gets better every day, and I LOVE IT… It blends project management with onboarding and document management to avoid switching between apps.” (Capterra)

3. Harvest 

Best for: Project time tracking with built-in invoicing.

Price: Pro from about $11 per user/month; free plan for 1 user and 2 projects.

Available on: Web, iOS, Android, browser extensions.

Why Harvest

Harvest is built for service businesses that care about billable hours and fast client billing. It keeps the model simple: track time against projects and tasks, set budgets, record expenses, and generate invoices. For many small and mid-size agencies, Harvest becomes the operational backbone.

Where some tools lean into productivity analytics, Harvest leans into money. It answers “how much time did we spend?” and “what do we need to bill?” in one place, with minimal admin.

Key features

• Time tracking by project, task, and person, with simple timers and mobile apps.
• Project budgets in hours or money, with alerts when you approach or hit limits.
• Expense tracking and receipt storage at the project level.
• Built-in invoicing based on hours and expenses, with payment integrations.

Integrations

Harvest integrates with Asana, Basecamp, Trello, ClickUp, Jira, and others on the project side, and with QuickBooks, Xero, and Stripe on the billing side. That makes it a strong hub for client project time tracking and invoicing.

Pros

• Very fast to roll out in an agency or consulting firm.
• Clear project views for time, budget, and uninvoiced amounts.
• Strong invoicing workflow without needing extra tools.

Cons

• Limited depth for complex software delivery (e.g., sprint metrics, story points).
• Customisation options are more constrained than in general PM platforms.

Ratings & user quote

• Agency fit score: 4.5/5
• SoftDev fit score: 3.5/5
• Price to value: 4/5
• G2 rating: 4.3
• Capterra rating: 4.6

“Harvest is excellent for managing my time tracking across multiple clients, and multiple projects for each of those clients.” (Capterra)

4. Toggl Track 

Best for: Simple project tracking for small teams.

Price: Free for up to 5 users; Starter from $9 per user/month.

Available on: Web, desktop apps, mobile apps, browser extensions.

Why Toggl Track

Toggl Track is ideal when you want structured project time tracking without complexity. It’s fast, intuitive, and built to reduce friction. People pick a project, hit start, and move on with their day. Reports then give you a clean breakdown by project, client, and tag.

For smaller teams, Toggl Track is often the easiest way to move from spreadsheet timesheets to something that still feels light but gives you structured data.

Key features

• Simple start/stop timers with projects, clients, and tags.
• Billable vs. non-billable flags for project-based time tracking.
• Project dashboards showing tracked time vs. estimates.
• Reporting by project, client, team member, and tag.

Integrations

Browser extensions let you start timers from tools like Asana, Trello, Jira, and Notion. Exports feed into billing and payroll systems. Toggl Track stays focused on time; you connect the rest.

Pros

• Very low friction; strong UX for everyday project tracking.
• Generous free tier for small teams.
• Reports are easy to understand and share.

Cons

• No native invoicing; you will need external tools for client billing.
• Budgeting and profitability analysis are lighter than in tools like TMetric or Harvest.

Ratings & user quote

• Agency fit score: 4/5
• SoftDev fit score: 3.5/5
• Price to value: 4/5
• G2 rating: 4.6
• Capterra rating: 4.7
 

“Best time tracker ever… It’s super easy to use… The reports are amazing, with detailed information grouped by projects.” (Capterra)

5. Timely 

Best for: Automatic, AI-driven time tracking.

Price: Starter from $9, Premium $16, Unlimited $22 per user/month (annual billing)

Available on: Web, desktop, mobile

Why Timely

Timely is built for teams that lose time because logging is inconsistent. It automatically records app, document, and website usage on each device. Users then confirm and assign those “memories” to projects and tasks, creating accurate timesheets with far less manual effort.

For agencies and consultancies where people jump between clients several times a day, Timely helps recover forgotten hours and improves project profitability without relying on perfect habits.

Key features

• Automatic capture of work activity, grouped into timelines.
• AI-assisted suggestions for mapping time to projects and tasks.
• Project dashboards with budgets, capacity, and utilisation metrics.
• Strong focus on privacy compared to heavy surveillance tools.

Integrations

Timely connects to common project and billing tools and supports multiple currencies, making it suitable for global client portfolios.

Pros

• Reduces manual logging and recovers lost billable hours.
• Helpful for high-context-switching teams.
• Good balance between insight and privacy.

Cons

• No permanent free plan; only a trial.
• More expensive than simple trackers if you do not fully use the automation.

Ratings & user quote

• Agency Fit Score: 4.5/5
• SoftDev Fit Score: 4.6/5
• Price to Value: 4.2/5
• G2 rating: 4.8
• Capterra rating: 4.7

“Timely is one of the best software for automated time tracking, which enhances productivity.” (Capterra)

Other project time tracking options

If none of the main five tools is an exact fit, the following platforms are also credible options for time tracking for projects, each with a clear use case:

• Clockify: A budget-friendly project time tracker with projects, tags, and straightforward reporting. Its generous free plan makes it a low-risk entry point for teams moving off spreadsheets.
• TimeCamp: Combines project time tracking with basic attendance and productivity features, which can be useful if you want a single system covering both project work and presence.
• Everhour: Offers deep integrations with tools like Asana and ClickUp and is particularly strong on client billing workflows, making it attractive for agencies that already manage projects in those platforms.
• Hubstaff: Adds GPS and activity data on top of project time logs, making it better suited to distributed or field-based teams that need location-aware tracking in addition to project visibility.
• Time Doctor: Focuses on time and productivity analytics for project work, and is often used by BPOs and outsourced teams that need detailed insight into how time is spent across clients.

How to Pick the Right Project Time Tracking Software

Start with absolute clarity: accurate time tracking and usability

Before comparing features, focus on what every effective tool must deliver at its core — precise time capture and user-friendly tracking. Any software that fails to reliably record project time or makes logging hours cumbersome will slow your team down, not help it.

Pick software that integrates with your existing workflows

Choose tools that connect smoothly with the platforms you already use — project management suites, communication tools, and reporting systems. Integration simplifies tracking, reduces manual tasks, and helps keep the data consistent across the organization.

Put each tool to the test with a real project

Before choosing a plan, run a full workflow inside the trial: log tasks, track hours, review reports, and check how the time data exports or integrates. If the system feels awkward or slows things down during this test run, it likely won’t perform better when your team handles multiple projects simultaneously.

Do this carefully, and you’ll end up with a time-tracking solution that optimizes billing, boosts visibility, and scales with your team as you move into 2025 and beyond.

The Takeaway

The best project time tracking software does far more than collect timestamps. It links time, budget, expenses, and billable hours to specific projects and clients, so you can see real profitability in one place.

TMetric is our #1 choice because it combines client project time tracking, budgets, timesheets, and billing in a single, integrated workflow that fits how agencies and software teams actually work. ClickUp, Harvest, Toggl Track, and Timely each shine in specific scenarios—whether you want an all-in-one PM hub, simplified invoicing, lightweight tracking, or AI-driven automation.

Together, these tools offer a solid range of project-based time tracking solutions for different team sizes, industries, and operating models.

However, if your projects are simpler and you prefer fewer systems, an all-in-one platform like ClickUp with built-in time tracking for projects can be enough, especially if finance is comfortable working from exports.

Useful Resources:

• https://tmetric.com/feature-projects
• https://tmetric.com/task-management
• https://tmetric.com/feature-billing